Flight time
No flight needed from most of the UK
Best season
August (festival) or December
Budget
Mid-range
Best for
History, whisky, festivals, dramatic scenery
Overview
Why Edinburgh for a city break?
Edinburgh has the most dramatic urban landscape in the British Isles — a medieval castle on a volcanic plug of rock, a kilometre of Royal Mile running down to a royal palace, an extinct volcano you can walk up from the city centre, and a skyline of spires and turrets that looks like it was designed for a fairy tale. It's also one of the great literary cities (Muriel Spark, Robert Louis Stevenson, Ian Rankin, J.K. Rowling all wrote here), one of the great whisky cities, and home to the world's largest arts festival every August.
The beauty of Edinburgh for UK travellers is that no flight is required — direct trains from London King's Cross take around four and a half hours on LNER, Birmingham is around three hours, and if you're already in the north of England it's a straightforward hop. If you do fly, Edinburgh Airport is 30 minutes from the centre by tram. The city rewards every season: August's Festival and Fringe is extraordinary but overwhelming; December brings one of Europe's finest Christmas markets; April and May are beautiful and uncrowded.
Where to stay & explore
Edinburgh's best neighbourhoods
Old Town
The medieval heart — the Royal Mile, the castle, the Grassmarket and the atmospheric closes (alleyways) running off the main drag. Dense with history, whisky bars and excellent restaurants.
New Town
The 18th-century Georgian grid — Charlotte Square, Princes Street Gardens and the Scottish National Gallery. More residential and local-feeling than the Old Town; excellent independent shopping on Stockbridge's boundary.
Leith
Edinburgh's port district has transformed into the city's most interesting food and drink neighbourhood — the Shore along the Water of Leith, the Michelin-starred restaurants, the Royal Yacht Britannia. A 20-minute walk or quick bus from the centre.
Things to do
What to see in Edinburgh
1
Edinburgh Castle
The brooding castle on its volcanic rock is the defining image of the city — and the interior genuinely earns the entrance fee. The Scottish Crown Jewels (older than England's), the Stone of Destiny, the Great Hall and the stunning views over the city from the ramparts. Go in the morning on a weekday; the queue builds quickly. The One O'Clock Gun still fires daily (except Sundays) and is an excellent way to startle tourists.
2
Arthur's Seat
The ancient volcano in the middle of Holyrood Park is a 45-minute walk from the city centre and a 20-minute scramble to the summit — at 251 metres, the views over Edinburgh, the Firth of Forth and (on a clear day) the Highlands are extraordinary. Go in decent footwear and check the weather. One of the finest urban walks in Europe, entirely free.
3
Scottish National Museum
One of the best free museums in the UK — a vast Victorian building housing everything from Dolly the sheep to a Himalayan tiger to the Lewis chessmen. The roof terrace gives a different and excellent view of the Old Town skyline. Allow at least two hours; the café is good. Free entry, no booking required.
4
Palace of Holyroodhouse
The official Scottish residence of the King, at the foot of the Royal Mile — a genuine working royal palace with extraordinary 16th-century apartments, the ruins of Holyrood Abbey alongside, and the dramatic backdrop of Arthur's Seat behind. The audio guide is exceptionally good. Check opening times as it closes during royal residency.
Food & drink
Where to eat in Edinburgh
The Kitchin
Scottish fine dining / Leith
Tom Kitchin's Michelin-starred flagship in Leith — "from nature to plate" is the ethos, and it's meant sincerely. Scottish langoustines, Borders lamb, hand-dived scallops. One of the finest restaurants in Scotland. Book weeks ahead.
Dishoom
Bombay café / St Andrew Square
Edinburgh's Dishoom is housed in a spectacular listed Art Deco building — the black dal, the bacon naan and the house chai are as good as any branch. Queue or book; it's always busy. The breakfast is the city's best value meal.
The Sheep Heid Inn
Historic pub / Duddingston
The oldest pub in Scotland (licensed since 1360) in the village of Duddingston at the foot of Arthur's Seat — a perfect lunch stop after the climb. Real ales, traditional pub food, and a skittles alley that predates most countries. A 30-minute walk from Holyrood.
Itinerary
3 days in Edinburgh — a suggested itinerary
Day 1
Arrive, walk the Royal Mile, whisky in the Old Town
If arriving by train, Waverley Station deposits you directly into the heart of the city — one of the great arrivals in British travel. Drop your bags and walk up to the castle (book tickets online the day before to skip the queue). Spend two hours there: the Crown Jewels, the Great Hall, the views from the ramparts. Walk back down the Royal Mile, ducking into the closes on each side — Advocates Close, Anchor Close, Mary King's Close if you want to go underground. The Scottish National Museum is free and worth an hour in the afternoon. For whisky, the Scotch Whisky Experience on the castle esplanade is touristy but informative; for the real thing, head to the Bow Bar on Victoria Street — a classic Edinburgh pub with 140 whiskies and no background music.
Day 2
Arthur's Seat at dawn, New Town, dinner in Leith
Set an alarm for Arthur's Seat at sunrise — the city spread below in early morning light, almost no one around, the Firth of Forth glittering to the north. Allow an hour and a half for the round trip from Holyrood. Breakfast at Dishoom on St Andrew Square (queue early or book), then explore the New Town: the Georgian architecture of Charlotte Square, the Scottish National Gallery (Rembrandts, Titians, the Impressionists — all free), the Water of Leith walkway down to Stockbridge for the Sunday market if it's the right day. Take the bus to Leith for dinner: the Shore area has a concentration of excellent restaurants — if The Kitchin is too ambitious, Fishers Leith does impeccable seafood at more accessible prices.
Day 3
Holyrood, the museum, one last dram on the walk to the station
Palace of Holyroodhouse first thing — the 16th-century apartments where Mary Queen of Scots lived and her secretary Rizzio was murdered are extraordinary. Walk back up the Royal Mile slowly, stopping at the Scottish National Museum for the top floor's design collection and the roof terrace views. Lunch at the Grassmarket — Angels with Bagpipes does an excellent Scottish menu in a beautiful medieval room. Before heading to the station, one last walk along Princes Street Gardens with the castle above: a reminder that Edinburgh's finest things are largely free, and largely unforgettable. The train home from Waverley feels like leaving somewhere that matters.
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