No matter where I am in the world, and no matter how amazing the destination, my heart will always be in Scotland. And Edinburgh is the city I start to pine for when I am away from home for too long. I am therefore very excited to share my favourite spots with you – and also a bit nervous to make sure I do it justice!
Edinburgh has been Scotland’s capital city since 1437, although there has been a settlement here since the Middle Ages. For a long time, the city was known as “Auld Reekie” (Old Smokey) due to the fog from the peat fires burned across the city.
Thankfully Edinburgh has changed rather a lot since then, and there is now something here to delight everyone. A picturesque medieval city centre, fantastic restaurants and cafes, great nightlife and a taste of the wild Scottish countryside smack bang in the middle of the city thanks to Arthur’s Seat. Whether you come in winter for Hogmanay (New Year) or in the summer for the world famous Festival, I am certain that you will love it. I really hope this guide helps you have the best experience and helps you see both the “must-do’s” as well as the local’s Edinburgh that I love so much!
Don’t Miss!
Arthur’s Seat – a blustery walk up a dormant volcano offers a taste of wild Scottish countryside and fantastic views over the city.
Edinburgh Castle – home to the Scottish Crown Jewels – The Honours – and centuries of history. See the firing of the one o’clock gun.
Walk the Royal Mile – cross the Old Town from the Castle to Holyrood House, for an insight into medieval Edinburgh.
Live music and whisky! – find a small bar to sample some toe tapping Scottish music and a dram of the golden blends.
Key Facts
Language English (Scots!)
Currency Pounds Sterling
Nearest Airport Edinburgh (EDI)
Getting Around Walkable or Bus
Staying in Touch Free wifi is increasingly available in shops and restaurants. Prepaid SIMs can be bought from WH Smiths in the airport.
Weather Long mild days in the summer, but short, cold and rainy in the winter. But come prepared for it to change from morning to afternoon!
GETTING THERE
The tram runs directly from the Airport to the West End and Prince’s Street, and takes 35 minutes. Adult tickets are £6.50 for a single trip, or £9 return. Alternatively, the Airlink bus goes to Waverley Bridge in 20 minutes and costs £4.50 for a single or £7.50 return.
If you get the train to Edinburgh, you can either get off at the central station – Waverley – or the station in the West End – Haymarket. Both are in the centre of the city so it is worth checking which is closest to your accommodation.
For the cheapest tickets to Edinburgh – or any train in Europe – I always recommend checking Trainline. I find they tend to have the best prices, and offer a “split ticket” service. This ‘splits’ your train journey into multiple tickets, instead of buying a single ticket to your destination. Bizarrely, if you buy multiple tickets along your trip you can save a lot of money compared to having a single ticket – and all without having to change trains!
GETTING AROUND
Edinburgh is really compact for a capital city so is very walkable – but be warned, it is hilly!! You almost always have to walk up hill no matter where you want to get to. Bookmark this helpful map – it is the route of the sightseeing bus, but it is also a useful route to follow if you want to explore on foot.
If you would rather save your energy for exploring the castle and the Royal Mile, a day ticket for unlimited bus and tram travel costs £4.50 – tickets can be bought on board or via the mobile app.
The new tram system – top tip… never ask a local about the construction of this vastly over budget project – is useful to get to and from the airport, but doesn’t run far enough to be that great for getting around the city. Tickets must be bought before you board, and there are ticket machines at every stop.
Edinburgh Black Cabs – taxis – are metered and you will find taxi ranks outside both the airport and the train stations. Expect to pay around £20 from the airport to the city centre. Credit cards are accepted. Uber is widely available but can be more expensive than the Black Cabs at peak holiday times.
ORGANISED TOURS
If you would like someone else to show you around the city, there are multiple tours on offer. The ever popular hop-on-hop-off bus is £20 an adult ticket, and allows for unlimited travel for 24 hours. The commentary is offered in nine different languages, and there is a Horrible Histories tour for children (English only). Buses run between 9am to 4pm, every 20 minutes. E-tickets can be bought online.
