Casually cosmopolitan, Edinburgh abounds with culture and suave vitality.
Take a tour 
Where can you find a cosmopolitan yet undeniably Scottish city with a wealth of architecture from all eras, dating back millennia, with a volcano within the city limits? Edinburgh has all that and far more. Whether you like to eat at the best restaurants, be blown away by the beauty of a city, learn about some pretty dramatic history, have a great night out, get some serious nature or all of the above, you won’t find Edinburgh wanting. Add to that the friendliness of the people and the accessibility of the place, and you have no excuse not to go!
Transport Edinburgh has some very good transport links, and you won’t struggle to get there or around. Here are some tips and basics to help you out:
Getting There
Train
As mentioned above, Edinburgh is dead easy to get to. These days, the train is a great option, with National Express East Coast trains taking all of about 4 ½ hours from London all the way up there. Book in advance and reserve your seat for the smoothest ride, and try and make sure you travel in enough light to see the ocean before you hit Edinburgh. Edinburgh Waverly is the most central train station: next to Princes Street and close to the Royal Mile.
Plane
You can indeed fly, although if you’re coming from the UK it might be less hassle to get the train. If not, Edinburgh airport is only about ten miles away from the city centre, and a fair number of budget airlines fly into it. The best and cheapest option for getting to the city centre from the airport is the Airlink 100 buses, which go at the least every twenty minutes and often every ten. It makes a lot of very central stops, but if you’re staying on the Royal mile then get off at Waverly Bridge and walk from there. A single will cost about £3.
Coach
To be avoided, to be honest. Takes hours. On the other hand, you’ll probably end up being dropped at St Andrews Square, which is very central in the New Town and close to Princes Street. National Express takes a minimum of nine hours from London (ouch) and often much longer. On the other hand, it’s so very much cheaper, with fares looking like about £15 each way. You have to weigh up the pros and cons, there. And if you’re coming from somewhere much nearer, it’s a more plausible option.
Getting Around
Buses The bus situation in Edinburgh is pretty good. There are many maps of the bus routes knocking around. The main bus company is Lothian buses, for which you can get a day pass for £2.50 or a single for £1.10. A word of warning – the buses don’t do change, so make sure you’ve got the exact money. The bus drivers are generally friendly and used to tourists, so just ask them to give you a shout at your stop if you’re not sure where you’re meant to be getting off.
Walking
Edinburgh’s actually pretty walkable. Don’t get us wrong; it’s a long walk. But it’s long without being silly, and it’s very pretty so at least you’ll have good views. It’s definitely worth having a good long hike of the Royal Mile, particularly since you have Edinburgh Castle at one end and Holyrood Palace at the other end. The important thing to remember is that Edinburgh ain’t flat, not by a long way, and you will be panting your way up hills. This is by no means a bad thing; it’s good for you!
Taxis
Night buses aren’t brilliant, so you might well want to opt for a taxi instead of hanging around in the dark being rained on. The good news is that they are all metered and the drivers tend to be friendly. The bad news is that they’re not the cheapest way of getting around, though not London-standard-extortionate.
Things to Do and See
Royal Mile
Running through the centre of Edinburgh and on the other side of the train tracks to Princes Street, the Royal Mile, as it is known to tourists, is a long walkway comprising three linked streets, with Edinburgh Castle at one end and Holyrood Palace at the other. Leading away from the castle is Castlehill, which joins onto High Street, which in turn leads to Canongate, at the end of which you’ll find the palace. The strip runs through the old town, with plenty of little winding streets running off the main road. As a major tourist attraction it has many themed shops where you can buy red Scottish wigs and Viking hats, but it also has a lot of charm and character helped in part by the many historic buildings dotted along the road. There are several good shops along here, listed below. During the Edinburgh Festival, or the Fringe, the Royal Mile is packed with street performers and processions, and the atmosphere is alive with excitement.
