Edinburgh, Scotland, UK - small, pretty, rain, strong sense of Scottish pride, colourful

It's quite small and is basically split into two halves: the Old Town (Medieval) and the New Town (Georgian). You can get anywhere in 15 minutes walk and the city is really worth travelling around on foot - it's really pretty and quaint. The castle is the main attraction at the top of the Royal Mile, with the Grass Market also offering itself up as a popular second choice. The buskers here are bag-pipe players! There's a strong sense of culture and pride, lots of Scottish memorabilia and tartan stuff. It's generally very safe, you can walk back home from clubs no problem. One thing not to miss is... The Edinburgh festival! Loads of people arrive and rent flats during this period and the atmosphere's really electric, with tons of art and culture to make the most of. Edinburgh has that capital city buzz, a bit like London, except on a smaller scale (and with a Scottish accent). Lots of Irish pubs populate the city ( the Scots and Irish must have a secret alliance). And the country even has its own Scottish bank notes!