The first time I saw Edinburgh was a few years ago during a work trip, in a gloomy and gray March, I wasn't very impressed and therefore I went into this trip a little prejudiced.
There is nothing more beautiful, starting from these premises, than to be completely proven wrong: Edinburgh has revealed itself to be a lively city, in some places even colorful and lively, with many attractions to discover regardless of the weather, which fortunately has been very clement for us.
We have structured our article into three sections: in the first we talk to you about the attractions not to be missed in a two-day walk around the city, in the second we have collected the activities that can be done indoors and in the last unusual and original places.
Attractions not to be missed
The first point we recommend starting from is undoubtedly Edinburgh Castle, located on a promontory overlooking the Old Town area. Once the gates are open (there will be many waiting, entry is based on time slots), you will have the opportunity to walk along various internal paths, which will allow you to imagine what life was like inside once upon a time.
The setting of some rooms has been reconstructed with furniture and mannequins and from the top it is possible to enjoy a beautiful overall view of the city. The route is mostly doable even with a stroller, so bring it with you if you have a little one in the family.
As soon as you leave the Castle, continue along the Royal Mile, the historic street of the city, made up of four main streets: Castle Hill, LawnMarket, High Street and Canongate. Most likely in these streets you will be lucky enough to meet, as we did, some bagpipe players in typical clothes.
We only covered the first stretch of Castle Hill in the morning and had lunch in a nearby restaurant. We then continued downhill along the iconic West Bow Street, the most colorful street in the city. The buildings on this street make up a cheerful rainbow of colors that cannot go unnoticed.
In addition to the inevitable shots, here you will find several special shops, such as the one dedicated to the world of Harry Potter.
At the end of the road, on the right begins Grassmarket, once the city's market square, today it is surrounded by historic restaurants, pubs and shops. It's worth taking a walk, also because behind it in the background stands the majestic Edinburgh Castle.
From here a few steps uphill and you reach the Vennel View Point, where you will be able to have a nice view of the Castle.
We then retraced our steps to High Street and went to visit the medieval St Giles Cathedral, in which the particular Thistle Chapel stands out. In this chapel, each of the 16 wooden chairs is dedicated to a knight of the order of the Thistle: Scottish men or women who have distinguished themselves by acts of service or work.
A short distance away, you will find Market Cross, a small terrace from which announcements, proclamations and executions were made in the past.
We found ourselves in the middle of a musical event and enjoyed the bagpipe show. We then continued towards Calton Hill, a hill located in the New Town. Here you will find various works, including the National Monument, which although incomplete is striking for the majesty of its twelve Greek columns, the Nelson Monument and the city Observatory. One of the most particular elements of this hill is certainly the Monument to the philosopher Dugald Stewart, a small circular temple with 9 columns which, thanks to the enchanting backdrop of the Old Town, is often the subject of many souvenir photos of the city.
Then we ended the day by retracing our steps and visiting The Scotch and Whiskey Experience museum. It had already started raining for a few hours and the visit to the museum represented the perfect conclusion to our first day.
The second day of walking around Edinburgh started from a truly picturesque and perhaps even a little bucolic neighborhood: Dean Village. This small village, now one of the city's neighborhoods, is located on the banks of the River Leith, which has represented its fortune thanks to the several mills employed in the preparation of flour for the whole city. Once you reach the river, walk around for a while without a specific destination, the opportunities on a beautiful sunny day are endless. The feeling it gave us was precisely that of being in the streets of a small village.
From here we continued towards Princess Street, entering the gardens of the same name which represent the most important urban park in the centre. A short distance away you will also find the monument dedicated to Scott, a huge Gothic pinnacle with statues that recall characters from his novels.
After a stop at the National Museum of Scotland, we continued our walk to visit Holyrood Palace. Located at the opposite end of the Royal Mile from the Castle, it is the official residence of the once Queen of England, now of King Charles in Scotland. The palace is worth a visit not only for its sumptuous internal rooms, but also for the evocative Gothic remains of Holyrood Abbey and the gardens surrounding the palace.
Indoor activities
Edinburgh offers several interesting museums, we, looking for something that was also baby-friendly, chose the National Museum of Scotland.
Divided into different thematic areas, it deals with aspects linked to nature, art and technology, presenting different interaction possibilities for the little ones in each environment, as well as specific areas entirely dedicated to them. We found the part related to technology very interesting, where various themes that intrigue children are experimented with, such as the principle of hot air balloon flight and space travel.
Here, for the older ones, there is a copy of the famous Dolly sheep, which has now made history. Even the part dedicated to nature, although not fond of stuffed animals, is truly evocative and curious for the little ones. Finally, don't miss the beautiful view that can be enjoyed from the terrace on the top floor of the museum over the castle and the city.
Another indoor activity, this time dedicated to adults, is a visit to The Scotch and Whiskey Experience. For those (like us) who have no previous experience in this regard, this museum offers a great opportunity to learn more about the history of whisky, how it is produced and what its distinctive characteristics are depending on the production area. The visit ends with a tasting, which you can customize based on the knowledge acquired and your taste.
The other two typical gourmet activities that cannot be missed are some sweet purchases of fudge (a doughy sweet, often chocolate, cut into small cubes) in a historic pastry shop, such as The Fudge House of Edinburgh (in Royal Mile) and a break in a lovely tea room, as in the picturesque Clarinda's Tea Room. Forget the classic 5pm tea, here they all close very early, in the early afternoon.
If the weather is not the best or you want to minimize travel times in the city, you can opt for a comfortable one Hop on Hop off Bus.
Unusual places
We wanted to collect the three places that struck us the most. On the pavement near St Giles Cathedral, you will find an unusual mosaic heart set in the street, known as the Heart of Midlothian. The custom is that it appears at its center, in memory of the gloomy prison that once stood in this very place. Along Royal Mile, a strange mystical sign marks the house where the reformer John Knox is believed to have lived and finally in front of the Greyfriars Bobby pub, you will find the statue dedicated to Bobby, a faithful terrier who spent 14 years near his master's grave .
Before your trip
- How many days? Edinburgh it is a city full of attractions, the choice depends a little on you and on how much time you can dedicate to it if it represents a stop on your tour of Scotland. We decided to dedicate 2 full days to the city, which allowed us to walk through Old Town, visit two museums and main attractions
- How to move? We have chosen to move exclusively on foot: we reached all the places we have indicated by walking with little Enea
- Need to book in advance? If you have little time like us, it is better to book in advance:
- the visit the Castle, at the first available time to avoid the crowds during the visit. You can opt for the simple entrance ticket on official website or for the guided tour
- the Whisky Experience, perhaps in the last available time of the day so as not to waste hours of daylight. This is one of the few whiskey experiences where children are welcome. During our visit it was completely full and they turned away several people without reservations
- Where to stay? If you have only a few days (like us) at your disposal, the advice is to choose accommodation a short walk from the centre. We were in the residential neighborhood of Bruntsfield, about 10min walk from the centre, with several supermarkets easy to reach for some shopping. As always we chose an apartment, to have the right flexibility and comfort in the evening with Enea, after a whole day of walking
- Where to eat? Looking for a quality restaurant strategically located for our schedule, we made advance reservations at The Grain Store, a noteworthy restaurant, which we sadly discovered had recently closed its doors. The following day we had lunch in a characteristic pub
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