thousands of tourists visit edinburgh

30 Epic Things to Do in Edinburgh: Ultimate Guide by a Local

Shrouded in myths and legends and steeped in thousands of years of history, Edinburgh is a city like no other.

With an electric mix of architecture, winding cobbled streets, atmospheric alleyways, diverse festivals, plenty of green spaces and one of the best castles in Scotland – It’s hard to beat Edinburgh’s charm. Nearly every type of traveller will find something in this Scottish city to marvel at.

It’s been our home for almost a decade now, and we are so excited to share our favourite experiences and places to help you curate your journey.

Even if the sun doesn’t shine every day, Edinburgh is so incredibly stunning that “it breaks the heart again and again.”

It’s not surprising that in 1995, The Old and New Town of Edinburgh was recognised in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites.

From Harry Potter writer J. K. Rowling to Irvine Welsh, Robert Louis Stevenson to Sir Walter Scott – this Scottish capital city has inspired many creative geniuses.

So, whether you have only a day or a week, this guide will help you pull together a fantastic itinerary of Edinburgh. Also, there are some great day trip options within easy reach.

We have covered much of what this city has to offer to first-time visitors, as well as some ideas to explore a little further in pursuit of different experiences for returning visitors.

Best things to do in Edinburgh

1. soak up the panoramic views from calton hill.

Located only a few metres off the east end of the busy Princes Street, Calton Hill is a public park housing several Greek-style historical monuments and landmarks. It is one of the best places in Edinburgh to get an interrupted panoramic view of the city’s dramatic skyline.

At the top, you will find the upside-down telescope-shaped Nelson Monument. You can climb 143 steps to reach a viewing platform at the top to admire some of the best views of Edinburgh.

view over Edinburgh skyline from Calton Hill

Another historic attraction on Calton Hill is the columned structure of the National Monument of Scotland. The construction of this 19th-century landmark remained unfinished due to lack of funds at that time and hence earned the nickname ‘Edinburgh’s Disgrace’.

We will highly recommend visiting Calton Hill at sunset. It takes only 5-10 minutes to reach the top through the steps on Regent Road. It is open to visitors every day, all year round.

Find Out the Best Viewpoints and Attractions on Calton Hill

2. Explore the Turbulent History of Edinburgh Castle

Sitting at the top of the historic Royal Mile, this magnificent fortress is a prominent part of the city’s iconic skyline. Steeped in over nine hundred years of history, its dramatic setting on an extinct volcanic plug provides a stunning view over the city.

The oldest surviving structure of Edinburgh Castle is the St. Margaret’s Chapel. It was built in the early 12th century by King David I. He named this small chapel after his beloved mother, Queen Margaret. However, historians believe that the origins of the fortress and the geological features of this area are much older.

Read More: 25 Most Beautiful Castles in Scotland You Must Visit

Edinburgh Castle has a chequered past. For many years, this was the home of Scottish kings and queens of Scotland, then it was turned into a mighty military fortress and later served as a prison. The control of the castle changed hands numerous times throughout history.

We would suggest spending at least two hours to explore all the hidden corners of the castle.

Visitors can see the famous Honours of Scotland, the Stone of Destiny, Mons Meg, the Royal Palace, the Great Hall, St Margaret’s Chapel, and the One O’Clock Gun. Follow our extensive guide to visiting Edinburgh Castle .

Tickets: Admission fees up to and including 31st March costs £18 online and £21 walk-up for adults.

From 1st April onwards, it costs £19.50 online and £22 walk-up for adults.

3. Step Back in Time in the Historic Royal Mile

A meander along the historic Royal Mile is an unmissable part of sightseeing in Edinburgh. The street is actually longer than a mile. The term ‘Royal Mile’ refers to a Scots mile – an old Scottish measuring unit which became obsolete in the 18th century.

The Royal Mile is one of the oldest thoroughfares in the city. It runs from the historic castle to the Holyrood Palace.

This iconic street is lined with various famous city landmarks, souvenir shops, museums, traditional pubs and restaurants. During Edinburgh Festival in August, this area comes alive with entertaining street performances.

Some of the historical highlights of Royal Mile are the Scottish Parliament Building, St Giles’ Cathedral, The Real Mary King’s Close, John Knox House and the Museum of Edinburgh .

Also, watch out for the narrow alleyways known as closes in Scotland. Advocates Close, Anchor Close and White Horse Close are particularly very photogenic.

Read More: Detailed Guide to Edinburgh Castle

4. Take in Breathtaking Views from Arthur’s Seat

Created by volcanic activity 335 million years ago, Arthur’s Seat is one of the most popular sites in Edinburgh to watch the sunset. Watching the Sun gradually disappear behind the horizon is an absolute treat.

Sitting at the edge of the historic Royal Mile, right next to the Holyrood Palace, the Holyrood Park spreads across a vast area of 650 acres. The highest point of the park is Arthur’s Seat at 251 metres.

Read More: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting Arthur’s Seat

There are numerous walking trails all around this park. The hike to Arthur’s Seat is moderately easy and well worth the effort to see the breathtaking view over the sprawling cityscapes of Edinburgh and beyond.

It takes around 1 -1.5 hours to climb the summit, depending on your pace and fitness level. Alternatively, the jagged cliffs of Salisbury Crags are also an excellent vantage point to admire the epic skyline of Edinburgh.

If you are a keen walker, you might be interested in taking a peaceful stroll around Duddingston Loch, Dunsapie Loch and St Margaret’s Loch – home to many wildlife and birds.

5. Unleash Your Inner Harry Potter in Victoria Street and Grassmarket

Frequently referred to as the fictional Diagon Alley of Edinburgh, Victoria Street is one of the most photographed streets in the city. It is like a magic alleyway that will make you disappear from the historic Grassmarket and pop you out at the iconic Royal Mile. The Colourful stretch of old Flemish-styled buildings with arch-shaped facades is bound to cast a spell.

Grassmarket is one of the most vibrant and liveliest places in the Old Town. In past centuries, public hangings used to take place here.

Read More: A Short Guide to Victoria Street

Victoria Street, most colorful street of Edinburgh

Grassmarket has some of the oldest pubs in Edinburgh. One of them is the White Hart Inn, a 500-year-old pub where many famous people spent the night, including William Wordsworth and Robert Burns. It was also frequented by the notorious body snatchers of the 18th century, Burke and Hare.

Nowadays, Grassmarket is home to many events, including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Also, you can visit the farmer’s market on Saturdays.

6. Explore the Prettiest Corners of Dean Village

Nestled in a deep valley on the Water of Leith, Dean Village is only a few minutes away from the busy Edinburgh city centre. This picturesque neighbourhood stands out for its colourful half-timbered houses, medieval cobbled streets and idyllic riverside settings.

For over 800 years, Dean Village was a bustling site with various thriving industries and mills that used to harness power from the Water of Leith. Look out for the millstones and stone plaques decorated with baked bread and pies on the buildings. Dean Village used to supply milled flour and other grains to the residents of Edinburgh.

One of the most impressive houses here is Well Court. The red sandstone building with its landmark clock tower, conical turrets and crow-stepped gables oozes charm. It was built in the late 19th century for the nearby mill workers.

Follow the riverside path towards Stockbridge to visit St. Bernard’s Well, a hidden gem of Edinburgh. This elegant Roman temple-like structure houses a beautiful statue of Hygieia – the Greek goddess of health.

Read More: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting Dean Village

7. Discover the Royal History of Palace of Holyroodhouse

The official residence of the British Monarch in Edinburgh, Holyrood Palace is one of the top tourist attractions in the city. This grand palace stands at the east end of the Royal Mile with Arthur’s Seat in the backdrop.

This 16th-century palace was closely associated with Mary, Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie – two prominent royal figures in Scottish history. Visitors can explore the grand interiors and the collections of Flemish and French tapestries in the state apartments. Also, you can see the two thrones commissioned by King George V in 1911 in the Throne room.

Outside the palace, you would find the ruins of the historic Holyrood Abbey, which played a pivotal role in Edinburgh’s history. It was founded in 1128 by King David I.

Stroll around the beautiful garden and search for Queen Mary’s Bathhouse. Also, the adjacent Queen’s gallery is worth a visit. It displays paintings, furniture and photographs from the Royal collection.

Opening Hours : 1 November – 31 March 09.30 am – 16.30 pm.

1 April – 31 October 09.30 am – 18.00 pm.

Ticket Price : Adult advance £18, on the day £19.50.

8. Visit the National Museum of Scotland

Located opposite Greyfriars Kirkyard, the National Museum of Scotland is one of the best kid-friendly attractions in Edinburgh.

It features several exhibitions on natural and ancient history, ancient civilisations, archaeology and the history of Scotland. You can easily spend an hour or two discovering all the impressive collections this museum has to offer.

From ancient Egyptian artefacts to ceramics, cultural diversity to wildlife – you can find everything under one roof. Some highlights include Dolly the Sheep, the millennium clock and Lewis chessmen. Also, the Grand Gallery looks very photogenic.

They regularly host several events, including guided tours, workshops and temporary exhibitions.

Don’t forget to visit the rooftop of the museum. It is free and provides a stunning panoramic view over Edinburgh rooftops. If you can’t find it, ask any member of the staff for directions.

Opening Hours : Daily, 10 am – 5 pm.

9. Enjoy Romantic Strolls in Circus Lane and Stockbridge

Travellers visit Circus Lane to admire the vibrant floral displays, cute Georgian mews houses, colourful doors and the picturesque settings of the imposing St Stephen’s Church in the background. This cobbled street is a popular spot with local photographers and tourists.

Regarded as the prettiest street in Edinburgh, Circus Lane was originally a back alley built to cater for the horses, carriages and stable servants of wealthy residents of nearby Royal Circus in the 19th century.

Further Reading: Our Detailed Guide to Stockbridge

Circus Lane lies in the bustling neighbourhood of Stockbridge . From indulging in tasty street food in the farmer’s market to feeding the ducks at Inverleith Pond – there are loads of amazing things to do in Stockbridge.

Packed with trendy cocktail bars, cosy cafes, gastro eateries and several independent shops, Stockbridge is famous for its cool bohemian vibe. Also, it is a few minutes away from some of Edinburgh’s open green spaces and art museums.

Further Reading: Our Brief Guide to Circus Lane

10. Marvel at the Priceless Paintings of the Scottish National Gallery

Housed in an elegant 19th-century neoclassical building just off Princes Street, Scottish National Gallery is the leading art gallery in Scotland. It is undoubtedly one of the best free visitors attractions in Edinburgh. You can easily spend an hour or two discovering priceless art.

Established in 1859, it showcases an extensive collection of paintings and sculptures from the early renaissance to the end of the nineteenth century. Here you’ll find many famous masterpieces by legends like Raphael, Van Gogh, Degas, Monet, Velázquez and Vermeer.

Also, there are paintings by several Scottish artists. Look out for Edwin Landseer’s famous painting ‘The Monarch of the Glen’ and Henry Raeburn’s much-loved ‘The Skating Minister’.

The nearby Royal Scottish Academy is also part of the Scottish National Gallery and hosts many temporary exhibitions.

Opening Hours : Open daily, 10 am-5 pm.

11. Test Your Limits and Climb Scott Monument

Standing proudly in East Princes Street Garden, Scott Monument is dedicated to one of Scotland’s most legendary writers, Sir Walter Scott.

This Gothic structure at the heart of Edinburgh is the second-largest monument to a writer, anywhere in the world. A statue of him with his beloved dog, Maida, sits at the base of this memorial.

Constructed in mid 19th century, Scott Monument is a famous landmark in the city and an iconic part of the skyline. The exterior of the tower is adorned with several small statues of Scottish writers and various characters from Scott’s novels.

Do you know you can actually climb Scott Monument? There are viewing platforms at different levels offering gorgeous views of Edinburgh rooftops and the surrounding hills. Inside, you can visit the exhibitions showcasing the life and legacy of Sir Walter Scott. There are 287 steps to climb up to the top. The last few steps are quite steep and narrow.

12. Admire the Interiors of St Giles Cathedral

Founded in 1124, St Giles Cathedral is one of the prominent historic buildings in Edinburgh. It’s technically not a cathedral – rather a church that stands right on the iconic Royal Mile with distinct crown spires, popularly known as lantern towers. The architecture is impressive and worth a visit inside.

Step inside this medieval building and learn the riveting tale of reformation when John Knox was a priest. They have guided rooftop tours available as well. The view of the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Old Town is stunning from the top.

The highlight of your visit would be the Thistle Chapel, situated at one corner of the church. It has ornated roofs and impressive wood carvings, including coats of arms of the sixteen nights, swords and thistles. Also, don’t miss the large stained glass window above the main entrance depicting the national poet of Scotland, Robert Burns.

13. Be Royalty for a Day at Royal Yacht Britannia

A floating palace moored in Leith, Royal Yacht Britannia is one of the top tourist attractions in Edinburgh. This Royal vessel has sailed one million nautical miles, hosted several State Receptions and dignitaries, and a few Royal honeymoons – she served the Royal Family for over forty years.

Built at the shipyard of John Brown & Co in Clydebank, Scotland, Royal Yacht Britannia was launched by Queen Elizabeth II on 16 April 1953. It sailed her first overseas maiden voyage to the Grand Harbour of Malta in 1954.

Explore the five decks of this ship, the State Apartments, State Drawing Room and the Sun Lounge, which was the Queen’s favourite room here. Also, you can uncover the stories of the crew members and learn about their life at sea. Britannia’s fascinating tale of its epic voyages around the globe to its retirement in Edinburgh will intrigue you.

If you fancy a bite with a stunning view, pop into their onboard restaurant, The Royal Deck Tearoom.

Price : Adult £18.50 and child £9.25.

14. Commune with Nature at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Just a mile away from the city centre, The Royal Botanic Garden is the perfect place to relax and enjoy nature. Home to some of the extensive collections of living plants and more than 13,500 species, this sprawling 70 acres of green space is one of the best places to walk in Edinburgh.

Founded in 1670, this is one of the oldest gardens in the UK. Enjoy the vast collections of plants at the Chinese Hillside, climb to the highest point of the Garden Rock, follow the Beech Hedge and Herbaceous Border or meander around the large Redwood trees in the Woodland Garden.

Also, there are many vantage points offering fantastic views of Edinburgh’s skyline.

The lovely Victorian Temperate Palm House is a must-visit. Entry to the garden is free except for the glasshouses, which require tickets. During the winter months, Royal Botanics hosts Christmas at the Botanics – a popular family-friendly event.

Opening Hours : Daily, November to January 10 am-4 pm; February and October 10 am – 5 pm; March to September 10 am-6 pm.

15. Get Spooked in Greyfriars Kirkyard

If you are a Harry potter fan, Greyfriars Kirkyard should be a must-visit place in your Edinburgh itinerary.

As you stroll around the graveyard, you will spot the name of some of the beloved Harry Potter Characters. Watch out for the names of Tom Riddle, McGonagall, Mad-eye Moodie, and Potter.

The author J.K. Rowling penned some of the chapters of the Harry Potter series at the nearby Elephant House Cafe.

Another unmissable attraction is the adorable bronze statue of the famous Skye Terrier, Greyfriars Bobby. Tourists often rub its nose for luck.

The story goes that Bobby guarded the grave of his master in Greyfriars Kirkyard for 14 years after his death in 1872. Bobby became very famous in his lifetime, and people from all over Edinburgh used to come to watch and feed him.

Greyfriars Kirkyard is said to be one of the most haunted places in the city.

16. Sit Back with a Picnic at Princes Street Garden

This Scottish city doesn’t have any shortage of open green spaces. But Princes Street Garden at the heart of the city centre is a special one. It is a great place to hang out beneath the imposing Edinburgh Castle and enjoy a picnic.

In summer, you will find the garden teeming with locals and tourists sunbathing and chilling out. During Christmas, this ground transforms into a winter wonderland. In East Princes Street Garden stands Scott Monument, an iconic landmark of Edinburgh. Centrepiece of the westside garden is the beautifully ornate Ross Fountain.

You can also see many statues here. Look out for the Statue of Wojtek, a soldier bear who carried ammunition during World War II.

Also, visit the gingerbread-looking Gardeners Cottage, the former home of the head gardener. Today this dinky house is a popular photo spot in Edinburgh.

Another point of interest is the Floral Clock, the first floral clock in the world, dating back to the early 20th century.

17. Take Some Unforgettable Day Trips from Edinburgh

If you are visiting this city for a little longer, we highly recommend adding a few of the best day trips from Edinburgh to your visit.

Take a day trip to Glasgow , famous for various museums , Victorian and art nouveau architectures, colourful urban mural trail , legendary music scenes and nightlife.

A day tour to visit the incredibly beautiful Loch Lomond is a must. Take a boat cruise and explore Luss , one of the prettiest Scottish villages on the bank of Loch Lomond.

Catch a train from Edinburgh Waverley to the coastal town of St Andrews . Frequently referred to as the home of golf, the Old Course is one of the oldest golf courses in the world.

The picturesque fishing village, St Abbs in the Scottish Borders, has featured in the Avengers the Endgame movie and is worth a visit.

History lovers would love exploring the history of Stirling . The bustling city is full of many historical sights.

18. Enjoy a Taste of Haggis

No visit to Edinburgh is ever complete without tasting the national dish of Scotland, haggis. Love it or hate it, you have to try this famous dish at least once. You never know. Maybe you might turn into a fan of this savoury pudding.

Haggis is typically served with a generous portion of mashed tatties (potatoes) and neeps (turnips) and accompanied by a dram of whiskey.

It tastes like crumbly sausage, with an earthy texture and peppery flavour. It is made by combining sheep’s plucks – chopped liver, heart and lungs with oatmeal, onions, salt and spices and cooked in a sheep’s stomach.

Some of the best places to try haggis in Edinburgh are Arcade Bar Haggis and Whisky House and Whiski Bar & Restaurant . Other delicious Scottish dishes you might be interested in trying are Cullen Skink, full Scottish breakfast, black pudding and Scotch Pie.

19. Watch a Live Performance at the Edinburgh Festival

August is the most happening month in the city’s calendar. Edinburgh comes alive with an array of festivals and events. More than 2500 performances take place every day in August at various venues around the city.

The Fringe Festival is the largest arts festival in the world. Hundreds of street performers entertain the audience in the Royal Mile, Grassmarket and Princes Street Garden.

Also, you can enjoy several standup comedy shows, ballets, operas, cabaret and musicals by renowned local and international artists. We would strongly recommend seeing the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo , an experience of a lifetime. The jaw-dropping performances of military pipes and drums come alongside traditional Scottish highland dance. Tattoo tickets sell out months in advance.

The month-long festivities end with the annual fireworks display. Thousands of locals and tourists gather at various vantage points to witness this breathtaking display.

20. Uncover Gourmet Delights in Leith

Away from the city centre, Leith is a vibrant and culturally diverse corner of Edinburgh. The Water of Leith flows through the heart of this neighbourhood. It has a rich maritime history and was once an important industrial hub of Scotland.

Today, this area is bustling with trendy shops, hip coffee shops and cosy pubs. From fine dining at Michelin-starred restaurants to delicious street foods, Leith is a must-visit destination for all foodies visiting Edinburgh.

You can find some of the city’s best restaurants in Leith. Some of our favourites are Fishers, Teuchters Landing , Martin Wishart and The Kitchin . Also, the full Scottish breakfast at Roseleaf Bar Cafe is a reason alone to visit Leith.

If you are here on Saturday, head to the farmer’s market for fresh local produces.

21. Explore Underground History at Real Mary King Close

Steeped in history, the Real Mary King Close lies underneath the busy street of the Royal Mile. This family-friendly attraction takes you back in time and tells the unheard stories of the Edinburgh Old Town.

An hour-long guided tour is the only way to explore this historic close and the surrounding maze of narrow alleyways and tenement houses from the 17th century.

It is named after Mary King, a local businesswoman who was a resident of this close. An expert guide will tell you about the life of some of the notable residents who once lived here. Also, you will learn intriguing tales about the deadly plague that ravaged Edinburgh and this close in past centuries.

Over the years, this site has been associated with various folklore, legends and paranormal activities. It was featured in several books and on television as one of the haunted places in the UK.

Price : Adult £21 and child £15.

22. Enjoy Yourself in Edinburgh Christmas Market and Hogmanay

We are perhaps a bit biased, but this city hosts one of the best Christmas markets in Europe. It shines bright with festive spirit at this magical time of the year.

You can find the beautiful Edinburgh Christmas Market in the Princes Street Gardens. There is an array of beautifully decorated chalets selling everything from hot mulled wine to Christmas decorations.

Also, there are plenty of fun rides and activities for all age groups. Younger visitors would love the Christmas Tree Maze, Santa’s Grotto and Nativity Carol Concert. You would love skating at the Alpine ice rink located on George Street.

Hogmanay is an integral part of the Edinburgh Christmas celebration and Scottish tradition. The three-day-long festivity starts with a torchlight procession.

On New Year’s Eve, there are spectacular fireworks displays from the castle . Locals and tourists enjoy themselves at the world-famous Hogmanay Street Party with live music and a delicious selection of street food and drink.

23. Release Your Inner Child at Camera Obscura & World of Illusions

Camera Obscura and World of Illusions is located at the top of the historic Royal Mile, close to Edinburgh Castle esplanade. If you are not familiar with Camera Obscura, it’s a Latin term for dark chamber and is related to the earliest version of the modern-day camera.

Established in 1835, Camera Obscura is a six-floor building having plenty of entertaining and interactive optical illusions suitable for all age groups. The mindblowing puzzles, mirror maze, and vortex tunnel are thoroughly enjoyable.

The Camera Obscura is still in use and can project the buildings and streets of Edinburgh up and close for visitors. The rooftop terrace offers a superb panoramic view of the sprawling city and the Firth of Forth.

Price : Adult £20.95 and child £16.95.

24. Visit Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art lies at the West End of Edinburgh. You can also walk here from Dean Village following the Water of Leith pathway. Sitting side by side, there are actually two separate buildings – Modern One and Two.

You will find an extensive collection of modern and contemporary artworks by reputed Scottish and international artists.

There are many interesting outdoor sculptures and art installations on the surrounding ground. The landform by Charles Jencks in front of Modern One looks stunning.

Modern One houses masterpieces by famous artists like Matisse and Picasso. Modern Two hosts various temporary exhibitions all year round. As you enter the building, you will notice a giant 7.3 metre-tall sculpture, Vulcan. Their permanent display includes the recreation of Edinburgh-born artist Eduardo Paolozzi’s studio.

Opening Hours : Open daily, 10 am – 5 pm.

25. Take a Tour of the Scotch Whisky Experience

If you are a whisky enthusiast, a visit to the Scotch Whisky Experience at the top of the Royal Mile will surely interest you. After all, whisky is the national drink of Scotland.

Established in 1988 on the former premise of a school, this visitor attraction in Edinburgh Old Town offers various guided tours to showcase Scotland’s rich history of the whisky industry. It houses the world’s largest collection of whisky bottles. They also have a restaurant and whisky bar on site.

They offer different types of tours. Their expert guide will demonstrate the methods and skills of making scotch whisky. The tour concludes with a wee tasting. Also, you can bring a small bottle back home with you. Audio guides are available in 20 languages. The tour price starts from £21 per adult.

Opening Hours : 10 am – 5 pm.

26. Explore the Scottish National Portrait Gallery

Situated on Queens Street, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery has a superb selection of photographs, sculptures and portraits of some of the most famous Scottish personalities from past and present.

Also, you would be amazed by the glittering friezes and murals of this neo-gothic architectural gem of Edinburgh. The beautifully painted mural at the main entrance hall will surely impress you.

From Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie to Tilda Swinton and Flora Macdonald – You can see all their beautiful portraits here.

This gorgeous red sandstone building was donated in the 19th century by John Ritchie Findlay – the proprietor of The Scotsman newspaper.

It is an amazing free attraction in Edinburgh to spend a rainy day.

Opening Hours : Open daily, 10 am to 5 pm.

27. Discover Writers Museum & Makar’s Court

Located at Lady Stairs close, just a few steps off the Royal Mile, the Writers Museum houses a magnificent collection and memorabilia of three legends of Scottish literature – Robert Burns, Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson.

This picturesque house was built in 1622 by Sir William Gray of Pittendrum, an Edinburgh-based wealthy businessman. Today, the fairy-tale-looking turret draws tourists to this humble museum.

Highlights of your visit would be the first edition of Scott’s Waverley, Burn’s writing desk and a rare cast of his skull, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s personal items. Also, you would get to know a lot about their literary life.

Just outside the Writers Museum lies Makar’s Court, an open space where famous quotes of Scottish writers are etched on flagstones – possibly the most fitting feature to honour Edinburgh, the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature .

Opening Hours : Monday to Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm.

28. Admire the Grand Architecture of the Forth Bridge

An iconic landmark of Scotland, Forth Rail Bridge is an engineering marvel over the Firth of Forth – the estuary of the River Forth.

Located about 10 miles west of Edinburgh City Centre, this bridge connects two villages of Scotland – North and South Queensferry.When this rail bridge was completed in 1890, it was the longest single cantilever bridge in the world. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2015.

There are several sightseeing tour companies that offer guided trips to the Forth Bridges. Alternatively, hop on board Lothian Bus service 43 from Princes Street to South Queensferry. Also, it takes only 15 minutes from Edinburgh Waverley to Dalmeny by train.

If you have time, we recommend you take a boat trip from South Queensferry to the picturesque island of Inchcolm.

29. Enjoy Strolls on the Grounds of Lauriston Castle

Away from the hubbub of the busy city centre, Lauriston Castle is a hidden gem of Edinburgh. The history of this castle dates back to the middle ages. Completely Destroyed during the Earl of Hertford’s raid around 1544, Lauriston Castle was rebuilt in 1590.

Once there, explore the grand interior of this Edwardian tower house. If you hear some eerie footsteps inside, don’t worry. It must be the resident ghost, who hasn’t reportedly harmed anyone yet.

This historic house has lovely grounds with a nice little pond, an award-winning modern Japanese garden, and an Italian garden. Also, you would admire the gorgeous view across Edinburgh and Fife coastline. The woodland around the castle is very scenic, especially in spring, with bluebells lying all around.

