Greetings! In this session, we’ll dive into what is the historical, cultural, and political capital of Scotland – Edinburgh! We’ll be spending three nights in the home of Scotland’s Kings, Parliaments, writers, thinkers and bankers. Using our process, we’ll determine:
What should we see?
Where we should sleep?
Where/What should we eat?
This will be day 15 and 16 of our England/Wales/Scotland adventure. After arriving and wandering around last night See our blog – Session 9 for details on a night in Edinburgh ( The Attentive Traveler – Video – Session 9 – Travel Prep – Scottish Highlands – Oban to Edinburgh – The Attentive Traveler ) we’ll spend two days wandering around Scotland’s showpiece. It is here were the lowland Scottish culture (with a wink to the Brits) meets the Highland Scottish style (rustic and Gaelic). There is SO MUCH to see here that will be a challenge to get it all in during the time we have alloted.
Edinburgh is really two cities – an Old Town that stretches along the Royal Mile – from the Castle at the top of the hill to the palace at the bottom, and the New Town – separated by a lovely park that used to be a swamp. New Town was built in the 1700’s… and it is sort of a planned neighborhood. Here you’ll find upscale shops, broad (straight)streets, square squares.. and Georgian Mansions decked out in Greek-Style columns and statues.
Saint Rick Steves said he’d give Edinburgh two days and three nights. We’ll be giving it just a wee bit more – with the three nights and two and a half days. But we’ll be squeezing in a little extra as well – squeezing in visits to nearby Stirling and the Rossyln Chapel.
The list of things to do in Edinburgh is quite overwhelming. I’ve got three full lists – the must-sees (my opinion) that match up with Jackie and my interests, a 2nd list of highly rated places that Saint Rick and Saint Lonely Planet suggest, and a 3rd list of more eclectic sights that may be exactly what you are looking for, but just didn’t fit onto our to-do list.
For certain we are going to take Rick Steve’s city walks through both Old Town and New Town. Old Town’s walk on our first night in town will help set up our visit the next day to visit some of the locations more in-depth. Rick also has self-guided tours of the Edinburgh Castle (actually an audio tour on his app (www.ricksteves.com) and St. Gile’s Cathedral.
What to See?
Here is our list of the must-sees for Edinburgh:
- Edinburgh Castle – Edinburgh was born on a bluff – a big rock – where the wonderful Edinburgh castle stands. At the top of the Royal Mile, it is the natural place to start. It’s been the home of Scotland’s Kings and Queens for centuries. Today it’s a complex of various buildings, the oldest dating from the 12th century, linked by cobbled road that survive from its more recent use as a military garrison. It also holds the stunning crown jewels of Scotland. With its great views and great history, it deserves several hours of your time.
- St. Giles’ Cathedral – Possibly Scotland’s most important church. Its ornate spire – the Scottish crown steeple from 1495, is a proud part of Edinburgh’s skyline. It’s interior is fascinating – it contains nearly 200 memorials honoring distinguished Scots through the ages.
- Scottish Parliament – Scotland’s parliament originated in 1293 and was dissolved when Scotland united with England in 1707. But after the Scottish electorate and the British parliament gave their consent, in 1997 it was decided that there should again be “a Scottish parliament guided by justice, wisdom, integrity, and compassion.” Sounds like a place that every freedom loving chap should visit.
- During our first afternoon, we’re going to run out to Stirling to visit the Stirling Castle and hopefully the Wallace Monument. “He who holds Stirling, holds Scotland.” These fateful words have been proven, more often than not, to be true. Stirling Castle’s prized possession – perched on a volcanic crag overlooking a bridge over the River Forth, the primary passage between the Lowlands and the Highlands – has long been the key to Scotland.
- The Wallace Monument commemorates the Scottish hero better known to us Americans as “Braveheart”. William Wallace gathered his forces here in 1297 and secured his victory against England’s Kind Edward I at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. The victory was a huge boost to the Scottish cause… but England came back to beat the Scots the next year.
- Back in Edinburgh, we’re going to wander the New Town on our second day. We’ll see the magnificent buildings shops and especially the restaurants of Thistle Street.
