Bristo Square is one thing during the festival, and a completely different thing outside the…read morefestival. During the festival it houses the Udderbelly. Throughout the rest of the year, be there rain or snow or the kind of wind that bites you to the bone, Bristo Square is where the skaters go, as well as those kids who ride those really small bikes. Possibly BMXs? You also get people doing parcour there. It's really quite fun just to sit around and watch people either a) succeeding in their tricks, or b) falling hilariously (without any ambulances, nae worries, I'm not that sadistic). Bristo Square is smack in the middle of a load of student buildings: McEwan Hall, Teviot, Potterrow and the Dugald Stewart Building. So, even throughout the academic year, you can expect to get flyered around there. And also, if you actually decide to walk through the middle of the square, make sure you're not on anyone's bmx/skate trajectory, 'cause it could end both hilariously and painfully.

Bristo Square is an area I frequently walk past, and is always buzzing with student activity. It is…read morethe one of the main squares within the central campus of the University of Edinburgh. It has McEwan Hall, Teviot Row Union and the Potterrow union all in its vicinity. It is always full of people dotting about to these popular places. During Freshers' Week this square is always busy with fun fairs or acting as meeting points for student guided events or tours. Also, during this time, students create a large slithering queue in Bristo Square for the student nights in Potterrow. Furthermore, Bristo Square is used by many newly graduated students as the place to take photos with their families or just with them posing with their certificates in front of McEwan hall. Also, during the festival the Underbelly is located here and is one of the hot spots of the Festival! During the year the square is frequently visited by skaters and by people with BMX bikes. And sadly also by groups of drinkers as well at times! Bristo Square is always thriving and is a great feature of the University of Edinburgh!

It's a typical lecture theatre at the University. I find leg room to be insufficient, but I am…read morequite tall, so this is a common problem. The tables provided at each seat are also not great: unstable and small. The building is very ugly, though maybe it has some architectural value. I don't know. In terms of positives, it's a big theatre. It can be used for large class sizes, but also for big external events. I've taken part in things as varied as a chemistry lecture, a public seminar by a prominent international diplomat, and the tryouts for University Challenge. George Square Lecture Theatre is definitely a venue with a lot of potential uses.

I have used the George Square Lecture theatre for many of my subjects whilst at Edinburgh…read moreUniversity. It is used for large classes as it can seat up to nearly 500 hundred people. The lecture theatres is one of the best I have experienced whilst here and is the most modern at the university. There is ample leg room and there is also a fold up desk for every seat for note taking. The only bad thing is that as the entrance to the seating area is at the front, when you walk in, everyone sees you, which can be pretty embarrassing if you come trawling in 20 minutes late to a lecture. Due to the vast size of the lecture theatre, it is also used to stage theatre presentations as well as public lectures with guest speakers. During the festival it is also utilised for various concert and theatrical performances.

Although it's a bit out of the city centre, this is a great venue for seeing a show. It belongs to…read morethe council, so it's run along much the same lines as the other council-owned Assembly Rooms - functional yet still retaining some of that old-school glamour associated with the theatre. I went to see West Side Story here not long ago, and I much prefer this place to other venues like the Festival Theatre. It's a bit smaller, and so you won't get as many big names playing here, but I've never been disappointed. It has 5 resident stage companies at any given time, but it's also a Fringe venue so if you're up here for the festival you'll no doubt find yourself in here at some point. My one tip... although the council recently spent loads on a refurb, they didn't make the bar area any bigger. If you're wanting a drink during the interval then don't hang about when the lights come back on!

The Churchill Theatre is an attractive and really traditional venue for the performing arts in the…read moreMorningside area. It's fairly grand, and quite a prominent landmark in the area, but still retains its feel of being a local theatre in terms of character and ambience. The first time I came along to see a show here was for my sister's group dancing performance, put on by the dance school she was attending at the time. Watching a show here is comfortable and enjoyable viewing, and the auditorium is cosy, yet at the same time a decent size, so you don't feel too squished in. There are a lot of dance performances here, plus the theatre is used regularly by several amateur theatre companies, so it's a good chance to see something different and up and coming. The Churchill is also a Fringe venue, so is worth coming out to for shows, and if you're not from the city, you'll get to see the bustling and popular Morningside.

