A quick shot of history.
Edinburgh, Scotland in early July is an amazing destination. Despite the wait a minute weather, “i.e. don’t like the weather, wait a minute, it will change.”,
Edinburgh stands on the remnants of an extinct volcano that was active approximately 350 million years ago. Its high point is Arthur’s seat. Castle rock, where Edinburgh Castle is located, is a crag and tail formation. A crag and tail formation is created after a glacier runs into a strong piece of rock, like a volcanic plug, and then wears away the softer stone around it. This creates a hard sheer rock face with a softly descending tail of sediment as the glacier progresses. I know, that was a bit nerdy.
Edinburgh has a history of human habitation going back 3-4,000 years. The location was originally named “Dhun Eideann”. This means “fortress on the rock”, in the ancient language. The current name Edinburgh got its form because of those lovely raiding Germanic tribes. The raiders took the Eideann part and added its word for mountain “burgh”, giving us the “Edinburgh” we have today.
The history of Edinburgh is incredible, with the ebbs and flows of clans, conflict, literature, and innovation. As the seat of UK government in Scotland, there are so many points of interest to attract your attention.
Note: to avoid getting dirty looks, or immediately branded a tourist, don’t pronounce the burgh like you would for Pittsburgh. The pronunciation is more like “Edin-burruh”. There should be a very soft trill of the tongue on the “r”. It’s not the exact phonetics, but its close enough to pass in casual conversation.
Best places to stay in Edinburgh?
My recommendation: Courtyard by Mariott Edinburgh, 1-3 Baxter Place
This hotel is away from the hustle of Princes Street, or the Royal Mile but an easy 10 – 15 walk to them.
The Courtyard is a moderately priced hotel with a well-maintained facility. The staff was great. Breakfast was awesome with a wide buffet selection, and the opportunity to order some special items, like pancakes and porridge. In addition to its own restaurant, there are restaurants of almost every cuisine in walking distance. It is also right next to the Omni, which houses a variety of restaurants and the Edinburgh Street Food venues.
The hotel is located a short 5-minute walk from shopping at the St. James Quarter.
Princes Street is one of the main streets in Edinburgh, loaded with shops, restaurants, parks and, of course, some historic hotels.
Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian, Princes Street EH1 2AB
5-Star hotel located on north end of Princes Street, literally at the bottom of the hill from the castle and across the street from Princes Street Garden and the Johnny Walker Experience.
Rocco Forte – The Balmoral 1 Princes Street in the old town
5-Star hotel located in the heart of town, and conveniently located next to Waverly train station and 2 blocks from the Royal mile.
Airport hotels
There are several hotels located adjacent to the airport property with shuttle access to the terminals.
DoubleTree by Hilton Edinburgh Airport – 100 Eastfield Road, Ingliston, EH28 8ll
We stayed at the DoubleTree as I am a Hilton Gold member. The room was spacious with two queen beds. Some minor knock as there wasn’t any central air, though a fan was provided. The fitness center has a great selection, including weights, machines and aerobic equipment. The restaurant was very good. Guests from surrounding hotels were coming to the DoubleTree for dinner.
Other hotels in the area
Moxy Edinburgh Airport – 1 Fairview Road, Ingliston, EH28 8AP
Hampton by Hilton Edinburgh Airport – 5 Almond Avenue Ingilston EH12 9DN
What to do in Edinburgh?
Wander the city center.
Everyone wants to find a cost-effective way to entertain themselves on vacation. Edinburgh offers a wonderful free experience of sightseeing. We spent a lot of our time wandering the parks and gardens and traversing the streets to appreciate the architecture and monuments.
Princes Garden
Beautiful botanical garden located along Princes Street in old town. I have a small gallery on my Instagram page.
Edinburgh Castle Tour.
Take a tour of the current iteration of Edinburgh Castle. The tour gives perspective of the habitation of castle rock before the actual establishment of the castle fortification in the 12th century. The castle also offers some wonderful pictures of the city, the Firth of Forth and into the North Sea in the distance.
The walking tour does have some hills but isn’t overly strenuous. There are accommodations available for those with disabilities, but there are some steps and uneven stone.
Get your tickets and schedule a time in advance for your tour.