Opening Hours : 1 April – 30 September, 8 am – 7.30 pm and 1 October – 31 March, 8 am – 4.30 pm.

Price : £8.00 for adults.

30. Build Sandcastles at Portobello Beach

Just a few miles from Edinburgh City Centre, Portobello is a seaside suburb with a sprawling sand beach stretching over two miles. In summer, it’s a popular spot with sunbathers, swimmers, and volleyballers.

Take a stroll along the charming promenade. It is lined with busy pubs and cafes, chippies, arcades and ice cream shops. Plus, this award-winning beach hosts events like the Big Beach Bush and an annual music and sandcastle competition event. Catch the local bus service 15 or 26 from Princes Street to get here.

So, in short, Portobello would be a perfect spot for a breezy beach day in summer.

How Many Days to Spend in Edinburgh

You will need to spend at least two days visiting some of the main attractions in the city. Check out our detailed 2-day itinerary of Edinburgh . But if you want to explore the city’s nooks and crannies more closely, you can easily spend a week here. You can also add some great day trip destinations to your itinerary.

But if you are really short on time, it’s possible to see some of the highlights in a day.

Best Time to Visit Edinburgh

Although this capital city is a delight to explore all year round, June to August is the perfect time to explore Edinburgh.

The weather remains relatively dry, pleasant and warm, with longer daylights. Usually, July is the hottest month here. Also, it is an ideal time to enjoy various festivals. But this is also the peak tourist season. So, expect long queues at the attractions.

Scottish weather is famous for being unpredictable. You may experience all four seasons in one day. So, carry an umbrella or a rain jacket when you go out.

Edinburgh is also a great destination for a short winter city break in the UK. It hosts a lovely Christmas market.

Map of the Tourist Attractions

Here is a map of all the Edinburgh tourist attractions mentioned in this article. We have also marked some of the best cafes, restaurants, and pubs for you. Save this Google Map on your phone to use it later. Also, you can use it offline.

How to Get Around Edinburgh

Most of the attractions mentioned in this article are spread across the historic Old and New Town. The area is not that huge. So, the cobbled streets of Edinburgh are best explored on foot.

This city has an excellent public transport system. If you are venturing out of the city centre, catch a local Lothian Bus service.

Buses run frequently day and night. It costs £1.80 for a single journey and £4.50 for a day ticket. Also, the tram runs regularly from Edinburgh Airport to St Andrew’s Square.

We hope this article on the best things to do in the city of Edinburgh was helpful to plan your trip. Read our other travel guides of Scotland to fuel your travel inspirations further.

6 thoughts on “30 Epic Things to Do in Edinburgh: Ultimate Guide by a Local”

Excellent. This should be used as a leaflet of Edinburgh for tourist and sightseeing. Informative and interesting, make you want to get up and go do.

Excellent piece! We will definitely use this!

Thanks for the wonderful info. Is there a working link to the ‘detailed 2-day itinerary of Edinburgh” ? Would love to see it.

Love this, thank you!

Edinburgh Tourism Statistics And Trends

Updated on May 29, 2023 by Axel Hernborg

Edinburgh’s bustling city centre offers visitors an extraordinary blend of shopping, fascinating historical and cultural attractions, and magnificent architecture.

Edinburgh’s city centre ranks as one of the most handsome in Europe.

With its elegant streets set against the dramatic silhouette of Edinburgh Castle and the medieval turrets and spires of the Old Town, Edinburgh’s city centre offers visitors an exciting fusion of shopping, dining, and architectural splendour.

Edinburgh is a compact city with diverse ‘villages’ just waiting to be uncovered.

Here are some of the city’s Fast Facts, Statistics, and Trends

Table of contents

1 Edinburgh Trends & Factoids
2 Habits And Motives
3 Demography
4 Edinburgh & Scotland Attractions Stats & Tourism Trends
5 Edinburgh Festival Statistics
6 Other Trends
7 Stats & Facts For The Future Of Tourism In Edinburgh
8 Conclusion
9 References

Edinburgh Trends & Factoids

Edinburgh is known for its landmarks and outstanding heritage, its dramatic topography, its iconic status as a hub of political power, commerce, and culture, and as the world’s leading festival city.
Edinburgh is growing in popularity for tourism, as is Scotland in general. From 2012 to 2017 tourism in the country grew, resulting in a 13% increase in tourism employment.
Tourism is one of the city’s biggest success stories, attracting 4.3 million visitors a year. In 2019, visitors spent an incredible £2.5 billion in Scotland, and at least 1/3rd of this was in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh has become an attractive place for businesses to invest, for skilled individuals to come and work and of course, for visitors.
Of just over 27 million annual bed nights spent by international tourists in Scotland, 47% of them are in Edinburgh.
The city benefits from just under half of the total spent by international tourists in Scotland. 66% of overseas visitors say Edinburgh is their crucial destination.
Edinburgh City’s major Festivals are collectively one of the biggest ticketed events in the world.
The top Five Free and Paid Visitor Attractions in Edinburgh are the National Museum of Scotland, the Scottish National Gallery, St Giles’ Cathedral, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and the Castle National War Museum.
The United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, Malta, and the Netherlands show the top 5 countries across the globe that search for the term ‘Edinburgh’’ the most.

Habits And Motives

Holidaying remains the main reason for a visit to the region. But around half of the visitors to Scotland will visit for landscape and scenery, but culture and history is also a key attraction.
Edinburgh Castle is a highly popular attraction amongst those thinking of visiting Scotland or wanting to learn more about the country, with an average of 210,000 searches per month worldwide.
Summer is by far the busiest time to travel to Edinburgh and takes in the months of June, July, and August.
The coastlines of Scotland are very popular and are visited by around 16 million people every year.
Overseas residents prefer to visit Edinburgh in the warmer months.
Posting pictures is the most popular social media activity undertaken by 23% before and 24% after the visit.
Overnight visitors generally plan and booked aspects of their trip around two or three months before visiting.
Tourists tend to visit places that are socially, historically, and culturally important.
Edinburgh Castle is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. Back in 2019, it saw 2,201,000 visitors. However, in 2022, it only saw 1,346,000 visitors, but this number is expected to grow once more.
In 2022, Edinburgh Castle was Scotland’s 2nd most visited location, only 600,000 visits below the National Museum of Scotland.
Edinburgh has more restaurants per than any other city in the United Kingdom, per head, aside from London.
There are 112 parks in Edinburgh city and has the most trees per head in the UK.
The weather in Edinburgh is some of the best in Scotland, with rainfall figures below the Scottish average and less rain annually than New York, Rome, and even Frankfurt!
There is a lot of visitor accommodation in Edinburgh and the area surrounding Edinburgh, with over 20,000 beds, 50% of these being within an easy 2-kilometre radius of Edinburgh’s city centre.
Edinburgh hosts a range of festivals and is considered to be a unique cultural phenomenon. They are also massively impactful on tourism, attracting more than 4 million visitors to the city every year.
Edinburgh plays host to the biggest New Year Street Party in the world. The Hogmanay brings in over 80,000 celebrators to Princes Street and the surrounding area. The party has live music entertainment, a sell-out concert, and an incredible firework display.
Edinburgh is considered to be the happiest large city in the UK, as the residents were recorded to be the happiest of the 10 major UK cities. With 97% of the permanent residents living there are satisfied with Edinburgh as a location to live in.
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, it is also the largest tourist destination in Scotland, and the second largest in the whole of the United Kingdom, just behind London.
Some of Scotland’s biggest draws are its prehistoric sites, many of which can be visited not far from Edinburgh, and some within the city. There are standing stones, stone circles, and burial chambers, as well as remains from the bronze, iron, and stone ages.
Primary tourist season in Scotland and Edinburgh runs from April until October. However, the Edinburgh Christmas market does pull in a great deal of tourism as well.
The website for visiting the country also has a niche marketing strategy that plays on the focus of what Edinburgh, and Scotland in general, have to offer. Some of these things include fishing, golf, and tourism surrounding food and drink.

Youth travel is the fastest-growing segment of global tourism and Edinburgh is second only to London for young visitors to the UK. Almost 2 million of the city’s visitors come into the millennial age bracket.
In 2019, international travellers aged between 25 and 44 years old recorded the highest number of visits to Edinburgh, United Kingdom (UK). Overall, tourists aged 25-34 and 35-44 accounted for 573 thousand and 459 thousand visits by overseas residents, respectively.
In 2018, the most visitors to Scotland, overall, came from the United States, with 492,000 tourists hailing from the US. 451,000 tourists came from Germany, 318,000 from France, and 268,000 from Italy.
In 2013, UK residents made 18.5 million visits to Scotland, and totalled 64.5 million nights, spending £3.7 billion! However, visitors from overseas made 1.58 million visits, stayed 15 million nights, and spent £806 million! Therefore, the majority of tourism in Edinburgh comes from inside the United Kingdom.

Edinburgh & Scotland Attractions Stats & Tourism Trends

Edinburgh Castle has had a substantial amount of visitors every year and is considered to be the number one attraction in Scotland.
The number of people who visited Edinburgh Castle in 2022, from 217.6% with 1,356,168 visits.
However, Edinburgh Castle is not the most popular FREE attraction as this is the National Museum of Scotland, with the number of visitors rising 198.7% in 2022 from 2021. They got 1,973,751 visitors.
In 2022, attractions with paid entry saw more than 15,053,800 visitors, which is a 63.2% increase from the previous year.
In contrast, the free venues of Scotland had a whopping 33,621,735 visitors in 2022, which is a 49.5% increase from 22,490,582 in 2021.
Only the National Museum of Scotland and Greyfriars Kirkyard saw more visitors than Edinburgh Castle in 2022.
In 2022, Edinburgh Zoo saw 601,285 visitors, a decrease in numbers from the previous year when they had 632,122 visitors.
St Giles’ Cathedral saw the biggest increase in visitors in 2022, with an increase of 410%. They went from 209,897 in 2021, to 1,070,683 in 2022.

Edinburgh Festival Statistics

Edinburgh has a large arts and cultural events history, which causes people to visit the city from across the world.
Only the World Cup and the Olympics are higher in number of ticket sales than those for Edinburgh’s festivals.
The Edinburgh International Festival began in 1947, it is believed to be one of the most important cultural events in the world. The event sees over 160 performances by over 2,500 artists, with an audience of around 400,000 people per year.
Edinburgh also plays host to the International Film Festival which is the oldest non-stop film festival worldwide. They screen more than 150 films every year from over 50 different countries.
Edinburgh hosts an International Book Festival, which is one of the largest of its type in the world. They host nearly 800 authors from more than 40 countries worldwide.
The Edinburgh Art Festival is the largest, annual that is dedicated to art.
The Science Festival in Edinburgh was the first ever science festival to be founded worldwide, beginning in 1989. It is still the largest of its kind, holding 200 events, and with visitors attending in numbers higher than 90,000.
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the biggest art festival across the globe. They have live theatre and comedy performers. Back in 2014, there were 49,497 performances overall, with 3,193 stage shows across 299 venues. Ticket sales for this event reached 1.94 million!

Other Trends

Scotland consistently outperforms the rest of the UK in attracting visitors to its tourist attractions.
Business events currently represent 20% of all tourism expenditure in Scotland, with delegates typically spending more than leisure visitors.
Edinburgh had one of the highest hotel occupancy rates out of all UK cities in 2019 at 82.0%.
The average room price in Edinburgh in 2019 was £102 per night, the fourth highest in the UK.
Edinburgh has more Michelin-awarded restaurants than most other major UK cities. It has had two new ones since last year.
The city faces fierce competition from every other city in Europe for this £2bn of income from the 4 million visitors to the city in 2019.
Staycations are on the rise in Scotland with coastal towns and urban destinations most popular with holidaymakers.
Edinburgh’s first-ever destination-led campaign aimed at young visitors hopes to reach 3.5 million people across Europe with the support of VisitScotland.
Out of the 15 major regions in Scotland as listed on VisitScotland, Glasgow & Clyde Valley is the most popular tourist location overall. Meanwhile, most visitors go to Edinburgh and Lothian for overnight visits.
In 2019, there were a total of 151 million visits to Scotland (both domestic and international).
Edinburgh has been named alongside Amsterdam, Rome, Venice, and Barcelona as one of the world’s worst hotspots for “over-tourism “.
Staycations are on the rise in Scotland with coastal towns and urban destinations most popular with holidaymakers
Scotland is seeing a resurgence in staycation tourism.
14,970 companies in Scotland are all based in the tourism industry.
Edinburgh and Glasgow combined to contribute about a third of all tourism employment in Scotland.
Nearly 9% of all employees in Scotland work in the tourism industry. Back in 2019, there were more than 229,000 people employed in the Scottish tourism industry. This is a massive 8.8% of all employment in Scotland!
Edinburgh sells an incredible £1.3 billion in services to visitors who stay in the city. This accumulates around 30,000 jobs overall, and a sum of around £400,000 million per annum. However, this was in 2015, and the amount is constantly growing.
Over 5 years, you could expect to see increases of 30% in the tourism industry in Edinburgh.
In 2021, employment in the ‘Sustainable Tourism Growth Sector’ was its highest in Edinburgh City, with 33,000. Glasgow City was just below, at 31,000, showing that Edinburgh’s tourism growth has been a highly successful venture.

Stats & Facts For The Future Of Tourism In Edinburgh

Edinburgh seeks to increase its tourism growth. The city has a strategy in place to increase the tourism industry and see more visitors by 2030 and again by 2040.
Edinburgh’s population has grown by a whopping 12% in recent years due to it not only being a popular tourist destination but a popular location to live in. It is projected to see growth of over 600,000 residents by 2041.
The growth of the population living in Edinburgh and the increase in tourism means that the city needs to be prepared in its resources and space for such a vast number of people.
Edinburgh hopes to be a staple for eco-friendliness in tourism and overall function. They aim to have 0 carbon emissions by 2030

Edinburgh is regularly seeing more and more tourism. Its castle, culture, and unique structure make it a popular tourist attraction.

While 2020 was a year in which it did not see much growth, and much of the tourism industry is still recovering, Edinburgh still expects to see more growth in the coming years.

Those who visit the city, usually choose staycations, or overnight stays, although a few do seem to enjoy staying in the city as a base, while also exploring the rest of Scotland, which has a great deal of popularity with tourism as well.

Scotland may even be more popular as a vacation location than London in future times.

https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/ce/edtourism2030/supporting_documents/Ed%202030%20Tourism%20Strategy%20%20FULL%20DRAFT%20ACCESSIBLE.pdf
https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/edinburghs-tourism-industry-is-serious-jeopardy-and-needs-more-help-to-survive-donald-emslie-3154366
https://www.sdi.co.uk/key-sectors/tourism
https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/outdoors/outdoor-attractions-fare-better-as-covid-pandemic-sees-tourist-numbers-plunge-3625508
https://www.highlandtitles.com/blog/scottish-tourism-statistics/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/895299/edinburgh-international-tourists-by-age/
https://www.meetingedinburgh.com/why-edinburgh/edinburgh-facts-and-figures
https://www.statista.com/statistics/586822/edinburgh-castle-visitor-numbers-united-kingdom-uk/
https://www.visitscotland.org/research-insights/regions/edinburgh-lothians
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Scotland
https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/ce/edtourism2030/supporting_documents/Ed%202030%20Tourism%20Strategy%20%20FULL%20DRAFT%20ACCESSIBLE.pdf
https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/lifestyle/23436091.edinburgh-castle-retains-crown-top-tourist-attraction/

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND (2023) | 10 BEST Things To Do In Edinburgh

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Ultimate Edinburgh Travel Guide + Local Tips (2024)

Discovering Edinburgh contains affiliate links, if you purchase from one of these links I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. See my Disclosure Policy for more information

Welcome to your ultimate Edinburgh Travel Guide, a comprehensive resource for exploring Scotland’s capital.

Whether you’re a first time visitor or returning to discover more, this guide covers everything from transportation and accommodation to top attractions and hidden gems.

As someone who lived in Edinburgh for nearly three years and visits frequently as a tourist, I understand the unique challenges and joys of exploring this vibrant city.

Here, you’ll find practical tips and insider insights to help you make the most of your Edinburgh adventure, from must-see landmarks to the best local spots. Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

Getting to Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s strategic location makes it accessible by air, train, and road. Here’s a breakdown of how to get to Scotland’s historic capital .

Edinburgh Airport (EDI) is the primary gateway, with direct flights from major European and international cities. Located about 8 miles west of the city center, it’s easy to reach via various transportation options. Glasgow Airport (GLA), about 50 miles west of Edinburgh, also offers connections to the city by train or bus.

Transportation from Edinburgh Airport

Once you land at Edinburgh Airport, choose from these options to reach the city center:

Tram : The Edinburgh Trams provide a direct route from the airport to York Place in the city center, with stops at key points like Murrayfield Stadium and Haymarket . It’s cost-effective and reliable.
Bus : Airlink 100 is a dedicated airport bus service that runs 24/7, taking you to central Waverley Bridge in about 25 minutes. A quick and affordable choice.
Taxi/Rideshare : Taxis are available at the airport , offering a direct but pricier journey. Rideshare services like Uber and Bolt are also options for a more personalised travel experience.

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Train Services

Edinburgh has two main stations: Waverley and Haymarket . Waverley, the larger station, is centrally located between the Old Town and New Town, serving long-distance and regional trains. Haymarket, west of the city center, is ideal for airport connections and other parts of the city.

Direct trains to Edinburgh operate from major UK cities like London, Manchester, and Glasgow. To save money, book your tickets in advance.

🚋 Book Your Train Tickets Here

Arriving by Car

For those traveling by car, Edinburgh is accessible via major roads like the M8 and A1. Keep in mind:

Parking : The city center has limited parking. Consider park-and-ride options or use parking garages, such as Castle Terrace or NCP at St. James Centre .
Traffic Considerations : Traffic can be heavy during rush hours and festival seasons. Plan accordingly.

🚗 Hire Your Car Here

Buses and Coaches

Edinburgh Bus Station , located near St. Andrew Square, is the central hub for buses and coaches. Major operators like National Express and Megabus run services to and from Edinburgh, ideal for budget travelers .

🚌 Book Your Bus Tickets Here

Ferry Connections

Although Edinburgh doesn’t have a direct ferry terminal, Rosyth , about 30 minutes by car or train, serves as an entry point for those arriving from Northern Ireland or mainland Europe.

Getting Around Edinburgh

One of the my favourite ways to explore Edinburgh is on foot – despite some of the hills and stairways you need to encounter.

The city is compact and offers countless historic sites, charming neighborhoods, and hidden gems within walking distance.

Here’s an overview of walking in Edinburgh, followed by other transportation options to help you navigate the city.

Exploring Edinburgh on Foot

Walking is a fantastic way to experience Edinburgh’s unique character. The Old Town’s narrow alleyways, known as “closes,” and the broad streets of the New Town are ideal for leisurely strolls.

The Royal Mile : This historic thoroughfare connects Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace, filled with shops, restaurants, and street performers. It’s a must-walk route.
Arthur’s Seat : For a more adventurous walk, hike up Arthur’s Seat, a dormant volcano offering panoramic views of the city. The hike up Arthur’s Seat is relatively easy but you still need to wear good walking shoes. I’ve done it in thongs (flip flops) before and I do not recommend this to anyone.
Calton Hill : A shorter walk with great views, featuring iconic monuments like the National Monument of Scotland and the Dugald Stewart Monument . Calton Hill is especially beautiful at sunset!

Tips for Walking in Edinburgh

Comfortable Shoes : Edinburgh has some steep hills, so wear comfortable footwear.
Navigation Tools : Keep a map or GPS app handy, especially in the winding streets of the Old Town.
Weather Considerations : Bring a light jacket or raincoat, as Edinburgh’s weather can change quickly.

Public Transportation Options

If you prefer not to walk or need to travel longer distances, Edinburgh has a comprehensive public transportation network:

Lothian Buses : The bus network connects major attractions and neighborhoods. Purchase tickets on the bus or use a day pass for unlimited travel.
Edinburgh Trams : The tram line runs from the city center to Edinburgh Airport, with stops at key points. Trams are a convenient option for airport transfers and travel along the city center.

Tips for Public Transportation

Tickets : Single-ride tickets and day passes are available. Consider a Ridacard for unlimited rides over a set period.
Transit Apps : Use the “Transport for Edinburgh” app for real-time bus and tram information, route planning, and ticket purchase.

Bike Rentals and Cycling Routes

For a different perspective, rent a bike and explore Edinburgh’s cycling routes:

Bike Rentals : Shops like “ Leith Cycle Co. ” offer rental services. Bikes are great for exploring scenic paths and cycle-friendly roads.
Cycling Routes : Try the Water of Leith Walkway for a scenic ride, or venture to the Pentland Hills for a longer adventure.

Car Rental and Parking Options

If you plan to explore beyond Edinburgh, renting a car might be ideal:

Car Rental : Major rental agencies like Hertz and Enterprise operate in the city. Car rentals are great for day trips or exploring surrounding areas.
Parking Options : Parking in central Edinburgh can be challenging. Consider park-and-ride locations on the outskirts, or use parking garages in central locations like Castle Terrace and St. James Centre.

Where to Stay in Edinburgh

Choosing the right place to stay in Edinburgh can make a big difference in your travel experience. Here’s a guide to Edinburgh’s neighborhoods and accommodation options, with specific recommendations for hotels, hostels, and other types of lodging.

Neighborhoods in Edinburgh

Each neighborhood in Edinburgh has its unique charm. Here’s an overview of the key areas to consider when choosing where to stay:

The Old Town is the heart of historic Edinburgh. With its medieval architecture and cobblestone streets, it’s ideal for those who want to immerse themselves in the city’s past. This my favourite part of Edinburgh and also where I used to live! I was lucky enough to live right below the Castle on the Grassmarket.

Close to major attractions like Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile, and Holyrood Palace.
Rich in character, with traditional pubs, boutique shops, and museums.
Bustling with activity during festivals like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe .
The Balmoral Hotel : A luxury hotel with a landmark clock tower. Offers elegant rooms, a spa, and fine dining. If you are a fan of Harry Potter ask to stay (or look at) the Harry Potter room.
The Grassmarket Hotel : A mid-range hotel with a central location in the vibrant Grassmarket area.
KickAss Greyfriars : A budget-friendly backpacker’s hostel near Greyfriars Kirkyard, offering shared and private rooms.

The New Town is known for its Georgian architecture and wide streets. It’s ideal for those seeking a more contemporary atmosphere with great shopping and dining options.

Home to some of Edinburgh’s best shops, cafes, and restaurants.
Offers a more relaxed vibe compared to the Old Town.
Centrally located, with easy access to Princes Street and George Street.
InterContinental Edinburgh The George : A luxury hotel in a Georgian building, offering spacious rooms and a sophisticated atmosphere. The George has a beautiful high tea and decorated with the most beautiful decor at Christmas time.
Travelodge Edinburgh Central Queen Street : A budget-friendly hotel with basic amenities and a central location.

Leith is a trendy, quieter area with waterfront views. It’s perfect for travelers who prefer a more laid-back setting.

Quieter than the city center, with a unique character and creative energy.
Features waterfront restaurants, bars, and the Royal Yacht Britannia .
Great for experiencing Edinburgh’s local scene away from the tourist crowds
Malmaison Edinburgh : A boutique hotel on the waterfront, offering stylish rooms and a trendy bar.
Ocean Apartments Edinburgh : Located near the waterfront, this place offers comfortable self-catering apartments at a reasonable price.

Tips for Booking Accommodation

To ensure you find the best place to stay in Edinburgh, consider these tips:

Best Times to Visit : The summer months are busiest due to festivals, so book early. Consider visiting in spring or autumn for lower prices and fewer crowds
Online Platforms : Use popular booking sites like Booking.com , Hotels.com , VRBO or Expedia to compare prices and read reviews
Discounts : Look for early booking discounts, special offers, and package deals that include accommodation and attractions

Top Attractions in Edinburgh

Edinburgh offers a captivating mix of history, culture, and stunning landscapes. Here are some attractions that make this city so unique, along with reasons why you should visit them.

1. Edinburgh Castle

One of my favourite places and a place you can’t miss is Edinburgh Castle . This iconic fortress dominates the city’s skyline from Castle Rock. Inside, you’ll find the Crown Jewels , the Stone of Destiny , and the National War Museum . It’s also home to the famous One O’Clock Gun , fired daily except Sundays. Explore the castle’s history and enjoy panoramic views of Edinburgh from the castle walls.

➡️ Book Your Tickets Here

2. The Royal Mile

Stretching from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace, The Royal Mile is a scenic route through the heart of the Old Town.

It’s filled with historic sites, shops, restaurants, and street performances, making it a vibrant place to explore. Wander through the narrow closes (alleyways) and soak up the medieval atmosphere.

➡️ Book Your Tour Here

3. Arthur’s Seat

Arthur’s Seat is a dormant volcano and one of Edinburgh’s most popular hiking spots. A climb to the summit rewards you with breathtaking views of the city and beyond. It’s a great way to experience Edinburgh’s natural beauty and enjoy a bit of outdoor adventure within the city.

4. Holyrood Palace

Holyrood Palace is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Visitors can tour the state apartments, including the chambers of Mary, Queen of Scots , and explore the ruins of Holyrood Abbey .

The palace also features beautiful gardens and hosts events throughout the year. If you are looking for some amazing scones a visit to the Cafe is a must (as touristy as it sounds).

5. Calton Hill

Calton Hill is known for its collection of monuments, including the National Monument of Scotland and the Dugald Stewart Monument. It’s an excellent spot for taking in panoramic views of the city, especially at sunrise or sunset. The walk to the top is relatively easy, making it accessible for most visitors.

6. National Museum of Scotland

The National Museum of Scotland offers a diverse range of exhibits, from Scottish history and culture to science and technology. Highlights include the Grand Gallery , the Lewis Chessmen , and the reconstructed T. rex skeleton. It’s a great place for families and those interested in learning about Scotland’s rich heritage.

