Our family itinerary was full of history, viewpoints, walks and one little trip to the iconic Forth Bridge.
Edinburgh was the beginning of our Scottish adventure. We are still planning a longer journey through Scotland, but because we wanted to enjoy Edinburgh at a slower pace, we decided to spend four days there.
Edinburgh is exactly the kind of city where you can walk around all day and still feel that there is something you have missed.
Historic streets, a castle rising above the city, narrow lanes, green parks, views from the hills and modern architecture. And when you feel you have seen Edinburgh from every possible angle, you can simply catch a train and be by the sea a little later.
Four days were enough for our first introduction. But definitely not enough to discover the whole city.
So here is Edinburgh as we experienced it.
Our first evening in Edinburgh
We arrived in the evening, it was already dark and my roaming was not working at all.
Suddenly, I had to start functioning as if we were back in the days before Google Maps, online timetables and everything else you can find on the internet with one click.
We walked outside and, luckily, there were buses right in front of the airport. I checked a few stops and started figuring out which one would take us closest to our accommodation.
Good thing I speak English. Although understanding a Scotsman is not quite the same as understanding a Brit. 😁
In the end, we took the Airlink 100 City Centre Express, which brought us to Edinburgh West End in about 30 minutes.
We checked in, bought something for breakfast and went to rest.
We did not see Edinburgh that evening. It was hidden in the dark — and actually, we did not mind at all.
The morning Edinburgh started to win us over
The next morning, we set off on foot towards Edinburgh Castle.
The streets were almost empty. After about fifteen minutes, we walked through a typical Edinburgh street with shops, a school and old townhouses, and suddenly Grassmarket opened up in front of us.
The square immediately caught my attention.
At the time, I had no idea how much history was hidden there. Only later did I discover that, in medieval times, Grassmarket was a busy market full of livestock and merchants. It was also a place of public executions, which gave it a rather dark reputation.
Today, it feels completely different.
Colourful buildings, restaurants, pubs and, above all, Edinburgh Castle rising directly above the square make Grassmarket one of those places you can easily fall in love with on your first visit.
And my husband surprised me too.
He had not been particularly keen on Edinburgh in the beginning.
“Everyone goes to Dubai,” he argued. 😁
But something changed here.
He looked around for a while and then said:
“This is beautiful.”
And I think that was the moment Edinburgh gained another fan.
The atmosphere of Scotland was made even more convincing by a little souvenir shop — kilts, bagpipes, scarves and all the things that immediately remind you that you really are in Scotland.
Edinburgh Castle: our first encounter with history
Edinburgh Castle rises above the city, and on your first visit, it is almost impossible to avoid.
We climbed up from Grassmarket and soon realised that photographs can be a little misleading.
It really is uphill. 🙂
The castle itself did not disappoint us.
We spent about two hours there, walking through the courtyards and exhibitions.
What I enjoyed most were the stories connected with Scottish history and the views over the city.
I also bought an audio guide. If you understand English, I would definitely recommend it. You can listen to interesting stories about the castle as you move around, and the guide remains in the app on your phone even after your visit.
So you can listen to some of the stories again at home and, for a moment, return to Edinburgh.
Our son, however, found his own attraction — a robotic lawnmower that was bravely managing the steep slope around the castle. 😁
And that is one of the lovely things about travelling with children.
You think you are going somewhere for the history, and your child comes home with a completely different memory.
I would definitely buy tickets to Edinburgh Castle in advance.
When you need to slow down
After the historic centre, we headed to Princes Street Gardens.
We wanted to see the castle from a completely different angle, and I had another reason too — I wanted to visit Waterstones.
On the way to the park, we passed some old gravestones, which gave the place a slightly mysterious atmosphere.
It is quite remarkable how a busy city can turn into a peaceful place directly beneath the castle within just a few steps.
We walked as far as Ross Fountain, where there is a beautiful view of Edinburgh Castle.
The ornate cast-iron fountain also has an interesting story. In 1862, it caught the attention of Edinburgh arms manufacturer Daniel Ross at the Great Exhibition in London. He bought it and donated it to the city. It arrived in Edinburgh in 122 pieces and was installed in Princes Street Gardens in 1872.
From there, we went up to Princes Street and headed for Waterstones.
I have a weakness for bookshops, and I often bring home a book from my travels as a souvenir.
I could not resist this time either.
Then we started looking for something to eat.
We wanted to experience the atmosphere of a typical British pub, so we headed to Rose Street. We were lucky — The Rose & Crown was having Happy Hour, so we had a good meal at a pleasant price.
After a morning full of history and walking, it was nice to slow down for a while.
But our day in Edinburgh was far from over.
And then we took a little trip to the sea
One of my favourite moments was deciding to leave Edinburgh for a while.
We took a train from Haymarket to get a little taste of local life and got off at Dalmeny station. From there, we walked towards the small town of South Queensferry. For a while, we followed a path I would probably best describe as a bit of a bush track — and then, suddenly, the Forth Bridge appeared in front of us, an enormous red railway bridge stretching across the Firth of Forth.