Holyrood House
Holyrood House is the Scottish palace of Britain’s Royal Family. I list it here for you to be aware of. When we were in Edinburgh, King Charles was in residence, so the best we could do was take a picture from beyond the closed gate.
I tried to get in by telling them I was an Uber Eats driver…they didn’t believe me. (JOKING!!!)
The Royal Mile
The Royal Mile is the roadway that extends from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood House. The end of the Mile near the castle is very busy. The area is filled with historic attractions, shops, restaurants, street vendors and entertainers. The Mercat square is a vibrant location directly behind St. Giles Cathedral and serves as a staging point for many of walking tours of the capital. Johnston Terrace, near the castle, is the staging site for the many bus tours to distilleries and other points in Scotland.
Interesting factoid: the Royal Mile is a “Scots Mile” in length. This equates to 1.123 statute miles.
St Giles Cathedral
Also known as the High Kirk of Scotland, this beautiful Church of Scotland cathedral’s construction began in the 14th century.
Merkat Cross
The cross marks the location of the market square. This was where important civic announcements and royal proclamations were made. Even public criminal punishments were held at the Cross.
The Real Mary King’s Close.
First a quick definition; a “close” is an alley. These narrow walkways are aligned by multi-story buildings. Mary King’s Close was closed in the 18th Century, and partially demolished to construct the Royal Exchange building. The remaining structures were reinforced to accommodate the Exchange Building.
The remaining structures of The Real Mary King’s Close have developed their own history. Through the years, there have been stories of hauntings in the Close. Its history sets up a great tour!
The tour is a lot of fun and, beyond the spooky stuff, provides some great insight into the living conditions in the 17th century and how those conditions helped propagate disease.
The guides portray residents of the Close in historical costume, enhanced by some technological enhancements.
The tour does involve stairs and uneven walkways, so can be challenging for folks that have disabilities.
Purchase tickets in advance.
The Real Mary King’s Close (realmarykingsclose.com)
Hop On – Hop off bus.
With services in 163 cities around the globe, the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus tours provide a great way to see, and learn about, the points of interest in a city. They are a great way for you to prioritize where you want to visit if you have a limited time in a city. The Edinburgh tours last about an hour. There are 3 different routes, and you can buy a 24- or 48-hour ticket. There are tours with a live guide, or with a recorded script.
Visitors can purchase tickets ahead of time, or as you get on the bus.
Edinburgh Bus Tours – Best Deals | Hop-On Hop-Off Bus (hop-on-hop-off-bus.com)
Day tours from Edinburgh
Whether you want to schedule tours in Edinburgh or branch out to historical or geographic sites around Scotland, there is a great variety of options. If you prefer a more adult adventure to discover more about Scotch Whisky, there are distillery tours to satisfy your pursuits.
We took the day tour to Loch Lomond, Stirling Castle and the Kelpies. Our guide Paul was awesome. Beyond his historical knowledge, he was an engaging and humorous tour guide.
Getting to Edinburgh
Air
Edinburgh International Airport is the primary airport supporting the city and has many international flights from the US and European hubs.
From the airport
To get to the city center from the airport there are several options. There are buses and light rail that take you into the for about 7 GBP per person. These take a little over 30 minutes and drop you off near Waverly Station.
We took a cab (there were four of us) that dropped us at our hotel. The fee was about 33 GBP with tip for door-to-door service. The operation at the airport for taxi service was pretty slick as well. Staff at the taxi stop enter your name and destination into their scheduling system, then assign you to an awaiting cab. It took less 2 minutes for us to get to the station, get our stuff in the cab, and be on the road.
Rail
Edinburgh Waverly Station has connections across the UK. The station is in the heart of the city.
Getting around Edinburgh is incredibly easy. The city itself is on relatively flat topography, so walking is convenient. There are some hills, but nothing severe. There are also the options of taxis and car services, such as Uber.
What to eat in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh’s a great town for foodies, with a diverse offering. There are restaurants in the city to meet any appetite and culinary preference. So rather than giving a list of places to try, I’ll refer you to my blog on the Scottish foods that you have to try. Prioritize these before you start looking for that great pizza place or ramen house.
I hope this gives you a good start if you are looking to take a trip to Edinburgh. There is just so much to see, and so much history to appreciate, and I look forward to my next visit.
Travel Well! Pursue experiences!
O.M.I.A.H.