7. The Scotch Whisky Experience

For whisky enthusiasts, The Scotch Whisky Experience is a must-visit. Located near Edinburgh Castle, this attraction offers guided tours that explore the history and production of Scotch whisky. You’ll also get to taste various whiskies and learn about different whisky regions. When you hear about the ride in the Whiskey Barrel is sounds a bit lame but take it from someone who is not a fan of Whisky, this is a must do.

8. Dean Village

Dean Village is a hidden gem along the Water of Leith, offering a peaceful escape from the city’s hustle and bustle. I used to walk through Dean Village to get to work and I never got sick of this picturesque village.

Walk through the historic village, admire the picturesque buildings, and take a stroll along the Water of Leith Walkway. It’s a great spot for photography and a relaxing afternoon.

9. Stockbridge

Stockbridge is a charming neighborhood known for its boutique shops, cafes, and the Stockbridge Market . It’s perfect for exploring at a leisurely pace, with plenty of places to enjoy a coffee or a bite to eat. Don’t miss the picturesque St. Bernard’s Well and the nearby Inverleith Park .

And, if you listen hard enough on Monday or Thursday night your might hear the call of the bagpipes as the Stockbridge Pipeband practice a tune or two.

10. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a beautiful place to spend a few hours. Explore the extensive gardens, including the Glasshouses, which feature tropical and exotic plants. It’s a peaceful retreat in the city, perfect for nature lovers and families.

Food and Drink in Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s culinary scene offers a delightful mix of traditional Scottish cuisine and international flavors.

Whether you’re seeking a classic Scottish dish or a unique dining experience, here’s an overview of the city’s food and drink landscape, complete with recommendations for pubs, cafes, fine dining, and street food.

Traditional Scottish Cuisine

Scottish cuisine is known for its hearty dishes and unique flavors. Here are some traditional dishes you should try while in Edinburgh:

Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties : Haggis is a savory pudding made from sheep’s offal, spices, and oats, often served with neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes).
Scotch Pie : A savory meat pie typically filled with minced lamb or beef.
Cullen Skink : A creamy soup made with smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions.

Best Places to Try Traditional Dishes

To enjoy authentic Scottish cuisine, head to these recommended spots:

The Witchery by the Castle : This fine-dining restaurant near Edinburgh Castle offers a special experience with a traditional Scottish menu. The setting is gothic and atmospheric, adding to the dining experience. If you are visiting in August when the Edinburgh Tattoo is on try and book as late as possible. You will be able to just outside the door and get a unique view as all the performers march out of the castle. It is really something special.
The Mitre : Located on The Royal Mile, The Mitre serves classic pub food, including haggis, Scotch pies, and other traditional Scottish dishes. It’s a great spot for a relaxed meal.
The Mussel & Steak Bar : If you love seafood and steak, this spot in the Grassmarket is perfect. Try their mussels, prepared in various styles, or their hearty steaks.

Recommendations for Pubs, Cafes, and Fine Dining

Edinburgh has a vibrant pub scene, quaint cafes, and upscale dining options. Here’s where to find the best experiences:

Pubs : The Grassmarket is home to many excellent pubs. Stroll along the area and find your favorite spot for a pint and pub grub. Try “ The White Hart Inn ,” one of Edinburgh’s oldest pubs, for a historic atmosphere and a pub that claims to be haunted or if you’re looking for some live music and dancing “ Biddy Mulligans ” is a fantastic Irish pub.
Cafes : For healthier options and great juices and smoothies, head to Hula Grassmarket . It’s a popular choice for those seeking a light meal or snack in a trendy setting – it is my favourite place to grab a juice or a smoothie on the go.
Fine Dining : If you’re in the mood for a luxurious experience, “The Witchery by the Castle” is a top choice. For a more refined setting, “ The George Hotel” is ideal for high tea, offering an elegant environment and a delightful selection of teas and pastries.

Tips for Food Markets and Street Food

If you prefer a more casual dining experience or want to sample local produce, Edinburgh has several food markets and street food options:

Stockbridge Market : Held on Sundays, this market features a variety of stalls offering fresh produce, baked goods, street food, and crafts. It’s a great place to experience Edinburgh’s local food scene.
Grassmarket : In addition to its pubs, the Grassmarket hosts various events and street food vendors, especially during festivals. It’s a lively area to explore.
Marks and Spencer Food Hall : If you’re looking for an affordable meal with a view, the food area at Marks and Spencer on Princes Street offers a selection of prepared foods and a fantastic view of Edinburgh Castle.

Cultural Experiences and Events in Edinburgh

Edinburgh is a city with a rich cultural scene, offering a wide range of experiences for visitors. From museums and galleries to theaters and live music venues, there’s always something happening in this vibrant city. Here’s an overview of the cultural landscape and a guide to the best festivals, events, and entertainment options throughout the year.

Museums and Galleries

Edinburgh’s museums and galleries showcase a diverse range of art, history, and science. Here are some must-visit places:

National Museum of Scotland : This extensive museum covers everything from Scottish history and culture to science and technology. It’s a great destination for families and anyone interested in learning more about Scotland’s heritage
Scottish National Gallery : Located on the Mound, this gallery houses an impressive collection of European art, including works by Titian, Van Gogh, and Monet. It’s a must-see for art lovers.
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art : Split across two buildings, this gallery focuses on modern and contemporary art. It’s an ideal place to explore the works of Scottish and international artists.

Theaters and Live Performances

Edinburgh is home to a thriving theater scene, offering everything from classic plays to experimental performances. Check out these popular venues:

Edinburgh Playhouse : One of the largest theaters in the UK, it hosts a variety of performances, including musicals, plays, and concerts.
The King’s Theatre : A historic venue showcasing traditional plays, pantomimes, and touring productions.
Traverse Theatre : Known for its contemporary and experimental works, the Traverse Theatre is a hub for innovative performances.

Live Music Venues and Comedy Clubs

If you’re into live music or comedy, Edinburgh has plenty to offer. Here are some recommendations:

The Queen’s Hall : This venue hosts a variety of musical performances, from classical and jazz to folk and rock. It’s a versatile spot for live music
Sneaky Pete’s : A small and intimate venue that features up-and-coming bands and DJs. It’s a great place to discover new music
The Stand Comedy Club : For a night of laughter, visit The Stand Comedy Club, one of Edinburgh’s top spots for live comedy. It hosts both local and touring comedians.

Festivals and Events

Edinburgh is renowned for its festivals, attracting visitors from all over the world. Here are some of the most popular events throughout the year:

Edinburgh Festival Fringe : The largest arts festival in the world, the Fringe features thousands of performances across various venues in August. Expect everything from comedy and theater to music and dance
Edinburgh International Festival : Running concurrently with the Fringe, this festival focuses on high-quality theater, opera, music, and dance
Edinburgh International Book Festival : Held in Charlotte Square Gardens, this festival brings together authors, poets, and writers for readings, talks, and discussions
Hogmanay : Edinburgh’s famous New Year’s celebration features street parties, concerts, and fireworks. It’s one of the biggest Hogmanay celebrations in the world and is not to be missed.

Practical Tips for First-Time Visitors to Edinburgh

Planning your first trip to Edinburgh? Here are some practical tips to help you make the most of your visit. From the best time to go to budgeting, safety, and day trips, these insights will ensure your journey is enjoyable and stress-free.

Best Time to Visit Edinburgh

The timing of your visit to Edinburgh can affect your experience. Here’s what to consider:

Seasonal Variations : Summer (June to August) is peak season, with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the International Festival drawing large crowds. Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) offer milder weather and fewer tourists. Winter (December to February ) can be cold and rainy, but it’s also when you can experience the magical Hogmanay celebrations.
Weather Considerations : Edinburgh’s weather is unpredictable. Bring layers and a rain jacket, as rain showers can occur even in summer. In winter, temperatures can drop, so pack warm clothing.

Budgeting and Managing Expenses

Edinburgh can be an expensive city, but with some planning, you can keep costs under control:

Accommodation : Book in advance, especially during peak seasons, to get better rates. Consider budget options like hostels or short-term rentals.
Transportation : Use public transport and consider getting a day pass for unlimited travel. Walking is also a cost-effective way to explore the city.
Meals : To save on food, look for budget-friendly cafes, street food, and food markets. Many pubs offer affordable meals and traditional dishes.
Attractions : Some attractions offer discounted rates if you book online or visit during off-peak hours. Consider buying a city pass for bundled entry to multiple sites.

Safety Tips and Emergency Contacts

Edinburgh is generally safe, but it’s always good to be cautious. Here are some safety tips and important emergency contacts:

General Safety : Keep an eye on your belongings, especially in crowded areas. Avoid poorly lit streets at night and use well-known taxi services if needed.
Emergency Contacts : In case of emergencies, dial 999 for police, fire, or medical assistance. For non-emergency police matters, dial 101.
Travel Insurance : Consider purchasing travel insurance to cover unexpected events, medical emergencies, or trip cancellations.

Packing and Dressing for Edinburgh’s Climate

Edinburgh’s weather can be unpredictable, so pack smartly to stay comfortable:

Clothing : Bring layers, including a light jacket, sweater, and waterproof raincoat. Comfortable shoes are essential for walking on cobblestone streets and hilly terrain.
Accessories : Don’t forget a compact umbrella, gloves, and a scarf for colder weather. Sunscreen is also useful, especially in summer.
Electronics : If you’re bringing electronic devices, remember that the UK uses a different plug type (Type G), so carry a travel adapter.

Day Trips and Excursions

Edinburgh is a great base for exploring nearby attractions and natural beauty. Consider these day trips and excursions:

Rosslyn Chapel : Located about 7 miles from Edinburgh, this historic chapel is famous for its intricate stone carvings and connection to the Knights Templar.
The Highlands : Take a day trip to the Scottish Highlands to experience stunning landscapes, lochs, and castles. Popular destinations include Loch Lomond, Glencoe, and Inverness.
St. Andrews : Known for its golf courses and historic university, St. Andrews is a charming town about 1.5 hours from Edinburgh by train.

Accessibility in Edinburgh

Edinburgh is committed to being an inclusive city, with efforts to improve accessibility for visitors with mobility challenges.

Here’s what you need to know about accessibility in Edinburgh, including transportation, accommodations, and attractions.

Accessible Transportation

Buses and Trams : Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams are equipped with low-floor access and designated spaces for wheelchairs. Trams have level boarding at all stops, and many buses are designed to accommodate mobility aids
Taxi Services : Several taxi companies offer accessible vehicles with ramps or lifts for wheelchair users. Consider using a trusted taxi service for convenient transportation
Parking : Blue Badge holders can park in designated spaces throughout the city and use park-and-ride facilities for easy access to public transport

Accessible Attractions

Many of Edinburgh’s attractions are accessible, but some historic sites may have limited access due to their age. Here are some accessible attractions to consider:

Edinburgh Castle : While the castle has steep terrain, it offers shuttle services and accessible routes to key areas.
The National Museum of Scotland : This museum has ramps, lifts, and accessible restrooms, ensuring a smooth experience for visitors with mobility challenges.
Holyrood Palace : The palace provides accessible tours and has facilities to support visitors with disabilities.

Accessible Accommodations

Several hotels and accommodations in Edinburgh cater to accessibility needs. Consider these options when booking your stay:

Apex Grassmarket Hotel : Offers accessible rooms and is located near Edinburgh Castle and The Royal Mile.
Novotel Edinburgh Centre : This hotel features accessible rooms, elevators, and facilities designed for wheelchair users.

Shopping in Edinburgh

Edinburgh offers a wide range of shopping experiences, from high-end boutiques to traditional Scottish goods. Here’s an overview of popular shopping districts and tips for finding unique souvenirs.

Popular Shopping Districts

Princes Street : This bustling street is home to major department stores, including Marks and Spencer and House of Fraser. It’s ideal for high-street shopping and has stunning views of Edinburgh Castle.
George Street : Known for its elegant Georgian architecture, George Street features upscale boutiques, fashion brands, and stylish cafes.
The Royal Mile : Along this historic street, you’ll find shops selling Scottish goods, tartan, and souvenirs. It’s a great place to pick up unique gifts.

Local Shops and Boutiques

If you’re looking for a more unique shopping experience, check out these local shops and boutiques:

Cranachan & Crowdie : A specialty shop on The Royal Mile offering Scottish food products, gifts, and crafts
Armstrongs Vintage Emporium : This vintage clothing store in the Grassmarket is a treasure trove of unique finds from various eras
The Red Door Gallery : A small gallery in the Old Town featuring art prints, ceramics, and handmade gifts by local artists

Tips for Buying Souvenirs and Unique Gifts

Scottish Goods : Look for traditional Scottish items like tartan scarves, cashmere sweaters, and tweed accessories
Local Crafts : Consider buying handmade crafts and artwork from local artists to support the community
Avoid Mass-Produced Souvenirs : Instead of generic souvenirs, seek out unique items that reflect Edinburgh’s culture and history

Technology and Connectivity

Staying connected in Edinburgh is easy with the right technology. Here’s how to ensure you have reliable Wi-Fi, mobile data, and useful travel apps during your visit.

Wi-Fi and Mobile Data

Free Wi-Fi : Many cafes, restaurants, and public spaces offer free Wi-Fi. The Edinburgh Airport also provides complimentary Wi-Fi for travelers.
Mobile Data : Check with your mobile provider about international roaming options or purchase a local SIM card for data during your stay. Most major carriers offer prepaid plans with ample data for tourists.

Useful Travel Apps

To navigate Edinburgh and make the most of your trip, these apps can be invaluable:

Transport for Edinburgh : This app provides real-time information on Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams, including route planning and ticket purchasing
Google Maps : Ideal for navigation and finding local attractions, restaurants, and transportation options
TripAdvisor : Use this app to find restaurant reviews, attractions, and user-generated tips

Camera Gear and Accessories

For photography enthusiasts, Edinburgh offers endless photo opportunities. Consider these tips for capturing the city’s beauty:

Camera Gear : If you’re traveling with a DSLR or mirrorless camera, bring a versatile lens for cityscapes and portraits. A lightweight tripod can be useful for low-light shots and long exposures
Smartphone Accessories : For smartphone photography, consider a clip-on lens for wide-angle or macro shots. A portable power bank ensures your phone stays charged throughout the day.

Sustainability and Eco-Friendly Travel

If you’re conscious of your environmental impact while traveling, Edinburgh has plenty of options for sustainable and eco-friendly experiences. Here’s how you can reduce your carbon footprint during your visit.

Eco-Friendly Accommodations and Activities

Green Hotels : Some hotels in Edinburgh have eco-friendly practices, such as energy-efficient lighting and recycling programs. Check for Green Tourism accreditation when choosing accommodations.
Outdoor Activities : Instead of car rentals, opt for walking, cycling, or using public transportation to explore the city. Edinburgh’s compact layout makes it easy to get around without a car.

Sustainable Transportation and Dining

Public Transport : Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams are environmentally conscious, reducing carbon emissions with electric and low-emission vehicles.
Sustainable Dining : Seek out restaurants that focus on locally sourced ingredients and sustainable practices. “The Gardener’s Cottage” and “Hendersons” are great examples of eco-friendly dining in Edinburgh.

Tips for Reducing Environmental Impact

Reusable Items : Bring a reusable water bottle and shopping bag to minimize single-use plastic waste.
Conserve Energy : Turn off lights and unplug chargers when not in use. Participate in hotel recycling programs if available.
Support Local : Buy from local shops and artisans to support the community and reduce the carbon footprint associated with mass-produced goods.

Nightlife and Entertainment

Edinburgh has a vibrant nightlife scene with something for everyone, from lively pubs and clubs to quieter theaters and live music venues. Here’s where to find the best nightlife and entertainment options in the city.

Pubs and Bars

Edinburgh is famous for its historic pubs and lively bars. Check out these spots for a great night out:

The Last Drop : Located in the Grassmarket, this historic pub has a relaxed atmosphere and a great selection of drinks
The Bow Bar : Known for its extensive whisky selection, The Bow Bar is a must-visit for whisky lovers
BrewDog Edinburgh : If you’re into craft beer, this bar on Lothian Road offers a variety of unique and experimental brews

Clubs and Late-Night Venues

For those who prefer a more energetic night out, Edinburgh has plenty of clubs and late-night venues:

Cabaret Voltaire : A popular nightclub in the Old Town, offering live music and DJ sets in a historic underground setting
The Bongo Club : Known for its eclectic mix of music and events, The Bongo Club is a great place for dancing and live performances
Why Not Nightclub : Located in the New Town, this club is a favorite for those looking to party late into the night.

Quieter Evening Activities

If you prefer a more relaxed evening, consider these options for quieter entertainment:

The Lyceum Theatre : This historic theater hosts a variety of plays and performances, perfect for a cultured night out
The Queen’s Hall : Known for its classical music concerts and intimate performances, The Queen’s Hall offers a more refined evening experience
Jazz Bar : Located on Chambers Street, the Jazz Bar is ideal for those who enjoy live jazz music in a cozy setting.

FAQs: Edinburgh Travel Guide

What is the best time of year to visit edinburgh.

A: Summer is popular for its festivals, but spring and autumn offer milder weather and fewer crowds.

Is Edinburgh a walkable city?

Yes, most attractions are within walking distance, but be prepared for hilly terrain.

What public transportation options are available in Edinburgh?

Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams are the primary public transit systems.

Can I use contactless payment methods in Edinburgh?

Yes, most places accept contactless payments, including public transportation.

Are there vegetarian or vegan food options in Edinburgh?

Yes, Edinburgh has many vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants.

Final Thoughts:

Exploring Edinburgh is a journey through history, culture, and natural beauty. From its iconic landmarks like Edinburgh Castle and The Royal Mile to its vibrant food scene and diverse cultural experiences, there’s something for everyone in this captivating city.

By following this guide, you’ll have a comprehensive resource for planning your visit, complete with tips on transportation, accommodation, attractions, and more.

To ensure your trip to Edinburgh is as enjoyable as possible, take advantage of the practical advice provided in this guide.

Whether you’re interested in exploring the top attractions, discovering hidden gems, or experiencing the city’s rich cultural scene, you’re well-prepared for an unforgettable visit.

As you plan your trip, one of the biggest challenges is managing your budget. To help you estimate your expenses and make informed decisions, we’ve created the Edinburgh Trip Budget Calculator.

Use this tool to break down your costs, from accommodation and transportation to food and attractions. It will help you set a realistic budget and make the most of your time in Edinburgh.

Ultimate Edinburgh Travel Guide The Capital of Scotland: When did Edinburgh become the capital? Edinburgh in January: 23 Best Things to Do Edinburgh in February: 34 Best Things to Do Edinburgh Pronunciation: How to Pronounce Edinburgh Best Edinburgh Trip Budget Calculator Scottish Name Generator Can You Drink the Tap Water in Edinburgh?

Edinburgh Travel Planning Guide

🚑 Should I buy Edinburgh travel insurance?

100% YES! — Edinburgh has the NHS in terms of healthcare, but it’s only for citizens! Foreigners visiting need travel insurance in case anything happens on their visit. I recommend World Nomads – starting at just $5 a day!

💧 Can you drink the water in Edinburgh?

Yes, Edinburgh is a major city, and you can drink tap water. However, I would not drink from the toilets on public transport. ( Read more )

🚙💨 Is it safe to rent a car in Edinburgh?

Yes , Renting a car is safe in Edinburgh! If you want to go on road trips or explore more off-the-beaten-path adventures outside of the city, you might want to consider renting a car.

📲 Will my phone work in Edinburgh?

Depends — Some American companies will work in Edinburgh, but many will not. If your phone doesn’t work in Edinburgh, I recommend getting a Giff Gaff sim card so you can still access Google Maps, phone calls, texts, etc. However, you will find many places around Edinburgh that have free WiFi, so you can check your Google Maps as you go.

🏩 What’s the best way to book my accommodation in Edinburgh?

In my opinion, Booking.com is the best option for hotels. For hostels, I recommend Hostel World . If you want an apartment, check out VRBO (which is cheaper than Airbnb). If you are planning on staying in

✈️ What’s the best site to buy flights to Edinburgh?

To find cheap flights to Edinburgh, I recommend Skyscanner .

🎫 Do I need a visa for Edinburgh?

Probably not—US , Canadian, Australian, and EU passport holders don’t need a visa for stays under 6 months. However, some other countries do (check here!). If you plan to stay more than 6 months, you must look into visas.

Fiona is the founder of Discovering Edinburgh. Fiona has travelled to over 35 countries and fell in love with Edinburgh. After visiting Edinburgh on a day trip, she lived there for three years. Discovering Edinburgh is your go-to resource for everything Edinburgh. Whether you're a local or tourist you are bound to find something new.

2 days in Edinburgh: Itinerary for your weekend +my best tips

How to spend 2 days in edinburgh: the best itinerary + where to stay.

You’re planning to spend 2 days in Edinburgh and you’re looking for the best things to do?

You’re at the right place!

In order to help you plan your stay , I have prepared for you this perfectly optimized 2-day itinerary in Edinburgh that will allow you to discover the must-see attractions of the city.

In addition to the best places to visit and activities for each stage of your itinerary, I will also give you all my best tips and accommodation suggestions depending on your budget.

So, what are the best places to visit in Edinburgh in 2 days? Where to stay?

Let’s find out!

1. The Royal Edinburgh Ticket

2 days in edinburgh: must-see attractions:, one last tip for a perfect 2-day stay in edinburgh, a. edinburgh castle, b. the royal mile, c. holyrood palace, d. arthur’s seat, e. grassmarket and cowgate, f. ghost tour, a. the royal yacht britannia, b. calton hill, c. princes street, d. princes street gardens and the scott monument, e. the scottish national gallery, f. charlotte square, where to stay in edinburgh, edinburgh in 2 days with kids, other places to visit during your 2 days in edinburgh, map of your 2-day itinerary in edinburgh, 2 days in edinburgh: flight prices.

You’re traveling to Scotland? These articles will help you!

How to avoid waiting in line (and save a lot of time!) at Edinburgh’s tourist attractions

With thousands of visitors flocking to Edinburgh every day , Scotland ‘s capital is undeniably one of the world’s top tourist destinations.

All year-round, thousands of tourists come to see the city’s iconic landmarks such as Edinburgh Castle or the Holyrood Palace .

You’ll quickly notice the long waiting lines in front of the city’s must-see attractions as soon as they open, and they don’t get any shorter during the day!

However, there is a good news: you can avoid this!

Yes, you actually have 2 ways to save a lot of time (and money!) during your 2 days in Edinburgh.

Here they are:

If you want to save time and money during your 2-day trip to Edinburgh, you best option is to buy the Royal Edinburgh Ticket before you go.

You can find city passes like this one for all major European cities such as Rome , Athens and London for example. They are simply the best way to get into the most famous attractions without having to queue!

You can use it throughout your 48 hours in Edinburgh .

With the Royal Edinburgh Ticket, you will get:

A priority entry to Edinburgh Castle
A fast track ticket to the Holyrood Palace, including an audio guide
A ticket to visit the Royal Yacht Britannia (with an audioguide)
Unlimited use of the hop-on hop-off tourist bus during 2 days, perfect to discover the city without tiring yourself out or if you’re visiting Edinburgh with kids. You will have access to 3 different bus lines.

Buying your Royal Edinburgh ticket is quick and easy – you just need to click on the green button below:

Once you’ve secured your Edinburgh Ticket (by clicking the green button just above), a confirmation voucher will be sent to your email.

To collect your Royal Edinburgh Ticket , please visit the ticket office located on St Andrew Square. You will get the precise pickup location in the purchase confirmation email.

2. Fast track tickets for Edinburgh’s best places to visit and activities

The second solution to skip the line at Edinburgh’s best places to visit is to buy fast track tickets for each attractions or activities individually, depending on what you want to see during your 2 days in Edinburgh.

To make it easier for you, I’ve listed the main tickets a bit below. I will of course mention them again through the itinerary, when talking about each point of interest.

Simply click on the orange links or the green buttons throughout this guide to book your tickets.

Edinburgh Castle
Scottish Whisky Experience
Real Mary King’s Close
Holyrood Palace
Guided tour of Edinburgh
Harry Potter themed guided tour
Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
Whisky-themed evening with tastings
Greyfriars Kirkyard guided tour
Ghost-themed guided tour
Camera Obscura and World of Illusions
Royal Yacht Britannia
Edinburgh Pub Crawl .

You can find all the available entrance tickets, guided tours, activities and day trips from Edinburgh by clicking here: Book your tickets and guided tours in Edinburgh.

If you’re planning to visit the castle, the palace, and the Royal Yacht, I really recommend you get the Royal Edinburgh Ticket as it will save you money and then you can complement it with skip-the-line tickets and guided tours.

It’s definitely the best way to make the most of your stay!

If you already know your travel dates (or as soon as you will have them!) , you should really book your accommodation.

As Edinburgh is one the most touristic city in Scotland , the hotels offering the best value for money are often fully booked months in advance.

As a seasoned traveler, I can assure you that it’s always by planning as far in advance as possible that I’ve found the best hotels or apartments deals.

You agree that it would be a shame to somewhat ruin your stay in Edinburgh by ending up in a not-so-great hotel that costed you a fortune, right? 😅

So your best bet is to take 5 minutes now to have a look at traveler’s favorite hotels in Edinburgh.

And if you like one of the hotels you find, book it!

It’s fast, it’s easy and most accommodation offer free cancellation. That’s the best way to protect yourself from the inconvenience of finding nothing but mediocre rooms at exorbitant prices.

To check the best hotels deals in Edinburgh, simply click on the green button below:

After securing your dream stay, it’s time to continue reading this guide!

2 Days in Edinburgh: The ultimate itinerary

It’s now time to plan your 48h itinerary in Edinburgh!

For this itinerary, I assume that you will be spending 2 full days in Edinburgh and purchased the Royal Edinburgh Ticket or skip-the-line tickets .

That’s the best way to save time and money during your stay!

If you have any questions or need help planning your trip once you’ve read the article, just send me your questions in the comments section located at the end of this guide.

So, what should you see during your 2 days in Edinburgh?

