| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Best for | The castle and the views |
| Time needed | 3 days |
| Budget | ££ |
| Best time to go | August, for the Fringe |
| Getting around | Train from London, then walking |
The brief
Two trips with my partner, in October 2016 and September 2021.
Top placements
1. Edinburgh Castle
Scotland's most visited paid tourist attraction, with over 2.2 million visitors in 2019. It stands on Castle Rock, the plug of an extinct volcano, which has been occupied since at least the Iron Age. Website · Map
2. Calton Hill
Beyond the east end of Princes Street and part of the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site. A lot to see here: the National Monument, the Nelson Monument, the Dugald Stewart Monument, the old Royal High School, the Robert Burns Monument, the Political Martyrs' Monument and the City Observatory. Map
3. Victoria Street (West Bow)
Its gentle curve and colourful shopfronts make it a favourite spot for photos, postcards and TV adverts. It was built between 1829 and 1834 to improve access around the Old Town. Map
4. Dean Village
A former village just northwest of the city centre, once the "Water of Leith Village", and a grain milling area for more than 800 years. At one time there were eleven working mills. Map
5. The Black Cat
A bar specialising in Scottish whisky, with over 130 malts, and staff well trained for any of them. The Financial Times Magazine called it "one of Edinburgh's top five places to hang out". Website · Map
Also seen:
- The White Hart Inn, a Grassmarket inn from the early 16th century, a few hundred steps from where public hangings were held. Robert Burns and William Wordsworth were among its visitors
- The Caley Picture House, the fanciest Spoons. It opened as a cinema in 1923, and Queen and AC/DC are among its past performers
- Greyfriars Bobby Statue, a life-size statue of a 19th-century Skye terrier said to have sat by his owner's grave for 14 years
- Camera Obscura & World of Illusions, in the Outlook Tower near the castle
The flat white index
Every city gets a coffee score. Same order everywhere, so cities compare fairly.
| Café | Score /5 |
|---|---|
| Wellington Coffee | 5 |
| Zebra Coffee Company | Not scored yet |
| Lowdown | Not scored yet |
| Fortitude Coffee | Not scored yet |
| The Milkman | Not scored yet |
| Cairngorm Coffee | Not scored yet |
| Gordon St Coffee | Not scored yet |
| Cult Espresso | Not scored yet |
| Kilimanjaro Coffee | Not scored yet |
| Union Brew Lab | Not scored yet |
City score: not scored yet.
Ad spotting
Nothing of note this time.
Connected
- Nothing of note.
Good to know
- The Fringe is the world's largest annual international arts festival.
- Since 2009 the castle has appeared on £10 notes issued by the Clydesdale Bank.
- The earliest known human habitation in the Edinburgh area was at Cramond, a Mesolithic camp site dated to around 8500 BC.
The verdict
Would I rebook? Yes, for the Fringe.
Return on investment: 8/10