I’ve been to Edinburgh twice, one time for 24 hours after traveling to Copenhagen and Berlin. The second time was for 72 hours since I didn’t fully experience Edinburgh the first time.
So, I wanted to share an Edinburgh travel guide based on my two times visiting this beautiful city.
Where to play
Royal Mile Market
A market that sells things such as jewelry, wool clothing, books, pottery, and souvenirs. This market used to be a church, which is obvious due to the building structure — specifically the windows.
Arthur’s Seat
An extinct volcano situated east of Edinburgh’s city center, Arthur’s Seat gives you incredible views of the city. It’s free to hike up the mountain, and relatively easy to climb. Anyone who knows me knows I’m terrified of heights, but the hike up and down wasn’t scary. So, it’s doable for anyone! However, if you’re short, like I am, you might have a hard time walking up the steeper steps. It takes about 2-3 hours to hike up, especially if you’re out of shape like I am, so plan accordingly.
While you might get hot during the trek, it’ll get cold and windy once you make it to the top. So, dress accordingly.
Royal Mile
This street provides souvenir shops, restaurants, street performers, bars, and more. It’s a great place to not only get your souvenirs but also hold an owl! Holding an owl and getting pictures cost about £3. By the way, the owl’s name is Hazel and she’s very sassy.
Princes Street
This shopping center provides clothing stores that are a staple in the U.K. (e.g. Topshop, River Island, and H&M).
Stramash
A live music pub, Stramash has different acts come on stage and perform. While I was there, a girl came up to me and asked to dance in exchange for glitter. If you read my Berlin post, you’ll remember I went on a bar crawl and met the unicorn lady who had glitter. So, I felt it was only right to keep up with this tradition and have glitter put on my face!
Where to eat
Ting Thai Caravan
A cheap Thai restaurant, not far from the University of Edinburgh or the Royal Mile. Their food is so good that I indeed went both times when visiting Edinburgh. It can get fairly crowded and have a pub vibe with loud music. Or, it can have a quiet and relaxing vibe, it just depends on when you go. Both times I visited, I ordered the Tom Yam Gai and shared sweet potato fries, with their secret sauce.
Yum Yum Kebab
A middle eastern restaurant that sells kebabs, falafels, and fries with the optional curry sauce and cheese on top. The curry sauce was gone once we got there, so I settled for cheese and barbecue sauce on top.
Wings
A restaurant located off of the Royal Mile that serves wings — hence the name. Wings have an assortment of dry rubs and sauces you can put on your wings, fries, and deep-fried cheese! The menu is divided into different categories (e.g. BBQ, sweet, and sizzler). And, within each category, there are levels of heat the sauce/rub provides (ranging from 1-11). If you finish the level 11/suicide sauce, then you get a place on their “wall of flame”. Not only were the sauces I tried amazing, but the nostalgic atmosphere of Wings was also a plus! Images of comic book figures and films such as Star Wars, Bad Boys, and Power Rangers fill the restaurant. Also, there are Nintendo 64 systems on tables where you can play: 007 GoldenEye, Donkey Kong, and more. Ultimately, this restaurant is my childhood manifested!
Edinburgh Travel Tips
Getting Around
Edinburgh is a small city, you can walk to the main attractions through alleyways and main streets. But there’s also transportation here if you don’t feel like hiking up hills or stairs.
When going to or from the airport, I’d recommend taking the Airlink Bus. My friends introduced it to me. It’s a double-decker bus that runs 24 hours a day and offers wifi! You can buy a single ticket, or open a return ticket that can be used to get back to the airport.
Money
It’s fairly expensive in the U.K., so make sure you have taken out enough pounds to suffice for your stay. Since everything is within walking distance in Edinburgh, you shouldn’t have to spend too much on transportation.
Interacting with locals
Everyone I encountered in Edinburgh was extremely bubbly and friendly. I never felt intimidated to talk to locals because everyone was so welcoming. You may run into locals who have heavy Scottish accents. Don’t hesitate to politely ask them to repeat themselves if you don’t understand what they said. This happened to me when I was taking a taxi to Waverly Street to catch the airport shuttle bus.
Safety
I walked around Edinburgh with friends between 1-4 am and never felt uncomfortable. While the streets can be eerily quiet in the early hours, I didn’t feel unsafe. When leaving Edinburgh on my first trip, I walked to the airport shuttle bus around 3 am alone. At no point did I feel nervous or uneasy by myself. That’s not to say that crime doesn’t happen in Edinburgh, but I didn’t experience anything during either stay.
Weather
Like London, Edinburgh is typically rainy so bring an umbrella or raincoat. It was raining as soon as I stepped off the airplane, and when leaving, both times I visited.