Edinburgh Castle - www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk
Edinburgh’s biggest tourist attraction, the Castle has been standing in one form or another for close on 1000 years. The oldest building, St. Margaret’s Chapel, was built by King David I at the beginning of the 12th century. The castle is famous for being the location of numerous traditional events, such as the one o’clock gun which is fired daily bar Sunday, the Military Tattoo which is performed every August during the Fringe (the Edinburgh Festival) and the Hogmanay celebrations for New Year’s Eve. The area gets very busy, but there are good views from here and you can book tickets online at the above website to save queuing. Adults £12, Children 5-15 £6. Opening hours 9.30am-6pm in the summer and 9.30am-5pm in the winter.
Holyrood Palace
One of the Queen’s many official residences, Holyrood Palace is a beautiful building at the Canongate end of the Royal Mile. One ticket will get you an audio-guided tour around several of the beautiful rooms, including Mary Queen of Scots’ old bedroom. The palace is chock-full of royal memorabilia from centuries past, all beautifully preserved, and the audio-guide is very clear and thorough. It also includes a guide of the ruined Abbey in the palace grounds, and a walk around the grounds themselves in the summer months when it’s not too muddy. An adult ticket for the palace is £9.80, for both the palace and Queen’s gallery the price is £13. Open 9.30-16.30 Nov – March, 9.30-18.00 March – Oct. Closed whenever the Queen’s swinging by for a visit.
Arthur’s Seat
Arthur’s Seat and the surrounding Salisbury Crags dominate Edinburgh’s skyline and add a touch of raw natural beauty to this very urban city. Arthur’s seat is an extinct volcano that falls within the city limits, and is a favourite for locals and tourists alike for a good climb and wonderful city views. There are several ways of getting up there; you can follow the crowds up the long green stretch, or a slightly more challenging way of doing it is to walk around the crags to the base of Arthur’s seat, then take the rocky stepped path straight up to the top. Realistically you should have decent shoes – definitely not heels! – but since drunken teenagers often stagger up there at night, we’re sure it’s plausible to make your way up there without heavy hiking gear. There are no signs, so follow the crowds and just aim for the top!
Scotland’s National Gallery - www.nationalgalleries.org
The biggest and best art gallery in Edinburgh with key works of art from Botticelli, Cezanne, Monet, El Greco, Constable, Degas, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Raphael and many, many others. Open daily, and admission is free. There’s a lot to see in Edinburgh, but if you have some time to spare after seeing all the main tourist sites, this gallery is incredibly comprehensive and housed in an amazing neoclassical building in the New Town. Opening hours are 10am-5pm with late opening on Thursdays until 7pm.
New Town and Princes Street
Making up one of if not the main street in the New Town (a mere 150 years old), Princes Street runs next to Waverly train station and faces the Old Town. It is the main shopping street in Edinburgh and is famous as such. Running parallel to Princes Street is George Street, known for being one of the best roads for upmarket bars and restaurants. Running between these two main streets you will find a pedestrian way called Rose Street, which has become the favourite for smaller, more individual restaurants and bars, although this is now being challenged by the introduction of some great bars to the street running parallel on the other side of George Street: Thistle Street. Some wonderful eateries have been opened up here of late. See below for some listings.
Shopping
Whiskey Shopping
It’s the traditional Scottish drink, and you can get some good stuff from Edinburgh! If you’re on the lookout for whiskey to slurp down in the name of experiencing the culture, here are the results of our exploration of where to buy:
Cadenhead’s Whiskey Shop, 172 Canongate, Royal Mile
Lovely people who are happy to advise you on your purchase. There’s a lot of variety and rare brands on offer here too. Oh, and they have a cute little terrier-type dog that yips very sweetly.
Royal Mile Whiskies, 379 High Street, Royal Mile
Hm. Maybe we caught them on a bad day, but the service in this place was really not all it could have been. A combination of sarcasm and ignoring isn’t the ideal way to run a shop. We recommend the guys above instead.
Scottish Whiskey Heritage Centre, 354 Castle Hill, Royal Mile
This is a bit of a theme park of a Whiskey Centre, and you come here for the experience as well as the actual whiskey purchasing activities. You’ll know a lot more about whiskey than you did before you went in.