Day 1 of this Edinburgh itinerary – The historic centre

Day 1 tourist attractions:

A. Edinburgh Castle B. The Royal Mile C. The Palace of Holyroodhouse D. Arthur’s Seat E. Grassmarket and Cowgate F. Ghost tour

You should start your 2 days in Edinburgh with one of the city’s most iconic landmark: Edinburgh Castle .

Perched on an extinct volcano, this historic fortress dominates the city’s and is a testament to Scotland’s tumultuous past.

Inside the castle, explore the Royal Palace , where Mary, Queen of Scots, gave birth to James VI. Don’t miss the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny, historically used in the coronation of Scottish rulers.

Witness the One O’Clock Gun , a tradition dating back to 1861, and explore the National War Museum .

You can also enjoy the panoramic views of Edinburgh from the castle’s viewpoint.

How to get to the castle:

By foot via the Royal Mile avenue
By the Hop-On Hop-Off bus. This is super convenient as it’s free if you’ve bought the Royal Edinburgh Ticket for your 2 days in Edinburgh.

To avoid queuing, you need to purchase your tickets online in advance. Buy your Edinburgh Castle priority tickets by clicking here!

Please note that if you have the Royal Edinburgh Ticket, the visit is included:

Next, stroll down the Royal Mile , the main street of Edinburgh’s Old Town.

This historic street is lined with medieval architecture, shops for unique souvenirs , and lively pubs.

On the way, you will pass by St. Giles’ Cathedral and its impressive Gothic architecture.

And don’t forget to explore the narrow alleys, known as “Closes”, branching off the Royal Mile!

If you don’t want to walk, you can also take the hop-on hop-off bus from the castle to Holyrood Palace.

With the Royal Edinburgh Ticket, rides are unlimited for 48 hours , or you can also get 24-hour tickets by clicking on the button below:

After exploring the Royal Mile, the next stop of your 2-day itinerary in Edinburgh is The Palace of Holyroodhouse , the King’s official residence in Scotland.

Here, you can explore the State Apartments adorned with tapestries and portraits.

You will also visit Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots’ Chambers , where the queen lived during the most dramatic events of her reign and the Throne room, where the current English monarchs still hold their receptions.

Don’t miss the beautiful Abbey Church and the ruins of Holyrood Abbey : they are very photogenic!

The palace gardens also offers stunning views of Arthur’s Seat and the surrounding landscape.

If you don’t want to queue for hours to see Holyrood Palace, don’t forget to get the Royal Edinburgh Ticket or to purchase fast track tickets by clicking on the green button below:

Let’s continue your 2-day tour of Edinburgh by heading to Arthur’s Seat, an ancient volcano that forms the main peak of dinburgh hills.

The climb to the summit is relatively easy and suitable for most fitness levels. The walk takes about 30 minutes to an hour , depending on your pace.

Once at the top, you’ll be rewarded with breathtaking views of Edinburgh, the Firth of Forth, and the surrounding countryside.

It’s the perfect spot to take beautiful photos of the city.

After a day full of exploration, it’s time to unwind and enjoy the lively atmosphere of Cowgate and Grassmarket.

This area is known for its dynamic blend of historic charm and modern nightlife.

In Grassmarket, you’ll find numerous traditional Scottish pubs and restaurants , offering local ales and Scottish traditional meals like haggis (if you’re feeling adventurous!).

After a good meal, you can head to Cowgate street, where bars and clubs are located. it’s really the place to be if you’re looking for live music evening!

During your 2-day visit to Edinburgh, you should dedicated some time to delve into the darker, more mysterious side of the city.

A ghost tour is a thrilling way to explore Edinburgh’s infamous haunted locations and hear about the city’s eerie past.

These tours often include visits to ancient vaults, cemeteries, and the old city’s hidden corners, known for their chilling tales and legends.

You can choose from several tours , some focusing on history and others on the paranormal. Many tours start in the evening, adding an extra layer of spookiness to the experience.

Here is my selection of the best ghost tour in Edinburgh:

The Geyfriars Kirkyard’s tour will take you to the most haunted cemetery in the world! For me, it’s definitely the best option!

You need to book it in advance by clicking on the button below.

A Ghost Bus Tour , with a slightly mad driver who will take you to several haunted sites and tell you all about the city’s dark past
An Edinburgh Underground Guided Tour , where numerous terrible crimes took place
A visit to the Blair Street catacombs , haunted by wandering spirits + a tour of Canongate Kirkyard.

Day 2 of your weekend in Edinburgh: Things to see and do

Day 2 tourist attractions:

A. The Royal Yacht Britannia B. Calton Hill C. Princes Street D. Princes Street Gardens and the Scott Monument E. The Scottish National Gallery F. Charlotte Square

Start your second day in Edinburgh with a visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia , a floating piece of history.

This former royal yacht served the British Royal Family for over 40 years, sailing over a million miles around the world.

Now permanently moored at Ocean Terminal, Leith (it will take around 30 minutes to get there by bus), the Britannia offers a glimpse into the royal life at sea.

Tour the 5 main decks , including the State Apartments, Crew’s Quarters, and the Engine Room.

Audio guides are available in multiple languages, providing a detailed narrative of the yacht’s fascinating history.

Don’t miss the Sun Lounge, the Queen’s favorite spot on the yacht, and the Royal Deck Tea Room , where you can enjoy a cup of tea and scones with a royal touch.

It’s really a must see during your two-day itinerary in Edinburgh!

Entry to the Royal Yacht Britannia is included in the Royal Edinburgh Ticket.

If you don’t have the city pass, you need to book your fast track tickets here:

After your royal tour, head to Calton Hill , one of Edinburgh’s main hills and part of the city’s UNESCO World Heritage site.

To get up there, you will have to take an easy 10-20 minutes walk and you will be rewarded with some of the best views of Edinburgh.

At the top, you’ll find iconic monuments such as the National Monument and the Nelson Monument.

The hill is also home to the City Observatory , a key site in Edinburgh’s scientific history.

Next, you should go to Princes Street , Edinburgh’s main shopping street.

This bustling area is a paradise for shoppers , offering a mix of high-street brands, luxury stores, and Scottish souvenirs.

While shopping, enjoy the view over Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town in the background.

Don’t forget to explore the adjacent streets, like George Street and Rose Street, known for their independent boutiques and nice cafes.

Adjacent to Princes Street, you’ll find the Princes Street Gardens , a peaceful oasis in the heart of the city.

These beautifully landscaped gardens are perfect for a leisurely stroll during your 2-day itinerary in Edinburgh.

In the gardens, you should check the Scott Monument , a Victorian Gothic monument dedicated to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. If you’re up for it, climb the 287 steps to the top for incredible views of Edinburgh and beyond.

The gardens also host several statues and monuments, including the Ross Bandstand , often used for concerts and events.

After enjoying the fresh air in the gardens, you should go to the Scottish National Gallery , located at The Mound.

This impressive gallery houses Scotland’s national collection of fine art, spanning centuries and styles.

From Renaissance masterpieces to modern Scottish art , the gallery’s extensive collection is a treat for art lovers.

Notable works include pieces by Botticelli, Rembrandt, and Van Gogh, alongside Scottish artists like Raeburn and Ramsay.

The gallery also hosts temporary exhibitions, workshops, and lectures.

Admission to the Scottish National Gallery is free, but donations are welcomed.

Conclude your 2-day tour of Edinburgh with a visit to Charlotte Square , located at the west end of George Street.

This historic square is considered one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in the city.

Here, you can admire the elegant facades and the harmonious symmetry of the buildings.

The square is also home to the Georgian House , a fully restored 18th-century townhouse that offers a glimpse into the life of the wealthy during that era.

So there you are, you have everything you need to get the best out of your 2 days in Edinburgh!

There’s just one last thing to address: where to stay in Edinburgh?

To be honest, it’s really not easy to find budget accommodation in Edinburgh. As you’d expect in a city that attracts so many tourists, the hotels have no hesitation in charging high prices.

As good deals vanish pretty quickly, you should book your accommodation in Edinburgh as early as possible to get the best prices!

Here’s my selection of the best hotels for your 2 days in Edinburgh:

Edinburgh Central Youth Hostel: Youth hostel located only 800 meters from the train station and Princes Street. Bed in a dormitory from 30€ per night, breakfast at 6€. Strong points: cleanliness, great location, friendly staff.
Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket: Located in the city centre, 10 minutes walk from the castle. Contemporary and elegant double room from 90€, breakfast included. Strong points: the very helpful staff, the spacious rooms, the very comfortable bed. It’s my favorite for its amazing value for money!
Radisson Blu Hotel, Edinburgh: Located on the historic Royal Mile Street, 10 minutes from the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Chic and refined double room from 200€ per night, breakfast at 14€. Strong points: central location, spa, heated indoor swimming pool, gym, and the excellent breakfast!
Radisson Collection Hotel, Royal Mile Edinburgh: 5 star hotel located on the Royal Mile, 600 meters away from the castle. This luxury hotel offers comfortable and elegant double rooms starting at 300€ per night, breakfast at 18€. Strong points: located in the heart of Edinburgh’s historic centre, the interior design, very helpful staff, absolute comfort. This is the best hotel for a luxury stay in Edinburgh!

5-star hotel in Edinburgh - The Radisson Collection Hotel

If you’re going to visit Edinburgh in 2 days with your family, here are a few suggestions to make the most of your stay:

Visit Edinburgh Castle: there is a special treasure hunt designed for children.
Stop at the Harry Potter shop on the Royal Mile, and for older kids, book the guided tour dedicated to the young wizard !
Take part in a Ghost Tour / Visiting Greyfriars Cemetery (suitable for teens)
Discover the National Museum of Scotland and its giant animal skeletons
Visit Camera Obscura and World of Illusions: the museum gathers hundreds of optical illusions

If you’ve done everything I am talking about in this itinerary for 2 days in Edinburgh and still have time to explore more, you should read my guide of Edinburgh.

It’s packed with ideas for an amazing two-day trip to Edinburgh!

You can read it by clicking on the following link: The 20 Best Things to Do in Edinburgh .

It might even make you want to stay longer, so why not spend 3 days in the city? ( or even 4! )

To help you visualize your daily itineraries during your 2 days in Edinburgh, I have created this map with all the places to visit day by day . You can view the map’s legend by clicking on the top left button, the one with a little arrow.

You can thus see the suggested itineraries for each day.

Since the price of flights to Edinburgh can vary a lot, it’s a good idea to compare them as early as possible.

For this, you can use our flight comparison tool, in partnership with Skyscanner. It’s the guarantee of getting the best fare.

You need help to plan your 2-day trip to Edinburgh? Don’t hesitate to ask me in the comment section located below!

Scotland travel Guides

Buy the Lonely Planet Scotland guide on Amazon.com or on Amazon.co.uk
Buy the DK Eyewitness Scotland guide on Amazon.com or on Amazon.co.uk

You’re traveling to Scotland ? These articles will help you!

Discover all my articles about Scotland : All my articles to help you plan your trip to Scotland are listed there. The 15 Best Things to Do in Scotland : The ultimate bucket list!

The 20 Best Things to Do in the Highlands : All the best places to visit

Itinerary: 4-5 days in Scotland – The perfect itinerary for a short stay in Scotland
Itinerary: 1 week in Scotland – The best Itinerary to visit Edinburgh + The Highlands + The Isle of Skye
Itinerary: 10 days in Scotland – The definitive guide to visit Scotland in 9-10 days
Itinerary: 2 weeks in Scotland – The best Itinerary to visit Scotland in 14-15 days
Edinburgh: Top 20 best things to do
Glasgow: All tourist attractions
Isle of Skye: The 20 best places to visit
2 Days in Edinburgh – How to visit Edinburgh in 48h
3 days in Edinburgh – The perfect itinerary
4 Days in Edinburgh – The best places to visit in 4 days
5 days in Edinburgh – The ultimate itinerary to visit Scotland’s capital

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Best places to visit in Edinburgh in 2 days

Creator of the Voyage Tips blog, travel and photography lover. I give you all my best tips to plan your next trip.

3 Days in Athens: The Perfect Itinerary (First Time Visit)

2 Days in Athens: The Perfect Itinerary (First Time Visit)

4 Days in Athens: The Perfect Itinerary (First Time Visit)

Top 14 Things to Do in Edinburgh

There are plenty of exciting things to do in Edinburgh, from stunning architecture and endless winding streets to an awe-inspiring castle perched on a dormant volcano. By day you can admire artworks in galleries and treasured wonders in museums, and by night you can enjoy tours, musical and theatre performances, or find your favourite dram in a charming whisky pub.

Explore Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh

Edinburgh Castle and city

Perched atop Castle Rock overlooking the city, this should be a must-see on your list of places to visit in Edinburgh. Edinburgh Castle houses important Scottish artefacts, such as the Honours of Scotland - which are the oldest crown jewels in the UK - and The Stone of Destiny, an ancient symbol of the Scottish monarchy. Explore the vast castle grounds, take a guided tour with a castle steward, or listen to the audio guide, which is available in eight languages.

Top tip: Tickets often sell out quickly, especially during the summer months. Make sure to book early to avoid disappointment! Listen out for the firing of the One O'Clock Gun from the castle grounds, which can be heard daily (except on Sundays). Ships in the Firth of Forth once set their maritime clocks according to the sound of the shot.

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Discover the treasures of the National Museum of Scotland Edinburgh

The National Museum of Scotland

Scotland is known for having unpredictable weather, and if you happen to get caught in the rain you might be wondering what to do in Edinburgh. Visit the National Museum of Scotland, one of the best indoor attractions in Edinburgh - and entry is free! With over 20,000 unique artefacts to see, there's something for everyone and fun for all the family. Spend the day learning about the catacombs of Egypt, the wonders of nature and even modern-day technology.

Top tip: If the sun makes an appearance, head up to the rooftop terrace to enjoy amazing views of Edinburgh.

Hearing Loop
Accessible toilets

Climb Arthur's Seat and stroll through Holyrood Park Edinburgh

Friends on Salisbury Crags in Edinburgh

Perhaps one of the most iconic places to go in Edinburgh is Arthur's Seat, located within Holyrood Park. This ancient volcano sits 251m above sea level and offers 360-degree views of Edinburgh and the Lothians. You can see the medieval remains of St Anthony's Chapel or feed the ducks and swans on Duddingston Loch. There's an array of paths and trails to follow, suitable for all, including the trail to St Margaret's Loch which is both wheelchair and buggy accessible.

Top tip: Climbing up to the top of this dormant volcano is hungry work! Why not pack a picnic and enjoy it from the best 'seat' in Edinburgh?

Be amazed at Camera Obscura and World of Illusions Edinburgh

Camera Obscura and World of Illusions

This top attraction in Edinburgh is fun for all the family - we dare you not to be amazed, whatever your age. There are five floors of interactive curiosities and illusions to explore, so lose yourself in the puzzling mirror maze or try to keep your balance in the exhilarating Vortex Tunnel.

Top tip: Be sure to get an allocated show time so you don't miss out on seeing the 169-year-old Camera Obscura in action. This Victorian spectacle is a truly unique way to see Edinburgh and takes sightseeing to the next level.

Pets Welcome

Ascend Calton Hill to the National Monument Edinburgh

The Edinburgh skyline viewed from Calton Hill

For outstanding views, get up early and climb to the top of Calton Hill to enjoy the sunrise over the city. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to a collection of historic monuments, most notably the National Monument, which was inspired by the Parthenon in Athens.

Top tip: Thinking of staying in Scotland this New Year's Eve? One of the best things to do in Edinburgh at night on Hogmanay is to climb Calton Hill and enjoy the annual firework display above the castle. Many festivals in Edinburgh, such as the Celtic Beltane Fire Festival, are also celebrated here.

Explore the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Edinburgh

The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

A trip to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art won't leave you disappointed - whether you're an art lover or not. Comprising two impressive buildings, this top Edinburgh attraction contains masterpieces from the 1900s to present day. Admire art by Matisse, Picasso and Emin, as well as Scottish contemporaries. The landscaped grounds of the galleries feature sculptures by Tony Cragg and Barbara Hepworth, amongst others.

Top tip: After enjoying coffee and a slice of cake in the gallery's cafe, don't miss the recreation of Scottish artist Eduardo Paolozzi's original studio in Modern Two.

Taste the finest drams at Johnnie Walker Princes Street Edinburgh

Johnnie Walker Princes Street in Edinburgh

The flagship Johnnie Walker Princes Street is spread across eight floors and is the capital's newest hotspot, perfect for whisky lovers and novices alike. Complete with dining experiences, bars and a whisky retail area, book your personalised whisky experience where you can explore the flavours of Scotland.

Top tip: Enjoy world-class cocktails and incredible views of the Edinburgh skyline at the 1820 rooftop bar.

Stroll through Lauriston Castle and Gardens Edinburgh & The Lothians

Lauriston Castle and Gardens

There are plenty of attractions around Edinburgh away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Lauriston Castle and Gardens is the perfect place to go for anyone visiting Edinburgh looking for a piece of Scottish history, as well as peace and quiet. Step back in time as you explore the castle's impressive Edwardian interiors, and don't miss the daily guided tour to learn more about its fascinating history.

Top tip: Enjoy the woodland walk that surrounds the castle, then retreat to the tranquil Japanese Garden, a true hidden gem in Edinburgh.

Brave the Edinburgh Dungeon Edinburgh - City Centre

Edinburgh Dungeon 2021

Looking for things to do in Edinburgh that are a little unusual? For a thrilling alternative adventure, visit The Edinburgh Dungeons, where you'll learn about the city's gruesome history. Walk the plague-ridden streets of 1645, evade the murderous duo Burke and Hare, and even face trial - good luck! With live actors, underground rides and special effects, you're guaranteed a 'spooktacular' time.

Top tip: The Edinburgh Dungeon often holds Dungeon Late events for adults, so if you're looking for things to do in Edinburgh at night, this could be it.

Launch into space at Dynamic Earth Edinburgh

Dynamic Earth

Looking for somewhere fun to take the kids that's also educational? Dynamic Earth is a fantastic attraction for the whole family to enjoy. The interactive adventure takes brave young explorers on a journey through space and time to learn how the forces of nature shaped Earth over millions of years.

Top tip: Dynamic Earth is part of the National STEM Engagement Campaign and has a whole host of events for kids to enjoy; check out their website to find out what's on in Edinburgh.

See a show at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Edinburgh's Festival Theatre

Edinburgh's Festival Theatre is one of the largest stages in the UK, hosting show-stopping opera, ballet and musical events all year round. Many famous performers have graced its stage, including Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy and David Bowie.

Top tip: Legend has it that the Festival Theatre is haunted by famous illusionist 'The Great Lafayette'. Lafayette lost his life in a fire at the theatre in 1911 and is said to roam the stage to this day.

Enjoy a wee dram at the Scotch Whisky Experience Edinburgh - City Centre

The stunning Diageo Claive Vidiz Whisky Collection

No trip to the Royal Mile is complete without a visit to the Scotch Whisky Experience for a dram of fine Scottish whisky. The attraction offers a range of tour experiences that will suit first timers and whisky lovers alike. Take a tour of the virtual distillery and learn about the distilling process, then discover the art of whisky blending in a guided sensory presentation.

Top tip: After you become somewhat of a whisky connoisseur, why not continue into the attraction's Amber Restaurant, where you can enjoy modern Scottish cuisine with another dram.

Go sightseeing from the Scott Monument Edinburgh

The Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens

The Scott Monument was built in 1832 to commemorate the death of one of Scotland's best loved writers, Sir Walter Scott, and is decorated with carvings of characters from his novels. The Gothic spire stands at the eastern end of Princes Street Gardens and is the largest memorial to a writer in the world, standing at just over 200 feet high. Climb the 287 steps to the top for beautiful views of the city and visit the Museum Room inside the monument, which holds an exhibition on Scott's life and work.

Top tip: Not a fan of heights? Not to worry, you can get a great view of the monument with your feet firmly on the ground from the bottom of the Playfair Steps on The Mound. At the base of the monument, you'll also find a statue of Scott himself with his beloved dog.

Indulge in sweet treats at The Chocolatarium Edinburgh

Chocolatarium visitors with their finished chocolate bars

Looking to add a bit more sweetness to your trip? Just off the Royal Mile you’ll find The Edinburgh Chocolatarium, a place dedicated to all things chocolate. Enjoy a 90-minute guided tour of the chocolate-making process before making your very own chocolate bar where you’ll have lots of toppings to choose from. To finish off, head to the chocolate Tasting Room where you’ll taste a variety of Scottish and international chocolates. Now that sounds like chocolate heaven!

Top tip: Make sure to stock up on your favourite chocolate bars at the gift shop. You'll find all the classics including some interesting flavours such as gin and tonic dark chocolate and haggis.

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17 best things to do in Edinburgh - Scotland's lively capital city

Sep 17, 2021 • 9 min read

View of the Edinburgh skyline from Calton Hill © bfurbush / Budget Travel © ©bfurbush/Budget Travel

Edinburgh is renowned for being one of Europe’s most lively and friendly cities. It offers visitors the best of both worlds: urban attractions, and beautiful natural landscapes, there’s plenty of choice to suit everyone. If you want to explore more of what the Scottish capital has to offer here are some of the best things to see and do in easy-to-navigate Edinburgh.

The Royal Mile

Resting like a gem near Holyrood Park , The Royal Mile is a succession of streets through Edinburgh’s Old Town which connect Edinburgh Castle and Palace of Holyroodhouse. The distance between the two royal residences is exactly a mile , hence its name, which it was given in the 16th century.

Along the cobbled streets, there are five sections to explore: Castle Esplanade, Castlehill, Lawnmarket, the High St and Canongate. Don’t miss the 15th-century grey behemoth, St Giles Cathedral, which was restored in the 19th century, and The Witches Well, a fountain that commemorates the Edinburgh women executed on suspicion of witchcraft between the 15th and 18th centuries.

Other things to look for include Cannonball House, which has a cannonball lodged into its west wall (don't worry, it's unlikely to be embedded during a battle, more a municipal solution left there by engineers marking the height for the city's first waterpipe), and former Victorian church houses like John Knox House, which dates from 1470, the oldest building on the Royal Mile.

Edinburgh Castle

No visit to the Scottish capital would be complete without seeing Edinburgh Castle . Originally built in 1103 on a large craggy rock, Britain’s most besieged castle can be seen from almost every corner city.

Home to both Mary, Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie, the royal residence also houses Britain’s oldest Crown jewels, known as the Honours of Scotland. They include an imperial golden crown, decorated with pearls and large amethyst, the silver-gilded Sceptre of Scotland and the Sword of State which was a gift to James IV in 1507 from Pope Julius II. Year-round guided tours give visitors a sense of what life was like at the castle.

Dean Village

In a city as beautiful as Edinburgh, it can be hard to stand out, but the tranquil Dean Village – which officially became part of the city in 1826 – just about takes the crown. Set next to the Water of Leith, which languorously rolls on past, this former grain milling area to the northwest of the city center is a photographer's dream model.

Look out for the red sandstone of Well Court which hangs over the river. It was built in the 19th century for the owner of The Scotsman newspaper, Sir John Findlay. Other photo opportunities include the 106ft-tall (32m) Dean Bridge, which is the work of civil engineer Thomas Telford who designed the A5 road from London to Holyhead, and the Germanic-looking daffodil-yellow timber-fronted houses.

Arthur’s Seat

An unmissable landmark, Arthur’s Seat provides visitors with spectacular views of the city. Some 350 million years ago, these lurching green hills within Holyrood Park formed an active volcano. Long extinct, it's now hikers and visitors that stream down its steep banks like lava. Keen for breathtaking panoramic vistas of Edinburgh from above? You’ll see its spires and rooftops, the Firth of Forth, Murrayfield Stadium, the Pentland Hills and beyond from up here.

Arthur’s Seat itself is a former hill fort surrounded by three defensive siblings. Self-guided tours of the site are available as a free podcast. Download the Hidden Trax app.

Scottish National Gallery

Edinburgh has plenty of great art galleries, but the Scottish National Gallery is its best. Located just off Princes Street, this imposing neoclassical behemoth dates back to the 1850s. It’s built by William Henry Playfair, who also designed the iconic Dugald Stewart Monument, the Royal Scottish Academy and over 15 other landmarks in the city (yes, including “Edinburgh's Disgrace”, the National Monument of Scotland, his unfinished ode to Parthenon in Athens)

Art enthusiasts can view Van Gogh's Orchard in Blossom (Plum Trees) , Lobster Telephone by Salvador Dalí and the transcendent Wandering Shadows by Scottish artist Peter Graham, among many others. There are paintings here too by Glasgow's prodigal son, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The gallery has a restaurant and cafe that serves up traditional Scottish dishes such as haggis and black pudding, with overlooking views of the city landscape.

Camera Obscura

Close to the Royal Mile, Camera Obscura & World of Illusions is an observatory established by Maria Theresa Short in 1853. First established as a museum of art and science, today a spiral stairway leads up to an observatory at the top of the Outlook Tower where you will find the camera obscura, a device that uses lenses and mirrors to throw back a visual of the whole city onto a large screen.

Guides provide historical background to the devices used here and the quirky rooms leading up to the tower such as the vortex, a tunnel that seems to spin, and a mirror maze immerse visitors in different types of optical illusion.

Princes Street

Built in 1767, the historic Princes Street takes its name from the sons of King George III. Once a smart residential street, it's now the heart of Edinburgh's central shopping district. As well as independent stores, major high street brands and plenty of places to eat (try Sir Walter's Cafe in the Gardens, or Castello), the nearby Princes Street Gardens are a must.

Not only a great place for a breather, the park has some lovely unique features worth seeking out including the recently-renovated Ross Fountain, a turquoise-and-gold, Beaux Arts–style water feature first erected in 1872, and a large floral clock (July to October) which is made anew each year from some 35,000 flowers.

New Town architecture in Edinburgh Scotland

The Georgian House

A lesser-known attraction in Edinburgh’s New Town , the Georgian House was built in the late 17th century by acclaimed architect Robert Adam, the neoclassical revivalist whose exhaustive works include Pulteney Bridge in Bath and Harewood House near Leeds. As you’d expect for the Architect of the King's Works, the property is charmingly luxurious.

