We spent two nights in Edinburgh, including a full day out exploring the CBD. We stayed in the coastal suburb of Newhaven north of the city, and caught a bus into town and took a tram home. We were lucky that most places we wanted to visit were relatively close to each other so we could walk between them and cover a lot of ground. 

All of the places we visited were in Edinburgh Old Town, with the exception of Dean Village which was a 20 minute walk away.

  • Edinburgh Castle
  • The Royal Mile
  • The Writers’ Museum
  • Victoria Street
  • Museum Context
  • Greyfriars Kirkyard & Greyfriars Bobby
  • The Vennel Steps
  • Parish Church of St Cuthbert
  • Dean Village

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and is home to around 530,000 people. It is the nation’s second largest city behind Glasgow, which has a population of around 650,000. Edinburgh is hillier and more densely populated than Glasgow, and is renowned for its mix of medieval and Georgian architecture.

Edinburgh Castle is the ancient centrepiece of Edinburgh Old Town, and sits on Castle Rock, a 130 metre high volcanic plug. At 251 metres high, nearby Arthur’s Seat is the volcano itself. Believed to be 340 million years old, both offer spectacular views over the CBD. While we didn’t visit Arthur’s Seat (definitely one for next time), the views from the castle were nothing short of breathaking.

The earliest recorded settlement in Edinburgh was in around 600AD, although there is evidence that people lived in the area from as early as 8,500BC. The city was declared one of the first royal burghs in Scotland by King David I in around 1124-1127, and officially became the nation’s capital in 1437.