I just got back from my first ever trip to Edinburgh so I thought I’d share it with you all!
We flew into the city and would definitely recommend getting the bus from the airport to the centre, For £7.50 for an open return it takes multiple stops and brings you all the way to the centre at such a great price!
We stayed in High Street Hostel which was a first time experience for me. The hostel was located on Blackfriars Street, close to the heart of the Old Town. It was perfect for the location, price and was clean and had everything we required, however I feel like I’d much rather stick to an Air B and B personally. But I would still recommend this hostel if you are keen to stay in one!
After we had checked in it was around 6pm to headed straight out to get some food. We went to Burgers and Beers. The atmosphere here was one of my favourites!! They had a small bar where they played such a great playlist and the food was amazing!! We then headed to a couple more bars and pubs for a few more drinks. One of my favourites was The City Cafe; it was like an American diner that also had a great range of music playing and also serve food.
The next day we headed out to explore the city. We headed up the castle and had a wander round. We didn’t go into the castle as we felt it was a bit to pricey for us and you could still get excellent views from outside the castle! However would definitely recommend if you enjoy that type of attraction!
As it was the weekend before Diwali festival the city was celebrating with a parade through the streets which was a great way to experience the culture for free!
We then headed into the new town to explore some of the shops. You could definitely spend a whole afternoon of Edinburgh’s High Street with so many great branded shops! Especially if you are thinking of going around Christmas time as their Winter fair is just across the main road and is said to have excellent Christmas markets!
We then had a bite of eat before heading to Princes Street Gardens where there was a free firework display as part of the Diwali festival. With views of the park, the castle and the old town, it was one of the best displays I’ve ever seen!
The next day we decided to head out on an open bus tour. A student ticket was £14 and an adults was £15. These were great as you could hop on and off as much as you like within 24 hours (so could use the ticket the following day) and go to all the major attractions. They have three different types of tours so you can pick what tour suits you best. Despite the freezing cold! It was a great way to get a view of the whole city and get some great pics!
After finishing the tour we headed to a pub to have a roast which did not disappoint! We headed to one along the Royal Mile.
After eating we got back on the bus to take us to the Museum of Edinburgh. This was one of the most beautiful buildings I’d ever seen! Definitely worth a visit with free entry and you get to see Dolly the Sheep (many hours spent in science learning about her finally paid off!).
Later on in that evening we had booked to go on a ghost tour. These were priced at around £12 each. Being weary at how scary these would be we booked to go on one around 8pm to be on the safe side! They take you around parts of the old town telling you true stories. Personally I didn’t find these that interesting as they weren’t that scary and a lot of it we heard earlier on in the day from the bus tour. We were taking into one of the very few underground vaults that remain in it’s original condition. This was really creepy for me and also sad as we were told some of the stories. If you really want to be scared then would definitely recommend booking one of the later tours.
After this we had a bite to eat then went out for more drinks. We went to a bar called Whistlebinkies in the Old Town which had a great atmosphere with live music.
The next morning was our final day so we went to The Inn on the Mile where we had a Scottish breakfast. This was the nicest thing and would definitely recommend going if you’re looking to try haggis!
I hope this post inspires you to visit Edinburgh and gives you some ideas of what you can get up to in the city. Also check out Sunbeamsjess’ post for some more inspo!
Check my Instagram for more pictures and videos of my trip!
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