How to Spend a Weekend in Edinburgh
When planning our trip through the U.K, our friends raved about Edinburgh; so naturally we added it to our itinerary. We were immediately impressed by the vibe of the city – stone buildings lined every inch of the skyline and instead of building outward, the city had built up on top of itself. We’d never seen a city like it and couldn’t wait to go exploring. We only had a few days to check out the city, so here’s how to spend a weekend in Edinburgh.
Pricey Attractions:
Edinburgh Castle: The castle was a bit pricey, but how could you not check it out when it towers over the entire city? It’s got some pretty awesome views and if you time it right, you can get in on a quick 30 minute group tour that offers a great overview of what’s on the castle grounds. We got to see the Scottish crown jewels and the room where Mary, Queen of Scots, gave birth to her son, James. Any other Reign fans?
Edinburgh Dungeon: We had really terrible luck with the London Dungeon two years ago. Like so bad that we still cringe when we talk about it. When we saw the sign for the Edinburgh Dungeon, we decided to give it a try to see if it could redeem itself. If you go online, you will find decent coupons, but a full price ticket still runs at about 18 GBP. While the theatrics are entertaining, the stories were hard to follow, especially if you don’t have any background on Scottish history.
Haunted Tour: While exploring, we stumbled across a shop called the Witchery. After reading reviews on TripAdvisor, we had an idea of what to expect – the tour was more funny/goofy than scary, but we did hear quite a few interesting stories about murders, grave robbers and the plague. If you’re just looking for entertainment (like raunchy jokes and a dancing monk) that gives you some history of the city, then it might be worth a few hours of your time.
Free Attractions:
New Town: On our last day in Edinburgh, we decided to head towards New Town. We learned very quickly that New Town is great if you want to go shopping, but that’s about it.
Calton Hill: One of the best parts of this attraction is that it’s free (which we loved!). To get to it, you have to climb a load of stairs, but the view at the top of the hill is spectacular. You can look out towards the water in one direction and see hills for hiking in another. This hill also contains the Scottish Parthenon, better known as “Edinburgh’s Disgrace.” The plan to build a Parthenon was a good one (Edinburgh used to be at the real forefront of modern discoveries); however, the builders didn’t quite estimate the amount of money and stone needed, so they never finished it.
The Royal Mile: If you like window shopping, people watching and street performances, then take a walk down one of Edinburgh’s main streets. This also serves as a great landmark to navigate your way around the city.
Princes Street Gardens: There aren’t a lot of flowers, but it’s a great place to people watch, enjoy a picnic or just lay in the grass and soak up the sunshine on one of Scotland’s rare, sunny days. Our favorite part about this area was definitely the street music just outside the park. There was one performer after another, and the performances ranged from bagpipe players to a stomp group. Grab an ice cream, have a seat and take in the music.
Eating:
Byron North Bridge: We stumbled across this place on our way back down the Royal Mile, and it caught our eye because there was a student discount (always on the lookout for a deal). It’s your typical burger place, but the burgers were really good and they had hard milkshakes, which is every 22-year-old’s dream dessert. Turns out that Reese’s and Rum go well together. If you can pass for college age, give this place a try.
Lodging:
KickAss Hostels: One of our favorite hostels so far. It had a cafe and a bar where you could order dinner/drinks and just hang out. It offered a free walking tour led by the hostel’s really cool staff, which was amazing. Our guide was so funny, and she told us story after story about the city’s quirky and sometimes haunted history. Stories ranged from haunted cemeteries to a cute story about Bobby the dog.
Our only complaint was a tiny one – the menu they advertise all over the hostel isn’t actually served (imagine our disappointment after looking forward to french toast for days). I would definitely recommend staying here or its sister hostel down the street – Budget Backpacker.
After just a few days exploring this city, we could understand why our friends raved about it so much. The city was beautiful and impressive, the history interesting and the hills a great workout. A weekend in Edinburgh was the perfect amount of time to explore this beautiful city. If you’re visiting the U.K., make some room in your itinerary to visit this jewel of a city.
Interested in what to do and where to go in Europe? Check out the rest of our city guides.