- We’ll take in the National Museum, which has amassed more historic artifacts than most of the other places in Scotland combined. It’s all wonderfully displayed, with fine descriptions offering a best-anywhere hike through the history of Scotland.
- We’ll end our second day at the Rosslyn Chapel – a small but fascinating countryside church that is a riot of carved iconography. The patterned ceiling and walls have left scholars guessing about the symbolism for centuries. It didn’t hurt tourism when the church was used in the climatic final scenes of Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code”.
That’s just the higlights! Here is list #2 – all of which are highly suggested places to enjoy:
- Scottish National Gallery
- Scottish National Portrait Gallery
- Georgian House
- Royal Yacht Britannia
- Gladstone’s Land
And for those looking for something a little more obscure… a little off the beaten tourist path (or maybe even more on the tourist path…:-) ) – List #3:
- Camera Obscura
- Scotch Whiskey Experience
- Writer’s Museum at Lady Star’s House
- The Real Mary King’s Close
- Museum of Childhood
- John Knox House
- Museum on the Mound
- People’s Story Museum
- Museum of Edinburgh
- Queen’s Gallery – Palace of Holyroodhouse
- Dynamic Earth
- Greyfriars Bobby Statue and Cemetery
What to Eat?
This is a first class United Kingdom city… it is busting out with places to eat! Major sections of Rick’s travel guide (the Lonely Planet as well) are dedicated to the different places to eat simply by which part of the city they are in. Here is my list of Eating-Well names – the locations underlined are the ones we’re going to give a try:
- CannonBall Restaurant
- Mums
- Le Bistrot
- Ondine Seafood Restaurant
- The Outsider
- Hewats on the Mile
- Devil’s Advocate
- Wedgwood Restaurant
- Magnum Restaurant and Bar
- Cafe’ Royal
- Contini’s
- Le Cafe’ Honore
- The Bon Vivant
- Fishers in the City
Devil’s Advocate – Saint Rick says this is a popular gastropub that hides down a narrow lane called Advocates Close. With an old cellar setting – exposed stone and heavy beams – done up in a modern style – it feels like a mix of old and new Edinburgh. What caught my eye was the creative whiskey cocktails that kick off a menu that dares to be adventurous.
Le Cafe’ St. Honore – Tucked away like a secret bit of old Paris, Saint Rick says it is a charming place with friendly service and walls lined with beer bottles. It serves French-Scottish cuisine in a tight, Old World cut-glass elegance.
There is no shortages of Eating- Pub choices as well. I guarantee we’ll stop by a few of these:
- Deacon Brodie’s Tavern
- The Mitre Bar
- The World’s End Pub
- Urban Angel
- The Salisbury Arms
- The Old Bell Inn
- Brew Lab
The Salsbury Arms – A gastropub serving upscale, traditional classics with flair. Menu ranges from burgers to salads to more sophisticated dishes.
I simply can’t wait… 🙂
So there you have it.. here is our preliminary itinerary for the night of Day 14, and full Day 15 and 16 in Edinburgh:
- Wander down the Royal Mile, taking in Castle Hill, Lawnmarket, Bank/High Street, St. Giles Cathedral, John Knox’s Home, Worlds End, Canongate, the Scottish Parliament Building and the Palace of Holyroodhouse
- Grab diner at the Devil’s Advocate at 6:30 PM
- Start off Day 15 with a tour of Edinburgh Castle at 9:30 AM. Wander thru St. Giles and shop our way down to the bottom of the Mile. Grab the car and head out to Stirling Castle by 2:30 PM and the Wallace Monument. Scudder back to Edinburgh in time for dinner at the Salsbury Arms before taking in the Hidden & Haunted Edinburgh Tour at 8 PM
- Start Day 16 off at the National Musum and visit Greyfriar Bobby before wandering the lunch hour and early afternoon in New Town. Grab the car and head out to the Rosslyn Chapel in the late afternoon before heading back to Edinburgh for diner at Cafe St. Honore and drinks at our new favorite “haunts”.
I hope you have found this helpful. Next up -drive to Hadrian’s Wall before dropping off the car in the 2nd best (after London) city to visit as a tourist in England – York!