Sandeman’s free walking tour is one of the originals, and still one of the best. Over the course of two and a half hours, a local guide will take you to all the main sights and share lots of interesting facts about the city and its history.
Halfway through there is a short coffee break at the Grassmarket Project – a charitable café which provides support to those facing homelessness, mental/physical health problems, learning difficulties, poverty, substance misuse, physical abuse and more. Tours are free but you are asked to leave a tip, based on what you enjoyed.
Edinburgh Ticket Passes
If you are planning to visit serval of Edinburgh’s attractions, you may find buying a combined ticket or pass is a cheaper option. The best two options are the Royal Edinburgh Ticket and the Edinburgh City pass.
The Royal Edinburgh Ticket is my top recommendation – entrance to the Castle, Holyrood House and the Royal Yacht Britannia is included. Buying them together saves 25% on the individual ticket prices. Two days travel on the hop-on-hop-off bus is also included. It costs £57 per adult.
The City Pass grants entry to 23 tours and museums, including John Knox’s house, The Edinburgh Dungeon and the Holyrood Distillery. You can also use it for the hop-on-hop-off bus, and for a boat trip in the Firth of Forth. Airport transfers on the trams are also included.
Passes are available for one day (£45 per adult/£20 per child); two days (£55 per adult/£26 per child); and three days (£65 per adult/£30 per child).
THINGS TO DO
If you come to Edinburgh during the month of August the city is usually completely taken over by the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe. Sadly for the second year in a row, the Festival and Fringe will not be able to take place in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic. Here’s hoping for a better 2022 and return of this wonderful event!
Visit Edinburgh Castle – sitting atop an extinct volcano, the Castle is the former home of the Scottish Monarch and still houses the Scottish Crown Jewels – known as the Honours of Scotland. They have been used to crown Scottish monarchs since 1543, and are the only British Crown jewels to have survived the purge of Oliver Cromwell. After the Act of Union of 1707 (which united England, Wales and Scotland under a single monarch), the Honours were hidden in a chest in Edinburgh Castle and forgotten about! It was not until 1818 that Sir Walter Scott rediscovered them.
The Castle has faced 23 attacks – more than any other British castle. Between 1296 and 1341, the castle was twice captured by the English and twice retaken by the Scots. It was also seized by Oliver Cromwell’s Army in 1650, during the English Civil War. The tiny St Margaret’s Chapel is the oldest building in Scotland, and was the only part of the castle spared from destruction when Robert the Bruce captured it in 1314.
If you want to mount your own assault, go early to miss the crowds that pour in from the tour buses. And definitely buy your tickets in advance. Adult tickets are £17 when booked online. (Open daily: 10am-4pm October-March; 09:30am-6pm (April-September).
A Very Loud Clock
Don’t be worried if you hear a loud bang from the castle at lunchtime… that’s just the 1 o’clock gun!
The firing dates from 1861, when businessman John Hewitt brought the idea to Edinburgh after seeing a similar time gun in Paris.
As well as being a fun addition to the city, it had a practical purpose. Prior to the one o’clock gun, ships in the nearby Firth of Forth would use the time ball on top of the Nelson Monument on Calton Hill to set their maritime clocks. However, on foggy days – and Edinburgh has a few of those! – it was hard to see, so they decided to an audible time clue was also needed.
I definitely couldn’t comment on the rumour that the parsimonious Scots chose one o’clock as it would only require one cannonball, therefore keeping costs down…
The gun is a fool proof way to tell the locals from the tourists – city residents check their watches whilst visitors jump! It is fired daily, except on Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas Day.
Pick up a stick for Greyfriar’s Bobby – just outside Greyfriar’s Kirkyard is a little statue of a dog. He was so devoted to his master, John Grey, that after John died in 1858, Bobby sat by his grave for 14 years. The people of Edinburgh took him to their hearts and people still bring sticks to lay on the little dog’s grave. It is considered good luck to rub Bobby’s nose. You can see the graves of both John Grey, and Bobby, in the kirkyard behind the pub.
