Filming locations in Rosslyn

Rosslyn is a village just south of Edinburgh wrapped around one of Europe's most intricately carved medieval chapels, and for set-jetters it is the climactic stop on The Da Vinci Code. The film's treasure hunt ends here, in a chapel so dense with stone green men, foliage and symbols that the conspiracy theories almost write themselves. It is a small, strange, beautiful place, and the carvings alone are worth the trip out from the city.

Rosslyn Chapel is the whole reason to come, and it rewards slow attention. This is a working chapel and visitor attraction with timed paid entry, and the carvings give up their secrets best with a guided talk, so leave time to listen rather than just look. Photography inside is restricted, which only sharpens the case for being present in the room rather than behind a phone.

There is more here than the chapel itself. The wooded Roslin Glen drops away just below, a quiet walk through trees and along the river that makes a natural counterpoint to the dim, carved interior above. Pair the two and a half-day in Rosslyn balances the cerebral with the green.

Practically, Rosslyn is an easy outing rather than an expedition, about thirty minutes from Edinburgh, so it slots neatly into a city break. Use the Scottish capital as your base for its old town, its food and its onward connections, and come out to the chapel for a morning or afternoon. Book your timed ticket ahead in busy season, when the film's fans still arrive in numbers.