Confection – Sweets and Chocolate
Cafe Truva, 251 Canongate
This is the recently opened second restaurant of Cafe Truva, after the success of the one in Leith. And this one is just as good. More about it as a cafe below, but for now let us just say that the chocolate on display in the counter is just as good as they look, if not better. Mm-mm.
Jim Garrahy’s Fudge Kitchen, Royal Mile
Beware. If you take these people up on their seemingly catch-free offer of a free sample of fudge, please be assured that the next thing you know you will be falling over yourself to buy some more of this incredibly delicious stuff. It comes in all sorts of flavours like Rocky Road (chocolate, shortbread and marshmallow) and Belgian Chocolate Swirl. Excuse us while we drool at the thought...
Eating – Restaurants and Cafes
A general rule of thumb goes like this: the Royal Mile will be expensive and hit-and-miss; George Street will be expensive but generally very good; and Rose Street and Thistle street, flanking George Street will be less expensive but still pricey, and very good. If you get out these main restaurant streets you can find a couple of good bargains, however, and there are always one or two exceptions among the tourist dross. Eating out in Edinburgh is often not a cheap experience though, and those who are on a really tight budget will do well to eat at bakeries, cafes off the main streets and supermarkets. If you have a little spare cash, however, there are some wonderful restaurants in Edinburgh, and a few are listed below.
Wedgwood – 267 Canongate
Wedgwood – The Restaurant is somewhere to go for a treat. It’s not staggeringly expensive, but a quick glance down the price list will make it clear that this place is a cut above your average and the cost will reflect that. If you’re travelling on a budget then this isn’t the place for you, but if you can possibly splash out then you should, because ever since this place opened the elegance, style and exceptionally high standard of cuisine has had critics falling over themselves to recommend it. You can’t beat the location, either.
www.wedgwoodtherestaurant.co.uk
Dusit – 49a Thistle Street
A popular and efficient Thai place with delicious and beautifully presented food and friendly staff who go out of their way to try to accommodate you, even if you haven’t booked. Good if you need to be in and out in a hurry, too.
www.dusit.co.uk
Cafe Truva – 251 Canongate
Incredible – somewhere this wonderful bang on the Royal Mile. The original Truva cafe is in Leith, and its popularity was such that they were able to open another, and this is the result. This is a Turkish/Mediterranean cafe, so there’s a lot of hummus, cous cous, grilled vegetables, moussaka and the like. It’s served by friendly and welcoming Turkish guys, the food looks great and tastes great and there’s lots of it. And there’re the afore-mentioned chocolates for dessert if you don’t fancy the baklava.
Canongate Cafe – 274 Canongate
Another Royal Mile find – this lovely little cafe will serve you mugs of tea and yummy, good-sized portions of salads, hummus or slightly heavier dishes if you wish. It’s a good place to relax, and it’s incredible value for money given its location.
Fishers in the City – 58 Thistle Street
Hidden away down Thistle Street and opposite Dusit you’ll find this excellent fish restaurant. The prices are about average for this area, so not exactly cheap, but the standard is known to be very high and you’ll need to book a table here to guarantee a place.
www.fishersbistros.co.uk
A Room in the West End – 26 William Street
Heading away from the usual haunts, A Room in the West End is exactly what it says on the tin and has become very popular due to its excellent Scottish/European menu, reasonable prices and Bring Your Own Bottle policy. Good way to cut down on the price of your meal, despite the £2 corkage fee.
www.aroomin.co.uk/west-end
The Olive Branch Bistro – 91 Broughton Street
Broughton Street is getting very popular and it has many good restaurants and bars that are well worth venturing out of the central areas for. The Olive Branch Bistro has several restaurants, but this is the first and arguably the best. There are excellent lunch and brunch options, as well as the slightly pricier dinner options.
www.theolivebranchscotland.co.uk
Smoke Stack – 53-55 Broughton Street
A place that appreciates its char-grilled meat and does it well! This place has a great chilled-out atmosphere during the day and becomes a lively bar during the night.
www.smokestack.org.uk
Drinking – Out on the town in Edinburgh
Drinking in Edinburgh is, sadly, not cheap. It’s roughly the same as in London, in fact, so budget for that. In order to give you a good idea of where to go, it’s probably best to list some good bars by area. The most popular places to drink are Grassmarket and Cowgate in the Old Town and George Street and Rose Street in the New Town. Check out a few of the suggestions below.