Picnic in Princes Street Gardens – right in front of the castle and a lovely spot for a picnic lunch. The Gardens date from the 1770s and are made up of two halves, sitting either side of The Mound. Between July and September Princes Street Garden East is home to the Edinburgh Wheel, a red and white Ferris wheel which gives a different view of the Old Town and Castle. (Adult tickets: £9.50. 10am-10pm). At Christmas, the Gardens are transformed into a German-style market, with ice rink and stalls selling mulled wine, food and gifts (usually starts mid-November).
Dominating Princes Street Garden West is the Scott Monument. Built in 1846 to commemorate Sir Walter Scott, a famous Scottish author, it is the second largest monument to a writer in the world (to save you an internet search… the José Martí monument in Havana is the largest!). If you are not claustrophobic, you can climb 287 steps to ascend the 61m to the top for gorgeous views into the Old Town. (Adult tickets are £8; daily, 10am-3:30pm).
Explore the National Museum of Scotland – five floors of free exhibitions. My favourites cover Scotland’s history, natural history and an interactive science section (be sure to say hello to Dolly the Sheep!). Top Tip – find your way to the rooftop garden for wonderful views. Even many locals don’t know about this free garden! (Daily, 10am-4:30pm)
The Scottish National Gallery on The Mound is also free to enter, and houses three floors of Scottish and international fine art. The Gallery was originally opened in 1828, with an aim to make art accessible to all. It originally had later opening hours on Wednesday and Saturday to enable the working classes a chance to view the national art collection. My highlights include The Skating Minister by Henry Raeburn, Lady Agnew of Lochnaw by John Singer Sergeant, and The Bridgewater Madonna by Raphael (daily, 10am-5pm (Thursdays until 7pm).
Go to the beach – yes, Edinburgh is on the coast! Portobello Beach is a short bus ride from Princes Street (number 26 or 124), and is a great places to spend a sunny afternoon or blow away the cobwebs on a blustery winter’s day.
Take a trip to Leith – twenty years ago this was not an area that would have featured on a visitor’s itinerary, but a major redevelopment has turned it into one of the hippest parts of the city. It has some amazing fish restaurants and is the resting place of the Queen’s private yacht, the Royal Yacht Britannia (Adult tickets are £17; November-March 10am-4pm: April-October 9:30am-4:30pm). Over 44 years, the Royal Yacht made 968 official trips, travelling over one million miles to stop at 600 ports in over 135 countries. You will see the Royal apartments, state rooms and a variety of excellent exhibitions.
Don’t miss the stuffed toy wombat in the wardroom – it was gifted by one of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting, and the ship’s officers used it to play tennis. The ship’s surgeon had to put it back together a few times!
If you would like a more regal experience, afternoon tea is served in the Royal Deck Tea Room. Tea for two with a half bottle of Moet is £57.50. And if you are feeling really flash, you can rent out the state rooms for private events…
WALK!
Edinburgh is really compact for a capital city so is very walkable – but be warned, it is hilly!! You almost always have to walk up hill no matter where you want to get to. Bookmark this helpful map – it is the route of the sightseeing bus, but it is also a useful route to follow if you want to explore on foot.
Wander around the New Town – confusingly for visitors, the New Town of Edinburgh was built between 1767 and 1850. Expect Georgian architecture, leafy green squares and hidden lanes and mews houses.
See picturesque Dean Village and arty Stockbridge – both areas are just to the north of the city centre and allow you to get more of a sense of the Edinburgh locals know.
And the medieval Old Town! The area to the south of the Castle is a warren of cobblestone streets, and medieval buildings. This is the Edinburgh tourists imagine when they think of the city! Walk down Victoria Street into the Grassmarket to see one of Edinburgh’s most picturesque streets. After exploring the shops, boutique hotels and pubs, head up the Vennel Steps for a great view of the Castle. If you want to get a sense of what life would have been like in medieval Edinburgh, head to the Real Mary King’s Close. Much of the Old Town was built on top of existing settlements, and Mary King’s Close is an excavated network of streets and buildings under the city. (Adult tickets are £16.95 and can be booked online; daily 10am-4:30pm)
Doors Open Days
If you come to Edinburgh in September, be sure to check for the dates of the Doors Open Days.
