Edinburgh - The History Buff's City

Edinburgh is truly a city for everyone. History buff? Edinburgh is your city. Architecture buff? Your city. Music and Arts? Your city. Ghost stories - you guessed it - your city! It has so much to offer, and you can spend a week there without doing everything on hand.

STAY: When we are in Edinburgh, we stay at the Edinburgh Backpackers Hostel on Cockburn Street or with friends in new town. I would suggest staying somewhere close to the Royal Mile, but in truth, Edinburgh is extremely walkable and booking further away from there will save money.

Day one we dedicated to Edinburgh's History, waling the Royal Mile, and visiting both the Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace. They are both slightly pricey, but they are also the only paid museums in the city. The rest are free, which is amazing!

Morning: Head to breakfast at any one of Edinburghs lovely cafes or breakfast spots. I have tried many and have never had a bad thing to say. One I would highly recommend is:

• Southern Cross Cafe on Cockburn Street - they do a great traditional Scottish Breakfast. Try haggis if you dare! It is actually quite good.
  The Milkman Coffee - famed in Edinburgh

After breakfast, head to the Castle up the Royal Mile. Pre-Book your tickets to the Edinburgh Castle a couple weeks in advance for around 9 or 10am the morning on your first full day. I would spend about 3 hours in the castle - there is so much to see, from the Crown Jewels, to the Prison Museums, to the Mary Queen of Scots exhibit, etc. Going in the morning tees up Holyrood Palace well in the evening as well, as the history flows quite nicely. It is a spectacular walk through centuries of history.

After the castle, head for a slow lunch on the Royal Mile or Haymarket / Castlegate. Pick any decent looking pub and order the Steak and Ale Pie or the Fish and Chips. Both traditional to Scotland and delicious. Peruse the mile, do some shopping, or simply admire how gorgeous this city is. You can always pop into St. Giles Cathedral (Stunning) or the Tronkirk which is now a crafts market. By this point, it should be around 3pm and you can make your way down the Holyrood at the end of the Royal Mile (hint, it is only a mile walk from the castle to Holyrood all downhill).

Book a ticket at Holyrood for 5pm, or the last slot. Holyrood Palace really surprised me. I have seen quite a few Palaces in my day, but Holyrood is something special. The history, travesties, victories, and stories that have happened thre are gripping. The tour is short (an hour) and engaging, and the Abbey ruins and gardens attached to Holyrood are stunning. You also get an amazing view of Arthur's Seat and the Salisbury Crags.

After Holyrood, you'll be tired! But, I recommend heading to dinner straight after, as things in the UK close quite early. The latest kitchens close around 9pm usually. If you have had your fill of Scottish food, Edinburgh has food from all over the world to choose from. One of our favorite (and lesser known spots, and CHEAP) is an Indian Restaraunt called The Original Mosque Kitchen (not to be confused with the Mosque Kitchen that has a brick and mortar storefront - brotherly rivalry). The original is in the Mosque itself. It does not look like much, but it is amazing food and huge portions.

After dinner, if you fancy a night out, the pubs across the city light up. Many of them have traditional folk music "jam" sessions, where folk come to play Scottish Folk music unannoucned together. There are usually reserved seating for the musicians, and it is honestly one of the coolest things I have ever seen. The most famous for nightly sessions are:

Sandy Bells, from 9:00 (original pub famed for it)
The Royal Oak, from 9:00

If you don't cap day 1 with this, you MUST do it another night. It is a true glimpse of Scottish culture.

Day 2: Outdoors & Exploring Old Town

Since the day prior was spent inside quite a lot of the time, day two is the perfect time to explore the nature of Edinburgh. In the morning, grab a quick coffee annd breakfast anywhere you'd like, then head over the Arthur's Seat and the Crags. If it is a sunny day, grab some picnic items from a supermarket for lunch on the sprawling lawn behind Holyrood for after your hike.

Hike Arthur's Seat and / or the Crags.
If you are fit and able, these hikes are short (although a bit steep) and provide stunning views of the Edinburgh area. They are also deeply ingrained in Edinburgh history. Arthur's seat is a long dormant volcano, and the Crags were formed by shifting tectonics and eruptions from centuries past. The Crags offer an easier hike if you were going to pick one, but be careful near the edges! People die every year by being careless on the Crags.

After the hike, if its nice out, sprawl on the lawn for a picnic lunch. If its rainy or cold (time of year dependent) head to Calrinda's Tea Room for an afternoon tea. I LOVE this place. It is the cutest, traditional tearoom you will ever find, and feels just like your grandmother's house. The tea and scones are delicious, they have light bites for lunch, and lovely cakes and pastries. There are only 8 tables, so there is often a wait, but I have never waited more than 10 minutes.

Now that you have recovered a bit, head to Victoria Street, then down to Haymarket and Grassmarket. This is a part of old town we missed day 1. Victoria Street is famed for its colorful storefronts, winding cobblestone road, and being the "inspiration" for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter. It looks like Harry Potter in truth, and you can even visit "Museum Context" (the harry potter store) for unique Harry Potter merchandise. There is usually a queue, but it isnt long. Its narrow and 3 stories high! Grab a butterbeer at the Elephant House (the original cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote the first book). It is non-alcoholic. You can spend a couple hours shopping, eating, and drinking in this area, and Grassmarket has lots of trendy eateries, vintage shops, and pubs.

For the afternoon, we did something a bit random, but actually very cool. We booked onto a tour of the Real Mary King's Close, one of the only remaining evidence of Edinburgh's Original City, which Old Town is now built on top of. You will go underground in tunnels where the alleyways are still in tact, with old houses that those in the 1600s were living in. It is a fascinating and engaging tour. The guides are dressed in garb apt for the century and it is like a little play the whole way through. Highly recommend if you aren't claustrophobic or scared of underground passages!

If that doesn't sound up your alley, here are a few other things you can do for the afternoon:

The National Museum of Scotland (huge, free, and awesome)
The Writers Museum
The National Galleries (huge, free, art museum)
The Surgeon's Museum (paid, but very very interesting)
Pub Hop!
See show at the Playhouse Theater.
Thrift Shop / Vintage shop

For dinner, once again - you have your pick of the town. If you want a cheap and light option, you can find Cornish Pastys at Mohr's or other stands across the city. So good, and so filling, and cheap.

Head home for the night before your last day, or hit the pubs for the music jams if you didn't the night before.

Day 3: Anything you havent gotten to do yet!

Outside of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the list on day 2 provides you with many options to fill day 3. You could venture to new town, where there is more contemporary shopping, see the Scot's Monument and walk the gardens, and peruse around. You could tour the Univ. of Edinburgh's campuses (new and old) and take in it's stunning architecture. Whatever you do, it will be another amazing day. Here is a list of things we have done, and have loved, in open days in Edi.

National Museum of Scotland
Edinburgh Museum
Topping & Co Bookshop (the cutest bookstore you will ever go to, complete with usable bookshelf ladders and offering free cups of tea to shoppers)
National Galleries
IF there during Mid-November - December - go to the Christmas Market in the gardens, it is LOVELY!
Head to Portobello for a beach day
Surgeon's Hall Museum
Harry Potter walking tour

IF YOU SURF! Lost Shore Surf Resort (wave pool) is a 30 min bus from Edinburgh. You must go if you have time!

For food options:
Edinburgh Street Food
The Waverly
The Doric
Kahani Indian

All in all, Edinburgh has so much to offer any traveler, no matter your interests. I hope you enjoy this gorgeous city!