On our 10-day trip through the UK, my husband and I had just enough time to pop in and spend a day in Edinburgh, Scotland. We were so glad we did!
Welcome to Scotland!
We almost didn’t go to Edinburgh. Mostly because we couldn’t figure out how to pronounce it. So here’s what we learned. {Ed-in- BRA}. or perhaps more accurate is {Ed-in-Bura}. Please comment if I am still pronouncing this incorrectly!
So now that you can say it, definitely make a stop here! This was our favorite big city in the UK.
The accent in Scotland was the most difficult for me to understand. Right from the first moments of our day in Edinburgh, we heard the Scottish English that we love in America.
Most of our 10 days trip was focused on England and Ireland, but when we found $30 tickets from London to Edinburgh, we decided to make a stop in Scotland, too.
Overview of Edinburgh
The HILLS! Edinburgh is a city built around an ancient volcano. There are 3 major peaks in the downtown area. One peak has the Edinburgh castle on it. This can be accessed by a steep side road (from the tram stop near Princes Park) or by a more mild incline up the Royal Mile street. The second peak is called Holyrood Park. Here you will find a beautiful hike up to Arthur’s seat. The smallest of the downtown peaks is called Calton Hill. This hill has really easy access with just a few stops. At the top you’ll find several memorials and some beautiful views (although I thought Arthur’s seat had the best views)
We made it to the top of all 3 peaks. We logged 30,000 steps on our day in Edinburgh. You can use transportation more and hike a little less, but be prepared for lots of walking!
Transportation from the EDI Airport
Edinburgh has an amazing tram from the airport straight to downtown. It costs 8.50 pounds to ride unlimited on the tram and local buses around town for a day pass. A single journey on the tram costs 6 pounds.
Since we had a late night flight, we stayed in a hotel next to the airport and rode the tram into town in the morning. Free Wi-Fi is available on the Tram.
Get off at the Prince Street stop and start your day in Edinburgh there. From this stop, the walk up to the castle is very steep. If you need a smaller incline, start at the Holyroodhouse Palace and walk up the Royal Mile.
Enjoy the beauty of Princes Street Garden 
This is a beautifully maintained and decorated park. Enjoy the flower arrangements, peaceful vibes and gorgeous views of the majestic castle from this park.
Tour Edinburgh Castle
I was beyond impressed with Edinburgh castle. I’ve been to quite a few castles in my day, but none have been as detailed and extensive as Edinburgh (well, maybe Himeji castle in Japan was similar). The guided Audio tour was well worth the information and details of the many locations and artifacts to be found around the castle grounds.
The Jewels of Scotland are found in a part of the castle. It is quite a wait so the sooner you get in line to see them the better. If there is a wait, like we had, listen to various stories and histories on the audio tour. There are two entrances, so look around to see if the other entrance has a shorter line. After winding through some exhibits explaining the Jewels you will see (no photography) the scepter, crown, sword and coronation seat.
I liked touring the prison and slave quarters. Imagining life at the castle was fascinating.
One of my favorite parts of the castle was a memorial building to all the Scots who served modern wars. It was fascinating to see history from a Scottish perspective. Plus, the symbolism and memories of the Scots were so beautifully portrayed. Be sure to step into the memorial building!
A modern-day cannon fires at 1 pm every day. Not knowing this, we wondered why there was such a crowd of people and foolishly went inside the prison and missed the whole spectacle. At exactly 1:00 a ball drops on Nelson’s monument on Calton hill Memorial as well. These traditions started when seamen needed to reset their clocks to accurate times. On foggy days, sailors couldn’t see the ball drop, so the cannon was also fired. If you are there at 1, don’t miss it!
Walk through Old Town and the Royal Mile
After spending several hours touring the castle, make your way down the royal mile. Here you will find Old Town Edinburgh. There are several shops, museums, places to eat. At the end of the Royal Mile are the Holyrood Palace and the Scottish Parliment building.
Tour the Palace at Holyroodhouse Gardens
When the Queen of England visits Edinburgh, her official residence is at Holyroodhouse Palace. We opted for hiking the peak nearby the Palace and got a great view of the Gardens and palace from there but didn’t go in. It costs 14 pounds for the Palace tour and 23 pounds to include the Gallery and Gardens. Let me know if it was worth entering!
Enjoy the architecture of the Scotish Parliment building and grounds
Parliment is a free building to enter. You will have to go through a security but will find bathrooms, wi-fi, and some interesting architecture as well as info on how the government of Scotland is run. The grounds in front of the building are beautiful and well-taken care of. Spend a few minutes here before starting on a gorgeous city-view hike.
Hike to Arthurs Seat in Holyrood Park
If you enjoy a good hike, from Holyrood Park, you can hike up Arthur’s seat. If you see a steep and steady incline heading toward the castle, this is NOT the Arthurs seat hike. It is a steep climb with a great view, but will ultimately lead back around this smaller mountain and you will still need to climb the back side of Arthurs seat to get the higher view of Edinburgh. I would suggest just doing the easier hike. When facing the peaks turn LEFT to start on the easy way up to the top. Turn RIGHT if you want to take a longer hike and get some great views (and are ok with a steep incline!)
Relax beneath the Scott Monument
This monument is easily seen from the Castle, as well as Arthurs seat so we were curious. We thought it was the “Scot” monument (a monument to the Scots). However, it is actually the “Scott” monument, a monument to Sir Walter Scott, an Author who changed everything for the world accepting the people of Scotland.
You can climb inside the Scott monument. However, after climbing Arthurs seat, we decided we already had a great view and passed.
Walk to the top of Calton Hill
At the top of a few steps up to Calton Hill, you will find several monuments as well as a city view to stare at. Nelsons monument you can climb to the top if you pay 5 pounds and the ball at the top drops daily at exactly 1 pm
The National Monument resembles the Roman Forum. Despite being tall enough you shouldn’t be able to get on it, everyone WAS on it. It made for some fun photos and a great spot to sit and soak in the views.
Other monuments you can see are the Dugald Steward Monument, Old Royal High School, the Robert Burns Monument the Political Martyrs’ Monument, and the City Observatory.
Try Haggis?
When we stopped at a grocery store a local man was buying 5 of these. We asked how to prepare it (It was microwavable!?!?) so we gave it a try. Besides the awful thoughts of animal blood and guts, it was actually pretty good. Do you like Haggis?
If you get through this whole itinerary, you will be exhausted and fully enjoy that tram ride back to the airport. We logged nearly 30,000 steps!
The beauty of this city from the amazing viewing peaks will always be in my memories.
What did you love from your day in Edinburgh?
We flew from Edinburgh to Ireland for the next four days. Find the Ideal Ireland Itinerary here.
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