So, having two sets of visitors coming two weekends in a row, I had the chance to visit first Stirling and then Edinburgh Castle.  And you know, I am going to slightly downgrade Edinburgh.  It has the advantage of being in a richly historical city that would be worth a visit even without the castle.  The castle itself also deeply impressive from afar, looming up from a dramatic cliffside (of course, that was just good strategy back in the day).\n\nBut...once inside, all that big bold castley-ness doesn't quite live up to its promise.  The Crown Jewels room is an interminable labyrinth of rooms with creepy mannequins.  When you finally get to the crown jewels they are just meh, although the seat of destiny is pretty excellent just because of its storied past.  The whole place is a bit disney-esque and commercial.  \n\nA few things do stand out.  The views are spectacular.  St. Margaret's chapel resonates with 900 years of history.  There are no fussy mannequins in there, just a real sense of place in this modest, contemplative room.  And the Royal Apartments are pretty interesting.\n\nAll that being said--what are you going to do, NOT go to Edinburgh Castle?  Don't be daft.  Like the Blue Lagoon in Reykjavik and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, you have to visit the city's signature landmark before you can do anything else.  And combined with the Princes Street Gardens, the Royal Mile, Holyood and Arthur's Seat, this does make for part of a very historical and beautiful day out.