Leith is renowned for its wealth of bars, restaurants and cafés together with its newly developing art and design culture. Less than 2 miles from the bustling city centre it is the ideal haven for a long weekend, an extended stay, or for that stress-free return visit to Edinburgh. Leith has a character of its own. It has a buzz and vibrancy - but you need to look below the surface - to get to know the real Leith, its history and its people.

Leith is changing so don't believe what you read in the guidebooks. Its reputation as a seedy port area is out of date. Many of the once derelict buildings and warehouses have been restored into stylish offices and apartments, along with new developments such as the magnificent Conran-designed Ocean Terminal - a unique combination of shopping, leisure and culture.

Indeed the scale of change in Leith is unprecedented as it develops from a place 'where the city meets the sea' into 'a new city by the sea'. But a city which preserves and celebrates its maritime heritage.

Further west lies the development site of Waterfront Edinburgh Limited - a joint venture partnership between The City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh & LothianS which has been established to regenerate some 140 hectares (346 acres) of derelict land situated to the North of the City located on the shores of the Forth Estuary.