Stepping onto the cobblestone streets of Edinburgh was such an awesome moment. If you are like me, love autumn, harry potter, gothic style architecture and are easily influenced by TikTok then you will understand my excitement. I have always wanted to visit the Scottish capital and here I was! I arrived in the evening, a lot later than planned, thanks to train problems, so I got to see the city at night first. We were staying in the premier inn hub just off the royal mile, which was the perfect location for us as our whole trip itinerary was located in the old part of the city.
On our first day, we spent our time exploring the Royal Mile and the old town, we got breakfast in Laila lunch & brunch, and we had yummy pancakes while we people-watched out the window. We explored the Harry Potter shop on Victoria Street- but as with any of those shops, once you have seen one, you have seen them all! Nevertheless, exploring how they have decorated the shop and any interactive moments is great! If you visit this one be sure to go up to the top floor for a photo op! We basically got most of our souvenir shopping done on the first day, and if you love tweed I recommend getting a tweed shoulder bag! I absolutely love mind and it fits even my large purse, glasses, keys and phone! Kind of like a Mary Popping bag!
Our wandering took us to the Greyfriars Kirkyard. The kirkyard is rather an eerie feeling but it is full of tales of history, heroism, and also Harry Potter. We spent quite some time here looking at all the tombs and the names of those who were laid to rest there; we also spent a lot of time googling what different sigils meant on the tombs!
We had originally planned to visit the Scottish National Museum, but did not in the end, which we came to regret.. especially when we found out how close the kirkyard was! Oh well, that is an activity for next time! As we had time to spare and had walked off our feet quite a bit, we decided we would head into St Giles Cathedral. The cathedral was quite stunning, it wasn’t grand like others, but it certainly made up for it in ambience, stained glass windows, and absolutely spectacular detailed woodwork. We took a few moments to just sit and reflect. It did feel odd being in the Cathedral I will admit, having seen it plastered all over the news five months before following the death of Queen Elizabeth II it was an odd feeling.
As Mary Kings Close was only a stone’s throw away from the cathedral, we decided we would book ourselves onto a tour. We had originally decided that we would not do this attraction as I have a slight fear of dark tunnels and being underground in that type of environment, but alas, I put on my big girl pants, and we booked ourselves on a tour. It was great, and our tour guide made it an excellent experience. I always thought the close was underground, it was interesting to learn that it really wasn’t and it was only a building that was built on top, which is why everyone thinks the city has an “underground” city. It was super interesting, and I recommend it to anyone who visits Edinburgh; the attraction really does make you feel as if you have time-travelled back to 17th-century Edinburgh, shrouded in myths and ghost stories.
The following day we joined a walking tour; it was a great way to learn about the city and its stories. Most of the tour went to places we had already explored, but this time we found out the stories behind these historic locations. Our tour guide was lovely and pointed out many places that were good for food and drink! A walking tour is a great way to find out the best way to experience the city; we took on board the recommendations and went and got ourselves a yummy scotch egg on Victoria Street and found ourselves in a pub off the Royal Mile which was lovely and quite filled with more local than tourists.
We made it to Edinburgh Castle in the afternoon, and as an English Heritage member, I got in for free! The castle looks spectacular, standing above the whole city in all its splendour. We took a good wander around the castle and although it looks absolutely amazing from the outside, we really did find ourselves disappointed with the inside.. it just felt very underwhelming. However, maybe that is because we have castles local to us at home, which just have more and are more interactive. Nevertheless, it was awesome seeing the Stone of Destiny – which we knew would be used in the upcoming coronation, and the Crown Jewels. The views from the castle are also spectacular and make visiting the castle 100% worthwhile. You can’t visit Edinburgh without visiting the castle. We did also stop for a spot of lunch in the onsite tea room, which was lovely, we found the food super yummy and it was lovely and quiet in there; it was nice to get away from the crowds for an hour or two.
On our final day, we only had until 2pm so made the most of the time we had left. We had pre-booked tickets to Holyrood Palace at the bottom of the Royal Mile. The palace was majestic and is the official residence of the King when he is in Scotland. We were lucky enough to arrive for opening, which meant any photos we took were of just us and n tourists! So my tip if you are visiting, get there early! It makes the experience much better. You really can feel like you are a part of history when walking through this palace; it was quite incredible to feel like you can hear the echoes and whispers of Mary Queen of Scots and Bonne Prince Charlie. The romantic ruins of the Holyrood Abbey really did take my breath away; I absolutely loved the architecture and ageing of the stones and couldn’t help but imagine what it would have once been like. The perfectly manicured Palace gardens were also beautiful and when we were walking around there was not another soul in sight!
If you are a meat eater you have to try “Oink”, it is where we stopped for lunch. We had seen another store in the city but had no idea what it was like after our tour guide suggested it we thought we had to give it a try! It is hog roast rolls which are absolutely delicious! Definitely do not go there if you are a vegan, though as you do see the hog roast in the window of the shop!
Visiting Edinburgh was an extraordinary experience. The city captivated me with its myriad mysteries, stories and marvels and has definitely left an imprint on my heart and a constant craving for Thistly cider (if you like sweet cider, give this a try, you will love it!).