Grassmarket
A great nightlife area in the old town where, somewhat morbidly, people used to be hanged. As such there are plenty of themed bars around here, their beer pumps draped with nooses and the stories of the unfortunate ones put up on the walls for posterity. But a big plus to this area is the many pizzerias and Italian delis around here among the bars that open late for when you need a late-night pizza. Try the following:
The White Hart – 34 Grassmarket
The oldest pub in Edinburgh, and yet still one of the best. Famous for having live music, but bear in mind that Tuesday nights are traditional Scottish music nights.
Maggie Dickson’s – 92 Grassmarket
A themed bar depicting the dramatic circumstances of Maggie Dicken’s life; a woman who was hanged for infanticide and survived it. The bar has a few nooses strung up around the place and cocktails with charming names like “Half-hung”, but mostly what they have is a less-rowdy-than-some atmosphere, good music and nice, efficient staff.
The Beehive Inn – 18-20 Grassmarket
Another Grassmarket favourite, the Beehive tends to have a DJ on Fridays and Saturdays, a good selection of alcohol, a beer garden out the back and tables out front. Great atmosphere.
Bar Salsa – 3 Cowgatehead
Should really qualify as Grassmarket rather than Cowgate given its location. Not really very salsary at all, very hot and sticky and often packed. On the other hand, the drinks are notoriously cheap and the people who frequent the place are usually in genially drunken good humour.
Dragonfly – 52 West Port
Quickly becoming known for being one of the trendiest (is that still a good thing?) cocktail bars of the moment, Dragonfly is very nice indeed. Very elegantly decorated with a hint of the ethereal and there’s even a chandelier. And yes, the cocktails are great.
Cowgate
Not far from Grassmarket, Cowgate used to be one of the city’s main slums down which cows were herded. It just goes to show how much times change, because today it’s one of the wealthier areas of Edinburgh with several good bars and clubs. Here are a few of the popular ones:
Opium – 71 Cowgate
Opium is a bit more aimed at the alternative crowd and is quite into its heavy rock, but serious rock lovers are advised to go somewhere else, as this place will break into more poppy stuff if the mood takes them that way. Usually very busy, too, and gets very hot.
Espionage – 4 India Buildings, Victoria Street
One of those giant clubs with little individuality but a choice of music and a chance to get down and boogie. Best to go with your friends when you’re in a great mood and make your own fun. Drinks are a little pricey but entry is free.
Three Sisters – 139 Cowgate
A real mixture of a place – you’ve got the cool outside cobbled courtyard that often even has a burger grill going on; and on the other hand you go inside and find you have a giant cellars-style club that gets extremely rowdy with stag parties and drunken muppets. Very odd. Prices about average, closes 1am, but open later during the Fringe.
Niddry Street
Walk a little further along Cowgate and you’ll find Niddry Street on your left. This street leads up to the High Street, but along here you’ll find quite a few good cellar-bars with live music and drinks offers. Usually quite a good atmosphere.
George Street and Rose Street
Running parallel to Princes Street, George Street is host to many upmarket and more laid-back bars.
Opal Lounge – 51a George Street
Bar and club, this place is a stylish underground joint with an Asian vibe. The food is mostly Japanese fusion with a few other Oriental twists. Dress up to fit in here.
Dome – 14 George Street
Incredibly swish building and very elegant, refined atmosphere with very good cocktails. Not cheap, which shouldn’t be a surprise. Don’t turn up in jeans and trainers.
Standing Order – 62-66 George Street
Wetherspoons pub, therefore cheap drinks, and the place is massive. Food all day long, too, and on George Street which is pretty impressive. The building used to be the main office of the Bank of Scotland. Wear whatever you like.
The Abbotsford – 3-5 Rose Street
Traditional Scottish Pub with real ale, whiskies and food. What more could you want? Relaxed armosphere.
The Black Rose Tavern – 49 Rose Street
Grungy-looking rock bar with food and wi-fi!
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