Scotland’s known for being dreary, but my friends and I got super lucky with the weather and had mostly sunny skies during our 3 days in Edinburgh in July. Scotland was never really on my travel bucketlist radar until my friend, Anica, did her master’s program there a few years ago and raved about it. I went in without very many expectations, and it blew me away!
HOW MANY DAYS TO SPEND IN EDINBURGH?
Edinburgh feels pretty small compared to a London or a Paris. I think 3 days in Edinburgh was the perfect amount of time to do all the main attractions. If you have an extra day, you could do a day trip to Glasgow or go up to the Highlands.
WHERE TO STAY IN EDINBURGH
We booked an Airbnb that was on the Royal Mile, so right in the center of town, which made everything super walkable. Most of the attractions are in Old Town, so I’d stay around there if possible.
Here’s a map of everywhere we went during our 3 days in Edinburgh.
DAY 1: THURSDAY, 7/10
After a few days in Belfast, Jordan, Kyra, and I flew to Edinburgh to meet up with another friend, Anica. She had spent a year in Scotland completing her master’s degree at the University of Edinburgh and was the best tour guide we could’ve asked for!
We took the bus from Edinburgh airport to city center and then navigated to our Airbnb right on the Royal Mile. It was super hilly and we saw a lot of daunting staircases between the streets. However, pro tip, there are also little corridors with ramps that make it way easier with a suitcase!!
For dinner, we went to Dishoom, which is a popular Indian restaurant from London. There’s only one Dishoom location in Scotland, so naturally it was very crowded. You can make a reservation, and I highly recommend making one if you’re going at dinner time, otherwise you’ll be waiting an hour for a table like us. We didn’t make a reservation since we weren’t sure what time we’d get there, but it worked out since we just hung out at the bar downstairs and waited for Anica, who was taking the train from London and arrived at the restaurant with her suitcases and all. We ordered too much, but I had been thinking about the house chaat for 2 years since my last trip to London. I also tried the okra for the first time and it was good!
DAY 2: FRIDAY, 7/11
In the morning, I was feeling pretty dead and my stomach wasn’t feeling great, so I just grabbed a juice at Hula Grassmarket. Then, the rest of the group went to grab coffee and pastries at Hideout Café before Anica dropped us off at Edinburgh Castle, which we booked tickets ahead of time for.
The castle is located on the top of a hill, and it’s visible from pretty much anywhere in the city. It felt pretty different from other European castles, possibly because it’s made of stone and is quite old, with parts built as early as the 12th century. It also wasn’t one big building. Instead, it was made up of a few areas, including a chapel, great hall, and a war museum. I think this would’ve been a good place to book a guided tour because I’m sure there was a lot of interesting history, and it was also just overwhelming since we didn’t really know where to go.
After, we walked back to the Airbnb to meet up with Anica again. I got a Starbucks medicine ball tea and rested at the Airbnb while Anica took Jordan and Kyra around the city for a bit.
Before dinner, we took the scenic route along Princes Street Gardens and took photos of the garden and the Ross Fountain. We made our way to New Town for our reservation at Baba with Lisa, one of Anica’s friends from the University of Edinburgh, who stayed in the city after graduating. Service was super slow, but I loved the fun décor inside, and the food was good and felt pretty healthy.
DAY 3: SATURDAY, 7/12
The next morning, we woke up early for breakfast. Lisa met us at our Airbnb, and we walked to Lannan Bakery, which rivals the top bakeries of any big city I’ve been to. There was a 40-minute wait, but it was well-worth it. I got a yuzu meringue pastry and a white chocolate pistachio pastry for later. We took our goodies to go and ate them at Inverleith Pond. Then we walked along the Water of Leith, which is the main river that flows through Edinburgh, to Dean Bridge. There’s not a ton to see here, but it’s a cute photo stop. There’s apparently a 12 mile path that goes along the river, but we were doing too much walking as it was and did not need to do extra steps.
We went to the reliable but fun Blank Street (from Brooklyn) for matcha, then went to Tron Kirk Market, which was a super cute small indoor arts market inside a church near our Airbnb. Anica said Edinburgh isn’t a salad city, but we were still in search of healthy food. We got lunch at Mary’s Café Bistro, which had a chill outdoor patio and a healthy menu. I got a delicious lentil soup with crusty bread.
