Scotland’s capital city has romantic appeal, defined by its gothic architecture and a skyline littered with spires that have inspired reams of poetry, but it also has an ‘overtourism’ problem. A report by the World Travel & Tourism Council in 2019 listed Edinburgh as a hotspot for tourists, “that can no longer cope with its own popularity” and it’s set to be the first city in the UK to implement a tourist tax.
By Jenni Flett, with additional photographs by Aga Lapucha
Introduction: Edinburgh, Tourism, and Sustainability
Edinburgh tourism: what do the stats say?
Reports by Visit Scotland tell us that in 2018 Edinburgh had two and a half million international visitors who spent £1.1 billion in the city, averaging £102 a day. Visitors gave several reasons for coming to Edinburgh, 67% on holiday, 10% for business and the rest visited family or friends. Considering the city has a population of under 500,000, residents are worried about this explosion of tourism in the city centre, rising rent and impact on their daily lives.
How can tourists and locals tackle ‘overtourism’ in Edinburgh?
There can be a conversation on managing this growth and what locals, residents and tourists can do to support the local economy, which is beneficial to everyone. An economic boost to local businesses makes a positive impact, but it also needs to go deeper than that. Being mindful in our choices of where we go, what we buy and where we eat also creates a community, and this social aspect is just as integral to creating a sustainable environment.
The Sustainable Guide To Edinburgh
Collectively there are ways to protect the fabric of the city. The reason so many people want to live here is the same reason there are so many tourists. With that in mind, these are the things we can do to promote a more sustainable Edinburgh and a local’s recommendations on places to visit, eat and explore.
Lesser-Known Tourist Attractions, Galleries, and Museums
The top five visitor attractions in 2018 were the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle, Scottish National Gallery, St Gile’s Cathedral, and the Royal Botanic Garden. According to the visitor exit survey, it found that the city’s history and culture were the motivation behind 65% of visits to the city. These places are worthy of visiting, but other attractions will diversify the itinerary. Money spent on entry tickets goes towards the upkeep of heritage sites, visitors learn more about local culture and history and it gives expats to the city rich context to draw from.
Galleries
The first suggestion is to leave Edinburgh and go to Jupiter Artland, a contemporary sculpture park and art gallery who run workshops, classes, and community events. It’s accessible by bus and car and is situated on the picturesque Bonnington House estate. Back in the city centre is the National Portrait Gallery which is free to enter and has exquisite decorative murals and embellishments inside, it also runs photography and art exhibitions. The City Art Centre is located next to Waverley Station, it has a beautiful Shop and champions historic and contemporary Scottish artists. Don’t miss the delectable Mimi’s Bakehouse café here for a yummy slice of cake!
Inside Edinburgh University is the Talbot Rice Gallery, a leading contemporary gallery who run educational outreach programmes for schools and community groups. Centre for contemporary art Dovecot Studios also run apprenticeship programmes and are renowned for their tapestries studio and focus on craft and design. For a gallery with a view, climb Calton Hill and visit Collective which presents contemporary art inside a city observatory and supports new and emerging talent.
Museums
One wonderful thing about the city’s museums is the number of free museums, including the National Museum of Scotland. Discover the history of the city in a 16th- century house on the Canongate in the Museum of Edinburgh. See Edinburgh through its diverse communities in The People’s Story, a unique insight into the lives of the city’s working-class from the 18th century to the late 20th century. The Writer’s Museum in Lady Stair’s Close celebrates the lives and work of Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson who are Scottish literature’s most famous sons.
One thing to look out for in Edinburgh are open days which allow people to see inside various buildings of historic value that wouldn’t normally be open to the public. This normally happens for a weekend in September and December during the 24 Doors of Advent and can include venues such as The Playfair, Anatomical Museum, Custom House, and King’s Theatre.
Other museums are limited in when you can visit, but tours can be organised, such as Trinity House in Leith which gives you the maritime history of the Leith neighbourhood when it was an active port. For a more gruesome experience, Surgeon’s Hall is fascinating with its body parts in jars which is all in the name of science as it documents one of the oldest surgical corporations in the world.
Alternative Attractions
Edinburgh was once known for the three Bs: biscuits, books, and beer. These industries are still present in the city, with a revival in recent years. Brewery tours and tastings are available in Stewart Brewing, an award-winning, independent brewery. Meanwhile, in Leith, you can visit the taproom of Campervan Brewery on Fridays and Saturdays. Barney’s Beer is a microbrewery in Summerhall, a multi-arts venue who run tours through Scotbeer Tours and you’ll also find Pickering’s Gin distillery here too.
Family activities in the city can be quite expensive, but there are lovely free things to do that don’t involve museums. Although not a hidden gem, the Botanic Garden is a wonderful place for learning and taking in the beauty of nature. Less frequented are the grounds of Lauriston Castle near Cramond with its Japanese Friendship Garden and the ruins of Craigmillar Castle in Edinburgh’s Southside. Newhaven Harbour near Leith is an area with an interesting maritime history, a beautiful old lighthouse, and views across the River Forth.
For those who love a mystery, Gilmerton Cove is an incredible experience. The cove is a series of hand-carved passageways and chambers and nobody knows how, when, or why it was built! Tours must be pre-booked, and it does cost to enter.