Zoo Southside is one of the largest venues in the Fringe. On Nicholson Street, one of the busiest…read moreroads during the festival, it is obvious as an old converted church, immediately giving it an impressive appearance. Inside, the venue is huge as well, seating about 240 people. In addition to the large capacity, the fact that it was a church and has high ceilings means that it stays relatively cool, even when full, which is a nice change from the majority of venues. As it is one of the bigger venues, they attract good acts as well. Though less likely to see some of the top comics around, there are always good theatre productions. Occasionally these are a bit amateur, but generally they are pretty well done. As well as theatre, it hosts a bit of everything - music (jazz / classical / contemporary), magic, dance, cabaret and acrobatics, and as there is fierce competition to get a place here, the acts are normally top class. If you are looking for one of the famous comics, then this is not the place to go to, but if you want a bit of culture, or even less famous comedians, this is one of the best venues in the Fringe to go to.

I loved this the first time I came with my little pal Erik. Fantastic line up! Great scenery!…read moreFantastic people! NO queue in NO queue out!!!!! Gotta be worth a few stars just for that :-) This year however, someone thought it would be a good idea to allow a bus GIVING away Muller Rice! Not only did the muppet on the tanoy start shouting about it at 9am on the Friday morning (OMG) but because nobody ever disposes of the empty or partially empty pts, the whole area stunk of cottage cheese by Friday afternoon! Mr Muller Rice The most hated man at T in The Park 2008

This is the biggest music festival in Scotland and popular UK wide. It takes place on a disused…read moreairfield in Balado, near Kinross. Since it began in 1994 this has grown to a capacity of 85,000. The festival takes place over three days between 10 and 12 July 2009 and will feature more than 120 acts. Camping tickets for 2009 have long sold out, however, there are still tickets available for individual days. 2009 sees the return of the Killers on the main stage and new acts such as Lady Ga Ga and the Script. The mighty Kings of Leon are headlining on the Friday and Seasick Steve will be on the main stage on Sunday. Blur and Snow Patrol will be playing on Sunday also. The atmosphere is always electric with lots of things to see and do. The food stalls are amazing and there is always plenty alcohol to go round. This is a fantastic experience and everyone should try it at least once. Just bring wellies and a mac just in case. Even though it's in the summer, it's still Scottish weather that rules!

Right up in the loft of The Counting House is this tiny little room, housing cheap and free comedy…read moreduring the Fringe. It is a cubby hole of a room, only fitting about 30 people in, but gives a great atmosphere. Obviously depending on the comic, sometimes there can be some very awkward silences and being so close to the acts means it can be very uncomfortable. Also the fact that the room is locked away right up in the loft and that there are so many people crammed in there means it gets really hot sometimes. I mean like verging on Circles of Hell hot. This can make the experience pretty uncomfortable sometimes. The venue itself completely depends on the acts, sometimes you can have an amazing time and it has a really good atmosphere. Others you can have one of the most embarrassing experiences ever if the comedian dies (obviously not literally, that would be more than embarrassing). The room is pretty small though and be sure not to wear heavy clothing, or any at all really, unless you want to cook

The past cpole of yerars I've been going here thought the fringe to see some funny mini cabarets…read more Inclusive of sing and jokes. If you are either visiting Edinburgh or are a local I'd advise you to take a trip down here some time this year as I will be doing the same thing tonight.

The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a stylish venue and popular amongst the many cultural, theatre-goers…read morewithin Edinburgh. It's well proportioned and pleasantly comfortable, ensuring an enjoyable viewing experience. Furthermore, the Lyceum has a tremendous reputation for the quality of its productions and is invariably packed out during the Edinburgh festival season. I'd highly recommend all those who enjoy their trips to the theatre to grab a programme listing, find a show they want to see and get themselves along there.

Just across the street from City Art Centre on Market this is a great spot for lunch. This is one…read moreof the few places we've eaten in Edinburgh that has veggies and fresh salads on the menu. We had a great salted beef sandwich- like American corned beef -served with sauerkraut and a delicious eggplant dish with couscous and crispy kale. Fast friendly service in an attractive space.

I love art galleries, and I love the Fruitmarket Gallery. When I was in 1st year I chose to study…read moreHistory of Art, so my lectures were always in galleries and I fell in love with this one. It is so different from your bog-standard art gallery with the likes of Rubens, Raphael and Seurat, but the Fruitmarket has modern and interpretive art - which I love. They have really brilliant, exciting exhibitions and always have a theme. the last exhibition I visited was all about America, but not what you would expect. They showed a cowboy and indian movie on a huge plasma screen over-looking the gallery 24/7 at super slow speed - I'll never forget queuing to get into a club and looking up to see an Indian towering over me. The gift shop is great too, they don't have much but they have good things. They have a really nice little cafe too, it's always busy. Although the gallery is quite small it's still worth a visit.