There are paintings here by famed Scottish artists, including John Simmons, and oodles of Regency charm. The vast Drawing Room, which takes over the entire first floor, houses a square piano (the center of the room was for dancing), whilst the Dining Room has a wonderful drop-leaf dining table, a walnut longcase clock from London and black, gilt-carved chimney glass. Visitors can also see the Parlour, the Kitchen, the Basement and the Servants Quarters.

Mary King’s Close

Okay, so the immersive characters might not be for everyone, but The Real Mary King's Close offers a unique perspective on Edinburgh. Located beneath the Royal Mile, this labyrinth of 17th-century alleyways and streets stand almost as they were some 250 years years ago when the City Chambers were simply built on top of them. The tours here take you back in time with characters dressed in period costume adding to what is a memorable experience.

Royal Botanic Garden

Known locally as the Botanics , this sprawling 70-acre garden has more than 13,500 species of plant to discover across six different gardens. Look for the rare Catacol whitebeam, endemic to the Isle of Arran, located near the huge Victorian Glasshouses, which themselves are home to some of the world’s most endangered plants. There are also a number of tropical palms to discover as well as dwarf daffodils, snowdrops and1000 types of rhododendron.

Museum of Childhood

The first of its kind in the world, the Museum of Childhood homes all things related to children. From 19th-century Victorian dolls and a Raleigh Chopper bicycle to long-forgotten board games like Quintro and a 1920s voice-activated toy called Radio Rex, this place won’t just keep the kids amused, it will revive nostalgia in adults too.

Holyrood Abbey

Founded by David I in 1128, all that remains of Holyrood Abbey are its ruins. But what magnificent ruins they are! The walls of this mighty Gothic church are still intact and the arched window frames and decorative detail on the front-west facade show how important this place of worship was.

Later, the cloister precinct became Holyroodhouse where the royal family stayed when they were in Scotland. Guided tours help visitors to admire the architecture and learn more about the former abbey's significance.

The Chocolatarium

Chocolate lovers will be thrilled with The Chocolatarium in Edinburgh, located just off the Royal Mile. Visitors can expect to indulge at the micro chocolate factory and learn how the sweet treat is made. Ninety-minute guided tours take you through the growth of chocolate and even gives you the chance to make your very own bar to take home.

Edinburgh Zoo

Ideal for families, the 85-acre (34-hectare) Edinburgh zoo is home to more than 1000 rare and endangered animals and is world-renowned for its conservation efforts. Located on the top of Corstorphine Hill, the views back across the city are nearly as compelling as the wildlife.

Open since 1913, the wildlife park offers visitors a chance to see penguins, Sumatran tigers, monkeys, birds, fish, frogs and a whole host of different animals, including two of the rare greater one-horned rhinos. It is also the only zoo in Britain with giant pandas and koalas. Add in feeding shows, live events and screenings – and there is plenty here to fill a day.

Stockbridge Food Market

From warm, artisan loaves and thick Germagrain batards to filling East African gambos and fragrant three-lentil dahl with coconut and ginger, gourmands will not be disappointed with Stockbridge Food Market .

Located in a small park between Saunders and Kerr Streets, just northeast of the beautiful Circus Lane mews, this Sunday showing of traditional Scottish food (think haggis or tablets, a traditional Scottish sweet that's similar to fudge) and superb international grub (huge pans of aromatic paella and delicious, nduja burrata taglioni) is where the foodies can be found.

Gladstone’s Land

Gladstone’s Land is an historic 17th-century tenement house on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, which was plucked from the jaws to demolition and lovingly restored to its former glory. Expect thick, dark-wood beams, period furniture and hand-painted ceilings as well as a retelling of the stories of those who lived there.

Royal Yacht Britannia

If you like the thought of exploring a former royal family holiday home then step aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia for a guided tour of the world famous yacht. The Royal Yacht has travelled more than a million miles and its grandeur is exhibited in its 412ft (125m) build. It is moored in Leith Port and visitors are invited to explore the royal decor or indulge in a majestic afternoon tea.

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Best Museums

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The Top 20 Things to Do in Edinburgh

Scotland's capital may seem like a small city but when it comes to things to do in Edinburgh visitors are spoiled for choice. And whether you think of it as "The Athens of the North" or "Auld Reekie" (two of the many nicknames for the Scottish capital), a visit to this beautiful city is bound to leave a lasting impression.

Cradled by seven hills (more actually, but some are so covered with buildings they are hard to spot), Edinburgh life is sophisticated, youthful, lively, and very entertaining. It's crammed with history and historic monuments, shopping, art, and amazing festivals. These are 20 favorite things to do on a visit. Whether it's the first time or the 50th, you'll never be bored in Edinburgh.

(And, by the way, it's never pronounced "Edinboro" or "Edinberg". Say "Edinbruh" and the locals will love you.)

Celebrate Festival Season in August

Edinburgh reels from one fabulous festival to another. It doesn't matter when you go; you are bound to find a party. But during August the city goes all out with two fabulous multi-arts festivals, super duper fireworks and the world's most celebrated military spectacle.

The biggie is the Edinburgh Fringe , the world's largest performing arts festival. It takes over the city for at least three weeks in August — with drama, comedy, dance, music, cabaret, puppetry and kids shows — briefly doubling the city's population and making it the second largest in the UK. Alongside it, there's the Edinburgh International Festival , a curated event featuring the world's top theater companies, orchestras and soloists — including, in 2019, rappers, performance poets and pop icons.

And while all that is going on (as well as book festivals and food festivals too) the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is thrilling crowds on the hill beneath the castle with colorful displays of marching bands, massed pipers and Hjaltibonhogo , the remarkable dancing Shetland fiddlers.

It all finishes in one of the biggest fireworks concerts in the world with 100,000 fireworks set off around Edinburgh Castle to the strains of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Party the Ancient Celtic Way for Beltane

theasis / Getty Images

Don't worry if you can't make it for the August festivals. Several ancient Celtic festivals have, in the 21st century, become colorful public spectacles with costumed participants and loads of ritual fire demonstrations. Since the millennium, the revival of Beltane welcomes the summer on Edinburgh's Calton Hill. Climb the hill on April 30 to join the Green Man and newly awakened May Queen for a fiery pre-Christian blow-out that welcomes the summer. This is a ticketed event — and it may not be family friendly. Afterall, Beltane is a fertility festival — the only one of the four Celtic quarter days that has resisted becoming Christianized (the others becoming All Hallows, Christmas and Easter). Some of the performers wear very little clothing and the celebrations can become somewhat uninhibited.

Welcome the New Year with Hogmanay

amesy / Getty Images

At the end of December, Edinburgh's streets and parks fill with revelers for Hogmanay. This Scottish version of New Year's Eve is a three or four day party that includes a huge, family-friendly torchlight parade, indoor and outdoor concerts all over the place, amazing fireworks and the Loony Dook — a freezing cold dip in the sea on New Year's Day. The planning goes on for most of the year and Hogmanay is actually a much bigger celebration than Christmas — with more days off work for the locals to nurse their hangovers. Keep up with the events and the concert line-ups on the official Edinburgh Hogmanay website .

Go Aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia

TripSavvy / Christopher Larson

Between 1954 and 1997, when the Queen and senior members of the royal family made state visits around the world, they traveled on the Royal Yacht Britannia , a magnificent ocean-going vessel that's more like a small cruise ship than a yacht. The ship was used on trade missions and was permanently moored at Leith in 1997.

Today the Royal Yacht Britannia is one of Scotland's top visitor attractions, with hundreds of thousands going aboard every year. Visitors can tour the yacht's five main decks and see the state apartments including the Queen's bedroom; shielded behind glass, it is the only bedroom of a living monarch that can be viewed by the public.

One of the interesting things about Britannia is that the Queen herself took charge of the interior decoration of the family quarters. The traditionally furnished sitting room looks just like a slightly larger version of a living room in a middle class American home.

The visit includes a look at the crew quarters as well as life below decks in the sick bay and laundry. Britannia was crewed by volunteers from the Royal Navy and, when the Queen was aboard, a contingent of Royal Marines. You can also have a very posh tea in the Royal Deck Tea Room.

And except for July and August, you can also see the Royal Racing Yacht Bloodhound — where Prince Charles and Princess Anne learned to sail as children.

Climb up to Edinburgh Castle

TripSavvy / Jess Macdonald

Edinburgh Castle, at the top of the city's "Royal Mile", looms over cityscape atop an outcrop of volcanic rock (most of Edinburgh's hills are the plugs of extinct volcanoes).

The views over Edinburgh are just spectacular but the castle's treasures are worth exploring. It houses the Scottish Crown Jewels — known as the Honours of Scotland — a crown, sceptre and sword. The story of how they were found, hidden in a chest, with clues discovered by author Sir Walter Scott makes seeing them a real even more interesting.

And, since 1996, the Stone of Destiny — also known as the Stone of Scone. Since ancient times, this was the symbol of the Scottish monarchy, used in the coronation of Scottish kings. But in 1296 it was stolen by King Edward I and placed in his throne. It has been part of the coronation chair of British monarchs ever since. It was returned to Scotland in 1996 but — if Scotland is still part of the UK when the next King is crowned, it will be brought to Westminster Abbey for the ceremony.

The castle's Great Hall is where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to King James VI of Scotland (later James I of England). And St Margaret's Chapel within the castle walls, built by King David I in 1130 to honor his mother, is the oldest building in Edinburgh and still used for christenings and weddings.

Unless you happen to be staying in Edinburgh's Old Town, it's a steep, but pretty, climb through the Princes Street Gardens to the castle. Dress warmly, no matter what time of year, because it's always windy and cold up there. And wear comfortable, sturdy shoes.

Visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse

At the bottom of the Royal Mile, the Palace of Holyroodhouse was once the home of the Kings and Queens of Scotland — including Mary Queen of Scots. It's still the British monarch's official residence in Scotland (as opposed to Balmoral, which is her private country estate) and she entertains official guests there for a short period every year.

Holyrood Palace is still a working government building, much of it dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. But within its grounds you can also see the private apartments of Mary Queen of Scots and the 16th century tower. It was here that Mary's jealous husband Lord Darnley burst in on her,dragged off her private secretary David Rizzio, and stabbed him 56 times.

Besides the dramatic story of the murder, Holyrood House is the place to explore the history of Scottish royalty. Next to the palace, the Queen's Gallery, hosts changing exhibits from the Royal Collection.

See Government in Action at the Scottish Parliament

When The Scottish Parliament building was first proposed in the 1990s, it was estimated to cost 10 million pounds. By the time it was opened by the Queen in 2004 it had cost a whopping 414 million pounds. Whether it was worth it is up to the Scots to decide, but as a visitor you'll find the building, designed by Spanish architect Enric Miralles, breathtaking.

Visiting the public areas of the Scottish Parliament is free. And if you happen to arrive when Parliament is in session, you can watch from the visitors' gallery. Don't miss the astonishing, high tech debating chamber.

A variety of free tours about Scotland's contribution to science, art, architecture, literature and politics can be booked online before you go. It's worth joining one of the frequent, hour-long tours of the building itself to learn more about its craftsmanship, functions, symbolism and architecture. There's also a family-friendly cafe and a well stocked gift shop.

Climb Arthur's Seat

TripSavvy / Michela Sieman

How many cities do you know that have a mountain right in the center of town? Well, okay, maybe there's Rio de Janeiro. But Corcovado and Sugar Loaf are on the outskirts of the city. Edinburgh actually wraps itself right around Arthur's Seat. And it's an extinct volcano.

Climbing Arthur's Seat is a popular pastime with locals and visitors alike and there are a range of paths leading to the summit. They vary from a longish Sunday stroll with a bit of rock scrambling at the top (families with children and grannies do it in good weather), to the more challenging quarry climb — not a route for beginners. You can, of course, take the easy way by driving up Queen's Drive to the parking at Dunsapie Loch. From there it's an easy – but steep — 15 minute walk to the summit. Whichever route you choose, it's worth the effort because the views from the summit, all the way to the Firth of Forth, are spectacular.

Get Lost in a National Art Gallery

Rainy days are made for museums and galleries. And in Edinburgh, you don't have to wait long for weather to change to its gallery-going best. Luckily, Edinburgh has loads of art museums and some of them are real crackers.

The three national art galleries are centrally located, eye-poppingly good and all free.

The Scottish National Gallery in Princes Street Gardens features European and Scottish art from the Renaissance to the19th century. If paintings by Raphael,Titian, El Greco, Velazquez and Rubens, as well as such modern masters as Van Gogh, Monet, Cezanne, Degas and Gauguin are your cup of tea, this is the place for you.
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street takes a very broad approach to portraiture, representing important figures in Scotland's history and culture with sculpture, photography, film and digital art as well as painting.
The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is about a mile and a half to the west. It's arranged in two buildings, across the street from each other, with 20th century French, Russian and Scottish art as well as contemporary art ranging from Andy Warhol to Tracey Emin and Rachel Whiteread. Shock your sensibilities with Dadaist and Surrealist work and sculpture by Barbara Hepworth, Damien Hirst and Eduardo Paolozzi. Paolozzi's monumental sculpture "Vulcan," commissioned for the great hall of this gallery, is among its highlights.

Learn Something New at a Scottish Museum

Art not your thing? There are still marvels to see in Edinburgh's museums. At the National Museum of Scotland you can explore exhibits and collections covering millennia of Scottish and world history as well as nature, art, design, fashion, science and technology. And families will enjoy Dynamic Earth , at the bottom of the Royal Mile near the Scottish Parliament building. It's an interactive and immersive experience full of films and special effects, covering volcanoes, oceans, the Ice Age, the age of dinosaurs, space exploration and more. It's a sort of earth science and biology lesson with bells on.

Shop 'Til You Drop

Edinburgh is a great city for shophounds. Besides the usual major department stores ( Harvey Nichols, Debenhams, Marks and Spencer and Jenners — one of the oldest department stores in Britain) there are pockets of independent and quirky boutiques all over the place.

Try St. Stephen Street in Stockbridge for quirky vintage shops . Victoria Street is a colorful, cobbled curve that runs down from Bank Street in the Old Town toward Grassmarket (and more shops including Mr. Wood's Fossils ). It's a rainbow of brightly painted shops, stocking anything from indie fashion designers to whisky sellers and antiques dealers. Rose Street, north of Princes Street in the Georgian New Town is another place to look for pockets of style. If you love cheese, look for branches of I. J. Mellis . They have a shop in Victoria Street, another in Stockbridge and more branches around town. Go in the morning and they might even have warm bagels to go with your cheese.

Peer Into The Camera Obscura

You might think that Edinburgh's Camera Obscura (beside the castle) with its light shows, optical illusions and magic tricks, is a modern attraction, but you'd be wrong. This arrangement of lenses and periscopes in the attic of a Victorian tower in the Old Town has been around, in one form or another, for about 150 years — and it's actually rather good fun.

Created in the 19th century, the camera obscura was owned by various amateur scientists and social improvers; one owner, Patrick Geddes, a town planner and sociologist, wanted to improve people's outlook on life by showing them all of Edinburgh in miniature. From the 1940s to 1982 it was owned by Edinburgh University. More recently, it's been run by a tourism publisher and attraction operator. And "The World of Illusion" has been added.

If you've ever made a pinhole camera out of a shoe box and watched an upside down world in miniature play out on the back of the box, you've made a camera obscura — only Edinburgh's Camera Obscura fills several stories of a building and the resulting image is projected onto a curved white table, 21 feet in diameter.

Guides take you through the experience of watching the city go about its daily activities (looking like a film but actually a projected reflection). Some of the optical illusions that can be achieved are astonishing. With guidance you can, for example, pick up a tiny moving pedestrian in the palm of your hand.

They've added quite a few other optical attractions arranged over six floors. You can spend about two-hours taking it all in. Go early on rainy days when it is most popular.

Spook Yourself Silly in Edinburgh's Closes and Vaults

Lonely Planet / Getty Images

The Royal Mile, running downhill from the Castle to Holyrood Palace, sits on a rocky spine. Very narrow streets and lanes (called closes and wynds), where the poor and working poor of Edinburgh lived, lined that rocky spine. The streets were noxious and unhealthy, filled with tall, narrow tenements and centers of plague and disease. Over time most of them were demolished or simply built over, but some remain as the closes and vaults of haunted Edinburgh.

The Real Mary King's Close

Instead of fully demolishing this 17th century close, the Edinburgh city fathers left parts of it as the foundations of the Royal Exchange (now the City Chambers and home of Edinburgh City Council). Remarkably, people continued living in these underground tenements, sealed off from the sky, as late as 1902 when the last resident was forced out.

Today The Real Mary King's Close is a commercial visitor attraction, complete with costumed guides telling about life for the residents — before the close was sealed off, and after — as well as ghoulish tales of murders and hauntings. Despite its commercialization, the whole idea of the place is fascinating and unique to Edinburgh. It's definitely worth a visit if you don't mind steps and don't get claustrophobic.

The Edinburgh Vaults

The Edinburgh Vaults are a series of chambers within 19 arches under the city's South Bridge. For a short period in the 18th century they were used by tradesmen for storage, for taverns, barbershops and other businesses. But their biggest claim to fame, especially for tourists of the ghoulish, was as the place where early 19th century grave robbers and serial killers Burke and Hare stored the bodies they sold to an Edinburgh University medical professor for his anatomy lectures. Fittingly, after his conviction and hanging, Burke was used for anatomy lessons himself. And if you are truly ghoulish, you can see his skeleton at the Anatomical Museum of the University of Edinburgh where it is still displayed.

The vaults can only be visited on guided tours led by Mercat Tours who have exclusive access.

Explore The Georgian House

Edinburgh's medieval attractions are justly famous, but a completely different experience awaits visitors to the National Trust for Scotland's Georgian house in Edinburgh New Town's Charlotte Square.

The house, designed by Scottish architect Robert Adam, has been restored to the condition it might have been when the first owner bought it in 1796 for 1,800 pounds (more than 200,000 pounds today but still, in British terms, a rather reasonable price for this grand house). See artworks, furniture, silver that would have belonged to the Lamonts. an upper middle class family of the period. The kitchen and servants rooms below stairs show the hardship that paid for the genteel upstairs lifestyle.

Immerse Yourself in the Edinburgh Music Scene

kDamo / Flickr / CC BY-NC 2.0

Edinburgh is home to one of the UK's top universities and, like most university towns, you can count on great pubs and a lively music scene. The best way to tune in to what's on when you're visiting is to check out the online entertainment listings in the local newspaper, the Scotsman , or the Edinburgh pages of the popular British entertainment magazine, The List .

It's always worth seeing what's on at Henry's Cellar Bar , one of the city's longest running, independent live music venues. It's a tiny club on Morrison Street and music there is certainly varied — rock, punk, garage, indie, electro, blues, alternative, country, hip hop, folk, hardcore and what Henry's calls "krautrock" — and, oh yes, jazz too. The Jam House, on Queen Street, attracts a slightly more grown-up crowd (over 21). The dress code is what the British call "smart casual". You can dine and drink as well as enjoy timeless jazz, rock and blues curated in a style established by founder TV presenter and pianist Jools Holland.

Laugh at a Comedy Show

Edinburgh Blog / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Edinburgh is about comedy. If you've ever considered going to the Edinburgh Fringe, you've probably noticed that comedy plays an over-sized role in the schedule. The Stand Comedy Club , one of the big producing venues for the festival, keeps up the comedy scene in Edinburgh year round. Top touring acts and local comedy talent keep this basement comedy club buzzing on York Place right next to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Go Whisky Tasting

No trip to Edinburgh would be complete without learning a bit more about Scotland's amber nectar, Scotch whisky. Don't bother with the whisky themed tourist traps at the top of the Royal Mile — there are many better whisky bars where you can imbibe and learn. Here are some of our favorites:

The Abbey Bar on South Clerk Street, stocks 120 different whiskies as well as Scottish food. There's also beer and other tipples, alcoholic and non if you are traveling with companions who don't indulge.
The Black Cat is a strange little place on Rose Street that opened in 2011 but looks like it's been around forever. They have a good range of whiskies and some outdoor seating.
The Bow Bar on West Bow in the Old Town, is tiny and usually crowded with locals come to sample more than 300 different Scotch whiskies. If you are willing to join in the banter you shouldn't be intimidated.
The Balmoral Whisky Bar is a very special experience for a true Scotch whisky fancier. You can't miss the Balmoral, it's a luxury hotel that's an Edinburgh landmark — that clock tower you see in lots of pictures of the city. Their whisky bar stocks 500 different types, representing all regions of Scotland and all styles. You can stop by the bar to try one or two whiskies — a whisky ambassador will help you choose — accompanied by dark chocolate (the connoisseur's favorite with single malts) or smoked almonds. Their specialty, though, is a range of whisky "journeys". You can try a dram from each of the five main regions for 65 pounds per person; sample four whiskies with a total age of 100 years for 100 pounds per person, or really go for broke with the "Rare and Ghosted" — four different whiskies from rare, limited edition or closed distilleries, starting at 150 pounds per person.

Raise a Glass to Greyfriars Bobby

The true story of Greyfriars Bobby inspired one of the most unashamedly sentimental classic British movies ever made, " Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog ." Bobby, a faithful Skye terrier, pined at his master's grave, in Greyfriars Kirkyard, for 14 years until his own death. Locals fed him and the Lord Provost of Edinburgh paid for his license. After his death in 1872, the Lord Provost's daughter commissioned the statue of him that still stands today near Greyfriars Kirk.

Handily, the statue is right outside a family and dog-friendly pub, Greyfriars Bobby's Bar on Candlemakers Row.

Step into the Scottish Renaissance at Gladstone's Land

It's hard to imagine the words "tenement" and "luxury" going together in the same building but, when it was built, in 1550, that's exactly what this narrow, six-storey building on the Royal Mile was.One of the oldest buildings in Edinburgh, it had become derelict and scheduled for demoltion when the National Trust for Scotland acquired it in 1934 and began restoration. What they uncovered were the remains of the luxurious interiors created for merchant Thomas Gladstone between 1617 and 1620. These included unusual Scottish Renaissance painted ceilings and hand painted interiors.

Not only did Gladstone decorate the house for himself, but he also created separate apartments rented out to various wealthy tenants including the minister of a nearby church and a high-end grocer who occupied a ground floor shop. Today a museum on the first two floors offers a glimpse of what daily life was like for people from different social classes in 17th century Edinburgh Old Town.

Go Play at the Museum of Childhood

Edinburgh's Museum of Childhood is the world's oldest museum completely devoted to childhood. Founded in 1955 by a city councillor who was an avid collector of toys himself, the museum's recently refurbished and redesigned galleries are filled with toys, games, clothing, school uniforms, kids club regalia and all sorts of paraphernalia related to being a child and growing up from the late 18th century through to modern times. Among the highlights are a rare wooden Queen Anne fashion doll dating about 1740 and a Kindertransport teddy bear — a tiny Steiff teddy that traveled on the last Kindertransport train that rescued Jewish children from Nazi Germany in 1939. The museum, on the Royal Mile, is free and is so popular with families that people say it is the noisiest museum in Scotland.

Your Trip to Edinburgh: The Complete Guide

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Edinburgh Castle: The Complete Guide

One Week in Scotland: The Perfect Itinerary

New Year's is Hogmanay in Scotland: The Guide to Edinburgh Hogmanay

Top 10 Castles to Visit in Scotland

Nightlife in Edinburgh: Best Bars, Clubs, & More

10 Best Museums in Edinburgh

The Top 15 Places to Visit in Scotland

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International tourism performance

Read the latest statistics on Scotland’s international visitors. This includes number of trips, nights, and spend.

The International Passenger Survey (IPS) has information on the numbers and types of visits made by people travelling to and from the UK.

The survey is carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). VisitBritain, VisitScotland and Visit Wales are sponsors of the survey.

This page details findings for international tourism to Scotland only.

In 2023, international travel to Scotland continued its strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit numbers, nights spent and visitor spending all surpassed the levels seen in both 2019 and 2022.

IPS data can be subject to revisions. Further information is available within the methodology on this page.

4. Official statistics and partners

5. additional research resources.

International visitors made a total of 4 million visits to Scotland, stayed for 34.4 million nights and spent £3,593 million.

Visits were up 23% compared to 2022 and 15% compared to 2019.
The number of nights went up by 20% from 2022 and 25% from 2019.
Visitor spending increased in nominal terms by 13% compared to 2022 and by 41% compared to 2019.

Taking inflation into account, overall spend would have been up 2% on 2022. This is equivalent to £3,308 million in 2022 prices (up 15% on 2019) and to £2,930 million in 2019 prices.

International tourism performance 2022 and 2023

International performance 2015-2023.

Source: International Passenger Survey (IPS)

Scotland saw a peak in inbound visits during the traditional summer quarter (quarter three / July to September).

The number of visits and spend were up compared to 2022 for each of the first three quarters of 2023. But visits and spending were down in quarter four (by 6% and 10% respectively) compared to 2022.

Holiday visits saw a 33% increase from 2022 levels. Holidaymakers spent significantly more than in 2022 (+23% in nominal terms, +13% in real terms).

Visits to friends and relatives were slightly higher in 2023 compared to 2022 (+10%). Spend by this type of visitor stayed about the same in nominal terms (+0.3%) but decreased slightly in real terms (-8%).

Business visits also experienced an increase (+19%) compared to 2022, as did the spend by these visitors (+19% in nominal terms, +10% in real terms).

Miscellaneous visits, including for the purpose of study, decreased (-16%) from 2022 levels. Its associated spend also saw a significant decrease (-36% in nominal terms, -41% in real terms).

Visits from North America (+16%) and Europe (+19%) were both up. Visits from "other countries" showed the largest increase (+53%) in visit numbers compared to 2022.

Spending from visitors from "other countries" saw the largest increase (+47% in nominal terms, +36% in real terms) compared to 2022.

Spending by visitors from North America in 2022 was up by 3% in nominal terms but down by 5% in real terms. Visitors from Europe spent 9% more in nominal terms and saw no change in real terms.

