Planning a visit to Edinburgh soon? Here are 11 of the best things to do in Edinburgh on your very first visit to Scotland’s capital!
Edinburgh is one of the best and most beautiful cities in the UK and a fantastic destination for a short city break.
The Scottish capital is now only 4.5 hours away from London by train thanks to Lumo’s new high-speed London to Edinburgh service that starts at just £15. Yep, just £15.
So if you haven’t visited Edinburgh yet, what are you waiting for? Beautiful bookshops, the Balmoral and bagpipes await!
Find the cheapest train tickets to Edinburgh online here.
11 Things to Do in Edinburgh
Climb Arthur’s Seat
Arthur’s Seat is an absolute must visit when in Edinburgh. It’s an ancient volcano located in Holyrood Park to the east of central Edinburgh and it dates back around 2000 years.
Clibning up and down will take you around 1-2 hours depending on how fast you are and how much time you spend at the top. It’s not too strenuous, but nor is it a walk in the park so you can expect to work up a bit of a sweat in that time as you climb this steep hill.
It’s totally worth it in the end though as you’ll get stunning views over both Edinburgh and the surrounding greenery of Holyrood Park from this high vantage point.
A few tips: You won’t need hiking shoes but a sturdy pair of trainers are advisable. It was quite crowded at the top when I hiked Arthur’s Seat so setting off earlier in the day is advisable.
Visit Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is right in the centre of the city on Castle Rock. There has been a royal castle on this rock since at least the 12th century so it has a lengthy history in Edinburgh and has been involved in many a conflict.
There was research a few years ago that suggested this was “the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world” (Caldwell).
Today it’s one of the UK’s most visited paid tourist attractions and it is very well maintained.
You can take an audio guide tour of the castle which will share the best of its history and explain the architecture as you walk around.
The castle and its grounds are huge but taking the self-guided tour means you can go into as much or as little detail as you want.
There’s a tonne of history to be discovered inside and the views over Edinburgh are amazing!
You’ll definitely want to book tickets in advance as the castle is extremely popular and you will not guaranteed entry if you just turn up.
Be warned – the tour involves a lot of uphill walking so you will need to plan ahead if this is going to be an issue.
Opening hours: 9:30am – 5pm/6pm (summer/winter)
Explore Edinburgh’s Independent Bookshops
Many of Scotland’s best writers have called Edinburgh home so it should come as no surprise then that the city is teeming with wonderful independent bookshops.
If you’re of a bookish disposition, I’d recommend setting aside a few hours for bookshop hopping. You can check out my blog post on Edinburgh bookshops for a guide on the very best to visit.
If you’re not quite that dedicated but would like to see a few, then I’d highly recommend visiting West Port. It’s a street in the centre of Edinburgh and not too far from other major sites like the Vennel or Edinburgh Castle.
On this street, there are 4 Edinburgh bookshops so you can poke your head into a few of Edinburgh’s finest in quick succession: Edinburgh Books, Armchair Books, Peter Bell Books and Main Point Books.
My absolute favourite is Armchair Books, a winding bookshop with dusty, old brown shelves that are positively stuffed with old tomes!
READ MORE: 10 Best Edinburgh Bookshops
Eat a deep-fried Mars bar
You may have heard rumours that just about anything can be deep-fried in Scotland. And whilst I haven’t tested that theory, Scotland is the country where the deep-fried Mars bar was born.
With a crunchy exterior with sickly sweet chocolatey insides, this sweet treat won’t be for everyone but I enjoyed my first taste of this all the same.
I’d highly recommend sharing this with someone else as the melted Mars bar is quite thick and gooey.
Some places offer a scoop of ice cream with the deep-fried mars bar, which I actually think would work really well as the cold and soft ice cream would balance out the heavy, dense deep-fried Mars bar.
I visited Cafe Piccante on Broughton Street to try mine but there are a few establishments in Edinburgh that’ll serve these.
Visit the Harry Potter Cafes
One reason a lot of tourists visit Edinburgh is to visit all the Harry Potter-related sites. JK Rowling moved to Edinburgh in 1993 (she still lives there today!) and she spent a lot of time writing in this city.