Organised by the Scottish Civic Trust, this month-long festival sees hundreds of buildings usually closed to the public are open for visitors.
Admission is free and museums, historic sites and other hidden treasures across Scotland participate. Alongside, there are numerous tours, guided walks and exhibitions also on offer.
Over 1000 buildings across Edinburgh take part, with events held every weekend in September.
My top recommendations are the Queen Street Gardens; Cannongate Kirk (who thought all that sky blue was a good idea?!); Advocate’s Library (a private law library in Parliament House); and the Anatomical Museum (part of the University’s Medical School; probably not one for the squeamish…).
Walk the Royal Mile – Edinburgh’s most famous street. Running through the Old Town from the Castle at one end, to Holyrood House at the other. Aside from just soaking up the history as you stroll, highlights include:
- Camera Obscura – founded in 1835, this is Edinburgh’s oldest purpose built tourist attraction. Six floors of interactive exhibitions featuring mirrors, optical illusions and the Camera Obscura itself. Tickets bought online are £15.75.
- Great Hall at Parliament House – this 17th century room is where the Scottish parliament met before its dissolution in 1707. It is now part of the Court of Sessions, and is used by lawyers to meet their clients. Although not widely publicised, it is open to the public and free to enter. At 11 Parliament Square, you will see a sign saying “Parliament Hall: Courts of Session”. The Hall is through the double doors immediately to your right as you enter.
- St Giles’ Cathedral – also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, this 14th century Church is more ornate than the austere outside suggests. For £6, you can climb to the top of the Dome for views over Edinburgh. The Cathedral also often hosts free lunchtime concerts, and an organ recital at 6pm on Sundays.
- John Knox’s House – one of the oldest houses in Edinburgh, it was home to the Protestant preacher and reformer, John Knox. Knox was the founder of the Scottish Presbyterian Church and responsible for starting the Scottish Reformation. (£6; Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm).
- Edinburgh’s Closes – known variously as closes, passages and wynds, these narrow streets run either side of the Royal Mile. They are a traditional feature of Edinburgh’s medieval design, and provided pedestrian routes across the Old Town. Fleshmarket Close, Advocate’s Close and Old Playhouse Close are always top favourites with visitors.
Finally at the end of the Royal Mile, visit Holyrood House – the official home of the Queen whilst in Scotland. Make sure you visit Mary Queen of Scot’s chambers (she lived here between 1561 – 1567). Her husband, Lord Darnley, killed her private secretary, David Rizzio, here in 1566. They say you can still see the bloodstains… Adult tickets are £16.50.
Opposite Holyrood is the new Scottish Parliament (another thing you shouldn’t ask a local about the cost of… sensing a theme yet?). If Parliament is in session, you can sit in the public gallery to listen to the debates. Tours are free.
Climb Arthur’s Seat – a dormant volcano in the heart of the city, this lion-shaped hill hints at the wild Scottish landscapes that lie north of the city and makes for a great (if blustery) walk. Arthur’s Seat makes up most of Holyrood Park – the other half being the dramatic (and much less crowded) Salisbury Crags. The walk up and down will take you around an hour and is straightforward. Be sure to stop by The Sheep Head in Duddingston for a quick post-walk drink afterwards – it is the oldest licensed premises in Scotland!
If you are in Edinburgh on 1 May, be sure to climb Artur’s Seat and wash your face in the dew. According to my grandmother this will definitely guarantee you eternal beauty…
You can also get great views of the city – often with fewer crowds – from the top of Carlton Hill at the east end of Prince’s Street. It is only a short walk up paved road, with some steps. At the top you will find the National Monument of Scotland, a memorial to soldiers who fought in the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815), and the Nelson Monument, dedicated to Horatio Nelson, the famous 18th century British Admiral.
