Edinburgh, Scotland
Onto our next destination on our backpacking trip! We are in Edinburgh! It is a hilly city and the capital of Scotland! We took a flight from London and it was only about an hour's flight time to Edinburgh! This was a last-minute trip so we didn’t really research much about Edinburgh.
Oliver really wanted to go to Edinburgh while we were still here so we made it a quick pit stop before heading to Dublin.
Where we stayed:
Castle Rock Hostel - by far the best hostel we have stayed at. Renovated and opened in 1997, this is a true backpackers hostel. It is big enough to sleep 300 guests. A huge kitchen, numerous lounge rooms, big bathrooms… a true backpackers heaven. Click the link to be directed to the Hostelworld.com website!
Places to visit/ things to see:
Grassmarket Market - a street that used to be a huge open marketplace. Full of unique pubs and restaurants on the strip.
The Elephant House - this is for you Harry Potter fans! J. K. Rowling wrote much of her earlier novels right here! Unfortunately, as of August 2021, it has been closed due to a fire in the building.
Greyfriars Bobby - a simple sculpture of a Skye Terrier. But! A real touching story behind this. This dog became famous for guarding his owner's grave for 14 YEARS until he died in 1872.
Edinburgh Castle - a historic fortress that lies on the castle rock. it is one of the oldest fortified places in Europe. It is known for its rich history as a royal residence, military garrison, prison, and fortress.
St. Giles Cathedral - lying on the Royal Mile, a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town.
The Royal Mile - at the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town, with Edinburgh Castle at its head and the Palace of Holyroodhouse at its foot. Its name comes from its tradition as a processional route for kings and queens for the last 500 years. It is actually a little longer than a mile!
Calton Hill - there lies the unfinished national gallery and a contemporary art gallery.
Holyrood Abbey/ Holyrood Park - an array of hills, glens, ridges, cliffs. Gives you a glimpse of the highland landscape! Free and open to the public.
Arthur’s Seat - a short hike up and you can see a good panoramic view of Edinburgh. It is actually an extinct volcano. It used to be a rock climbing area (now restricted).
Places to eat:
The Deli Global - a good list of toasties and wraps. Get the soup of the day!
Cairngorm Coffee - a nice, cozy cafe that also serves really good coffee, grilled cheeses, and soups!
Pubs, pubs, pubs
-The Royal Dick
-The Halfway House
-The Beehive Inn
We were only there for a couple of nights so we couldn’t spend lots of time just sitting down and getting the vibes of each of the pubs, but there are for sure really good ones in the old town and some that are just touristy. Make sure to read their website if they have any events going on throughout the week (comedy, bingo).
Ahhh! We forgot! SCOTCH WHISKY (there is no E by the way).
The Scotch Whisky Experience is a tour that is an interactive tour that shows you how whisky is made and you are able to taste the whisky from all five regions in Scotland. (Depending on the tour that you book).
And after it leads you to a gift shop where you can buy whisky from all different regions and gift boxes as well! Ah, did I mention that during the tour, you are able to see the largest collection of Scotch in the world!
It was definitely worth a visit and learning about Scotch. If you don’t know anything about whisky, would recommend it. If you have some experience with it, pass.
We would definitely be back in Edinburgh maybe next time to go to the untouched countryside! Maybe some backcountry hiking!