Visits from North America accounted for 24% of all inbound visits and 39% of spend during 2023. Visits from Europe accounted for 58% of all inbound visits and 39% of spend. The "rest of the world region" accounted for 17% of all inbound visits and 21% of overall spend during 2023.

Visitors to Scotland data

Would you like to view more detailed data back to 2012? You can explore further graphs and visualisations on international tourism to Scotland on the Scottish Tourism Observatory website.

The International Passenger Survey (IPS) is a continuous survey conducted at major ports of entry to or exit from the UK. The survey provides information on the numbers and types of visits made by people travelling to and from the UK. It covers all major, air, sea and tunnel ports.

Anonymous face-to-face interviews are undertaken with a sample of passengers as they enter or leave the UK. IPS data is published on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website.

Browse leisure and tourism insights on ons.gov.uk.

Our partner, VisitBritain, is a member of the IPS Steering Group and one of the main users of data generated by overseas residents visiting the UK. They have published a methodology summary and a frequently asked questions document.

Read more about the International Passenger Survey on visitbritain.org.

COVID-19 impact on International Passenger Survey data collection

Methodological improvements relating to the survey's weighting were introduced for the 2019 estimates. A revised series was published in May 2019 for the years 2009 to 2018.

The survey was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic between 16 March 2020 and 18 January 2021. High-level estimates of travel and tourism have been produced by the ONS for April to December 2020 using alternative sources.

The survey remained suspended at some seaports and train stations in 2021. The ONS has applied the following processes to the data since March 2020.

With the data collected for most of March when the survey was running the ONS had part of the data needed for the month.

To produce estimates for the full month of March, the ONS worked on the assumption that passenger characteristics in the second, unsampled, half of the month were represented by those sampled in the first half.

April 2020 - December 2020

The travel and tourism figures for this period are based entirely on administrative sources and modelling as no data was collected during this period.

The ONS were unable to restart interviewing at Eurotunnel (but continued at Eurostar) due to COVID-19 restrictions. The ONS used passenger numbers to model the Eurotunnel data. Data for those travelling via Dover was only collected from the third quarter of 2021.

No estimates are included for any travel across the Irish border.

The ONS were unable to restart interviewing at Eurotunnel (but continued at Eurostar) during this period due to COVID-19 restrictions. The ONS has used passenger numbers to model the Eurotunnel data for the first two quarters of 2022.

The ONS restarted International Passenger Survey interviews at all ports from July 2022.

The ONS have made improvements to the estimates for the UK’s nations and regions from 2023. This was also applied on previous data from 2019-2022.

These improvements have led to small changes (<4%) across visits, spend and nights when comparing the old and revised datasets at the UK nations and regions level across 2019-2022. Larger changes may be seen when cross tabulating the data by other characteristics.

3. Previous years

Data from the International Passenger Survey on visitors from international markets to Scotland from previous years can be accessed through our interactive dashboards on the Scottish Tourism Observatory. Read about international visitors to Scotland from 2021 to 2023 on tourismobservatory.scot. Read about international visitors to Scotland from 2012 to 2019 on tourismobservatory.scot.

The International Passenger Survey (IPS) is a continuous survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is made following the Code of Practice for Official Statistics (2023) as produced by the Office for Statistics Regulation.

Read the Code of Practice for Official Statistics on code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk.

Browse inbound trends by nation, region, and county for previous years.

Leisure and tourism statistics 2023

Browse reasons for travel and money spent by visitors to and from the UK in 2023.

Leisure and tourism statistics 2022

Browse reasons for travel and money spent by visitors to and from the UK in 2022.

Leisure and tourism statistics 2021

Browse reasons for travel and money spent by visitors to and from the UK in 2021.

17 Best Tourist Attractions & Things to Do in Edinburgh (+ Map!)

By Author Jurga

Posted on Last updated: January 27, 2023

17 Best Tourist Attractions & Things to Do in Edinburgh (+ Map!)

Visiting Scotland’s capital city and wondering what are the best things to do in Edinburgh ? In this article, we share all the musts-sees. Take a look!

Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the UK and the most beautiful city in Scotland. There’s so much charm, so much history here… But Edinburgh is also a very lively city with a great mix of history and contemporary lifestyle.

There is so much to see and do in Edinburgh that the choice of where to go and what to skip might be really overwhelming. Especially if you are visiting for the first time and only have a day or two…

So in this guide, we selected only the most unique experiences, the very best things to do in Edinburgh . This list features the most famous landmarks and best tourist attractions in Edinburgh that are worth your time the most. Depending on how much time you have, simply start with the attractions on the top of this list, and work your way down.

If you have the time to cover everything from this ‘best of Edinburgh’ list, you’ll have seen the very best that the city has to offer. Even if you just see half of these places, you’ll have a very good idea of what Edinburgh is truly about. Find out!

Best tourist attractions in Edinburgh Scotland

To help you plan your visit, we created this map of the best things to do in Edinburgh that are mentioned in this article.

If you are short on time and are wondering how to best plan your time in the city, please check our guide to one day in Edinburgh . It has a suggested 1-day itinerary that covers the main attractions of Edinburgh in a day.

How to use this map: Use your computer mouse (or fingers) to zoom in or out. Click on the icons to get more information about each place. Click the arrow on the top left corner for the index. Click the star next to the map’s title to add it to your Google Maps account. To view the saved map on your smartphone or PC, open Google Maps, click the menu and go to ‘Your Places’/’Maps’. If you want to print the map or see it in a bigger window, click on ‘View larger map’ in the top right corner.

These are the top tourist attractions, absolute best things to do in Edinburgh:

1. Edinburgh Castle

No visit to Edinburgh would be complete without a visit to its magnificent Castle , which overlooks the city from atop an extinct volcano. It is, of course, steeped in history. Many exhibitions focus on the long-running Wars of Independence when the Scots fought with the English for control of their country.

On arrival at the Castle, head straight for the Honours of Scotland , which are the Scottish crown jewels. They are the most popular part of the Castle for most visitors, so try to beat the crowds and long queues by visiting here in the morning.

Another popular spot is St. Margaret’s Chapel , the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh. Serene and beautiful, it’s a lovely spot to linger and think about the Scottish Royals who would kneel for worship within its walls.

You can get a real glimpse of what life at the Castle must have been like in times gone by, particularly when you pay a visit to the Great Hall . With one of the best wooden roofs to be found in Britain, the Hall was used for magnificent banquets and ceremonial events. Its high, wood-paneled walls are lined with suits of armor and weapons. You can easily imagine important dignitaries warming themselves in front of the roaring logs in Great Hall’s beautiful fireplace.

TIP: At 1 pm be sure to join the crowd gathered outside the Redcoat Cafe in order to see (and hear!) the firing of the One O’Clock gun . This tradition started in 1861 when it was used for time-keeping, and the gun is now fired at 1 pm every day (except Sundays).

Practical info: For opening times and tickets, please check the official website of Edinburgh Castle . Or you can also opt to visit with this highly-rated tour that includes skip-the-line tickets and a local guide.

Edinburgh Castle - best things to do in Edinburgh

2. Views from Calton Hill

For the very best views of Edinburgh and beyond – and for some stunning photos by which to remember your visit – you must take a stroll up Calton Hill . It’s just a short walk from the East End of Princes Street. The walk itself is not too demanding, but absolutely worth the effort. On a clear day, you can see for miles, taking in the city’s skyline and Arthur’s Seat, across to Leith, and the Firth of Forth.

The 360-degree views are breathtaking at whatever time of day you choose to visit but are simply spectacular at sunrise or at sunset. It’s also a great spot to stand at night, when you can see the lights twinkling across the city and when certain monuments are beautifully illuminated.

There’s more to Calton Hill than just the views! At the summit, there are some amazing buildings, including the Nelson Monument , with its Time Ball that drops daily at 1 pm, and the City Observatory , a beautiful building that looks just like a Greek temple.

You’ll also see the 12 columns of the National Monument – a commemorative building inspired by the Parthenon in Athens that was – sadly – never completed.

TIP: If you are lucky enough to be celebrating Hogmanay in Edinburgh (the Scottish celebration of the New Year), head up Calton Hill to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the fireworks!

3. Walking the Royal Mile

Extending from the Castle and all the way down to Holyrood Palace, the Royal Mile is the name given to the succession of streets that make up the main thoroughfare of the city’s Old Town. The Royal Mile functioned as a processional route for kings and queens and is 1.81 km long (1 Scots mile long), thus the name.

Lined with cobbles and bustling with visitors, it has a vibrant atmosphere and is one of the most famous streets in Britain.

The area is quintessentially Scottish and the best place to see men in kilts (along with the shops selling them) plus buskers dressed in traditional clothing and playing bagpipes. There are scores of historical sites – including St. Giles Cathedral and the Real Mary King’s Close (see below) – and dozens of lively cafes, restaurants, and pubs.

The Royal Mile is a great place to buy souvenirs, although it’s best to avoid the tourist traps and look for shops selling authentic Scottish merchandise. These include specialist whisky from Cadenheads, luxurious cashmere from Elgin Cashmere, and a genuine kilt from Geoffrey Tailor!

It’s easy to spend a full day walking the Royal Mile, particularly when you take the time to explore every little staircase, alley, and courtyard you pass along its length. Taking your time here is the best way to discover wonderful little boutiques, antique shops, and eateries that you may otherwise have missed. This is also an excellent place to find traditional pubs serving typical British dishes .

Royal Mile - best things to do in Edinburgh

4. Palace of Holyroodhouse and Holyrood Abbey

Often referred to as Holyrood Palace , this is the official residence of the Queen of England when she comes to visit Scotland. The ruins of the Holyrood Abbey are connected to the Palace on one corner.

Despite its city-center location, the Palace of Holyroodhouse – set in beautiful parkland and overlooking Arthur’s Seat – feels a million miles away from Edinburgh’s hustle and bustle.

The Palace is open to visitors all year round. It gives you a fantastic opportunity to take a glimpse into history without battling the crowds that you tend to find at Edinburgh Castle.

The State Apartments are truly gorgeous, lavishly decorated, and with beautiful ceilings and tapestries. You can climb a narrow winding staircase that leads to the chambers of Mary, Queen of Scots’. Don’t miss the sumptuous Great Gallery which was used for balls and receptions by Bonnie Prince Charlie. The Palace gardens are also worth a visit.

Holyrood Abbey was one of the Scotlands’ grandest medieval abbeys. It was the site of the marriage of James IV to Margaret Tudor in 1503 and the coronation of Charles I in 1633. Whilst it may be in ruins, it remains one of the best places to see in Edinburgh. It has a somewhat ethereal atmosphere and – with its incredible stonework – is hauntingly beautiful.

Practical info: You can find more information and book Palace of Holyroodhouse tickets here .

Palace of Holyroodhouse - best things to do in Edinburgh

5. Harry Potter Tours

J. K. Rowling’s beloved Harry Potter books are intrinsically bound to Edinburgh. This place not only inspired many of the characters and scenes but some of the books were actually written in Edinburgh.

Harry Potter tours are great for the whole family; Harry Potter fans and non-fans alike. They visit sites like the High Street that inspired Diagon Alley and the spot where Lord Voldemort is buried. You can also see the real Grave of Tom Riddle in Greyfriars Kirkyard and even JK Rowling’s golden handprints outside the City Chambers!

Sadly, Nicolsons – the cafe in which J.K. Rowling did the majority of her writing – has since closed down. But most tours will include a visit to the location, where you will see a plaque on the wall recognizing the area’s connection to one of the world’s best-loved literary characters.

6. National Museum of Scotland

Located on the south side of the center of Edinburgh and just a short walk from the Royal Mile, Scotland’s National Museum is the UK’s most popular tourist attraction outside of London. And it certainly lives up to its reputation! With thousands of exhibits and displays in galleries devoted to art and design, fashion, science and technology, the natural world, and Scottish history and archaeology, this museum is a must-see in Edinburgh!

Free to visit, this is very much a hands-on, interactive museum, making it just as fascinating for children as it is for adults! Its highlights include the 800,000-year-old iron-type Muonionalusta Meteorite , which weighs 170 kg (375 lbs) and which you can actually touch.

Fans of Harry Potter will recognize the enigmatic Lewis chess pieces . Consisting of 93 12th-century chess pieces carved from walrus ivory, this is one of Scotland’s best archaeological finds. These chess pieces were brought to life in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone .

An even stranger Scottish discovery are the spooky Arthur’s Seat Coffins , which you can find tucked away on the museum’s upper floor. These tiny coffins containing wooden figures were found on Arthur’s Seat in 1837. No one knows what they represented, or why they were made!

You can also visit Dolly the Sheep , the world’s first-ever mammal to be cloned from an adult cell. Dolly was born in 1996 and died in 2003, but her legacy lives on and she’s still attracting crowds from all over the world.

National Museum of Scotland - one of the best things to do in Edinburgh

7. Princes Street and Gardens

Princes Street marks a clear division between Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns. On one side, you’ll find all the high street stores you’d expect in a big city, along with countless coffee bars and eateries. Whilst on the other side, you’ll find the steps that take you down to the Gardens and, further, to the Old Town.

The Princes Street Gardens are yet another of Edinburgh’s many spots where you can experience the tranquility and beauty of nature within a distinctly urban setting! This is the place where both visitors and locals come to relax, to roller-skate, or to simply enjoy the gorgeous floral displays and tiered gardens.

At one end of the Gardens, you’ll find the Victorian ‘Gardener’s Lodge’ cottage, which looks like something straight out of a fairytale.

At the other end, sits the splendid Ross Fountain . Recently refurbished, this cast iron fountain is one of only three Grade A-listed fountains in Scotland. Its stunning colors look striking by day, whereas the subtle illumination placed around it makes this fountain look equally beautiful by night. Get the angle just right as you photograph the fountain, and you can use the Edinburgh Castle perched atop its hill as a striking backdrop!

8. St. Giles’ Cathedral

St Giles’ is a working church in the city’s Old Town and is the High Kirk (church) of Edinburgh. Interestingly, though, it’s not technically a cathedral, because it doesn’t have a bishop! Nevertheless, it’s wonderful to visit, with its varying architecture representing many reformations throughout the ages.

One of the Cathedral’s best features is its stained glass windows. They flood the inside of the building with gloriously colored light. The rich purple hues of the north window – which show Christ calming a storm – are especially stunning.

From the windows, your eyes are drawn upwards to the high ceiling. It is tierceron-vaulted (rib-vaulted) and the effect is simply spectacular, especially set against the beautiful blue background.

The atmosphere is one of serenity and peace, and you are welcome to spend as long as you like admiring the beauty of the building and visiting the many memorials dotted throughout. Don’t miss the bronze memorial of the writer Robert Louis Stevenson, which is located in the Moray Aisle.

9. The Real Mary King’s Close

Edinburgh is full of hidden gems – and The Real Mary King’s Close is one of its most popular. Located beneath buildings on the Royal Mile, just across from St Giles Cathedral, the Close is a subterranean maze of preserved 17th-century streets, homes, and alleyways.

Taking the tour of the Real Mary King’s Close connects you to history in a way you’ve never experienced before! It’s easy to picture the people that lived, worked, and died here. It’s also easy to imagine – as you look at the cramped tenements and learn about hygiene standards at the time – just why the plague swept so quickly through the population.

The knowledgeable guides – dressed in character costumes – will share with you all kinds of stories connected to these streets, including fascinating myths and macabre legends. You’ll learn all about the ghost of Annie, to which people from all over the world bring dolls and toys. And you’ll meet a whole host of colorful characters from the past and hear their fascinating stories!

Myths and legends aside, The Real Mary King’s Close gives a very authentic glimpse into Edinburgh’s history. It also forms the perfect contrast to the tourist-packed thoroughfare overhead! It’s definitely one of the most authentic, unique things to do in Edinburgh!

10. Camera Obscura & World of Illusions

Camera Obscura & World of Illusions is a quirky little museum just down the hill from the Castle. It’s one of the most popular Edinburgh attractions and great fun for the whole family.

The museum is set over 5 floors and contains hundreds of illusions, many of which are interactive . Sit on the opposite side of a screen to your travel companion and watch as your faces merge together. Or enter a special booth and watch as your face morphs into that of a monkey or even of the last person to use the booth!

The Mirror Maze is great fun too – and surprisingly difficult to find your way out of. One of the most disorienting exhibits is the incredible Light Tunnel , a walk through which you’ll never quite forget!

The star of the show is the Camera Obscura itself. A Victorian ancestor of the modern cameras we use today, it projects an image of Edinburgh onto a large, bowl-shaped screen. It may not sound exciting, but it’s actually quite amazing to witness first-hand!

TIP: You can also get some fantastic views of the city from the roof of the museum. There are also powerful telescopes here that will help you make out the smallest details, right up to the horizon!

Practical info : For more information, opening times, and tickets, check here .

Best tourist attractions in Edinburgh - Camera Obscura and World of Illusions

11. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Just half an hour’s walk from the crowds of the city center is the 350-year-old Royal Botanic Garden . This is the place to lose yourself for a few hours among the beautiful floral displays, following secret winding paths that take you through wooded areas and past thousands of spectacular plants.

There are too many photogenic spots to list here. But one of the best places for a truly memorable shot is in front of the rock garden waterfall, with the varying hues of the surrounding foliage providing a heavenly backdrop.

The gardens contain 10 different glasshouses. They all have different climatic zones and are filled with exotic plants from all over the world. Highlights include a 200-year-old palm tree in the tropical zone and the massive lily pads which almost look too big to be real!

The Botanic Gardens are free to enter and a wonderful place to unwind. They are also the perfect spot for a delicious lunch, with a cafe and a restaurant that prepare amazing meals from ingredients grown in the on-site Market Garden.

12. Royal Yacht Britannia

If you’d like a taste of how the other half lives, then step aboard the Royal Yacht Brittania , the personal ship of the Royal family from 1953 to 1997. Located in the harbor of Leith, which is easily accessible from Edinburgh’s city center, the ship has 5 decks just waiting to be explored.

The rooms in which the Royals spent the majority of their time are on the upper decks. You can stand just where they used to relax in the Sun Lounge or entertain their guests in the impressive State Dining Room . You can even see the Royal Bedrooms and learn more about all the places the yacht has visited.

Of course, life aboard the Royal Brittania wasn’t quite so luxurious for everyone. So you also get to see the engine room and all the other areas of the ship where the Royal Yachtsmen both worked and lived.

TIP: The Yacht is the ideal place to enjoy a cream tea, which is served in the Royal Deck Tea Room. This beautiful cafe on the top deck of the ship gives you a taste of how it feels to dine like a Royal, whilst the glass walls allow you to enjoy the beautiful views across the water.

Practical info: You can easily visit Royal Yacht Britannia by taking a hop-on hop-off bus and booking a ticket for the yacht in advance.

TIP: If you have at least two days in Edinburgh, consider this popular combination ticket that includes the bus for 48 hours, and the tickets to the main Royal attractions in Edinburgh such as Edinburgh Castle, Holyroodhouse, and the Royal Yacht Britannia. It’s a great way to see some of the best places of Edinburgh and save money.

Interior of the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh

13. Arthur’s Seat

Arthur’s Seat is a hill, the highest point in Holyrood Park. It’s actually a volcano sitting 251 m above sea level. A trip up the hill and back takes a couple of hours and some parts can be fairly strenuous, with loose rock underfoot. But you are ultimately rewarded with some of the best views of Edinburgh the city has to offer.

If you’re not feeling up to the challenge to climb all the way to the top, there’s an easier path you can follow. Whilst it may not go all the way to the summit, you will still find countless opportunities to take exceptional photographs of the breathtaking scenery.

Yet the fantastic views are only part of the reason for taking the climb here. The journey takes you past some fascinating volcanic geology and you can actually walk through the crater and over old lava flows. Wildflowers abound and the area has several Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

When you sit at the summit of Arthur’s Seat surveying the jaw-dropping landscape all around you, it’s easy to forget that all this natural beauty is just a short distance from the heart of a busy and vibrant capital city!

14. Scottish National Gallery

Scottish National Gallery is located right on the mound that separates the two sides of Princes Street Gardens. Free to enter, it is truly an art lover’s paradise, containing one of the world’s finest collections.

Here you’ll find everything from Scottish art – featuring the works of local artists like McTaggart, and Ramsay – to incredible pieces by the Old Masters, including Raphael, Vermeer, Van Dyck and Rubens.

The staff are knowledgeable and only too happy to discuss the artwork with you. There is plenty of room to stand back and admire the exhibits, or simply sit and reflect on them.

Depending on the day you visit, you can also take part in one of the Gallery’s events or activities – just visit the website ahead of time to see what’s available. These will sometimes include fascinating storytelling sessions and the Gallery’s very popular life drawing classes.

Not all the art is housed inside the museum. The building itself is well worth appreciating and is a stunning example of neo-Classical architecture.

Practical info : For more information, opening times, and special events, please check the website of the museum .

15. Get to Know the Darkside of Edinburgh

Few cities have a history as dark, grisly, and rich in skulduggery as Edinburgh! And you can get to know it all by taking one of the many dark-side tours .

Take a tour that goes beyond tartan and bagpipes to get to the grimly fascinating facts. Learn why the city may have felt less than safe in times gone by when medical schools were happy to pay for dead bodies and murderers roamed the streets in search of likely victims! Hear about Edinburgh’s famous serial killers Burke and Hare, who cold-bloodedly killed 16 people in 10 months and sold them to Dr. Knox for dissection in his anatomy classes.

This was also a time when witch hunts were rampant, and anyone could be accused of witchcraft and burnt at the stake. You can visit the spot at Calton Hill where the burnings took place (which these days is used instead to admire the Edinburgh skyline).

Edinburgh also had its share of graverobbers, body snatchers, and even cannibals. Some tours include visits to cemeteries and Kirkyards, where you can see for yourself the caged graves and mausoleums that families used to protect their departed loved ones.

You’ll also hear the chilling story behind the death of the husband of Mary Queen of Scots and learn about the tiny, creepy coffins discovered at Arthur’s Seat that you can now see in the National Museum of Scotland.

16. Dynamic Earth

Located at the foot of the Salisbury Crags, Dynamic Earth is a five-star museum that takes you on an incredible journey through Earth’s history. Using a combination of interactive exhibits, you can see, feel, and hear the momentous events that shaped our planet.

Try standing beneath the Aurora Borealis in the Polar zone, where it’s so cold that you can see your breath, while your fingers and toes go numb. You can even touch an iceberg! Use the Time Machine to travel back to where it all began. And feel the ground shaking as volcanoes erupt, sending streams of molten lava your way.

Alternatively, enjoy the aquatic views from the portholes of the Yellow Submarine, where you can look for whales or man the periscope as you learn all about the oceans and their importance to life on Earth.

One of the highlights of the museum is its 360-degree full-dome film theater with surround sound – the only one of its kind in Scotland. It provides a totally immersive movie experience, taking you on a trek across the globe or whizzing through the solar system.

This museum is an unforgettable adventure for the whole family, combining a fantastic educational experience with lots of fun.

For practical information and opening times, see here .

17. The Museum of Childhood

The Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh was the first museum in the world to focus solely on childhood. Recently completely renewed, the result is a celebration of books, toys, games and dolls all the way from the early 1800s to the present day.

Free to enter, this one-of-a-kind museum is located on the grounds of Sudbury Hall on the Royal Mile. It’s a small museum and you can see most of it in about half an hour. While not a must-see, it’s something nice to do in Edinburgh with kids. Also a great place to visit when it rains.

Children love to see what their parents and grandparents would have played with in the past, marveling at the comparison between the electronic gadgets of today and the more simple pleasures of times gone by. For adults, this is a great place for nostalgia. You’re likely to come across many exhibits that you remember from your childhood and had completely forgotten about!

One of the highlights is the incredible 21-roomed dollhouse . It contains over 2,000 objects including tiny bathroom towels and little skittles in the nursery!

There are also some rare exhibits to enjoy, such as the Queen Anne Doll made around 1740. Also the Kindertransport bear – a little Steiff bear that, poignantly, traveled on the last Kindertransport train out of Vienna in 1939 to rescue Jewish children from Nazi Germany.

For opening times and practical info, please see here .

So, this is our guide to the very best things to do in Edinburgh and top attractions for first-time visitors.

If you are traveling to Edinburgh for the first time, be sure to also read our top tips for visiting Edinburgh . It contains more practical information and important advice for your first visit. Take a look!

You may also like our guide to the best way to see Edinburgh in one day and our similar guide to the best of Glasgow in one day .

TIP: If you are planning on staying in Edinburgh for a few days, be sure to book your accommodation asap. It often happens that the most affordable hotels are fully booked leaving you with very expensive options. Using the map below, you can compare hotels, apartments, and short-term rental accommodations in Edinburgh . Simply insert your travel dates and group size, and you’ll see what’s available for your stay. Check it out!

READ ALSO: Isle of Skye – Best things to do & suggested itinerary for one of the most beautiful areas in Scotland

If you are also visiting London, check these guides for travel inspiration and useful tips:

Tips for Visiting London
Best Sights & Tourist Attractions in London
Where to Stay in London
Hidden Gems of London
Best Views in London
2-day London Itinerary
Best Things to Do in Greenwich
London with Kids
Things to Do in Camden Town

More destinations in the UK:

Best Places to See in Yorkshire
Best Places to See in Cornwall
Best Things to Do in Manchester
Best Things to Do in Liverpool
Day Trip to Liverpool from London
Top Things to Do in Blackpool
UK Travel Guide

If you found this post helpful, don’t forget to bookmark it and share it with your friends. Are you on Pinterest? Pin these images!

What to see and do in Edinburgh for tourists

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What Is the Best Time to Visit Edinburgh

June 23, 2023

Historic streets, cobbled lanes, stunning architecture and a world-famous castle of gargantuan proportions, Edinburgh is one of the most legendary cities in Europe.

Artistic, friendly, full of fun, and a very safe city for travelers , the capital of Scotland is a hugely popular tourist destination.

But visiting Edinburgh at the wrong time can make for an unpleasant trip, for a number of reasons. With unreliable weather, a packed program of annual events and several specific tourist-heavy periods, you have to make sure you choose the absolute best time to visit Edinburgh.

If you’re planning a trip to the city but not sure when to take it, then this guide is perfect for you!

