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Edinburgh
- Thread starter Kathrynj
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Eleanor
1000+ Posts
Do you have a car or are you dependent on public transport?
There's so much to do and see in Edinburgh itself from the castle (don't miss the firing of the 1pm gun) and Holyrood House. Don't miss Gladstone's Land or the Georgian House. There is the ruined Craigmillar Castle or, a bit further away, Roslyn Chapel (made famous by the da Vinci Code... Throw in some excellent museums too - and don't forget Greyfriar's Bobby!
One of the best sources of information is the Undiscovered Scotland website. I always begin with the map pages and follow the links to the text pages with pictures and information...
Day trips could include Stirling with its ruined castle or Linlithgow with its ruined palace. Both can be done on the train. St Andrews is a delightful small university town where Wills met Kate, a good beach and ruined castle and abbey.
Drive along the coast to East Berwick and Dunbar plus Dirleton and Tantallon Castles. If you prefer stately homes there is Lennoxlove, Mellerstein, Manderston, Floors....
To the south are the great ruined abbeys of Melrose, Jedburgh and Dryburgh...
Glasgow is only a short way on the train and it is a very regular service. It is very different to Edinbugh again with some great museums.
If you want ideas for driving tours then have a look here as there are several which you can do from Edinburgh.
There's so much to do and see in Edinburgh itself from the castle (don't miss the firing of the 1pm gun) and Holyrood House. Don't miss Gladstone's Land or the Georgian House. There is the ruined Craigmillar Castle or, a bit further away, Roslyn Chapel (made famous by the da Vinci Code... Throw in some excellent museums too - and don't forget Greyfriar's Bobby!
One of the best sources of information is the Undiscovered Scotland website. I always begin with the map pages and follow the links to the text pages with pictures and information...
Day trips could include Stirling with its ruined castle or Linlithgow with its ruined palace. Both can be done on the train. St Andrews is a delightful small university town where Wills met Kate, a good beach and ruined castle and abbey.
Drive along the coast to East Berwick and Dunbar plus Dirleton and Tantallon Castles. If you prefer stately homes there is Lennoxlove, Mellerstein, Manderston, Floors....
To the south are the great ruined abbeys of Melrose, Jedburgh and Dryburgh...
Glasgow is only a short way on the train and it is a very regular service. It is very different to Edinbugh again with some great museums.
If you want ideas for driving tours then have a look here as there are several which you can do from Edinburgh.
Thanks so much. You mentioned some things I had not read about, so it’s very helpful. I do not have a car as driving on the left side of the road still intimidates me! But, I do plan a day trip or two with a tour company and have no problem taking them train to Glasgow.
Thanks again for taking the time to send such a great list of ideas and the website.
Thanks again for taking the time to send such a great list of ideas and the website.
devarae
100+ Posts
I hope you have a marvelous time Kathrynj!
I second Eleanor's rec for Rosslyn Chapel. It was one of the highlights of our trip when we were there two years ago in September. We didn't have a car and used the public busline to get there which was easy. It lets you off quite near the chapel. There is info on the Rosslyn website telling you which lines to take.
Closer to the city center, we also really enjoyed walking up Calton Hill, hiking around the park where Arthur's Seat is (didn't actually climb the summit though), the glass houses at the Botanical Gardens, and the National Museum of Scotland. I really wanted to visit the Georgian House but did not make it during our visit: https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/georgian-house
I also wish I'd managed to take a trip out to see the Kelpies statues! I only glimpsed them from our tourbus driving on the highway, when we were out on a day tour with Rabbie's (which was great, though long and lots of driving!).
Some of our favorite food: Peter's Yard (the cardamom buns are amazing!), The Elephant House (especially as Harry Potter fans), Mary's Milk Bar for ice cream. Honestly none of our few sit-down meals were that amazing; we are more the type to eat stuff from Pret or Pizza Express.
If you are curious my photos from our trip are here, with comments describing many of them: https://goo.gl/photos/D8PwNL5CH5odwFuBA
I second Eleanor's rec for Rosslyn Chapel. It was one of the highlights of our trip when we were there two years ago in September. We didn't have a car and used the public busline to get there which was easy. It lets you off quite near the chapel. There is info on the Rosslyn website telling you which lines to take.
Closer to the city center, we also really enjoyed walking up Calton Hill, hiking around the park where Arthur's Seat is (didn't actually climb the summit though), the glass houses at the Botanical Gardens, and the National Museum of Scotland. I really wanted to visit the Georgian House but did not make it during our visit: https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/georgian-house
I also wish I'd managed to take a trip out to see the Kelpies statues! I only glimpsed them from our tourbus driving on the highway, when we were out on a day tour with Rabbie's (which was great, though long and lots of driving!).
Some of our favorite food: Peter's Yard (the cardamom buns are amazing!), The Elephant House (especially as Harry Potter fans), Mary's Milk Bar for ice cream. Honestly none of our few sit-down meals were that amazing; we are more the type to eat stuff from Pret or Pizza Express.
If you are curious my photos from our trip are here, with comments describing many of them: https://goo.gl/photos/D8PwNL5CH5odwFuBA
Ian Sutton
1000+ Posts
An odd recommendation, but if you like wine, then Raeburn wine is one of the most interesting wine shops I've come across. They've just about given up on their website, but their stock is extensive and eclectic and Zubhair the owner has a wonderfully broad interest.
21/23 Comely Bank Road, Edinburgh, EH4 1DS,
21/23 Comely Bank Road, Edinburgh, EH4 1DS,
Kim
10+ Posts
Seconding the recs for Mary's Milk Bar and Elephant House. We used Rabbies Tours for a day trip and were quite happy with them.
If you're a beer drinker, check out BrewDog.
Not a vegetarian? Get a sandwich at Oink! There are several locations around the city and they also have a stall at the market below the castle.
It's kitchy but we enjoyed The Scotch Whisky Experience. It's where I discovered I don't dislike scotch, I just dislike Highlands and Speyside Scotch but love Islay Scotch.
Oh, across the street from Oink on Victoria Street is the Bow Bar - pop in there too (again if you want to try some different whiskys). Cool bar vibe.
Pretty sure we had decent meals at Mum's, Holyrood 9A. Can't remember if we ate at Halfway House but I know we enjoyed the vibe.
Crazy as it sounds we had some of the best Mexican food at Viva Mexico on Cockburn Street.
I can't remember the coffee shop my daughter loved there - I think it was Black Medicine but I'll check with her when she wakes.
If you're a beer drinker, check out BrewDog.
Not a vegetarian? Get a sandwich at Oink! There are several locations around the city and they also have a stall at the market below the castle.
It's kitchy but we enjoyed The Scotch Whisky Experience. It's where I discovered I don't dislike scotch, I just dislike Highlands and Speyside Scotch but love Islay Scotch.
Oh, across the street from Oink on Victoria Street is the Bow Bar - pop in there too (again if you want to try some different whiskys). Cool bar vibe.
Pretty sure we had decent meals at Mum's, Holyrood 9A. Can't remember if we ate at Halfway House but I know we enjoyed the vibe.
Crazy as it sounds we had some of the best Mexican food at Viva Mexico on Cockburn Street.
I can't remember the coffee shop my daughter loved there - I think it was Black Medicine but I'll check with her when she wakes.
Thanks Kim! I have discovered a few of the places you mention and have a Rabbie’s tour scheduled for Monday. But, strange as it sounds, I appreciate the Mexican food recommendation the most! Since moving to Portugal, the thing I miss the most is Mexican food! I’ve seen a few around town since I arrived but didn’t know which one(s) to try. I will definitely add it to my list.