Our tickets for the Palace of Holyroodhouse had a flexible entry time, so we went around 3pm which was good since it turns out it was closing at 4pm that day for an event. Compared to Edinburgh Castle, this was more of a typical European palace. It is the principal British royal residence in Scotland, and the King and Queen had actually just visited 2 weeks earlier for Royal Week, which celebrates Scottish culture, achievement, and community.
There was a free audio tour, but sadly you couldn’t take photos inside. There’s a big café and the remains of Holyrood Abbey are in the back outside.
We went back to the Airbnb to change clothes and get ready for dinner at Bonnie & Wild, a food hall at the top floor of the St. James Quarter shopping mall. There were a good amount of options. Kyra got fish and chips, I got some Sri Lankan food, and Anica and Jordan got some Asian chicken. For dessert, we got gelato.
One of the coolest parts about being in Scotland in the summer was the late sunsets. It wouldn’t get dark until around 10pm! It was only 8:30pm when we finished dessert, so Jordan, Anica and I walked up to Calton Hill while Kyra went back to the Airbnb to do laundry.
Calton Hill is a volcanic hill and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as it has several monuments including the including the National Monument, the Nelson Monument, the City Observatory, and the Dugald Stewart Monument. It wasn’t a strenuous walk at all, but the views were truly spectacular. The National Monument is an Acropolis-looking Greek columned structure that you could climb up to if you’re tall or have a boost from a friend. Golden hour was absolutely spectacular up there and there was a restaurant called Café Calton at the top with an outdoor patio and music. Definitely book a reservation in advance if you want a sunset meal.
DAY 4: SUNDAY, 7/13
We grabbed pastries at The Milkman (they filmed a scene from the Avengers at this location, 52 Cockburn St!) before heading out to hike Arthur’s Ridge since we weren’t trying to do a long hike up to Arthur’s Seat. The trail starts on St. Leonard’s Bank then goes up Queens Drive, which is a paved road, then cuts onto the hillside to the left instead of going up the bigger hill. The hike wasn’t too steep and took us about an hour to complete.
We rushed over to Dishoom to make it in time for their brunch menu. While it’s super crowded for dinner time, for breakfast/lunch you can usually just walk in. One day I’ll get something different, but I ordered my usual chai and bacon & egg naan roll, and it was sublime.
Kyra and Jordan went back to the Airbnb to shower while Anica took me on the sightseeing stops that I had missed out on the first day. We went to the National Museum (has free admission!) and saw Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be cloned back in 1996. She lived for six and a half years before being euthanized due to lung disease in 2003. The museum was pretty large and had an F1 car inside, but we didn’t really explore too much of the exhibits. We did go up to the roof terrace on level 7. The views were just alright, it’s tough to beat Calton Hill.
Then, we walked through Greyfriar’s Cemetery. People think this is where J.K. Rowling got the inspiration for some of the names for her characters in Harry Potter. Here, we saw the tombstones of Robert Potter, William McGonagall, Sirius Black and Tom Riddell.
We did a quick photo stop at the Vennel Steps to get a view of the castle and then met up with Kyra and Jordan at Blank Street before doing some shopping on Victoria Street. It’s a curved cobblestone street with colorful storefronts and cute little shops! They call it the Diagon Alley of Edinburgh. We waited in the line for the 2-story Harry Potter store, called Museum Context.
Around 4:30pm, we grabbed some snacks from the grocery store then headed to the Meadows to meet up with some of Anica’s friends from grad school. It was a lovely day out and there were plenty of people out at the park. The sun being out so late is kind of confusing and we didn’t leave the park until 8:30pm. It was getting a little colder and we grabbed dinner at Maki & Ramen, which hit the spot.
The next morning, we all got up early. Anica and Jordan went to the airport to fly back to London Heathrow, then back to Los Angeles. Kyra and I put on our raincoats and grabbed pastries around the corner from the Airbnb at Mor Bakehouse before walking down to the train station to spend a few days in London. It was finally grey and raining in Edinburgh and I’m really glad we got so lucky with the weather!
RECOMMENDATIONS
- go to Lannan for morning pastries
- watch sunset up at Calton Hill
- hike Arthur’s Ridge instead of Arthur’s Chair
- walk along Princes Street Gardens
THINGS I’D CHANGE
- Take public transport to save your legs, you’ll already be walking a lot
- Stay an extra day and go find some highland cows or do a day trip to Glasgow
