To stay
We stayed at an Ibis down the royal mile. I’d definitely recommend staying within the royal mile as everything is super easy to walk to including Waverley station.
There’s so much to do in Edinburgh I’m really glad this was our base. In the future I’d love to go Isle of Skye maybe even climb Ben Nevis and would be based more in Inverness for that.
To eat
Down the Hatch did inside burgers and delicious cocktail slushies
Come on when in Scotland you have to have a battered Mars bar from the chip shop! I also had cod, chips and curry sauce washed down with an Iron Bru. We loved that the chip shop also sold bottles of vodka too.
Across the road from our hotel was Pie Master which did delicious Beef Scotch Pies, macaroni pies and tattie dogs great for snacks and/or lunch
Scran is a great place for a brunch! We went here after climbing Arthur’s seat before we did a Harry Potter Tour and Whisky Tasting so it set us up for the rest of the day.
Whisky ice cream! I was sceptical but loved it
To do
Walk around the Royal Mile and visit the castle. We chose not to pay to go inside as we were happy to enjoy the view from the outside
Day trip round the highlands. We booked our 12 hour coach tour with Hairy Coo it was a fantastic day! Our driver/guide was brilliant, playing solely Scottish artists on the radio in between telling us all about Scottish history. We got to feed and take pictures with Hairy Coos (highland cows), saw Glencoe, Ben Nevis and took a boat ride round Loch Ness. We didn’t see Nessie but learning how big and deep the loch is I 100% believe something prehistoric or undiscovered could be down there!!
Arthur’s Seat, about an hours walk from the base to the top easy to get to from the city and has great views of Edinburgh too.
Harry Potter walking tour, is a must do for any Potter Fan. You can really see how this amazing city inspired one of the worlds most loved novel series. I think it’s extra charming in autumn where you naturally want to start watching the films.
The Whisky Experience (right near the castle) starts with a ride in a barrel where you learn about how whisky is produced, a “seminar” learning about the different types with a scent card that you scratch to smell the different notes from different regions. You then get to pick one region for your taster and get to take the glass home for free. I would defo recommend this experience even tho we hated the whisky each to their own but I’ll stick to my JD and coke. Watching your friends as they try to drink neat whisky is worth the £17 for a fun and interesting afternoon.
Edinburgh Chihuahua Cafe, yep that’s right. Enjoy a Chai Latte while cuddling adorable pooches. A fun and different way to spend an hour and the perfect hangover cure if you’ve been down the pubs around the royal mile the night before!
I’m so glad I chose to book Edinburgh this year. Even when travel restrictions ease its well worth the visit and has made me want to return to Scotland for another adventure in the future.