PLACES TO EAT
There are so many great places to eat and drink in Edinburgh that I simply can’t fit them all in here – check out my Foodie’s Guide to the city for lots more recommendations. These are a few of my top picks for when out and about sightseeing.
The Witchery – Edinburgh’s most famous restaurant. Located in a 16th century building right by the Castle, it can’t be beaten for atmosphere. Very expensive – although justified by the wonderful menu – so save it for a special occasion.
The Outsider – one of my favourite restaurants in Edinburgh. Ideally situated in the old town, it serves great food at reasonable prices. Try and get a table overlooking the Castle.
Leo’s Beanery – my top brunch spot in Edinburgh. The breakfasts here are delicious and hearty. If you are hear for lunch the homemade balsamic salad dressing is the stuff of dreams!
Oink – really not one for vegetarians, The Husband can’t walk past the whole roasting pig in the window of this little Victoria Street shop without picking up a hog roast roll. He tells me you must try the crackling!
A Picnic in the Meadows – always filled with students, this green space just south of the university makes the perfect picnic spot. Prince’s Street Gardens is another good option. Pick up sandwich in one of Edinburgh’s many cafes, or some nibbles from the excellent Stockbridge Farmer’s Market on a Sunday.
WHERE TO DRINK
The Whiski Rooms – on the Mound just below the Royal Mile there is a restaurant as well as the bar. The range of whisky is unsurprisingly comprehensive and they also offer tasting sessions for £25.
Cold Town House – a brewery, prosecco and pizza bar in a converted church. Exposed bricks, leather seats and booths – it is determinedly shabby chic. Go for a drink on the terrace overlooking the Castle.
The Devil’s Advocate – this industrial chic bar and restaurant is a whisky drinkers paradise. Staff are very knowledgeable and always happy to help you choose something. Don’t worry if you don’t like whisky – they also do great cocktails.
Kay’s Bar – this little bar is a firm favourite with locals. There is nothing trendy here, just a traditional, great ‘wee’ bar! Offers a large range of real ales.
If you are looking for toe-tapping Scottish music, the Black Cat on Rose Street has live music on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday, and a great selection of whiskies. Alternatively, if you want something a bit more traditional, Sandy’s Bells near Greyfriars’ Kirkyard is a local’s favourite. It can be hard to get into as it is tiny!
WHERE TO SLEEP
Kimpton Charlotte Square – large, comfortable rooms ideally located in the New Town. Fun touches like a yoga mat in the cupboard and stylish decor make the rooms stand out. Great breakfast and excellent service.
The Grassmarket Hotel – you can’t get more central than this quirky hotel directly under the Castle! There are a variety of rooms for different budgets, all are decorated in comic book strips and have a few thoughtful touches that you wouldn’t expect in a budget hotel: rainfall showers, iPod docks and Tunnock’s Tea Cakes in the tea making stations.
The Balmoral – if you want to splurge, there is nowhere better to do it that Edinburgh’s most iconic hotel which is situated right by Waverly train station. The bedrooms are very luxurious, and the hotel has a large spa area and pool as well as a Michelin-starred restaurant. Even if you can’t afford to stay here, try and book in for afternoon tea in the Palm Court.
Eden Locke – these studio apartments are seriously hipster – pale wooden floors, cocktail shakers in the bedrooms, and pastel furniture. They are in amongst all of the bars and restaurants of the New Town, and an easy fifteen minute walk to the Old Town.
There also lots of AirBnBs to choose from all across Edinburgh – I’d recommend something in Stockbridge if you want to be walking distance to all the action, but with a bit of peace and quiet at night.
I really hope this has inspired you to plan a trip to my beloved Edinburgh. If you have already been, do let me know in the comments where your favourite spots in the city are. If you are looking for even more ideas for what to get up to, check out my Edinburgh series.
Thank you for this I really loved your food blog, extremely helpful for a newbie like me and my wife coming from Boise idaho. We will be the in May and June 2022.