A Perfect Day in Edinburgh
Hello fellow travel lovers! The last stop on my journey takes me to the wonderful city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Here, I met my parents, siblings, grandma, and family friends for a four-day vacation.
As a group of ten, we needed all this time to just scratch the surface of Edinburgh. So, to make better use of your time, I’ve condensed the highlights into a one-day guide!
Edinburgh Castle Start your day at the top of the Royal Mile in Old Town at Edinburgh Castle. Head to the main entrance to purchase tickets or redeem passes (if you booked line saver passes through Viator). I would suggest purchasing an audio guide for this attraction, as it will give you loads of information on the expansive castle. Touring the castle could take you anywhere between one and three hours.
Royal Mile and Lunch
After the exiting the castle, you will find yourself on the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile houses all the tourist shopping and many restaurants. Slowly make your way down towards Deacon’s House Café for lunch. Be sure to stop and enjoy the street artists or purchase a cashmere scarf!
Deacon’s House Café is home to Edinburgh legend, William Brodie. The famous tale, “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” is based off local William Brodie. By day, Brodie was a loyal craftsman trusted by the town and on the town council. But by night, he was the leader of a ring of thieves, who would loot unsuspecting neighbors. It was like he had a split personality…
Holyrood Palace Keep down the Royal Mile to find more shopping. This time maybe stop at an antique store! At the very bottom of the street, you will find Holyrood Palace. You can easily purchase tickets at the door, which include a very useful audio guide. Make your way through the well-preserved palace and don’t skip out on the gardens or the church ruins.
Mary King’s Close Tour
Either before or after dinner at a nearby Scottish pub, take a tour of Mary King’s Close. This tour explores one of Edinburgh’s oldest closes. A close is similar to a side street. There are many closes off of the Royal Mile, just like Mary King’s Close. However, Mary King’s close is so old, it’s underground and the only way you can see it is by participating in this tour.
The tour guides will try to make your visit a little eerie, but totally doable for all ages. If you are looking for something scarier, there are many haunted nighttime tours!
Hannah’s Major Key’s 1. Royal Mile Cashmere Shops: Near the Edinburgh Castle end of the Royal Mile, the street is cluttered with shops selling cashmere, wool, and other blends of tartan/plaid prints. If you are in the market for a nice scarf or blanket, the amount of different stores and wide selection can be daunting. Rather than spending hours searching for the perfect scarf in many different stores, I would only go into a few. Apparently many of the stores on the Royal Mile all have the same owner, so the prices and selection of products will remain relatively consistent throughout each tourist shop. Because you will see lots of the same stuff down the mile, just make your purchases! Plus, like my dad speculates, “the products are all made in China anyways!” 2. Plan a day trip or even a few nights outside of Edinburgh: Although Edinburgh is an amazingly historical city, Scotland’s countryside has so much to offer. From the golf mecca of St. Andrews to the Highlands, picturesque day trips are plentiful. There are many organized tours available, but sometimes renting a car and getting lost at your own pace can be really fun! 3. The Scottish are very friendly! This isn’t really something to beware of, but it was refreshing towards the end of my summer travels. 4. Visit Rose Street: In Newtown, this back street has many cute pubs and restaurants. Enjoy a beer on one of the many patios during the summer time!