Edinburgh In 2 Days - history, food, and charm
We spent two days in Edinburgh, Scotland for the second leg of our trip.
Scotland was a quick add-on after we snagged our cheap flights to Ireland. And I’m so glad we did!
Edinburgh is a quaint town with a surprising amount of things to do. Two days is plenty of time to learn about the city’s history and take in the gorgeous view. Edinburgh even made it’s way to my list of places to visit again.
Here’s an overview of what we did.
What to do in Edinburgh, Scotland
Two of the girls in our group had been to Edinburgh before so some of these suggestions are things they did and some of them are things we did this time around. With a little planning, you can easily hit all of these spots in 2 days.
Arthur’s Seat
Arthur's Seat is seat is an inactive volcano that erupted about 340 million years ago.
It’s the highest, grass covered hill inside Holyrood Park. When you get to the top, you get an indescribable view of Edinburgh and the North Sea on a clear day.
You can walk this 2.4 mile loop from the Royal Mile in 1.5 — 2 hours. I recommend doing the hike early in the morning so you can see the sunrise as it shines through the clouds. Since it’s higher in elevation, bring a jacket because it’s cooler and windy, even in the summer. You don’t need hiking shoes but be sure to wear shoes with good tread.
Don’t feel like walking? Parking is available at no cost Tuesday — Thursday from 9:30 a.m. — 3 p.m. but not on weekends. Keep that in mind if you travel with ones who aren’t able to do a lot of walking.
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is one of the oldest, fortified castles in Europe and the biggest (uninhabited castle) in Scotland. Mary Queen of Scotts moved from Holyrood house to the castle after her secretary was murdered, where she had her baby. Since the castle was built on the Castle Rock volcano, it became known as the best defended fortress. When you see it in person, you see the major vantage point that they had.
We stayed right off of the Royal Mile so we were able to walk to the castle. You can walk around outside for free to take pictures and look around. Although you don’t see a whole lot, you can see an aerial glimpse of the gardens.
There are different types of tours you can choose from ranging from 1-3 hours. The base ticket price starts at $21.50 for adults. It’s a few dollars cheaper per person if you pay online instead of at the gate. Or get tickets for afternoon tea included with your admission for $44. Many of the items on the menu items are made with Edinburgh’s Castle Gin. (I say go for the tea. 🫖)
Princes Street Gardens
You would never know it but Princes Street Gardens used to be a stinky marsh called the Nor Loch that was used as a defense tactic for the castle. They drained the loch and the luscious, beautiful garden took over all 37 acres in it’s place. Now it divides Old Edinburgh and New Edinburgh.
The best part about this garden is that you can spend hours here and it won't cost you a thing. It’s a popular meet up spot for locals to grab some lunch and catch up. There are lots of benches to take a break, eat, and enjoy the greenery and beauty.
Don't miss Ross Fountain made out of cast iron and restored in 2018!
The Royal Mile
This is the main, cobblestone road in Old Edinburgh. It starts at Edinburgh Castle and ends at the Holyrood house, the official address of Mary Queen of Scots. It’s a little over one mile long and has been the precessional route for Kings and Queens for 500 years. Now, the name makes sense, right?
It’s definitely worth visiting because it’s the heart of Edinburgh with shops, restaurants, the castle, and cool tours to learn about the unique history of this city. Bundle your walking tour of the Royal Mile and your Edinburgh Castle tour to experience the evidence left behind of Edinburgh’s past.
Mary King’s Close Tour
Did you know that there was a whole other city underneath the Royal Mile? When the Scottish say a “close”, they’re talking about a narrow street like an alleyway. When the plague hit in 1645, they had to close up the alleyways to prevent the plague from killing more people.
On Mary King’s Close Tour you get to actually go down below the Royal Mile and experience what the narrow streets looked like, hear the true history of the plague, and learn about the Plague Doctor.
This is a pretty popular tour so I would book it ahead of time. If you do the standard tour, it’s about an hour and admission is $23 for adults. If history is your jam, you don’t want to miss this tour.
Food in Edinburgh
Seafood
Edinburgh is known for it’s fresh seafood like smoked salmon, scallops, mussels, prawns, and haddock just to name a few. It’s fresh without a fishy taste that a lot of people hate. And the locals are very proud of their seafood scene. When in doubt, Fish and chips are always a safe and delicious option.
Haggis
Haggis is another popular food in Edinburgh so most places have it on the menu. In fact, it’s the national dish of Scotland so you’ve gotta try it. It’s a savory meat pudding with sheep lung, onion, oatmeal, and spices. I know, it sounds disgusting but oh my gosh, it’s so yummy! I ordered it twice, once each day that we were there.
Try it before you knock it.
Deacon’s House Cafe
Deacon’s is right on the Royal Mile and was my favorite cafe in Edinburgh. The kitchen has one of the oldest vaulted ceilings in Edinburgh dating back to 1420 and the ground floor was Deacon Brodie’s (a burglar by night) workshop. Deacon inspired the book “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde” if you’re interested to know who Deacon was.
Sit inside the cafe or on a cozy but spacious terrace surrounded by hanging lights and plant covered arches. Our waitress answered our questions about the menu and gave us great recommendations. The quiche, smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich, scones, hot chocolate, chai tea — everything was superb!
I can’t recommend Deacon’s enough. And the history is incredible.
How to Get to Edinburgh From The Airport
Take the Airlink 100 Express Bus. You can swipe your card when you get on the bus so you don’t have to mess with getting a ticket and keeping track of it. It’s a double decker bus that makes fewer stops on the express route and takes about 30 minutes to get to the city center of Edinburgh.
It’s very affordable, $5.40 each way per adult. Get off at the Princes Street Gardens stop. You’ll know you’re there when you see Ross Fountain in the middle of the gardens from the window as you approach Edinburgh Castle on the cliff just above it. The castle is lit up at night so if you arrive after dark, you can’t miss it.
Have any recommendations for Edinburgh?
Drop them in the comments below!
