Edinburgh Recs

Edinburgh is absolutely enchanting. I'm so grateful I was able to go to grad school at the University of Edinburgh and have the opportunity to live there. I put together the following for you here: ‘My One Perfect Day’ itinerary, a list of more details about each stop, and other thoughts / recs, plus a link to my Google Map below pinpointing all the places listed here.

PS. Edinburgh is very northerly and has magical winds, bring layers. There is an Old Town and New Town, and both are UNESCO World Heritage sites (what a city!) and most of my time (and therefore most of my recs) will be in Old Town.

My One Perfect Day in Edinburgh Itinerary:

SEE BELOW / KEEP READING FOR MORE DETAILS ON EACH

• Get a hearty breakfast sandwich to-go from a local cafe nearby whereever you are staying.
• Start at Arthur’s seat, trek up to see the view and orient yourself in the city, eat your breakfast at the top while looking out over everything, if it’s not too windy!
• Come down off the hill, and start your Royal Mile Walk at Holyrood Palace.
• Make sure to notice the Scottish Parliament on your way! Better yet, tour it inside if you have time.
• Plan to LINGER the rest of the way up the Royal Mile, give yourself time to duck into any pub or shop or tea room that calls you for a pint or a gander or a sip.
• Go see the Castle, completing your Royal Mile walk.
• Note: For Harry Potter fans only (otherwise meh), add a stop at the Elephant House: "made famous as the place of inspiration to writers such as J.K. Rowling".
• Finish at Greyfriars Bobby to see the statue of that beloved national treasure of a pup, and grab a pint at the classic Greyfriars Bobby’s Bar while you decide what you would like to do for dinner / the rest of your trip!

Walk the Royal Mile

This is my top recommendation, you must do it, even if you only have a half day in beautiful Edinburgh. Would 100% say to do this instead of the multi-stop tourist bus thing. The Royal Mile covers a lovely and historical section of Old Town that runs between the Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse (the Queen’s official residence when she’s in Scotland) and the Scottish Parliament Building (see note below re: this building). Most people walk from the Castle to the Palace, it’s maybe more downhill that way, and the chronology of starting at the oldest location of authority (the Castle) to the newest (the Parliament) is kind of neat. But if you walk the other way, you’ll be ending in a more central location in town and easier to find a pint and bite and decide what to do next. Check your maps, think about it, either way, it will be great. Economics-Nerd Tip: Make sure you notice Adam Smith’s grave on the walk! It’s on the way (near Parliament) and totally missable.

Trek up Arthur’s Seat

This is an ancient volcano, and will be a wee bit of a trek, hopefully the signature-ly powerful wind will greet you at the top (bring a jacket!), and you’ll arrive upon an amazing overlook of the entire town. In Edinburgh, there are a lot of viewpoints and parks and areas recommended to walk up. Do them all if you’re into that kind of thing. If you are not, at least do this one, you will not regret it. The viewpoint gives you context for the entire city, you will see precisely how everything fits and sits together.

Take in The Castle

You can’t miss seeing it really, from anywhere in town. It’s really stunning and gorgeous and old and adds to the whole enchanted city vibe. Some say it’s just as good if not better to see it from outside and afar without needing to go in, others say you should go in and do the whole tourist thing.

Scottish Parliament

Do not breeze by this on your Royal Mile walk. It’s easy to prioritize all the gorgeous, super-old buildings and sites while in Edinburgh, but we’re living in historical times too and it’s not always obvious to recognize the important markers of our own current time. One of the NEWEST historical additions to Edinburgh, is this notable building. Scotland has been fighting for some kind of independence from England for hundreds of years. Finally, in 1999, Scottish Parliament was established, and the efforts to build its headquarters commenced. Completed in 2004, this place is also architecturally extremely interesting, incorporating modern sustainability features and meant to represent a distinctly national Scottish identity. Scroll through this architecture article which pictures some of the most notable features, and try to notice these details while walking by on your Royal Mile walk. If you’re digging this, bake in time to do one of the free guided tours that they offer.

Greyfriars Bobby

This is the saddest, sweetest (true!) story about the most faithful (and now most famous) Skye terrier who mourned his owner’s death, sitting at his grave, for FOURTEEN YEARS until he also died. His loyalty was so touching, locals fed him and city officials had a statue commissioned of him near the Greyfriars Kirkyard where his owner was buried. I once heard that this statue is the most photographed tourist site in all of Scotland.

Personal note: After finishing school, the Edinburgh apartment I lived in on 40 Candlemaker Row is attached to the same building that houses the Greyfriars Bobby’s Bar, and our windows overlooked Greyfriars Kirkyard! I am probably in the background of several tourist photos people took of the statue, just leaving or coming home.

Time-Based Travel:

Edinburgh is called a festival city, so make sure you check the festival listings to see if anything you might be interested in will be going on while you’re there. Seriously, check it, there’s art, jazz, military, book, storytelling, music, and more. Notable festival activities:

• August: If you’re going to be there in August, (lodging etc. will probably be more expensive and the town more dense in general) do NOT miss an opportunity to experience the Fringe Festival! Seriously, you have to go to at least one production, or as many as you possibly can.
• New Years / Hogmanay: Watch the procession and get tickets to the fireworks! (also if there around christmastime: the winter holiday German Market is soooo fucking charming, get a hot cup of mulled wine immediately to sip on while you wander around it.)

Other Random but Notable Things to Try / Google / Arrange

• Haggis, pretty good actually!!
• Scottish Dancing
• Scottish Fiddling
• Scottish Storytelling
• English Breakfast (if you don’t have any chances elsewhere / Edinburgh is your only stop in the UK)
• Whisky Tasting
• Deep Fried Mars Bar / Deep Fried Everything
• If visiting in August: THE FRINGE FESTIVAL & THE HIGHLAND GAMES
• New Town - I don’t really know much about it. Great for shopping, go to Princes Street!
• Personal Spots to Taylor: (see the Map below) My old Apartment, Edinburgh Campus, Blackford Hill, King’s Buildings Campus, The Reverie (now closed, is home to another pub).
• Picnic in the Meadows
• National Museum of Scotland: Dolly the Sheep If you are going here, do NOT miss Dolly the Sheep! First ever cloned mammal from an adult cell, named after Dolly Parton because it was cloned from a mammary tissue
• The Royal Botanical Gardens

Here is my Google Map of Places mentioned above: