Edinburgh
Edinburgh puts a castle on one extinct volcano and a real hill walk on another, both inside the city. It is also where the road to the Highlands begins.
Edinburgh in a nutshell
Edinburgh: what to expect
Every number below comes from 277,000+ planned stops in the United Kingdom on Stippl.
Edinburgh is worth two nights at least, and it is a city people sleep in rather than pass through. The castle on its volcanic rock, the Royal Mile running down to Holyrood, the Georgian New Town and the climb up Arthur's Seat fit into two days on foot, with Dean Village and Leith for a third. Most travellers give Edinburgh 2 nights on Stippl, and only 8.2% of Edinburgh stops carry no bed, the lowest share of any British city we measure.
Edinburgh is the gate to the Highlands, and it turns its back on England. Glencoe, Skye, Fort William and Inverness are the places most over-represented on an Edinburgh trip, far beyond what chance would give. London and Manchester go the other way and turn up on Edinburgh trips less often than chance, while York, up the east-coast line, is the one English city that pulls.
Book the castle online, choose August on purpose, and plan the Highlands as the next leg. The Fringe fills the city for three weeks and rooms trade at multiples of their normal rate, so come for the festival or come in May, June or September instead. Glasgow is fifty minutes by train and belongs on the same trip. London, four and a half hours south, usually does not, and a Scotland week works better starting here than tacked onto one.
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First-timers in Scotland
The castle, the Royal Mile and the New Town are one compact walk, and the road north to the Highlands starts here.
History travellers
Two UNESCO-listed town centres from two different centuries sit side by side, the medieval Old Town above and the Georgian New Town below.
Hill walkers
Arthur's Seat is a real climb on an extinct volcano inside the city, and the Water of Leith path runs right through it.
Two-night planners
Most travellers give Edinburgh 2 nights on Stippl, enough for the castle, the Old Town and Arthur's Seat without rushing.
Festival-goers
The world's largest arts festival fills hundreds of venues for three weeks every August, for anyone who books the room months ahead.
Whisky lovers
Edinburgh is the usual base for distillery day trips, with tasting rooms and bars in the city for the evenings.
Maybe not for you: travellers hoping to pair Scotland with London cheaply, since Edinburgh trips reach England less often than chance; and August visitors on a fixed budget, when Fringe rooms cost several times the usual rate.
The best time to visit Edinburgh
Spring
April and May
April is the driest month of the year and May brings long, lengthening evenings. The seasonal attractions have reopened and the summer crowds have not yet arrived.
Summer
June to August
Mild rather than warm, with usable light late into the June evenings. August belongs to the Fringe, when the city is full and prices follow.
Autumn
September and October
September is warm without the festival and one of the best months to come. October is the wettest month of the year, and the evenings close in fast.
Winter
November to March
Dark, cold and quiet, with the lowest winter share of any British city in the plans. Hogmanay is the one winter week that fills the centre.
- The Fringe fills Edinburgh for three weeks every August, and its rooms trade as a separate market. Rates run at multiples of the rest of the year, so book months ahead or stay outside the city and come in by train each day.
- August is the month most travellers plan Edinburgh for on Stippl, but only just. July is barely behind it and the whole of May to September stays busy, and 27.8% of Edinburgh plans are made six months or more ahead.
- Hogmanay turns New Year into Edinburgh's other peak. The torchlight procession on 30 December, the street party and castle fireworks on the 31st and the Loony Dook plunge on New Year's Day fill the centre, so book as early as for August.
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Things to do in Edinburgh
Photo by Jörg Angeli via Unsplash
Photo by Dave H via PexelsEdinburgh Castle
The fortress on its volcanic plug costs €27 (£23.50) booked online against €30 (£26) at the gate. Booking online is also the only way to be sure of getting in.
The Royal Mile and its closes
Walk down from the castle to Holyrood, ducking into the narrow closes that run off either side. The stairs are steep and slippery in rain, so wear proper shoes.
Climbing Arthur's Seat
An extinct volcano inside the city and a genuine hill walk, with steep, loose sections on the way up. Go in walking shoes and check the weather before you start.
The New Town
A planned eighteenth-century grid of Georgian terraces and squares below the Old Town, walkable end to end, with independent shops along the way.
Dean Village and the Water of Leith
An old mill village inside the city, reached on foot from the centre along the river path. Carry on downstream to Stockbridge for its markets and delis.
A whisky tasting
Tasting rooms and bars in the city give the introduction, and the distilleries themselves are day trips out. Book a distillery tour ahead, since walk-ins are usually turned away.
The neighbourhoods of Edinburgh
Old Town
Medieval closes, castle above
Medieval closes and wynds running off the Royal Mile, with the castle at the top and Holyrood at the bottom. For first-timers who want every sight on foot.
Everything on foot, and the noise and the steepest streets in the city.
New Town
Georgian terraces, calm evenings
A planned grid of wide Georgian terraces, squares and independent shops directly below the Old Town. For couples and anyone who wants quiet within the same walk.
Quiet streets and short walks, but the stairs up to the Old Town.
Grassmarket
Pub square under the rock
A pub-lined square directly under the castle rock, at the foot of the Old Town. For nightlife and evenings out a few steps from bed.
The liveliest evenings in the centre, and loud until closing time.
Stockbridge
Village streets, river, delis
Village streets beside the Water of Leith, with markets, delis and cafés a short walk from the New Town. For repeat visitors and slow weekends.
A neighbourhood people live in, and a longer walk to the castle.
Leith
Old port, restaurant quarter
The old port on the Firth of Forth, now the city's strongest restaurant quarter. For food-led trips and travellers who want lower prices further out.
The best dinners and lower prices, but a bus ride from the centre.
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Where to stay in Edinburgh
Stay in the Old Town for a first visit: the castle, the Royal Mile and Holyrood are all on foot, at the cost of some noise and steep streets. Most travellers give Edinburgh 2 nights on Stippl. August is the exception to everything here, because during the Fringe the rooms are booked months ahead and priced as a separate market.
Old Town
Hostels from €26 a bed and hotels on the closes from €100 to €200 a double, far more in August.
New Town
Georgian townhouse hotels and guesthouses, €120 to €250 a double, the quieter choice.
Grassmarket
Hostels and small hotels around the square, from €26 a bed to €150 a double.
Stockbridge
Guesthouses and apartments near the river, €100 to €180 a double.
Leith
Hotels and apartments by the water, €90 to €150 a double, the best value near the centre.
What to eat in Edinburgh
The national dish, sheep offal pudding with turnip and potato
Tasting rooms and bars in the city; distilleries are day trips
The city's strongest dining quarter, at the old port
A well-covered local institution with a wide price range
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Edinburgh customs and what not to do
Scotland is not England
Calling Scotland part of England, or a Scot English, reads as an insult rather than a slip, so say Scotland and Scottish.
Scottish notes are real money
Scottish banks issue their own notes at exactly the value of sterling, and they are occasionally refused in England, so spend them before heading south.
Order at the bar
In Edinburgh's pubs you stand at the bar to order and pay, table service is the exception, and talking to strangers at the bar is normal.
August changes the pavements
During the Fringe, flyering, street performers and packed pavements are the norm on the Royal Mile, so allow extra time to cross the Old Town.
Do
- Book the castle online before you go
- Wear shoes with grip for Arthur's Seat and the closes
- Spend Scottish notes before travelling south
- Order and pay at the bar in pubs
Don't
- Call a Scot English, or Scotland part of England
- Climb Arthur's Seat in city shoes or in a sudden change of weather
- Arrive in August without a room already booked
- Wait at a pub table for someone to take your order
What an Edinburgh trip costs
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Fun facts about Edinburgh
Edinburgh Castle and Arthur's Seat both stand on extinct volcanoes. The castle sits on the plug of one, and Arthur's Seat, inside the city, is a proper hill walk with steep sections.
The Old Town and the New Town share one UNESCO World Heritage listing. One is medieval and the other a planned Georgian grid, so the single site covers two different centuries.
Glasgow gets 74% more rain than Edinburgh, only 75 km away. Edinburgh's 727.7 mm a year against Glasgow's 1,262.8 makes it far drier than its reputation.
April is Edinburgh's driest month and October its wettest. That turns the usual assumption about a wet Scottish spring upside down, and makes April a good month to come.
The One O'Clock Gun has fired from Edinburgh Castle daily since 1861. It goes off at one o'clock every day and can be heard across the city centre.
The Balmoral Hotel's clock runs three minutes fast on purpose. It is set ahead so that guests do not miss their trains at Waverley station, directly below.
The Royal Mile is about 1.13 modern miles long. It was measured in old Scots miles, which were longer than the English mile used on road signs today.
Local tips for Edinburgh
The walking is vertical
The Old Town sits above the New Town, so routes that look flat on a map involve stairs and steep closes. Wear shoes with grip, especially in rain.
Glasgow is fifty minutes away
ScotRail runs Edinburgh to Glasgow in about fifty minutes, from €20 (£16.80) return, often enough to make the two cities one trip rather than two.
Take the tram from the airport
The tram reaches the centre in about thirty minutes for €7.60 (£6.50); the Airlink 100 bus is cheaper at €5.30 and takes around twenty-five.
Arthur's Seat is a real climb
One route reaches a 35% gradient on loose ground, and the exposed summit turns cold and wet much faster than the streets below.
Two nights, then north
Most travellers give Edinburgh 2 nights on Stippl before heading on, and Inverness is three and a half hours north by direct train.
Free museums for wet days
Scotland's national museums and galleries are free, so the National Museum of Scotland, with its rooftop terrace, is the plan for a rainy afternoon.
Edinburgh questions, answered
They sleep here. Only 8.2% of Edinburgh stops planned on Stippl carry no bed, the lowest share of any British city we measure, against nearly three in ten in Manchester. Edinburgh is a stay rather than a stopover, so book the room before you book the trains around it.
Usually somewhere north. Edinburgh is on 19.75% of the United Kingdom trips people build on Stippl, and those trips head for Glencoe, Skye, Fort William and Inverness far more often than chance would give, while London turns up less often. Glasgow, fifty minutes west by train, is the other common partner.
Most travellers give Edinburgh 2 nights on Stippl, usually at the start of a Scotland trip before the Highlands. Lay the route out in Stippl with Edinburgh first and check the driving days to Skye, then show it to people who have been, in subreddits like r/VisitingScotland or the Facebook groups, and say how you travel when you ask.
Only if the Fringe is the point. The festival fills the city for three weeks and rooms trade at several times their usual rate, while May, June and September give you the same long evenings without it. August is also barely busier than July in the plans, so the rest of summer is no compromise.
Harder than its place in the city suggests. It is a genuine hill walk on an extinct volcano, with steep, loose sections and one route reaching a 35% gradient, and the exposed summit changes weather fast. Wear walking shoes rather than the ones packed for a city break, and carry a layer.
Glasgow, by a long way. Edinburgh gets about 728 mm of rain a year against Glasgow's 1,263, and April is Edinburgh's driest month while October is its wettest. Pack a waterproof for either, and plan the free museums for the wet afternoons.
Every guide is written by the Stippl editors and checked against the trips our travellers actually plan. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
Plan Edinburgh in Stippl
Day-by-day planning, stays and budget in one app, with every place from this guide already on the map.
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