I spent 4 days in Edinburgh and fell in love with the city. It feels like you have taken a step back in time, with the cobblestone streets, the old stone buildings and the castle guarding the city from high above. It is lush and green, has tons of history, great bars and night life and the friendliest people. I can’t wait to go back and explore not only Edinburgh, but also more of the beautiful countryside and Lochs.
Top 5 – Scotland
1 – The Royal Mile
The Royal Mile is the main street in Old Town Edinburgh. It runs from Holyrood Palace (another place we unfortunately didn’t have time to visit) to Edinburgh Castle and is one Scots mile long (a couple hundred yards longer than an American mile). Along the way you will find tons of shops, pubs and restaurants to explore. True to Old Town Edinburgh, it has cobblestone streets, with old buildings and lots of character. Spend some time bar hopping and eating your way down the street, while stopping to treat yourself to a kilt or a tartan scarf, some scotch or shortbread cookies and lots of fun Scotland souvenirs. Next trip I plan on finding some Brown Clan tartan for everyone in the fam!
2 – Loch Ness and Scottish Highlands day tour
Most tours to the Highlands and Loch Ness are multiple days because of the distance. Scottish Tours is one of the only companies that does a single day tour to the Highlands and Loch Ness from Edinburgh, which was perfect for us since we were relatively short on time. Kenny the tour guide made for an entertaining day touring the Highlands. He was very knowledgeable but also VERY strict. You followed his rules and that was that, as some people in our group learned the hard way (getting left behind and actually yelled at). Along the way, we drove through some of the most beautiful and rugged country side, making stops in Pitlochry, Inverness, Loch Ness and Glen Coe. Even on a foggy, rainy day, it was a spectacular sight.
An optional part of the day trip was a boat ride on Loch Ness. Obviously we were not going to pass on an opportunity to potentially see Nessie, so we ordered a Scottish cider from the boat bar and set sail. Loch Ness is huge, stretching 23 miles long, so an hour boat ride only allowed us to see a small portion. Besides searching for Nessie, we also learned some fun facts: 1- Loch Ness is close to 1000 feet deep, 2- it has more water than all the lakes of England and Wales combined, and 3- the remains of Urquhart Castle, one of the most visited castles in Scotland, are along the shore.
Unfortunately we didn’t see Nessie, but we had a great time regardless. (Side note: there was a Nessie spotting less than a week after we were there. I can’t believe our bad luck!). We were exhausted from the long day (about 12 hours total), but it was well worth it. I personally don’t think a trip to Scotland would be complete without an attempt to see Nessie. I had heard so much about “the Loch Ness monster” growing up, so the boat ride was one of those, “OMG I can’t believe this is my life moments.” Sometimes I have to remind myself how lucky I am to have the life I have, with the opportunity to travel and see the world.
3 – Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle sits perched high above the city, really making it the city’s crowing jewel. It is big, old, beautiful and mysterious. We spent a few hours touring the castle and grounds, where we saw the Great Hall, St. Margaret’s Chapel, the Royal Apartment, the Crown Jewels and much more. After exploring, we made a stop in The Tea Rooms for a royal glass of tea and some scones. When in Britain, right? I grew up drinking a cup of tea most days with my childhood babysitter, who was British. Therefore, having Teatime in Britain was on my bucket list of things to do. It was a rainy day and a cup of tea was exactly what we needed to make it perfect.
4 – Scott Monument
The Scott Monument was built to commemorate the writer Sir Walter Scott. It will cost you £5 cash and require climbing up 287 steps, but the reward is pretty great. Once you reach the top it is unobstructed 360 degree, panoramic views of the city. See Edinburgh Castle, Arthur’s Seat, the National Monument of Scotland and much more. A great way to burn some calories and get some perfect, post-worthy pictures.
5- Scottish pubs and live music
We had so much fun going to pubs and listening to live music and drinking. When I’m traveling, I like to enforce the rule of only drinking local beverages. My travel partners are usually guilted into also participating, but in fairness I think it’s a reasonable rule to follow. So that being said, we had many British ciders along the way. The live music at every place we went was great and even on a Monday night, bars were crowded and lively. It really made for a great local experience.
Honorable mention
Also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia. Her Majesty The Queen’s boat mansion, which she used from 1954 to 1997. With the purchase of our tour bus ticket, we were able to get a package deal for entrance into Edinburgh Castle, Royal Yacht Britannia and Holyrood Palace. We only had time to visit 2 of them and we chose the yacht over the palace. The blue line of the bus tour drops you off at the shopping center (weird I know) where you access the boat.
If you’ve read any of my other posts or know me at all, you know I love the Royals, so exploring HM The Queen’s yacht was amazing. It was massive and so fancy. Just getting a glimpse of how the other half lives was exciting. Also learning about the history of the boat and more about the royal family made it even better.
“A royal yacht is not a luxury, but a necessity.” -HM The Queen, always living her best life.
Grassmarket area
The Grassmarket neighborhood is another area in Edinburgh full of shops, pubs and restaurants. Historically, it was the area where the public executions were held in the 1600s; and now a memorial stands commemorating the people who were executed. It is also home to the oldest pub as well as the smallest pub in Edinburgh, The White Hart Inn, established in 1516 and The Wee Pub, respectively. We had a blast exploring and bar hopping on a beautiful fall day, into a rainy fall night.
Next time I go back to Scotland, I would like to time it around the Highland Games and really get into the Scottish culture. There is so much more of the country I’d like to see as well. It’s a beautiful, mysterious, magical place that you have to see with your own eyes. Pictures just don’t do it justice. It has a little something or everyone…history, royalty, hiking, adventure, shopping, culture, food and drinks. It will be a trip you won’t forget!
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