There are a few cafes that say that JK Rowling used to write in their establishments but the most famous is undoubtedly The Elephant House Cafe.
Unfortunately, the cafe is currently shut as there was an awful fire on George IV Bridge in 2021 which damaged a number of establishments on this road.
Every inch of the cafe’s bathroom walls were covered with drawings and doodles by Harry Potter fans which were very cool and I hope that there’ll still be some sort of homage to the boy wizard when they open up again.
Check out my guide to Harry Potter in Edinburgh for even more Harry Potter cafes to visit in the meantime.
Try haggis
Haggis has to be one of the most famous foods associated with Scotland (it’s their national dish!) and it’s one that a lot of people approach with trepidation.
For the uninitiated, it’s a sort of savoury pudding made from sheep innards (heart, liver, lungs) minced with onion, oatmeal, spices and more.
It’s not my favourite dish, but it’s not bad. If you’re a fan of black pudding then you might well love haggis too as they’re made of similar ingredients.
If you want to try haggis then it’s often found on the breakfast menu as part of a full Scottish breakfast. You’re probably familiar with a full English breakfast and a full Scottish is very similar but often with haggis or black pudding included.
Explore Victoria Street
Victoria Street in Edinburgh’s Old Town is one of the most famous streets in Edinburgh and it’s easy to see why when it’s so picturesque.
This gently curved street with colourful shop fronts is simply iconic and it’s one of the most photographed streets in the city.
The multi-coloured shop exteriors reminded me of the coloured houses of Notting Hill in London, another hotly photographed spot.
I took my time wandering down this street and in and out of most of these shops which range from clothes shops to Harry Potter shops to cheese shops. It’s an eclectic mix but that’s all part of the fun!
Enjoy sunset at Calton Hill
Calton Hill is one of the most picturesque points in Edinburgh. From here, you get sweeping views all over the city and can enjoy a wonderful orange sunset over Edinburgh.
You’ll get a closer view of the city from here compared to Arthur’s Seat as the hill is much closer to the centre of town.
You’ll see the famous Balmoral Hotel and its clock tower, Edinburgh Castle, Arthur’s Seat, the round Dugald Stewart Monument, National Monument (inspired by Athens’ Parthenon), Scott Monument and more.
Visit the Camera Obscura
The Camera Obscura & World of Illusions is located in the centre of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile and is great fun for all ages.
Spanning five floors, there are over 100 extraordinary illusions here, many of which are interactive and all of which will play tricks on your brain.
The attraction was first established in 1835 so some of the illusions date back almost two centuries and it’s fun to see some historic illusions made of nothing but paper as well as more modern ones which rely on electricity and movement.
From the roof terrace at the top, you also get amazing 360 views over the centre of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Castle. It’s not one to miss!
Visit the National Museum of Scotland
If you need to take shelter on a rainy day in Scotland (and there’ll be plenty of those), head to the National Museum of Scotland for some culture and history. Not only is the museum itself stunning but it’s also home to a number of really interesting and insightful exhibitions.
My favourite section was the Animal World section where there are lots of stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes from around the world.
Take pictures of Dean Village
Edinburgh is an absolutely beautiful city with instagrammable snaps waiting around every corner. But Edinburgh’s Dean Village has to be one of the most gorgeous parts of the city.
It’s located just five minutes away from Princes Street and you’ll hardly believe you’re so close to a busy capital city when surrounded by the beautiful, historic architecture and the Water of Leith.
Dean Village is where water mills were once made and you’ll see a number of millstones and plaques with bread on them dotted around.
One of the most famous buildings in the area is Well Court, which was built in the 1880s and boasts beautiful architecture, including turrets. It’s hard to believe that this is where local water mill workers stayed back in the day!
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Have I missed anything? If you’re off to Edinburgh soon then I hope you enjoy your first trip to Scotland’s capital!
Love this post? You may also like these:
10 Edinburgh Bookshops to Visit
A Book Lover’s Guide to Edinburgh
17 Day Trips from Edinburgh
A Guide to Harry Potter in Edinburgh
The Harry Potter Graveyard in Edinburgh
Laura
Editor of What’s Hot?