WELCOM E TO

edinbrugh

We couldn’t find Vienna but we found a great little town called Wein

This epic castle city built on the crag of an erupted volcano is one of our favorite spots. Not only does the entire city feel like a fairytale scene but the food, people, and bars are hard to beat. 

With expert advice, multiple visits, and after careful consideration we put together an unforgetable trip to this historic city. You can see the sights, do a pub crawl, have some amazing food, and climb to the top of the highest point in the city if you are feeling up to it! 

WHERE TO EAT

Just because Haggis is the main food of scotland doesn't mean all of the food is charred sheeps innards with potatoes 

  • Auld Hundred: Great place for Haggis...if that is what your into. If not, it is a great place for other classic Scottish dishes with the friendliest staff you will ever meet.

  • Gusto’s: An Italian restaurant with a great, modern, and cozy feel to it.

  • Mum’s: Another great place for Scottish dishes as well as the best Sheppard’s Pie in town.

  • Artisan’s Roast: Hand crafted coffee and wonderful pastries. THEY DO NOT ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS.

  • Smoke Stack: A great deal for brunch including full American and Scottish breakfasts for a good price.

  • Hula’s: This organic restaurant has amazing smoothies and a good lunch deal with a wrap and bowl of soup for 7 Pounds.

  • Elephant House Café: The famous spot where J.K. Rowling wrote the first two chapters of Harry Potter.

  • Oink: A BBQ spot that actually grill the pig in front of you. When they run out they close.

  • The Angel in the Bagpipes and Howie’s: Restaurants for classic Scottish dishes. 

WHAT TO SEE

When the maidens are too cold in a monstrous castle what would you do? Build them their own palace one mile away from the King's to make them happy.

Walking through Edinburgh is walking through history. 

  • The Royal Mile: 1 mile and 7 yards of shops, restaurants, and history. Here you can find everything from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyrood House.

  • The Edinburgh Walk of Fame: Located in front of the City Chambers, two and a half awesome squares of the most famous people in Edinburgh’s handprints, including J.K. Rowling.

  • The Market Cross: A unique monument to Edinburgh with the national animal, the Unicorn, sitting on top of it. When a new king was announced they would fill it up with wine so everyone could have a drink. It was also the center for public punishments. If you stole or did anything wrong they nailed you by the ear to the wall and left you for 24 hours. You knew you found a reformed bad boy when he had a hole in his ear in those days.

  • St. Giles Cathedral: The only church where you will find paintings of angels playing bagpipes. It has a golden rooster instead of a cross sitting on top of it as a symbol of laziness. Every time the kings changed often so did the religion and a new cross had to be placed on the top of the church. After a while they put the rooster up there instead of changing out the crosses all the time.

  • David Hume Statue: A statue of the smartest man to every come out of Edinburgh University. Dressed in a toga even though he isn’t Greek it is custom to rub his big toe for wisdom.

  • The Writer’s Museum: If you enjoy museums and writers you can make yourself at home in this free museum. Mary Stairs, a book lover, created a home to help writers start a writing career. If she liked your book she helped you get published. She is responsible for publishing famous works like Sherlock Holmes and Peter Pan.

  • Victoria Street: If you have ever seen a post card of Edinburgh it is probably of Victoria Street. It is the most famous street in Edinburgh for its colorful buildings and flowers with great shops and food and leads right into the Grass Market.

  • George Harriet School: You can’t visit but it is a good view of the inspiration for Hogwarts in Harry Potter from Victoria Street! It is said that Rowling got the inspiration for the four houses of Hogwarts from the four towers on the school.

  • Edinburgh Castle: The incredible top of the city, although pricey to get in (17 Pound), it is free to look at and snap a picture of the gorgeous exterior. For around 30 Pound you can take a guided tour with Sandamens which includes your ticket cost.

  • The Grass Market: A former cow pasture now home to great traditional pubs.

  • The Grey Friars Graveyard: Said to be where J.K. Rowling found inspiration for character names and is home to the famous Grey Friars Bobby statue. A statue of the Friar’s dog that sat dutifully on his master’s grave for 14 years becoming a symbol of the city.

  • The Sir Walter Scott Monument: A monument opposite the castle that you can climb to the top of for 3 Pound and an incredible, windy view of the city.

  • Arthur’s Seat: The main peak and the highest point in the city that make up the majority of Holyrood Park and the center of the city. This cliff is 822 ft. tall and an incredible view. Be careful of the wind, it is much stronger than you think!

WHERE TO DRINK

we can't explain how wonderful it is to find cheap beer and a cool atmosphere, so naturally we love it here. 

  • Frankenstein’s: Originally the first Presbyterian church in Edinburgh hollowed out to make this cozy place. Every hour Frankenstein himself comes down in a cloud of smoke and lasers. 

  • The Jolly Judge: A super chill, typical Scottish pub underground.

  • Royal Mile Tavern: A cozy place with British craft beer and live music.

  • The World’s End: Not the cheapest but definitely worth a look and a pint and the food isn’t bad either.

  • Manchester Labyrinth: Underground pub with a free cinema.

  • Café Voltaire/ Cabaret Voltaire: A café on top and a club on the bottom where you can actually see the underground vaults of the old city.

  • Maggie Dickson’s: A traditional Scottish pub located in the Grass Market named after the famous Maggie Dickson. A woman who was convicted of concealing a pregnancy from an affair punishable by death, tried and hanged for her crimes only to survive, be forgiven of all her crimes due to the Double Jeopardy law, released from her horrible marriage to marry her true love.

  • The Last Drop: Another traditional pub in the Grass Market where they used to take prisoners to have their last drink before the were hung.

  • Teviot: A local hot spot for students can get pretty crowded especially  after exams are over.

  • 52 Canoes Tiki Den: A Tiki bar covered in tropical décor to help you forget about the freezing cold wind in June.

  • Sneaky Pete’s: A local, casual hangout good for a calm drink after dinner. It is very small with a garage feel but definitely worth a visit with live music.

  • The Inn on the Mile: A cozy place to grab a craft drink in a very classy setting. Not the cheapest but romantic in atmosphere with a loft and a good selection of cocktails and beers. You can also stay here for a reasonable price and an unbeatable location. They don’t have many rooms but if you can get it book it!