Why visit Scotland? Why choose Edinburgh?

Our trip to Edinburgh was the second stop on our 1 month trip around Europe & the UK. We’d just spent three days in Dublin, and after Edinburgh, we spent five days in London.

Like Ireland, we added Scotland to our itinerary because it was close to our original trip starting point in London, and it was a country we’d never visited before. I’ve been curious about seeing more of the UK, so this was a natural fit! It also helped that we’d be visiting in summer, which seemed like a particularly good time to visit notoriously cold and rainy Scotland.

It’s always very difficult to decide how to spend just a few days in a country you’ve never visited before. It was our first trip to Scotland, and while I was tempted to try and squeeze in a couple of nights in Glasgow or in the Highlands, I’m glad we spent all three nights in Edinburgh. Writer and resident Alexander McCall-Smith has described Edinburgh as “a city so beautiful it breaks the heart again and again,” and it is certainly one of the most uniquely beautiful cities I’ve ever visited.

Day 1: The Royal Mile & Holyrood Palace

Royal Mile

We arrived in Edinburgh around 11am, so we started sightseeing as soon as we dropped off our bags at the hotel, Leonardo Royal. Our first stop was the Royal Mile, which is the centrepiece of Edinburgh’s Old Town. The Royal Mile is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in the world. It is so well preserved, and the sheer scale of it is incredible. The Royal Mile starts at Edinburgh Castle, and continues downhill until it reaches the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the other end. 

The Royal Mile has been a processional route for kings & queens for more than 500 years, and is an architectural marvel with well-preserved medieval streets and historic architecture. Small laneways and alleyways, called “wynds” and “closes” split off from the Royal Mile, making it a unique and defining feature of Edinburgh.

The Royal Mile is beautiful, but unfortunately it’s also overrun with tourist tatt. A bit is expected, but the Royal Mile is almost exclusively lined with shops hawking mass-produced tourist tatt. A lack of reasons for locals to visit, means that you’ll rarely hear a Scottish accent here. Oddly, most of the tourist shops repeat themselves, with multiple outlets along the way, so it can be a bit disorienting.

Palace of Holyroodhouse & Gardens

Holyrood Palace, as it is also known, is still a working palace and has been the home of the royal monarch in Scotland since the 16th century. It’s best known for its associations with Mary, Queen of Scots, and Bonnie Prince Charlie. The palace began as the guest house for Holyrood Abbey, which was founded in the 12th century by David I of Scotland, and is in ruins today. 

The Palace, Abbey and Gardens are open to the public, as a ticketed self-guided tour. I really enjoyed this tour, especially the rooms concerning Mary Queen of Scots, which are very well-preserved. It’s very easy to imagine some of the plots & intrigues from her tumultuous reign, playing out in these rooms.

Because it’s still the monarch’s residence, you can’t take any photos inside, unfortunately. Despite many of the rooms, such as Mary Queen of Scots chambers, clearly not being used for personal use by the royal family. Afterwards, we did a lap of the gardens, which have a gorgeous view of Arthur’s Peak and Holyrood Park. 

It was a sunny, if not warm, afternoon so we sat on the balcony at The Devil’s Advocate for a pub lunch before heading back to the room. Nearly every Scottish person we spoke to asked us what we’d be doing with this wonderful weather, and seemed very disappointed when we said we were going back to the room after lunch! We’d been up since 5am for our flight, so we were a bit wrecked by the late afternoon.

Day 2: Arthur’s Seat, Scotch & Haggis

Climbing Arthur’s Seat

Like Rome, Edinburgh is a city built on seven hills. The most famous is Arthur’s Seat, a magnificent peak which is part of an ancient volcano. Arthur’s Seat forms part of Holyrood Park, and offers breathtaking views over Edinburgh. The unique flora and geology also marks it a site of special scientific interest.

We left the hotel and found a very cool, and very overcast morning. We hadn’t yet realised that the cloud cover burns off over the course of the day. In true Australian fashion, we planned to do the hike early, before it gets “too hot” around 11am. Not an issue in Edinburgh!

We didn’t want to be shrouded in fog at the top of the peak, so we decided to wait out the weather for a little while at Edinburgh Larder, an adorable cafe just off the Royal Mile. Once we actually started on the hike, we warmed up pretty quickly – I was glad I wore three layers (a tee, a long sleeve & a jumper). The hike isn’t technically difficult, it’s just 30-45 minutes up hill. The views along the way were just as beautiful from the view from the top in my opinion, especially with the beautiful yellow gorse flowering against the bright green grasses on the hillside. 

Edinburgh Old Town: West Bow St & Grassmarket

After freshening up back at the hotel, in the early afternoon we wandered along the Royal Mile towards Grassmarket. One of the most beautiful streets in Edinburgh is West Bow St, which peels off the Royal Mile and curves down to Grassmarket. This is real Harry Potter territory! It feels like a street straight out of the books (or movies), I hadn’t realised that so much of the wizarding world aesthetic is Edinburgh-inspired.

We stopped in at Oink, a small chain that serves hog roast rolls, AKA a pulled pork sandwich. I ordered the smallest size (I think it was a kids size), and it really hit the spot! Once we got down to Grassmarket, we stopped for a drink at the White Hart Inn, which is the oldest in Edinburgh. Once again, I struggled a little bit to find something I liked (wine, a spritz, a cocktail…) at the pub. Much like in Ireland, pubs in Scotland are first and foremost about beer and spirits. 

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Tempting Tattie, a tiny takeaway joint that serves baked potatoes. David used to live in the UK, and misses the baked potatoes – and now I can see why! We might have Spud Bar at home, but as I found out, they’re not on the same playing field as British baked potatoes. These things are huge! We shared one filled with baked beans and cheese, which was the ultimate comfort food.