Scotland- Edinburgh

[lucybelle]

I'm thinking of taking a week long trip up to Scotland this January. I know the weather won't be great (especially since I'll be coming from summer in Costa Rica!) but I think it could be a nice trip.

Tickets are cheap. I'll be staying with a friend in Edinburgh, who will lend me warm clothes! She may or may not have to work during the time. So I'll probably have at least a few days on my own. Is there plenty to see/do for a week in that area? How is the public transportation? Any good day-trip recommendations?

I've never really been urged to go to the UK in general, but I guess it would be nice to finally go somewhere where they're at least supposed to speak my native language. So I'm trying to convince myself this will be a fun trip.

[snow_girl]

I was there for a weekend in December, it was the coldest place I've ever been in my life. No joke! F'ing freezing! Everything is walkable and there are lots of pubs so you can stop in and get some baileys and hot chocolate/hot cider or whatever you fancy to warm up. Kteire lived there for a year, she'd probably be a good person to ask about stuff.

It was one of the prettiest cities I've ever been to though!

[lucybelle]

Oh no. A Canadian telling me somewhere is f'ing cold. I'm going to die!

[80anthea]

Edinburgh is beautiful, one of my favourite cities in the UK. I'm just posting on my phone at the moment but when I'm online properly tomorrow I'll try to remember some useful things.

[lucybelle]

Awesome! Thanks!

I also PMed kteire.

[roosie]

I already replied to your blog, but there is a lot to see in Edinburgh. It's a beautiful city with a lot of history. I have family living there so I spent some time there aupairing my second cousins. If you are into history, you can go to Edinburgh castle or take a train trip to Stirling, which also has an interesting castle and a really fascinating cemetery (seriously, some of the graves are really old, I spent hours walking around there, but then again.. I'm slightly odd like that). You could also visit the cafe where J.K.Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book, or go on a ghost walk https://www.realmarykingsclose.com/ with a tour guide that speaks such strong Aberdeen accent that I could hardly understand a word. There are some other cheesy tourist attractions like https://www.thedungeons.com/edinburgh/en/, which was actually quite a lot of fun. Edinburgh Zoo is also pretty good. I didn't think it was cold, but I'm a Finn so I'm not the best one to judge. Prepare for the rain and harsh winds though.

[Kiyama]

Been to Edinburgh twice and love that city
Taking a stroll on the castle grounds is nice and generally walking through the old part of town. Taking a ghost tour is fun too. You learn a lot about the city and it's history. We ended up in a tombe on a graveyard to meet a poltergeist but apart from freezing my toes off (it was late November), nothing happened.
There is a great historic museum too where they show a lot of stuff how people lived back in the day.
Then of course a pub with some live band playing and order some haggis if you are adventurous food people.
I also heard the JK Rowling tour is supposed to be nice. We just visited one of the many cafés she used to write at.

[nicole]

We went for a mini-moon in June to Edinburgh and it was fun! Arthur's Seat and Calton Hill are both worth the hikes up for the views- gives you a break from the masses of people too! And they're free which is always a plus

Oh and Glimmerton Cove! Its a bit of a bitch to get to, but its a very cool, and as its off the beaten track- less touristy then most sites.

We found the castle to be a bit meh. Its got a great view but they didn't have a lot of the actual castle open. And a lot of the rooms which are aren't furnished like most castles/palaces. There was a sign saying "Here is where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to King James" in a pretty much empty room. Not very interesting! But the Scottish Crown Jewels are there and pretty cool to see.

There should be day trips to Stirling or to some of the ruined abbeys nearby too if you've had enough of being in the city

[kattermole]

I'm from Scotland and have been to Edinburgh loads, it's a great city! Definitely recommend doing a ghost walk and also Mary King's Close, really fascinating. Just take a stroll down the Royal Mile too, lots of nice little shops and places to eat. Dynamic Earth is quite fun too, and there's a large zoo that's just a short bus ride from the city centre. There's a free museum on the Royal Mile called The Museum of Childhood - loads of old toys and games from years gone by, really interesting. There's a big department store, Jenners, that is something of an institution. The dungeons are a good laugh too!

Glasgow is only an hour on the bus away too if you wanted to do a day trip.

[ioanna]

Sounds like you'll have lots of nice things to do on this trip!! I'll be bookmarking this thread for future reference once my turn comes

[elina]

I'm in love with Edinburgh. Hands down the best and most gorgeous city I've ever been to (not that I've been to many, but still). Love it love it love it!

I'd recommend Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, I'd assume you'd be into the type of stuff they have in there. Also Scott Monument is cool, awesome views. Edinburgh castle and Edinburgh zoo, loved both of them. I've not done the walk up to Arthur's Seat but I would love to. The bus tours around the city are quite fun too, and you can hop on and off wherever you like.

Aaah, you made me want to go now!

P.S. Saint Giles' Cafe has the best waffles and hot chocolate ever!

[miss_jaclynrae]

So glad you posted this!!!
DB and I booked our tickets for Edinburgh mid January before we head home! :yay:

I AM SO EXCITEDDDDDD!!!!!!!
We fully expect to freeze our asses off, does anyone know if it would be doable to drive down south to see some historic sites though? We were thinking of renting a car for one day, but with the weather, we have no idea if it would be smart or safe!


Any good ideas for places that also don't have to do with drinking?
Any cute shops! I just am stoked to explore such a beautiful city, the cold will SO be worth it.

[80anthea]

Sorry, I've been slow and lots of people have already made some excellent suggestions! I second Arthur's Seat and the Castle. Edinburgh is also on the main trainline so if you want to escape South then York is lovely and only a couple of hours away (I'm biased!). Do you drink alcohol? If so, there's a distillery that does tours with free samples

[pink elephant]

Pretty late to this post, so pardon my lateness.

My husband and I just recently visited Edinburgh this week actually! And considering how cold it was, we decided to keep things indoors and went shopping and to the National Museum of Scotland. It's free, ginormous and amazing! You could spend the whole day there.

As everyone else has said, everything is pretty much within walking distance. Lots of great shopping, buses have great service at reasonable prices. We also tried to go to the Royal Botanic Gardens but didn't have time. But it's definitely a beautiful city. You'll enjoy it!

[hmarie08]

I lived in Scotland for three years. It's the most beautiful place in the whole wide world!! It's where I met my SO, so I suppose it holds a pretty special place in my heart Make sure to go to Glasgow as well. It's a short train ride away, and a totally different vibe than Edinburgh. There are two huge pedestrian-only streets full of shops and restaurants. Definitely worth a visit!