In this article, we’ve assembled details about weather, events, and tourist seasons to help you decide on the best time for you to take your trip to Edinburgh.

Let’s dive in!

When Is the Best Time to Visit Edinburgh: Quick Answer

The best time to visit Edinburgh is in august or in may, depending on why you want to visit!

Though Edinburgh is fantastic year-round, there are two main standout periods to visit the city.

The first is August , during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The biggest (and maybe best) theater festival in the world, it absolutely transforms the atmosphere of the city, turning already-excellent Edinburgh into a vibrant, vivid spectacle of performers and performances, with activity lurking on every corner. Weather in August is very warm, offering Edinburgh’s highest temperatures.

If you aren’t interested in the festival, May is the best time . May brings great weather without too many crowds. It’s an excellent time to enjoy the city’s attractions and architecture without herds of other tourists blocking your path. If you have kids, May is the perfect time, as the month plays host to Edinburgh’s International Children’s Festival.

Summer (June to August)

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Though UK weather is typically unreliable, here’s generally what you can expect from Edinburgh’s four seasons:

Pleasantly high temperatures of up to 20ºC, along with long days. Be warned though – Edinburgh’s summer brings no guarantee of dry weather. You might still experience lots of rain.

Tourism is at its peak during this period, with a huge amount of festivals and events, including Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival, Book Festival and Film Festival. If you aren’t too interested in events, it’s best to avoid summer, since the season brings the hustle and bustle of countless crowds.

If you want to visit Edinburgh during a quiet period, this absolutely isn’t the right time!

With slightly cooler temperatures, this can actually be a pretty great time to visit if your priorities are saving money and dodging big crowds.

Temperatures sit at around 12ºC, and there aren’t too many other tourists. Fall in the UK can be particularly beautiful, with golden colors abound, and gentle weather.

If you like the outdoors, this is a great time to enjoy the crisp hues of fall.

With cold temperatures, sometimes at around 2ºC (and occasionally lower!), Scotland in winter can be cold, foggy, wet, windy and grey. The weather during this period can often feel colder than it really is, due to strong winds and wet days.

Days are also very short during this period – you may only get 8 hours of daylight per day to enjoy the city!

That said, if the city experiences a smattering of snowfall, which is possible but fairly rare, Edinburgh absolutely basks in its beauty.

A fairly popular period, with crisp air and temperatures of around 14ºC. If you want fairly warm weather without lots of tourists, this is an excellent time to visit.

It’s also a fantastic time to enjoy the greenery of Edinburgh, and to take a hike up Arthur’s Seat, a 250m peak with fantastic views over the city.

Hikes outside of the city are also a good idea at this time, with perfect hiking weather.

woman in gray hoodie sitting on rock during sunset

Data source: weatherbase.com

Travel Seasons in Edinburgh

The high season in Edinburgh is absolutely summer, from June to August, with a huge amount of exciting events and vast swathes of tourists from all over the globe. The biggest summer events include:

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival : perhaps the most famous theater festival in the world, with almost 2,000 different shows every single year. Each year, this festival takes over the entire city for almost a month.
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo : also held in August, these military parades feature singers, dancers, musicians and marching bands, along with an explosive array of fireworks.
Edinburgh International Book Festival : another high-profile August extravaganza, this is the biggest book festival in the world, with discussions, workshops, writing lessons, lectures, readings and so much more.

To get a glimpse of the overall vibes you can find during Edinburgh festivals check out this beautiful video that is still relevant today.

The off-season in Edinburgh is typically from November to March, with its colder weather and shorter days.

But low season can sometimes be a traveler’s dream, especially if you’re working to a budget. Low season means cheaper accommodation and better deals, along with fewer fellow travelers.

Edinburgh still plays host to many events during this period.

The best of these include:

New Years: or “ Hogmanay “ , as it’s known in Scotland. This is a huge occasion in Scotland – you’ve not experienced a real New Years until you’ve experienced it in Edinburgh.
Burns Night : held on the 25th January, Burns Night celebrates Robert Burns, Scotland’s most esteemed poet. It’s a beautiful night full of food, friendliness and warm welcomes.
Edinburgh’s Christmas : a huge deal in the UK, Edinburgh is one of the best places to experience a British Christmas, with bright lights, charming traditions and a huge selection of Christmas markets .

Edinburgh kicks off its Hogmanay new year celebrations with a Torchlight Procession on 30 December

Edinburgh has two shoulder seasons: during the spring and during the autumn.

The first, over April and May , is a pretty good time to visit. There will be way less tourists than summer, with only slightly lower temperatures. A small word of warning – double-check before you decide to visit during Easter. During Easter in the UK, you might find that many attractions, pubs and restaurants are closed.

Some highlights in this season include:

Edinburgh International Children’s Festival : one of the best children’s festivals in the world, this is full of productions, events and exhibitions to appeal to children of all ages. It’s very fun and interactive, with many innovative and interesting events.
Edinburgh’s parks and hikes are fantastic at this time of year.
Edinburgh’s TradFest : for almost two weeks in April and May, TradFest fills Edinburgh with traditional music, dance and performance. If you’re interested in Scottish history or traditions, this is absolutely one of the best times to visit the city

The second shoulder season during September and October isn’t very popular with tourists, which means that this period is a perfect time to snatch a bargain. In this period, there are some excellent events:

Scottish International Storytelling Festival : the UK has an excellent history of poets, writers and storytellers, along with a huge community of world-renowned artists still continuing the craft today. This festival celebrates the best of it all with a huge catalogue of events celebrating the oral word.
Bonfire Night : another huge celebration in the UK, bonfire night features fires, fireworks and burning effigies. Hot drinks, bright lights and a cosy atmosphere make this an incomparable event.

When to Visit Edinburgh (Depending on the Type of Traveler You Are)

Sales in Edinburgh are fairly frequent, so any time is good.

But if you really want to get your hands on some cheap goods, the best time is just after Christmas. During this period, shoppers rush to stores to grab bargains at super-low prices.

The best day of all is December 26th, when stores drive down their prices to attract post-Christmas shoppers.

There are two types of honeymoon to enjoy in Edinburgh.

The first is with a jam-packed itinerary of non-stop exciting events and attractions. If that’s your plan, August is the best time.

Your second choice is to enjoy Edinburgh at its romantic best, which is in December. During December, the city is cosy, charming and quaint, full of festive cheer and roaring pubs. Under a blanket of snow (which is possible but unlikely!) it’s even better.

Undoubtedly, this is summer, with a huge program of festivals and events.

Museum queues are longer at this time of year, but it’s absolutely the greatest time to get lost in the city’s culture.

Edinburgh in August is one of the best cultural experiences the world can offer. From books to theatre to cinema, the art on offer is incredibly diverse – and of incredibly high quality.

With plenty of free museums in Edinburgh you can even save some money without compromising on culture!

May and June. These months bring great temperatures and long days, making them a perfect time to enjoy time outdoors.

This period is also before Edinburgh’s busy summer boom, so you can enjoy sightseeing without the chaos of too many crowds.

October and early November. This period sits between the end of summer and the beginning of Edinburgh’s popular Christmas markets.

If you visit in October and early November, you can get some great bargains on accommodations, attractions and plenty more.

This depends on what your family and children like! If you want to spend time outdoors in good weather, the best time is from May to July.

If your kids instead want to lap up the Christmas vibes, then December is of course the best time. For kids, a Christmas in Edinburgh can be a very magical experience.

A third – and perhaps the best – option is during the International Children’s Festival, which takes place in spring. The program is full of fun activities and events for children of all ages.

A northern British beach is unlike any of the warmer beaches you might be accustomed to. Northern British people are unlikely to spend time lying around on the beach to soak up the sun, since the temperatures are too low and the weather too unreliable.

In the UK, shorelines are largely a place for walking rather than swimming. Only the bravest beach visitors take a dip into the cold water. But if you want to get your feet wet, then July and August bring the warmest temperatures, and the most bearable water.

Many surfers take to Scotland to enjoy the North Sea swells. Pease Bay and Coldingham Bay are two of the most popular spots close to Edinburgh.

Though cold, the best time of year is typically from September to December, with consistent waves and breaks, and a roaring community of fellow wave-lovers.

Scotland is an often-overlooked surfing destination – but a beach trip from Edinburgh is a great way to experience surfing on Scottish shores.

Scotland an Edinburgh have great beaches for surfers

There are two types of hiking to enjoy in Edinburgh. The first is by tackling small walks in the city center, to viewpoints such as Calton Hill and Arthur’s Seat. These walks are simple and accessible, and can be enjoyed during any time of the year.

If you want to venture further afield on a longer walk, to Pentland Hills, Garleton Hills or somewhere similar, the best times are from May to August. This period has good weather, good visibility and long days.

For all the options available check out my guide on the best walks in and around Edinburgh .

Hiking on Arthur's Seat paths in Edinburgh can be very rewarding

Edinburgh Events and Weather by Month

This is typically Edinburgh at its coldest. While the temperatures aren’t intolerably low, it’s very windy at this time of year, which makes Edinburgh seem way colder than it really is.

You should expect an average of around 8 hours of light per day at this time of year, so it’s not a great period for extended sightseeing or outdoors activities. Make sure you dress appropriately – take waterproofs and warm clothes.

In January, there’s a small but unlikely chance of snow, which can make the city look particularly beautiful.

If you decide to visit Edinburgh in January, you should visit during Hogmanay , or during Burns Night . Both are fantastic examples of Scottish tradition at its most proud.

Average Temperature: 3.9ºC / 38.9ºF
Low Temperature (Average): 6.6ºC / 43.9ºF
High Temperature (Average): 1.1ºC / 34ºF
Average Rainfall: 50mm / 28 days

February is typically similar to January, but with vaguely warmer temperatures and slightly less chance of grey, rainy days.

Daylight hours start increasing a little. By the end of February, the city experiences almost 11 hours of daylight per day, making February an okay time for sightseeing.

In February, there’s a little chance of snowfall, but it’s fairly unlikely.

Every year in February, Edinburgh Lumen takes place, a fantastic event full of spectacular light and sound displays. It’s a great antidote to the dark and cold Scottish winter, and a wonderful way to experience the beauty of the city.

Average Temperature: 4.2ºC / 39.5ºF
Low Temperature (Average): 7ºC / 44.6ºF
High Temperature (Average): 1.3ºC / 34.3ºF
Average Rainfall: 40mm / 23 days

In March, Edinburgh begins to shake off the shackles of winter to enter a warmer, lighter period of better weather. That said, the city can still feel cold and wet – and there’s a little more rain than in February.

By March, there’s an average of 12 hours of daylight per day.

Though March is a little warmer than the cold Scottish winter, there’s still some chance of unpleasant weather, so you should still pack warm, waterproof clothes.

If you like brisk weather, this can be a good period to explore some of the city’s greenery. Though temperatures aren’t great, green spots will likely be secluded, making this a perfect time to catch some peace and serenity in the quieter parts of the city – and its outskirts.

Average Temperature: 5.8ºC / 42.4ºF
Low Temperature (Average): 9ºC / 48.2ºF
High Temperature (Average): 2.6ºC / 36.7ºF
Average Rainfall: 40mm / 26 days

This is a great time to visit Edinburgh. The temperatures really begin to improve during April, and you won’t find too many other crowds, so you can enjoy the attractions in relative solitude!

April is much drier than most months, and the daylight hours now significantly exceed the nighttime hours, offering plenty of time for adventure and exploration.

Mornings and evenings may still be cold, so you should still pack warm clothes – but you may not have to wear them. You might even need sunglasses!

TradFest is one of the city’s best events, and takes place every April. It’s a multi-day extravaganza of traditional Scottish music, arts and entertainment. If you like experiencing tradition on your travels, this is the event for you. You won’t find an event like this in any other country than Scotland!

Average Temperature: 7.9ºC / 46.1ºF
Low Temperature (Average): 11.6ºC / 52.9ºF
High Temperature (Average): 4.1ºC / 39.4ºF
Average Rainfall: 30mm / 23 days

Launch gig of Edinburgh Tradfest with Lankum

This is one of the best times to visit Edinburgh if you want to avoid crowds without experiencing bad weather. In May, the weather is great, and the city is relatively quiet compared to the heights of summer.

By late May, the city enjoys almost 17 hours of sunlight, leaving ample time for adventures.

Though temperatures are warm, May does have more rain than you might expect, so just make sure you pack some waterproofs along with your summery garments!

Edinburgh’s two main May highlights are the Children’s Festival, making it the perfect time to visit if you have kids, along with the Edinburgh Marathon . The city indulges in this marathon, with a packed program of events for an entire weekend. If you’re a keen runner, you might even want to enter the race yourself!

Average Temperature: 10.6ºC / 51ºF
Low Temperature (Average): 14.6ºC / 58.3ºF
High Temperature (Average): 6.5ºC / 43.7ºF
Average Rainfall: 50mm / 25 days

Again, this is an excellent month to visit the city, with warm temperatures, slightly less rain than the coming summer months and a relative lack of crowds.

By June, the days in Edinburgh are very long, with around 18 hours of sunlight per day. These days are Edinburgh’s longest – so if you want to build a very busy itinerary, June is the best time to do it. These long days also make June a great time for exploring the outdoors.

Again, it’s important to note that Edinburgh weather can be wet year-round, so you’ll still need to pack plenty of waterproofs.

June brings the Edinburgh International Film Festival to the city. If you’re a film aficionado, it’s a great time to visit. It’s also a perfect time if you want to cram in a big program of sightseeing without many others cramping the queues.

Average Temperature: 13.2ºC / 55.7ºF
Low Temperature (Average): 17.2ºC / 63ºF
High Temperature (Average): 9.1ºC / 48.4ºF
Average Rainfall: 50mm / 24 days

Edinburgh temperatures begin to reach their peak in July, but there’s still some chance of rain. If you want high temperatures without the super-busy crowds of August, this is a great month. But it’s important to note that the city is still relatively busy at this time of year.

July is the best time to hit the beach. Swimming isn’t a great idea unless you’re particularly brave, but a seaside stroll in Edinburgh is a lovely experience.

You should pack summer clothes, sunglasses and sunscreen along with waterproofs.

In July, the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival takes over the city, with more than a week of music, jamming and chats.

Average Temperature: 15.1ºC / 59.1ºF
Low Temperature (Average): 19.2ºC / 66.6ºF
High Temperature (Average): 10.9ºC / 51.6ºF
Average Rainfall: 60mm / 22 days

Along with July, this is Edinburgh’s hottest month, making it the joint-best month for weather. It’s also an incredibly busy time, as thousands and thousands of tourists descend upon the city for the Fringe Festival, the biggest theater festival in the world.

In Edinburgh, August has around 15 hours of sunlight.

Again, you should pack summer clothes, sunglasses and sunscreen along with waterproofs.

If you aren’t interested in the Fringe Festival , you shouldn’t visit during this time. The festival absolutely dominates every aspect of the city, from the streets to the bars to the restaurants to the atmosphere. If you’re interested in the festival, it’s an incredible and incomparable experience. If you’re not, it can be unbearable.

Average Temperature: 15ºC / 58.9ºF
Low Temperature (Average): 19.1ºC / 66.4ºF
High Temperature (Average): 10.8ºC / 51.4ºF
Average Rainfall: 60mm / 25 days

Temperatures begin to drop a little, and the days begin to get a little shorter, but there’s still plenty of light to enjoy the city, with around 13 hours of daylight per day. The temperatures are still very bearable.

This can be a good time to visit Edinburgh – you get average weather along with a huge drop in crowds. After the energy of the Fringe Festival, Edinburgh in September can often adopt a very relaxed atmosphere.

You should ensure you pack warm clothes, especially for the colder evenings.

After the festival-packed month of August, there aren’t many events in Edinburgh in September, but that can make it the perfect time to explore all the city’s attractions and architecture, along with the hills and the ocean.

Average Temperature: 12.9ºC / 55.2ºF
Low Temperature (Average): 16.6ºC / 69.1ºF
High Temperature (Average): 9.2ºC / 48.6ºF
Average Rainfall: 60mm / 23 days

The beginning of October can be fairly temperate, but by the end of the month, you can absolutely feel the sudden chill of fall. October can also be very wet. This rain, combined with dropping temperatures, can make an Edinburgh October unpleasant at times. This isn’t a great time to visit.

Make sure you pack lots of warm clothes along with waterproofs.

By the end of the month, there are less than 10 hours of daylight per day.

If you do visit during this time, you’ll find less tourists, which is one advantage of visiting in October. Another advantage is the opportunity to visit the Scottish Storytelling Festival , which is a great slice of historic Scottish life. Scotland has a lengthy heritage of excellent spoken word and spoken performance, and this is a fantastic celebration of it all, both historic and modern.

Average Temperature: 9.6ºC / 49.2ºF
Low Temperature (Average): 12.9ºC / 55.2ºF
High Temperature (Average): 6.2ºC / 43.2ºF
Average Rainfall: 60mm / 24 days

During November, Edinburgh can start to feel very cold. Temperatures begin to drop suddenly, and there is quite a lot of rain. By the end of the month, there are less than 8 hours of daylight per day.

Make sure you take lots of warm, waterproof, appropriate clothing!

November can be an okay time to visit, with crisp air before the real winter chill sets in – and very few tourists. But it’s not ideal.

That said, there are some great reasons to visit Edinburgh in November, the first is Bonfire Night , with huge firework-full celebrations across the city. The beauty of Edinburgh makes for an excellent backdrop to an illuminating array of bangs, pops and bright lights. November also marks the beginning of the Christmas period in Edinburgh, with Christmas markets everywhere.

Average Temperature: 6.4ºC / 43.5ºF
Low Temperature (Average): 9.2ºC / 48.6ºF
High Temperature (Average): 3.6ºC / 38.5ºF

Bonfire night celebrations at Hopetoun house in Edinburgh

December in Edinburgh can be beautifully charming and romantic if snow falls upon the city. Though snow is fairly uncommon, December is the most likely time for it to hit the city. And if it does, it’s an unmatched experience.

By December, temperatures have dropped considerably, so make sure you pack very warm clothes.

Rain is likely, nights are at their longest and there won’t be much sunshine.

But the Edinburgh Christmas markets can make all these negatives seem irrelevant. The Edinburgh Christmas markets are excellent, and alone form a justifiable reason to visit the city in December. With festive decor, Christmas cheer and a barrage of trinkets, treasures and tasty treats, it’s a particularly seasonal experience.

Low Temperature (Average): 6.6C / 43.9ºF

Edinburgh is a fantastic city, with so many events, occasions and attractions. Many tourists come simply to experience the atmosphere and architecture of the city, while others journey halfway across the world for the world’s biggest – and perhaps best – theater festival.

From friendly locals to inner-city hikes to a fantastically imposing castle, Edinburgh has an unmatched – and unique – charm.

If you want to experience the city and its attractions without too many crowds, the best time is May. For the Fringe Festival, go in August. For a festive experience like no other, take your trip in December.

But whenever you choose to go, you’ll fall in love with Edinburgh, its people and its warm welcomes.

About the author

Senior Travel Reporter

Paul is a handsome and hilarious travel writer and travel journalist from the UK. He's hiked, hitchhiked and laughed his way through more than fifty countries, and he's always looking for a new place to call home. Originally from Newcastle, he's lived all over the UK, spent more than three years in Asia, and most recently lived in Vietnam and then in Georgia.

Number of visits to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland 2010-2023

The number of visits to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland rose significantly in 2023 over the previous year. Despite the sharp annual increase, visits remained slightly below the figures reported before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, reaching around 1.9 million in 2023.

Number of visits to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland from 2010 to 2023 (in 1,000s)

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United Kingdom (Scotland)

2010 to 2023

Figures have been rounded.

Statistics on " Visitor attractions in the United Kingdom (UK) "

Growth rate of admissions to visitor attractions in England 2006-2022
Growth rate of admissions to visitor attractions in England 2020-2022, by category
Growth rate of visitor attractions' gross revenue in England 2007-2022
Growth rate of visitor attractions' gross revenue in England 2022, by category
Average admission charge for visitor attractions in England 2022, by category
Share of visitor attractions communicating digitally in England 2020-2022, by channel
Leading paid visitor attractions in England 2019-2022, by attendance
Leading free visitor attractions in England in 2019-2022, by attendance
Leading paid visitor attractions in London, UK 2019-2022, by attendance
Leading free visitor attractions in London, UK 2019-2022, by attendance
Leading paid visitor attractions in Scotland 2019-2023, by attendance
Leading free visitor attractions in Scotland 2019-2023, by attendance
Leading paid visitor attractions in Wales 2019-2021, by attendance
Leading free visitor attractions in Wales 2019-2021, by attendance
Revenue of museum activities in the UK 2008-2022
Number of museum enterprises in the UK 2019-2023, by revenue
Income from admissions of government funded museums in England 2019-2023, by museum
Number of visitors to government funded museums in England 2019-2023, by museum
Museum and gallery attendance frequency in England 2022-2023
Museum and gallery attendance in England 2021-2023, by age
Number of visits to the Natural History Museum in the UK 2010-2023
Number of visits to the National Museum of Scotland in the UK 2010-2023
Revenue of businesses operating historical sites in the UK 2008-2022
Number of businesses operating historical sites in the UK 2008-2022
Most visited castles and historical monument sites in England 2019-2022
Heritage site attendance frequency in England 2022-2023
Heritage site attendance in England 2022-2023, by type
Number of visitors to English Heritage sites 2011-2023
Number of visits to the Tower of London in England 2010-2023
Royal tourism: admissions to Royal Estate in the UK 2015-2023
Leading zoos and wildlife attractions in England 2019-2022
Number of visits to the Chester Zoo in the UK 2010-2022
Number of visits to the ZSL London Zoo in the UK 2010-2023
Amusement and theme park turnover in the UK 2010-2021
Number of amusement and theme parks companies in the UK 2010-2021
Value of leading theme parks in the United Kingdom 2024

Other statistics that may interest you Visitor attractions in the United Kingdom (UK)

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Basic Statistic Leading free visitor attractions in London, UK 2019-2022, by attendance
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Number of visits to St Paul's Cathedral in the UK 2010-2023
Number of visits to the British Library in the UK 2010-2023
Number of visitors to the National Maritime Museum the United Kingdom (UK) 2010-2015
Leading paid attractions in North West England 2019-2022, by attendance
U.S. consumers that visited attractions while traveling 2015-2017
Most visited cultural and recreational attractions in France 2017, by visits
Favorite tourist attractions of most inbound Muslim tourists in South Korea 2016
Change in overseas visitors to attractions in England 2015-2018
Tourist attractions with most inbound Muslim tourists in South Korea 2016
Share of foreign tourists in overall visits to French cultural sites in 2013

25 Fascinating Facts About Edinburgh

Disclaimer: Some posts on Tourism Teacher may contain affiliate links. If you appreciate this content, you can show your support by making a purchase through these links or by buying me a coffee . Thank you for your support!

In this article, let’s discuss some magical facts about Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. After all, the city is brimming with breathtaking architecture, regal culture, and arts.

Facts About Edinburgh

Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in Scotland and the UK. The city’s magnificent mediaeval and Georgian buildings give it such a special charm that you just cannot miss it. This beautiful city is also where where J.K. Rowling wrote much of the early Harry Potter series, as she got inspired from its mystical charm.

So, if you want to learn more about this city, take a look at these 25 fascinating facts about Edinburgh!

1. Edinburgh Is the Capital of Scotland

Edinburgh is not only the capital of Scotland but also the second-largest city in the country, after Glasgow. It’s been the capital of Scotland since 1437. In fact, it replaced Scone as the capital of Scotland.

Edinburgh became the capital of Scotland after King James I was brutally murdered . So, the throne moved to Edinburgh for safety reasons.

One of the fascinating facts about Edinburgh is that it has a medieval Old Town and a Georgian New Town. It also has a vibrant community and is a popular tourist destination.

2. Edinburgh Is the Second-Most Populous City

Here is one of the fascinating facts about Edinburgh!

Edinburgh is the second-most populous city in Scotland after Glasgow. It has a population of 526,470 people as of 2021.

Although Edinburgh is smaller than Glasgow in size and population, it has played an important role in the country’s political, cultural, and economic landscape.

3. Edinburgh Hosts the Largest Arts Festival in the World

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world, which is one of the most fascinating facts about Edinburgh. It hosts thousands of shows from all over the world, musicians, comedians, dancers, children’s shows, live performances, circus, opera, and much more!

The festival starts in August every year and lasts for three weeks. It attracts tourists from all over the world who come to enjoy and have some of the most fun in their lives.

4. Edinburgh Is a Very Green City

If you haven’t fallen in love with Edinburgh already, then you should know that it’s one of top greenest cities in the world. It has 1069 square kilometres of green space for each person in its population.

In fact, a study by First Mile named Edinburgh the greenest city in the UK in 2019. It has wonderful air quality, low pollution levels, and it’s full of green spaces. Gardens and parks proved to be great for physical and mental well-being.

5. Edinburgh Castle Is Built on a Volcano

This is one of the craziest and most fascinating facts about Edinburgh!

Edinburgh Castle is actually built on top of a Volcano . The rock below the castle is a plug of a volcano that is approximately 350 million years old. The highest point of the rock is 426 feet above sea level. The hilltop where the castle was built is named Castle Rock.

The castle was built in 1103 by King David 1st as a fortress for military reasons. Some of it is still used by the military as an active base today. It’s one of the most popular tourist attractions in Edinburgh.

6. There Is a Well-Established University in Edinburgh

Edinburgh is home to one of the most prestigious and well-established universities in the world – the University of Edinburgh. Charles Darwin, Alexander Graham Bell, J.K. Rowling, and more famous people went to the University of Edinburgh.

The University of Edinburgh is consistently ranked as one of the top universities in the world. Moreover, it placed 22nd in the 2024 QS World University Rankings . This gem in the heart of Edinburgh has a gorgeous campus and attracts students and visitors from all over the world.

7. J.K. Rowling Wrote Much of Harry Potter in Edinburgh’s Cafes

If you are familiar with Harry Potter books or movies then you should be familiar with the mastermind behind them, J.K. Rowling. Although she revealed that the birthplace of the series is a flat above a sports shop in Clapham in London, she used to frequent The Elephant House Cafe in Edinburgh in her early writing career.

