Edinburgh – A City Full of Wonders and History

Last Updated on 11th December 2024

Edinburgh was the perfect start to my journey to the Faroe Islands. With only 24 hours there I made the most of my time, cramming in everything that I possibly could. 

When came to booking flights for my trip to the Faroe Islands, there was only two options available – fly from Edinburgh or via Copenhagen. There wasn’t much difference in travel time and both would likely include an overnight stay. However, Edinburgh just called out to me, begging me to return to my once adopted homeland of Scotland.

Edinburgh the most viable option due to the ease of travelling by train. I could arrive at the station with enough time to board the train, then sit back and watch the British countryside fly by. I would still have to deal with all things airport at Edinburgh Airport, but it would be done in a more relaxed environment than any of the London airports.

My train tickets for the LNER service from King’s Cross were reasonably priced. I won an upgrade to first class via Seat Frog, which saw me travelling in style to Edinburgh. My winning bid of £15 still brought the total cost of my ticket to under the typical price of a first class ticket, so I definitely recommend trying your chances with Seat Frog. I certainly made the most of the upgrade! I arrived early so I could enjoy the luxury of the first class lounge and accepted anything on offer on the journey (free drinks, meals, and snacks).

The 4.5 hour journey to Edinburgh was pleasant, it has to be one of my favourite UK train journeys. The train arrived early which gave me time to relax at the hotel before heading out to meet with my friend. The journey wasn’t completely without incident. A rowdy middle-aged group boarded further down the line and proceeded to drink their way to Edinburgh. While disembarking, one of the men decided to ‘help’ by smoothing out the back of my coat, which made me feel uncomfortable and got him a telling off from his wife. I don’t think he meant harm but, geez, think before you touch!

My original plan was to do Edinburgh in luxury, alas hotel rooms in Edinburgh aren’t cheap. Premier Inn’s hub Edinburgh Rose Street hotel was reasonably priced, with a standard room only being £71 per night (2023). I loved everything about my stay there. I would describe the room as a luxury pod room. It was compact but large enough for a comfortable double bed with storage underneath, an armchair and desk (which you pulled out from the bed – it’s got all my junk on it in the below photo), plus a small shower room. The added bonus was the tv and free bottle of water. All that mattered to me was that I was made to feel welcomed, and had comfortable and quiet place to sleep.

Arriving at early Sunday afternoon, my first course of action was a long needed catch up over drinks with my one of my oldest friends, Joe. We walked along the Grassmarket until we found a pub that wasn’t packed and served great ale. That pub just happened to be the White Hart, Edinburgh’s oldest and most haunted pub. Quickly grabbing a newly vacated table, we settled by the unlit fireplace, me with a Level Head IPA and Joe (who had to drive back to Gourock) with a diet coke.

It wasn’t a late night as I had an early start the following morning. I wanted to get in as much as I possibly could before heading to Edinburgh airport for my 17:10 flight. Storing my luggage at the hotel, I set off on my “whirlwind tour” of Edinburgh.

I found this self-guided walking tour from Tours by Foot, who provide free self-guided walking tours and ticketed speciality tours. There was is an option to buy the audio guided and also book a free guided tour of Edinburgh. A self-guided tour suited me in that moment as I could pick and choose what I wanted to see and how long I stayed in one spot.

My highlights

Edinburgh provided the perfect spring day, the sun was shining and spring flowers were in bloom. I started my day with a delicious coffee and croissant from The Milkman on Cockburn Street. Lamenting the fact that it would be a long time before I get the chance to have another coffee from The Milkman, I made my way up to Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh Castle

I had to carefully choose which attractions I paid entry for. I had been inside Edinburgh Castle before so choose to linger outside and take in the surrounding views. At 10:00am on an early May morning there were no queues but tickets do sell out fast. Is it worth visiting? Definitely! If I hadn’t visited the Castle before I would have definitely brought a ticket to go inside.

Royal Mile

Leading down from the Castle through to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Royal Mile is dotted with interesting historic sights and attractions.

L-R/Top – Bottom: St Giles Cathedral, Witches Well, Heart of Midlothian, Mercat Cross, Camera Obscura,

I wandered down the Royal Mile taking in as many sights as I could and wandering down some of the many alleyways which lead off from the Mile. Being an ice-cream addict that I am, I treated myself to a delicious Scottish made pomegranate, ginger, and elderberry ice-cream from Gladstone’s Land. Unfortunately, given my limited time in Edinburgh, I wasn’t able to make it all the way down to Holyroodhouse.

L-R/Top to Bottom: Adam Smith statue, ice cream from Gladstone’s Land, James Braidway statue, City Chambers, The Real Mary King’s Close,

The Scotch Whisky Experience

One attraction on the Royal Mile that I did decide to take in was The Scotch Whisky Experience. I do love my whisky and the Scotch Whisky Experience has been on my bucket list for some time. I booked the Silver tour which, for £23, gave a guided tour and a tasting of either a single malt or blended whisky (you get to keep your glass!). I decided to go for the Laphroaig, a spicy single malt from Islay. It was definitely worthy of being my selected full experience, if I had the time I would have upgraded to their Gold tour.

Greyfriars Kirkyard

Feeling ever so slightly squiffy from the whisky tasting, next was Greyfriars Kirkyard where I hoped that whisky was the only spirit I would experience that day. I don’t think it was! It seemed like there was a presence no matter where I went in the kirkyard, like my own ghostly stalker. I equally hate and love graveyards; I think that they are a good insight into the history of a place but at the same time I find them unbearably frightening.

Used as a graveyard since the late 16th century, Greyfriars Kirkyard has many tales to tell. There’s the story of little Greyfriars Bobby who sat on his master’s grave for 14 years. There’s the dark tales of grave robbers and hauntings, with Bluidy Mackenzie terrifying all that visit the graveyard. Of course, there is the most famous story of them all; Harry Potter! J.K. Rowling gained inspiration for the character names from the gravestones.

Princes Street Gardens, Museums, and Galleries

A special mention has to go to all the museums and galleries that Edinburgh has on offer. While I was unable to visit them, if I was staying for multiple days I would include these in my plans.

Princes Street Gardens and the surrounding area is a great place to explore. There are so many things to discover and explore in the gardens, including the Scott Monument.

For arts lovers, next to Princes Street Gardens you’ll find The National and the Royal Scottish Academy arts galleries. The former housing Scotland’s fine art collection and the latter promoting Scottish contemporary art.

You are spoilt for choice when it comes to museums in Edinburgh. The one museum I regret not visiting on this trip was The Writer’s Museum. I broke my own little bookworm heart by not doing so.

So there you have it! Next, up, up, and away to the Faroe Islands.

Happy & safe travels

L x👣