A Flying Visit To Edinburgh

This week, I paid a flying visit to Edinburgh. It’s probably my favourite city in the UK – the beautiful buildings, the winding streets and alleys, the green spaces, the shops, the bars… I can’t think of another city that has my heart in the way Edinburgh does. It’s small enough that you can get a real flavour of it in a day, or if you have more time, book up a hotel (there are loads to choose from on Hotel Direct) and stay a few days. things to see and do in edinburgh

My 4.55am start meant that by the time I got to Gatwick Airport, I was ready for some caffeine…

Getting from Edinburgh Airport into the city centre is easier than ever now that the Edinburgh Trams are running. You could still opt to get the Airport Express bus into town, but I hopped on a shiny tram and whizzed into Princes Street with the joy of free wifi onboard. Wheeee!

Edinburgh Tram

I met my mum and after a quick cuppa in the cafe in Jenners (a department store that’s been there since 1838) our first stop was Calton Hill, where you get some amazing views of Edinburgh. You can stand at one side and see down to the Firth of Forth (even getting a glimpse of the Forth Rail Bridge in the distance) or from the other side, you can see Arthur’s Seat (which will forever more remind me of the book One Day).

Calton Hill

Calton Hill, Edinburgh

Firth of Forth

arthurs-seat

From there, we wandered across the North Bridge to the Royal Mile – such a brilliant street to walk up and down, people-watching. It’s mostly populated by tourists of course, but we were being tourists too, right? After a quick ‘hello’ to Edinburgh Castle (more great views from up there), we headed down to Victoria Street and the Grassmarket. Such amazing buildings – built on top of each other – and lovely shops and galleries to mooch around.

Victoria Street, Edinburgh

Bagpipes in Edinburgh

Royal Mile, Edinburgh

Cream Tea at the Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh

From there, we walked around to Princes Street Gardens before ending up in the Caledonian Hotel for tea and scones. Originally a railway station, the Caledonian still has some of the original station walls inside, which is pretty cool. So, if you go to Edinburgh, either for the day or for longer, here’s where I recommend…

Restaurants I love

We ate at Angels With Bagpies on the Royal Mile, which was really lovely. Great food and friendly service. I’d also recommend Cafe Marlayne on Thistle Street – a small French bistro – and The Outsider on George IV Bridge which serves great food too.

Bars and pubs I love

The Queens Arms on Frederick Street is an amazing little pub where the walls are lined with books and there are private carriage-style booths to sit in. Under The Stairs on Merchant Street is quirky with mismatched furniture and little nooks to sit in. For a cocktail, you can’t beat Tigerlily, followed by a boogie (yes, I’m 57) downstairs in Lulu.

Great hotels

If I’d been staying overnight in Edinburgh, I’d have been hard pushed to choose where to stay. Tigerlily is one of my favourite hotels in the city – great location on George Street and gorgeous girly decor. I’ve wanted to stay in Hotel Missoni for a while (FYI they do amazing cocktails in the bar) and the Princes Street Suites are perfect for anyone who has kids with them, with one bed, two bed and three bed apartments available.

Places to go with kids

If you’re with the little ones, Edinburgh is awash with fun things to do with kids. At the moment, there’s a huge ferris wheel on Princes Street, which would give them a fun ride and a great view of the city. Princes Street Gardens is great for a run around, a roll down a hill or two, and a go in the play area at the west end. School aged kids will love Our Dynamic Earth – an interactive, education, fun science museum. And no trip to Edinburgh is complete without a visit to Edinburgh Zoo to see the pandas! You have to queue to get into see Tian Tian, but it’s worth it because she’s so cute (slash-wouldn’t-want-to-get-too-close).

 

 Thanks to Hotel Direct for sponsoring this post! For details on how I work with brands, see my Work With Me page.

 

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12 Comments

  1. Steph
    August 29, 2014 / 7:12 am

    Lovely! One of my favourite cities too! Husband and I were lucky enough to stay in hotel missoni when it first opened (got a great deal) – they had prosecco on tap – which is always a good thing!!

  2. August 29, 2014 / 8:40 am

    It’s a magical place, I have only been twice and would love to go again. Plus, I NEVER knew they had trams!

  3. August 29, 2014 / 2:50 pm

    Love that you went up for the day – you’re such a jetsetter 🙂 Again, never been but I TOTALLY should go x

  4. August 29, 2014 / 6:20 pm

    Looks great, I’d really like to visit Scotland and travel around. I can remember going on holiday to the Isle of Skye when I was little, would love to go back x

  5. August 29, 2014 / 10:40 pm

    I’ve never been to Scotland, but I’d love to go one day. It looks beautiful. I think I might need a translator though 😉

    • Alison Perry
      Author
      September 1, 2014 / 10:57 am

      Haha you definitely wouldn’t!!

  6. August 30, 2014 / 8:29 am

    I’ve only ever been to Edinburgh for work during the TV Festival so didn’t see much, but it was beautiful. I’d love to go back!

  7. August 30, 2014 / 10:42 am

    I’ve only ever been to Edinburgh once before, but since Scotland has recaptured my heart I definitely don’t need any excuses to visit and explore some more! Sounds like you had a lovely day!

    • Alison Perry
      Author
      September 1, 2014 / 10:54 am

      You really should! If you love the rest of Scotland (and Glasgow) then Edinburgh is a winner.

  8. September 1, 2014 / 7:48 pm

    I’ve never been to Edinburgh (in fact I’ve only been to Scotland once when I was a nipper) but my brother now lives in Orkney so if we ever do go and visit one day I think we’d do a stop over in Edinburgh to break up the super long journey! It looks beautiful! x

  9. September 4, 2014 / 11:08 am

    I agree Edinburgh is a lovely place – also one of my favourite cities in the UK and I have lived their twice – both for a year at a time and have constantly asked myself why I ever left as it’s such a wonderful place

    Laura x

  10. September 7, 2014 / 2:36 pm

    I’ve never been to Edinburgh before in fact, I’ve never been to Scotland before which I really should rectify. Edinburgh looks amazing 🙂

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