It was a completely different side of Scotland.
South Queensferry is a small seaside town with colourful houses, a harbour and views of all three bridges.
We visited in March, so it was wonderfully quiet, with very few tourists around. There was just one thing I was disappointed about. The puffin boat trips only start later in spring, when the puffins return here to nest, so we didn’t get to see them this time.
We’ll just have to save the puffins for next time.
Edinburgh looks even better from above
The next morning, we returned to Grassmarket — but this time from above.
We walked up a little lane with steps called The Vennel Viewpoint, and suddenly an incredible view of Edinburgh Castle opened up in front of us.
It was interesting to see the castle from yet another perspective.
We had already explored it, seen it from Grassmarket and from Princes Street Gardens, but here, between the stone steps and old buildings, it looked perhaps the most photogenic of all.
From there, we continued to the National Museum of Scotland.
A huge museum where, in my opinion, everyone can find something to enjoy.
History, nature, science, technology — and the famous sheep Dolly.
We ended up spending the whole morning there, and we could easily have stayed longer.
The building itself is beautiful, and you can also go up to the rooftop, where there is a wonderful view over Edinburgh.
And it is all free.
It is also a great place to escape if it starts raining in Edinburgh.
Royal Mile and the stories you can easily miss
At lunchtime, we returned to the city centre and walked along Royal Mile.
It is Edinburgh’s main historic street, connecting Edinburgh Castle with the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Of course, it is one of the most popular places in the city, but even here, you can discover things you might otherwise simply walk past.
A local Scotsman, for example, pointed out a small plaque commemorating the last public execution in Edinburgh.
It took place in 1864, and the man executed was George Bryce.
You can find the plaque at the corner of Lawnmarket and George IV Bridge.
Look for a small brass plaque on the wall. Directly below it, three brass markers in the pavement indicate where the gallows once stood.
Without being told about it, we would probably have walked past without noticing.
And that is what I enjoyed about Edinburgh.
Even in the busiest places, there are stories that are not immediately visible.
And then we found something we were not looking for at all
On our way to Calton Hill, we gradually found ourselves in another part of Edinburgh.
Suddenly, we were surrounded by more modern buildings, and in front of us appeared the striking shape of W Edinburgh.
Its rooftop is so unusual that we first looked at it from a distance, trying to work out what it actually was.
Only later did we discover that it is one of the city’s most distinctive modern landmarks.
So if you are travelling with children, you can give them a little challenge instead of another historic monument:
Find the strangest rooftop in Edinburgh. 😁
Calton Hill as the perfect end to the day
Calton Hill is one of the oldest publicly accessible walking and viewpoint areas in Britain, and it has been deliberately developed since the 18th century as a place for people to walk and relax.
We climbed Calton Hill in the late afternoon.
And we made the right decision.
The sun was slowly setting, and the whole of Edinburgh opened up in front of us.
The historic centre, modern buildings, the sea in the distance and monuments that look as if they belong in ancient Greece.
For a while, we simply sat down and looked.
Calton Hill is one of those places I think is worth visiting later in the day.
You have time to stop rushing and simply watch the city below you.
And it was here that I realised something.
Edinburgh is not beautiful only because of its castle.
It is beautiful as a whole.
Four days? Yes for a first visit. No for the whole of Edinburgh.
Our fourth day depended mainly on the time of our flight.
If you have an evening flight, you could still visit Edinburgh Zoo.
We were not able to fit anything else in this time, so we had a quiet morning, packed our bags and headed to the airport.
And perhaps that was a good thing.
Because we enjoyed Edinburgh without feeling that we had to tick ten places off a list every day.
We saw a lot in four days.
But definitely not everything.
And actually, that is a good thing.
What I would know before visiting Edinburgh
Edinburgh is a wonderful city to explore on foot.
We walked most of the city ourselves and mainly used public transport for the airport and for getting outside the centre.
But there is one piece of advice I think is really important:
Bring comfortable shoes.
Edinburgh is full of hills, steps and cobblestones.
Some places look as if they are just around the corner on the map, but then you discover that there is still a proper hill between you and your destination. 🙂
If you are flying to the United Kingdom, remember to check the current entry requirements and arrange everything you need before your trip.
And if you are planning to visit Edinburgh Castle, I would still recommend buying your ticket in advance.
I would happily explore Edinburgh again
We enjoyed Edinburgh in our own way.
We explored the castle, Royal Mile, Grassmarket, Calton Hill and the museum, and we also made our way to Forth Bridge.
And yet, I still feel that I left a lot of unfinished stories behind in Edinburgh.
Four days were enough for us to fall in love with Edinburgh. They were not enough to discover it all.
Maybe that is exactly why it is a place where I would happily begin exploring Scotland all over again.
And if you are visiting Edinburgh for the first time and would like to see how we planned our days, I have also prepared a detailed four-day itinerary.
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