J.K. Rowling is a brilliant author, and her Harry Potter series has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of people around the world. We grew up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and felt a connection to them that was deep enough to stick with us for the rest of our lives!

8. Edinburgh Is Built on Seven Hills

One of the fascinating facts about Edinburgh is that it is built on seven hills, just like Rome. The seven hills of Edinburgh are Calton Hill, Castle Rock, Corstorphine Hill, Craiglockhart Hill, Braid Hill, Blackford Hill, and Arthur’s Seat.

Although Arthur’s Seat is the highest hill in Edinburgh, Castle Rock is the most popular and most photographed hill due to the Edinburgh Castle that is built on top of it. If you want a panoramic view of the city, you can climb Arthur’s Seat.

In fact, there’s an annual race to climb all of the seven hills of Edinburgh!

9. The Scottish Parliament Building Has Unique Architecture

The Scottish Parliament Building is truly one of the most fascinating facts about Edinburgh. This unique building is located at the foot of Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile. It was constructed with granite, oak, and steel. Actually, this building is one of the most innovative designs in the world and won many awards for its design!

However, the building also raised a lot of controversies since it was approved. This is because the modern architecture of the building doesn’t suit the rest of Edinburgh’s Old Town. So, what do you think about this unique building?

Sadly, the architect of the building, Enric Miralles, passed away before he could see his brilliant work come to life and inspire many people.

10. The National Museum of Scotland Has Dolly the Sheep

Here is one of the fascinating facts about Edinburgh for all the biology and science nerds reading this article!

Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be cloned, is located at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Fun fact – the sheep was named Dolly after the singer Dolly Parton. One of the stockmen who helped with her birth is the one who reportedly suggested this name .

Her presence in the National Museum of Scotland has made it a popular tourist destination in Scotland.

11. The Royal Mile in Edinburgh Is Not One Mile

We cannot talk about the fascinating facts about Edinburgh without mentioning the Royal Mile!

The Royal Mile in Edinburgh is one of the most popular and historic streets in the city. It runs between two major destinations in Edinburgh, which are Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

However, despite its name, the Royal Mile is not actually one mile in length. It is more than a mile by 107 yards !

12. Alexander Graham Bell Was From Edinburgh

Alexander Graham Bell, who is best well-known for inventing the telephone, was born in Edinburgh in 1847. Thanks to this brilliant Scottish scientist, our world has changed significantly after his invention.

13. One of the Most Haunted Graveyards in the World Is in Edinburgh

Do you want to know one of the creepiest yet fascinating facts about Edinburgh?

Edinburgh has one of the most haunted graveyards in the world! Greyfriars Kirkyard that surrounds Greyfriars Kirk dates back to the 1500s and has a lot of creepy stories linked to it.

Some visitors allegedly left the graveyard with bruises and burns on their bodies! So, visit at your own risk. Moreover, it’s even said that this graveyard inspired J.K. Rowling while writing her Harry Potter novels.

14. Edinburgh Was the Center of the Whiskey Boom

Edinburgh played a significant role in the whiskey boom of the 19th century , which is one of the fascinating facts about Edinburgh. Thanks to the city’s strategic location and access to railway lines and new laws, it became the epicentre of the boom.

Today, Edinburgh is still a major player in the global whiskey industry and Scottish whiskey is very popular.

15. 75% of Edinburgh Buildings Are Listed

Another one of the fascinating facts about Edinburgh is that 75% of its buildings are listed . In fact, the city has the highest concentration of listed buildings in the UK.

In the context of the United Kingdom, a “listed building” is one that has an architectural or historic interest.

These buildings are legally protected and any change to their exterior needs approval from the government. This is done to protect the historical value of these buildings for future generations.

16. Glaciers Caused the Formation of Edinburgh

Did you know that glaciers helped to create the city of Edinburgh? One of the fascinating facts about Edinburgh is that around 350 million years ago , the erosion and slow movement of glaciers helped form Arthur’s Seat. It’s one of the seven hills that the city is built on.

17. Edinburgh Was Once Nicknamed “Auld Reekie”

Edinburgh Was Once Nicknamed “Auld Reekie.” Auld Reekie means Old Smoky in the Scots language. So here’s the story behind this nickname.

Edinburgh was crowded and surrounded by city walls in the 16th – 17th centuries. So, they could not expand the city outside of the walls surrounding the city.

The buildings were tall and the streets were narrow and the chimneys of homes produced too much smoke for such a small area. The air was filled with thick smog everywhere. That’s why the city was nicknamed “Auld Reekie.”

18. Edinburgh Was the First City To Have a Fire Service

Edinburgh has a long history of innovation, and one of the most fascinating facts about the city is that it was the first city in the world to have a fire service. The service was established in 1824 by James Braidwood , and London followed after.

The fire service in Edinburgh inspired other cities around the world to create their own fire services.

19. Edinburgh Has the World’s Only Knighted Penguin!

Yes, you read that right! Edinburgh Has the only knighted penguin in the world and that is Major General Sir Nils Olav III!

The penguin was knighted back in 2008 and then promoted to Major General in August 2023. This one deserves to be added to the list of the funniest and most fascinating facts about Edinburgh

20. St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh Isn’t Really a Cathedral

Yes, that’s true, St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh Isn’t a Cathedral. The definition of a cathedral is the seat of a bishop. Today, St. Giles Cathedral doesn’t have any bishops anymore, so it’s considered a historic cathedral but not a real cathedral anymore!

21. Edinburgh Has Its Own Adopted Dog!

For every dog lover, you should hear the story of Greyfriars Bobby which is one of the most fascinating facts about Edinburgh!

A man named John got a dog and named him Bobby to give him company during the winter nights. Later on, John got tuberculosis and died and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard. However, Bobby refused to ever leave John’s grave even during the coldest nights.

The gardener of the graveyard tried many times to make leave but he couldn’t. So, he gave him shelter beside John’s grave. There’s a statue of Bobby in Edinburgh today.

22. There Is a City Beneath Edinburgh

Did you know that there is a hidden city beneath Edinburgh? It’s called the Edinburgh Vaults or the Underground City. It’s a network of underground chambers and tunnels that were once used as storage spaces.

However, criminals started using them for illegal activities. Also, it’s alleged that serial killers might have hidden bodies there.

23. Thousands of Women Were Killed in the Witch Hunts in Edinburgh

Thousands of people were killed in the witch hunts in Edinburgh and most of them were women. They were accused of performing witch activities such as cursing the king’s ships, dancing with the devil, transforming into animals or birds, etc.

The poor people were burned alive and people now are seeking official apologies for them three centuries later.

24. Edinburgh Zoo Is the Only Zoo in Britain With Giant Pandas

Edinburgh Zoo is the only zoo with giant pandas thanks to China. In 2011, China sent two giant pandas, named Tian Tian and Yang Guang , to Edinburgh as part of a 10-year loan agreement.

One of the fascinating facts about Edinburgh is that the two giant pandas were a massive success for the zoo and attracted many visitors and tourists.

However, the two giant pandas are returning to China in December 2023 since the 10-year loan agreement has ended. It was extended two years due to the Covid pandemic.

25. St. Margaret’s Chapel is the Oldest Building in Edinburgh

The Oldest Building in Edinburgh is St. Margaret’s Chapel, located within the walls of Edinburgh Castle. It’s a grade-A listed building, which means that it’s a building of exceptional interest.

It was named after Queen Margaret . Her son, King David I built the chapel for her around 1130. One of the best things about St. Margaret’s Chapel is that it’s open to all visitors and still hosts weddings and christenings today.

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Dear Deidre

We live in ‘Instagram Alley’ but tourists are forcing us to move out of our famous street

Zoe Phillips , Live News Reporter
Published : 10:30, 17 Jun 2024
Updated : 11:16, 17 Jun 2024

RESIDENTS of an "Instagrammable" Scots street say they have been forced to move due to an influx of tourists.

Locals living on Circus Lane in Edinburgh say they have become frustrated due to the number of travellers flocking to the picturesque street.

Residents of Circus Lane in Edinburgh say they have been forced to move

Recent research found the street had more than 20 times as many tags as those linked to seven other streets nearby, reports The National.

Locals claim visitors to the area have been picking flowers for pictures and dropping cigarette ends and litter.

One woman, who has lived on the street for 30 years, said: "It’s gone from somewhere that was a little on the edge to somewhere that’s promoted as a tourist attraction.

"Instagram started it. There was no reason for people to walk down this lane before.

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"It's a peaceful little backwater, you’d get people saying, ‘God, I’ve never been down this street before’. We’ve kind of created a monster.

"You get Instagrammers who will be here an hour. And they can’t understand why you get annoyed, I just came out and a man nearly fell in my front door."

According to homeowners, visitors to the street include wedding photographers and boy racers.

Locals previously slammed Airbnb users for disrupting other people who live on the street.

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The resident added: "A lot of the people who are moving in, or not moving in, are buying properties here to make a profit off it.

"They live in America. They were trying to put eight people in there on Airbnb. Some nights I think it was over £1000 a night.

"People are not trying to be disrespectful, but they come in late at night [and] they continue with a bit of drinking. Of course, the wheely suitcases are a nightmare on the cobbles. Maybe you do get hypersensitive to it, but it’s only because of the overtourism."

Another resident said previously: "The street is so busy and as someone living on the street, it is a complete nightmare.

"The amount of time that I have come out of my front door and there would be a photo shoot with people asking me to wait until they are finished.

"The long-term residents that are still here are lovely and they don't want to leave and it is sad to see them leave but the private gardens in the back can be a lifesaver."

Elsewhere in Edinburgh, we told how an iconic landmark was named one of the UK's most "overrated" tourist attractions.

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Want to try something off the beaten path? Here are some weird things to do in Iowa.

Spend the night at one of the most haunted places in the Midwest in Monticello
Appreciate the life of a hobo in Britt

Just curious: This occasional feature in the Des Moines Register aims to answer your questions about Iowa. Is there some place, event, lore, history or cultural quirk you're just curious about? Email your question to the Des Moines Register's Bill Steiden at [email protected] .

You can only make so many day trips to Adventureland before wondering, "What am I missing?" Thankfully, Iowa is home to an endless supply of weird, wacky and skin-crawling pastimes that'll make the most seasoned traveler do a double take.

Here are five tourist attractions for those looking to get off the beaten path.

Get all strung out on puppets in Mason City

Ever heard of Bill Baird? No?

You probably know Jim Henson though. Henson of Muppets fame interned with Baird before going on to create "Fraggle Rock" and the characters for "Sesame Street." The influence of Baird on Hensen's Muppets is clear at the Charles H. MacNider Art Museum in Mason City, which houses a special collection of his marionettes and hand puppets, including those used for "The Lonely Goatherd" scene in the film "The Sound of Music ."

Baird himself moved with his family as a teenager to Mason City, where he gave performances of “Treasure Island” in their attic, then returned there in his retirement. In between, Baird created thousands of puppets, including Charlemane the lion ( which played sidekick to legendary TV news anchor Walter Cronkite on a short-lived morning show), performed on Broadway and helped design floats for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade .

The museum received its puppet selections directly from Baird.

Previously: Mason City museum improves display of puppet collection

The MacNider Museum building alone is worth a visit. The Tudor-style mansion is a former convent remodeled into a museum in 1965 with the goal of retaining the original home's personality. It now houses a permanent collection of American art, traveling exhibitions and an Imagination Playground for children.

The MacNider Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, and admission is free.

Spend the night at the haunted Edinburgh Manor

Many people have heard of Edinburgh Manor in Monticello, a former mental institution and retirement home rumored to be one of the most haunted places in the Midwest. It's been featured on Zak Bagans' show "Ghost Adventures " and the Travel Channel's "Destination Fear ."

But did you know you can stay there overnight?

The manor offers private rooms for one to five people starting at $275 a night, with each additional person costing $55. Guests can explore the bedroom of “Susie” the ghost , listen for voices or look for the shadowy figure that lives in the basement. The owners claim to have had ghostly hands touch and squeeze them at night, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported .

More: These 9 creepy Iowa ghost stories will give you goosebumps

It's not a hotel though; the building has electricity but no heat or running water. Overnight visitors have access to a house on site that has a bathroom and kitchen. Plan to bring your own sleeping bag because bedding isn't provided.

If that sounds too extreme, the owners offer a one-to-two-hour tour during daylight hours. Visits must be booked in advance and are typically offered on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Admission to the day tour is $10 per person.

Or, visit the slight less spooky Spook Cave

If you're looking for an excursion for all ages, Spook Cave and Campground, about 7 miles west of McGregor in rural Clayton County, gives guided boat tours through a flooded cavern .

Early settlers near McGregor heard strange noises coming from a spring and originally called it Spook Hole. Only when local resident Gerald Mielke blasted into the bluff where the spring was in 1953 did he discover the flowing water that made the sound. He opened the cave to commercial touring in 1955 with an unusual underground boat tour — the only one in Iowa.

Spook Cave is open from May to October with reservations available on weekdays . Rides cost $16 for visitors 13 and older and $11 for children ages 4 to 12. There is no charge for children 3 or younger.

You also can turn your visit into a sleepover. Spook Cave offers camping nearby and a range of cabins to rent , all of which have electricity, heating and air conditioning. Swim at Camp Spook Lake, try your luck fishing at the Bloody Run trout stream or visit the nearby Railroad Employee Cemetery. A little more off the grid is Bloody Run Park, which has 19 primitive campsites for rent in a campground that is notably a home to Iowa’s largest woodpecker, the pileated .

Wander over to the Hobo Museum

Once a year in Britt, population 2,017, the largest documented annual gathering of hobos, rail-riders, and tramps in the United States takes place.

Since 1900, the city has been hosting the hobo convention — a weekend festival that includes a parade, entertainment, food and the election of the king and queen of the hobos. The hobos set up a hobo jungle, selling crafts and chatting with visitors.

The history of this relationship between Britt and its annual guests is documented at the National Hobo Museum, which began as the dream of three lifelong hobos determined to preserve the history of the American hobo, according to the museum's website . Opened in the 1980s, the collection housed in a former movie theater celebrates the lives of traveling laborers.

Make the most of your time in Britt by stopping by the Queen’s Garden across from the Hobo Museum and the National Hobo Cemetery in the northeast corner of Evergreen Cemetery.

The Hobo Museum opens after Memorial Day and closes after Hobo Days weekend, Aug. 8-10 this year. The museum will open during the off season, but only by appointment.

Get wheely into wheels at the L.J. Maasdam Wagon Wheel Sculpture

Leonard Maasdam of Pella loved unusual things.

He had a collection of more than 4,000 elephant figurines, a chandelier made of birthday balloons and a disco ball, and a model train that circled his home. One of his most eccentric creations, a 60-foot tower made of roughly 220 wagon wheels, can still be seen near a soybean field just a few miles off Interstate 80 north of Sully.

"The wheel is one of the oldest inventions of mankind. It goes back to Bible times," Maasdam told the Register in 1996. "I thought, 'There's a surplus of these wheels. Why not make use of them?'"

With the help of a hydraulic crane from Marshalltown, the 91 year old erected the rusty sculpture on a concrete base and surrounded it with a fence made of — wait for it — more wagon wheels. Maasdam's family maintains the site to this day at the intersection of South 48th Avenue East and East 140th Street South .

After you appreciate the art, head back to Sully for a bottle of almond mead at the Van Wijk Winery or grab a piece of coconut cream pie at the Coffee Cup Cafe , where Lance Armstrong stopped for a slice during his 2006 RAGBRAI ride.

Addison Lathers covers growth and development for the Des Moines metro. Reach her at 608-931-1761 or [email protected], and follow her on X at @addisonlathers.

IMAGES

Tourists Crowd the Royal Mile Street in Edinburgh, Scotland Editorial
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Busy Street in Edinburgh, Scotland Editorial Photo
Tourists Traveling the Royal Mile. Edinburgh, Scotland Editorial Stock
Edinburgh, Scotland
6 travel tips you need if you're traveling to Edinburgh

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17 May 2024. Tourism bosses have described record international visitor numbers for Scotland in 2023 as a "turning point" for the industry. Almost four million people from overseas visited the ...
30 Epic Things to Do in Edinburgh: Ultimate Guide by a Local
2. Explore the Turbulent History of Edinburgh Castle. Sitting at the top of the historic Royal Mile, this magnificent fortress is a prominent part of the city's iconic skyline. Steeped in over nine hundred years of history, its dramatic setting on an extinct volcanic plug provides a stunning view over the city.
Edinburgh Tourism Statistics And Trends
From 2012 to 2017 tourism in the country grew, resulting in a 13% increase in tourism employment. Tourism is one of the city's biggest success stories, attracting 4.3 million visitors a year. In 2019, visitors spent an incredible £2.5 billion in Scotland, and at least 1/3rd of this was in Edinburgh.
Ultimate Edinburgh Travel Guide + Local Tips (2024)
Welcome to your ultimate Edinburgh Travel Guide, a comprehensive resource for exploring Scotland's capital. Whether you're a first time visitor or returning to discover more, this guide covers everything from transportation and accommodation to top attractions and hidden gems. As someone who lived in Edinburgh for nearly three years and ...
2 Days in Edinburgh: The Perfect Itinerary (First Time Visit)
How to avoid waiting in line (and save a lot of time!) at Edinburgh's tourist attractions. With thousands of visitors flocking to Edinburgh every day, Scotland's capital is undeniably one of the world's top tourist destinations.. All year-round, thousands of tourists come to see the city's iconic landmarks such as Edinburgh Castle or the Holyrood Palace.
Top 14 Things to Do in Edinburgh
Perhaps one of the most iconic places to go in Edinburgh is Arthur's Seat, located within Holyrood Park. This ancient volcano sits 251m above sea level and offers 360-degree views of Edinburgh and the Lothians. You can see the medieval remains of St Anthony's Chapel or feed the ducks and swans on Duddingston Loch.
17 best things to do in Edinburgh
The Royal Mile. Resting like a gem near Holyrood Park, The Royal Mile is a succession of streets through Edinburgh's Old Town which connect Edinburgh Castle and Palace of Holyroodhouse. The distance between the two royal residences is exactly a mile, hence its name, which it was given in the 16th century. Along the cobbled streets, there are ...
25 Best Things To Do In Edinburgh Scotland (Top Attractions)
Historic Edinburgh Castle. Overlooking the entire city, the world-famous Edinburgh Castle is the most iconic historic site in Scotland.. With parts of this magnificent building dating back to the 12th century, it's clear to see why it was voted as the top UK Heritage Attraction in the British Travel Awards and is Scotland's number one paid-for tourist attraction.
The Top Things to Do in Edinburgh
Phone +44 131 225 9846. Web Visit website. Edinburgh Castle, at the top of the city's "Royal Mile", looms over cityscape atop an outcrop of volcanic rock (most of Edinburgh's hills are the plugs of extinct volcanoes). The views over Edinburgh are just spectacular but the castle's treasures are worth exploring.
International Tourism Statistics
Visit numbers, nights spent and visitor spending all surpassed the levels seen in both 2019 and 2022. International visitors made a total of 4 million visits to Scotland, stayed for 34.4 million nights and spent £3,593 million. Visits were up 23% compared to 2022 and 15% compared to 2019. The number of nights went up by 20% from 2022 and 25% ...
Edinburgh Castle retains crown as top tourist attraction
Edinburgh Castle has once again been named Scotland's most popular paid-for attraction, with visitor numbers surging last year. The number of people visiting the landmark soared by 217.6% to ...
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Calton Hill is not to be missed in Edinburgh. The views are amazing! 3. Walking the Royal Mile. Extending from the Castle and all the way down to Holyrood Palace, the Royal Mile is the name given to the succession of streets that make up the main thoroughfare of the city's Old Town.
Tourism In Edinburgh
Here are a few key statistics about tourism in Edinburgh: 1 - In 2019, Edinburgh had 4.8 million visitors, including 2.9 million domestic visitors and 1.9 million international visitors. (Source: Edinburgh Tourism Strategy) 2 - The tourism industry in Edinburgh generated £2.9 billion in revenue in 2019.
Edinburgh: international tourists by age 2019
Inbound tourist visits to Edinburgh 2019, by age group. In 2019, international travelers aged between 25 and 44 years old recorded the highest number of visits in Edinburgh, United Kingdom (UK ...
Scotland's Tourism Bounces Back, Surpassing Pre-Pandemic Levels!
EDINBURGH, Scotland — In a remarkable turnaround, Scotland's tourism industry has not only recovered from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic but has also surpassed pre-pandemic levels, setting a new record for international visitors in 2023. Figures indicate that Scotland saw a record number of international visitors last year ...
What Is the Best Time to Visit Edinburgh in 2024
Edinburgh in May. This is one of the best times to visit Edinburgh if you want to avoid crowds without experiencing bad weather. In May, the weather is great, and the city is relatively quiet compared to the heights of summer. By late May, the city enjoys almost 17 hours of sunlight, leaving ample time for adventures.
PDF Tourism in
Welcome to the third edition of Tourism in Edinburgh - Key Figures, published by the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG). OF SERVICES TO STAYING VISITORS, WHICH SUPPORTS AROUND 30,000 JOBS THE CITY SELLS £1.3 BILLION Tourism is one of Edinburgh's success stories. The city sells £1.3 billion of services to staying
Edinburgh Castle: visitor numbers Scotland 2023
Number of visits in thousands----- Exclusive Premium Statistic ... Leisure Travel. Royal tourism: admissions to Royal Estate in the UK 2019-2023, by establishment ... Number of visits to Edinburgh ...
25 Fascinating Facts About Edinburgh
It also has a vibrant community and is a popular tourist destination. 2. Edinburgh Is the Second-Most Populous City. Here is one of the fascinating facts about Edinburgh! Edinburgh is the second-most populous city in Scotland after Glasgow. It has a population of 526,470 people as of 2021. Although Edinburgh is smaller than Glasgow in size and ...
Edinburgh: Circus Lane dubbed 'Instagram Alley' amid mass tourism
RESIDENTS on Edinburgh's "Instagram Alley" have been left feeling they have no control over how mass tourism is affecting their street. The capital's Circus Lane has been transformed in recent years from a quiet residential mews to a bustling visitor destination after it became popularised by Instagrammers. One resident of 30 years ...
What is Scotland's new tourist tax? Visitor levy explained
The tourist tax, also known as a visitor levy, will be an added charge to anyone booking an overnight stay such as a hotel, B&B, and holiday let. MSPs passed the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill in ...
We live in 'Instagram Alley' but tourists are forcing us to move out of
Residents of Circus Lane in Edinburgh say they have been forced to move Credit: Getty. Recent research found the street had more than 20 times as many tags as those linked to seven other streets ...
Check out these five unique places to visit in Iowa
Or, visit the slight less spooky Spook Cave. If you're looking for an excursion for all ages, Spook Cave and Campground, about 7 miles west of McGregor in rural Clayton County, gives guided boat ...

30 Epic Things to Do in Edinburgh: Ultimate Guide by a Local

Best things to do in Edinburgh

2. Explore the Turbulent History of Edinburgh Castle

3. Step Back in Time in the Historic Royal Mile

4. Take in Breathtaking Views from Arthur’s Seat

5. Unleash Your Inner Harry Potter in Victoria Street and Grassmarket

6. Explore the Prettiest Corners of Dean Village

7. Discover the Royal History of Palace of Holyroodhouse

8. Visit the National Museum of Scotland

9. Enjoy Romantic Strolls in Circus Lane and Stockbridge

10. Marvel at the Priceless Paintings of the Scottish National Gallery

11. Test Your Limits and Climb Scott Monument

12. Admire the Interiors of St Giles Cathedral

13. Be Royalty for a Day at Royal Yacht Britannia

14. Commune with Nature at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

15. Get Spooked in Greyfriars Kirkyard

16. Sit Back with a Picnic at Princes Street Garden

17. Take Some Unforgettable Day Trips from Edinburgh

18. Enjoy a Taste of Haggis

19. Watch a Live Performance at the Edinburgh Festival

20. Uncover Gourmet Delights in Leith

21. Explore Underground History at Real Mary King Close

22. Enjoy Yourself in Edinburgh Christmas Market and Hogmanay

23. Release Your Inner Child at Camera Obscura & World of Illusions

24. Visit Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

25. Take a Tour of the Scotch Whisky Experience

26. Explore the Scottish National Portrait Gallery

27. Discover Writers Museum & Makar’s Court

28. Admire the Grand Architecture of the Forth Bridge

29. Enjoy Strolls on the Grounds of Lauriston Castle

30. Build Sandcastles at Portobello Beach

How Many Days to Spend in Edinburgh

Best Time to Visit Edinburgh

Map of the Tourist Attractions

How to Get Around Edinburgh

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Edinburgh Tourism Statistics And Trends

Edinburgh Trends & Factoids

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Edinburgh & Scotland Attractions Stats & Tourism Trends

Edinburgh Festival Statistics

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Stats & Facts For The Future Of Tourism In Edinburgh

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Ultimate Edinburgh Travel Guide + Local Tips (2024)

Getting to Edinburgh

Transportation from Edinburgh Airport

FREE Edinburgh Travel Guide

Train Services

Arriving by Car

Buses and Coaches

Ferry Connections

Getting Around Edinburgh

Exploring Edinburgh on Foot

Tips for Walking in Edinburgh

Public Transportation Options

Tips for Public Transportation

Bike Rentals and Cycling Routes

Car Rental and Parking Options

Where to Stay in Edinburgh

Neighborhoods in Edinburgh

Tips for Booking Accommodation

Top Attractions in Edinburgh

1. Edinburgh Castle

2. The Royal Mile

3. Arthur’s Seat

4. Holyrood Palace

5. Calton Hill

6. National Museum of Scotland

7. The Scotch Whisky Experience

8. Dean Village

9. Stockbridge

10. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Food and Drink in Edinburgh

Traditional Scottish Cuisine

Best Places to Try Traditional Dishes

Recommendations for Pubs, Cafes, and Fine Dining

Tips for Food Markets and Street Food