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Travel guide
Edinburgh
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to September
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Welcome
Edinburgh, in a few days
A capital built on extinct volcanoes, with a castle on a rock, the medieval closes of the Royal Mile and the Georgian squares of the New Town. Climb Arthur's Seat early, come down through the whisky pubs of the Old Town, and everything is within walking distance.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Edinburgh Castle · about 2 hThe fortress on its volcanic rock holds the Honours of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny; the ramparts look out to the Firth of Forth.
- Afternoon · Princes Street Gardens free · about 1 h 30Laid out on a drained loch between the Old and New Towns, below the castle rock and beside the Gothic Scott Monument.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Motel One Edinburgh-Royal€110 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Whisky tasting · about 1 h 30The Scotch Whisky Experience, next to the castle, explains the regions and styles around the world's largest collection of Scotch, 3,384 bottles.
- Afternoon · Victoria Street free · about 30 minA curving cobbled street of brightly painted shopfronts, often said to have inspired Diagon Alley, with independent shops and an old cheesemonger.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Motel One Edinburgh-Princes€120 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Royal Mile free · about 2 hThe medieval spine from the castle to Holyroodhouse, past St Giles' Cathedral, old pubs and narrow closes leading to hidden courtyards.
- Afternoon · Calton Hill free · about 1 hTen minutes' climb from Princes Street to the unfinished National Monument, the Nelson Monument and the old observatory, with the sea beyond.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Apex Waterloo Place Hotel€180 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Arthur's Seat free · about 2 hA 251-metre extinct volcano in the middle of the city, with views over the castle, the sea and the Pentland Hills.
- Afternoon · Dean Village free · about 1 hA former milling village in the valley of the Water of Leith, ten minutes from the New Town, with Well Court reflected in the river.
🛏️ Where to sleep · The Inn on the Mile€160 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Fish and chips: white fish fried in crisp batter, with thick chips, salt and malt vinegar.
- Sunday roast: roast meat with potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy, the long pub lunch of the weekend.
- Full English breakfast: eggs, bacon, sausages, beans, tomatoes and toast. North of the border it becomes a full Scottish, with black pudding and often haggis.
- Haggis: sheep's offal, oatmeal and spices, served with neeps and tatties (mashed swede and potato).
- Shepherd's pie: minced lamb under a baked crust of mashed potato.
- Cream tea: scones with jam and clotted cream, a tradition of Devon and Cornwall.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Skip the crowded pubs around Leicester Square: expensive, and rarely good.
- Look right first when you cross the road: traffic drives on the left.
- On Tube escalators, stand on the right and leave the left for people walking up.
- Do not pay to enter the national museums: most are free, with a donation box at the door.
- On single-track roads, pull into passing places to let others by, and never park in them.
Getting by
Words that help
🗣️ English is the main language here, so there is nothing to learn by heart.
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyPound sterling (GBP, £)
BudgetAbout €150 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to September
PlugG · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
Tipping10 to 12.5%, often added to the bill
Emergency999 / 112
EntryA passport is required: EU ID cards are no longer accepted. EU, US, Canadian and Australian visitors travel without a visa but must apply online for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before departure. Irish citizens need neither.
HealthNo vaccination required. Make sure tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date. In the Highlands in summer, bring repellent against midges.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/edinburgh
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.