My Edinburgh Mini-break
At the start of November, my boyfriend and I went on a ‘belated 21st birthday’ mini break away to Edinburgh. Although I had been to Edinburgh a couple of years ago, Dan had never ventured to the city before so I took this opportunity to show him around the beautiful city. It was a wonderful 3 days away from my marketing placement, and, for Dan, the trip coincided with his reading week. So, having crammed as much as we could into the 3 days we were there, I thought I would share a few of my favourite photos and sights in a blog post.
We headed to Edinburgh by train, although many will choose to fly. Our train to Edinburgh Waverley was just over 3 hours long and got us right into the heart of the city. We had chosen to stay in the No11 Boutique Hotel. With only a short 15-minute walk to both the new and old town, the hotel, a beautiful Georgian House, was ideal for accessing the sites around Edinburgh. Although we didn’t eat dinner in the restaurant, the full-sottish breakfast that was provided had a lot of options to chose from on its menu and set us up for the day. The lack of roof in the en-suite bathroom, however, was a tad peculiar. Nevertheless, I'd definitely consider staying there again should we revisit the city in the future.
Edinburgh offers plenty to see and do. Fortunately, a lot of the sights in Edinburgh can be seen/ done without parting with your hard earned cash. There were, however, a couple of sites that we opted to pay for to get the full Edinburgh experience.
Old Town - Royal Mile
In Edinburgh's 'Old Town', the Royal Mile encompasses the walk from Holyrood Palace / Scottish Parliament, up to Edinburgh Castle. Between the two, you are treated to the beautiful buildings and traditional 'closes' up and down the entire 'mile'. Although I’ve never seen so much cashmere in my life walking through the old town, you cannot run out of the beautiful scenery of this stretch of road.
New Town
Edinburgh New Town is equally as elegant with its abundance of shops (your more traditional high street stores this time), beautifully kept parks and spacious streets, all with an outstanding view of the castle towering above.
National Museum of Scotland (FREE/ Donation)
This museum is a beautifully planned out museum showing the different eras of Scottish history and my big-kid mentality particularly enjoyed the technology and transport sections that were host to interactive activities. I particularly enjoyed the cycle race situated alongside the taxidermy animals where you have to try and outrace (out-pedal) a cheetah.
We spent 2 hours in the museum and were there until it closed as there is so much to see! The building itself is also worth a look, particularly the rooftop terrace on level 7 which overlooks the castle.
Scottish National Portrait Gallery (FREE/Donation)
On our last day in Edinburgh, we found ourselves with some spare time to kill before our train so decided to explore the portrait gallery. Housed in a beautiful building, the gallery offers different kinds of visual art, and traditional art and offers a great pit stop on a rainy day if galleries are of interest to you.
Scottish Parliament Building
Not usually somebody to pay much interest in politics, I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed my visit to parliament. At the Scottish Parliament, you are free to look around (within reason) of your own accord or take part in a guided tour. We lead ourselves around the Parliament building but were also fortunate to have timed our visit to coincide with a live parliamentary session. This meant we were able to sit in while the politicians were debating which I found fascinating.
Calton Hill
Calton Hill is situated at the end of Princes Street in the new town. The views of, and from, Calton Hill were probably the highlight of my second trip to Edinburgh. Calton Hill, more than just a 103m hill, is host to several iconic monuments and buildings, including the National Monument and Nelson Monument. I'd strongly encourage you to climb Calton Hill (it's not as scary as it sounds I promise) as the views are not to be missed.
Dean Village
Situated just a short walk from the end of Princes Street in the New Town you’ll find Dean Village, originally built for mill workers. Dean Village offers a contrast to the rest of Edinburgh plus, with the Leith River running through the village, many walking opportunities.
ATTRACTIONS WE PAID TO VISIT
Edinburgh Castle (£17 - Adults)
Although I’d already been to the castle before, I feel that no trip to Edinburgh is complete without visiting the castle. Edinburgh Castle doesn’t offer student discount, but as we’d booked in advance online, we managed to save ourselves £1.50 and booked a lunchtime slot (there isn’t a time limit for your visit though). The tour of the castle is self-guided, however, you can pay extra for an audio guide.
We spent nearly 3 hours at the castle, which is easily done due to how much there is to see there. The castle not only provides stunning panoramic views of Edinburgh but is also host to the Scottish Crown Jewels, The National War Museum, St. Margarets Chapel (one of the oldest buildings in Scotland), Prisons of War and the Scottish National War Memorial. The Prisons of War I find particularly fascinating as you can learn about the life of prisoners held in the vaults, see their prison cells, graffiti on the walls from their imprisonment and see the guards' rooms.
Mary Kings Close (£13.50 - Student)
The Real Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh’s only preserved 17th-century street, is hidden beneath the Royal Mile and worked well as something to do in the early evening on our first day. The Close and its streets, homes and alleyways, allow you to discover the stories of the people who lived, worked, and died there. I’ll admit, the effects and the guides on the tour was a bit cheesy, but the Close itself provides an amazing opportunity to try and understand how people lived there and the difficult conditions during that era.
Overall, we had a thoroughly enjoyable time while in Edinburgh and I would definitely love to go back for a third time in the near future.
Have you ever been to Edinburgh?
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