Shop Local
The tourism board, Visit Scotland, conducted visitor exit surveys in 2016 and found that satisfaction with the availability of local produce when eating out was 7.1 out of 10 and 46% of people said shopping was an activity they undertook in Edinburgh. In the city centre, tacky souvenir shops selling your ‘family tartan’ lure you in with brash bagpipe music, while chain restaurants and bars conveniently place themselves next to tourist attractions.
To counteract this, choose to go local and not to a big chain. This doesn’t have to mean sipping a tiny espresso in a hipster coffee shop, it means supporting generational family businesses, independent businesses creating an income for people living in the city. Local designers, artists, small business owners, social businesses, and suppliers all benefit from people eating, shopping, and drinking locally.
Gift Shops and Scottish Designers
Mass-produced plastic tat is not what you want to gift someone or yourself! Avoid the touristy souvenir shops and head to places like The Cat’s Miaou on Leith Walk, a small but charming shop filled with quirky gift choices from Scottish designers. Flux on The Shore also offers unique gifts with a lovely children’s section. In the city centre, Etch’d on Rose Street is a shop where they personalise products like phone covers which is a wonderfully unique concept, plus they sell products from local designers. Located in Ocean Terminal shopping centre is the Scottish Design Exchange, a social enterprise supporting local creative talent. Finally, on the Royal Mile, Cranachan and Crowdie are a small, independent shop who specialises in food, drink and gifts made in Scotland.
Independent Bookshops
Nestled in the leafy neighbourhood of Bruntsfield, close to the Meadows, is The Edinburgh Bookshop. Founded in 2007, they have won awards for being Scotland’s best independent bookshop and they have regular events throughout the year. They run a story-time for the under 5’s every week on Thursday and Fridays and book groups for adults and children. Armchair Books is near the popular Grassmarket area and its charm lies in being an old shop, with shelves that go from the floor to the ceiling filled with second hand and antique books. On St Stephen’s Street find The Golden Hare; in 2019 they won best independent bookshop in the UK! They run events and bookish nights out for everyone to enjoy.
Vintage, Second-Hand and Fashion Boutiques
There is an abundance of independent vintage clothes shops in Edinburgh. In the Stockbridge neighbourhood, you can meander around the second-hand shops run by various charities and find lovely bargains. Those Were The Days is a vintage shop in this area, best known for its wedding section and exquisite dresses. Notable local charity shops to check out in various locations are St Columbus Hospice and Bethany charity shops (homeless charity) – they both have shops in Leith. On the Grassmarket is Armstrong’s Vintage who was one of the original vintage stores selling clothes, shoes, and accessories. A short walk from here is Godiva, a colourful fashion boutique and on St Stephen Street, men’s fashion store Kestin Hare focuses on UK production and materials.
Local Markets
You never know what you might find in a market, but you do know that it will be fresh, home-made and of decent quality. There are three weekly markets, in Leith, Stockbridge and on the Grassmarket (Saturday and Sunday) with passionate, independent traders selling street food, original artwork, creative crafts and local produce. Newly opened Old Tolbooth Market is open every weekend, this community arts and commerce project has street food, a bar, an exhibition space curated by a local arts charity, local vendors, and events.
The Pitt Market is now a Leith institution on Pitt Street, it runs on weekends with a winter break. The Pitt experience is all about the amazing street food, craft beer, live music, and events. For a traditional market head to The Edinburgh Farmer’s Market on Castle Terrace on a Saturday. Their vendors stock the best food and drink products in the country, with restaurant quality meats, cheese, fish, organic vegetables, and appearances from Slow Food Edinburgh.
Eco-Friendly and Independent Food and Drink Shops
Edinburgh has surprisingly been vegetarian and vegan-friendly for a long time. Alternative health food shops like Real Foods started trading here in 1975, they have shops across the city and are popular with the vegan community. New sustainable shops like The Refillery in Newington and The Eco Larder on Morrison Street offer people a way to shop plastic-free for food and household products. Foodies will enjoy the cheesemonger who supplies Edinburgh’s restaurants, I.J. Mellis on Victoria Street. Tea-lovers should head to Eteaket in the city centre for afternoon tea and Rosevear Tea (Broughton Street and Clerk Street) for tastings and tea products. One of Scotland’s top exports is whisky and Royal Mile Whiskies is one of the most respected whisky merchants in the world with a true passion for our national tipple.
Cafés
The café scene in Edinburgh has exponentially grown in the last decade with an increase in independent and family-run ventures. In Leith, Ostara is a café – bistro who focus on local and sustainable food and serve one of the best brunches in Edinburgh. Next to Haymarket is Grams, who use zero dairy, gluten or refined sugar and specialise in meal plans for home cooking. Social business Social Bite (Rose Street and Shandwick Place), are a chain of sandwich shops set up by young entrepreneurs, focus on tackling homelessness in Scotland. Patrons can gift food and drink to the city’s homeless population. Meanwhile, The Grassmarket Café is part of a social enterprise that uses locally sourced ingredients in support of the Edinburgh community.
Independent coffee shops in Edinburgh outdo chain coffee shops after a real coffee revolution in the city. The award-winning Artisan Roast are renowned for their use of fair-trade beans, Williams and Johnson are a local coffee roasting duo with two cafés in the city and Grow Urban near Fountainbridge is a café in a lush plant shop. If you’re looking to lunch in a long-running family café, head to Cowan and Sons in Stockbridge. As for specialist cafés try Twelve Triangles in Leith or The Bearded Baker on Rodney Street for a doughnut and coffee fix and Bross Bagels on the West End for boss bagels!
