Making the Most of 3 Days in Edinburgh, Scotland

One of the reasons we wanted to move to Portugal was so that we could easily and cheaply (as possible) travel throughout Europe. Our first trip outside the country landed us 3 days in Edinburgh, Scotland! We were lucky enough to meet up with friends that lived in the area and got a few personal tours of the best places.

Day 1

We landed at the Edinburgh airport in Scotland at close to midnight on a Sunday morning, so our day started off slow. We were staying in a lovely Air B&B on Fountainbridge Road, so we walked up to Loudons to have a lovely brunch. They offer a full Scottish breakfast complete with haggis, but we did not try that. The meal was so good though, we ate there twice. Highly recommend.

After our long brunch, we walked up to the Grass Market in Old Town for the first time and took in all the lovely bars, restaurants and a view of Edinburgh Castle. Grass Market is perfect for an afternoon or nightly drink with all of the bars and restaurants.

But we weren’t quite ready for a drink yet. We made our way around the corner to Victoria street, my favourite street in Edinburgh.

Victoria Street

Victoria Street is a curved street that heads up toward the Royal Mile but is also known as the inspiration for J.K. Rowling’s Diagon Alley. There are many amazing shops along here selling tartans and souvenirs. At first, I was taken with The Knights Vault. This shop was full of swords and knives and all things medieval, but what impressed me more is that they allowed me to handle a broad sword. Don’t worry, no one was hurt.

The Harry Potter Shop (Museum Context Limited) is a great place to stop in, especially if you are a Harry Potter Fan. The shop has 3 floors, although it is rather small but fun to explore. It was June, so it was FULL of people.

**Special note–Chalmers Tweed shop used to be a joke shop and still has the glasses with the funny nose mounted outside. It was the inspiration for the Weasley’s Joke Shop in Harry Potter. They are not allowed to remove the glasses because of this.

It was finally time for a drink so we walked to the top of the hill and down George Street to the George IV Bar. It seemed fitting to have a pint of fine Scottish ale here.

The Royal Mile

Let me go ahead and say that you are going to read about the Royal Mile twice. It is quite a street to take in and we were there for all three days because there is so much to see.

Just a quick note–it’s called the Royal Mile because it stretches from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the hill to Holyrood Park, the King’s official royal residence, at the bottom and is exactly one mile.

We didn’t quite know what we were doing that first day, so we just took a right at the end of George Street and saw St. Giles Cathedral.

St. Giles’ Cathedral

Named after the patron saint of Edinburgh, St. Giles’ Cathedral is right on the Royal Mile. It is the principal place of worship in Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth laid in state there for 24 hours so that the citizens could pay their respects.

Beth loves churches so we could not pass up the opportunity to see it. The stained glass was gorgeous!

We walked all the way down the Royal Mile to see the rest of it. Luckily it was downhill all the way. At the very end is Hollywood Palace, which is quite magnificent. We did not have the time or the energy to take a tour but we got a few good pics.

The Order of the Thistle

Inside the cathedral is a small chapel dedicated to The Order of the Thistle, the greatest order of chivalry in Scotland. It recognises Scottish men and women who have held office or contributed to national life. It has roots in the Middle Ages (c. 809 CE) but James II of England established the new rules in 1687. The sovereign is the leader of the order and appointments are made only by him.

Inside the chapel, new members are installed by the king. The room is full of amazing stained glass and stalls for the 16 knights, 2 royal stalls and the sovereign stall. There are religious and heraldic details, much of it Scottish such as angels playing bagpipes.

We took an Uber back to our Air B&B from there. Our next adventure was going to be whiskey tasting, so we needed a rest before dinner.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Our good friends, David and Ansley, recommended that we go to the Scotch Malt Whiskey Society and have a tasting there. This is not your average whisky tasking. These guys boast that they have over 500 whiskies from Scotland. You have to be a member to buy these whiskies, but you can visit the guest room and schedule a tasting.

We had dinner there as well and it was incredible. Luckily, it was after the tasting so we could sober up a little.

We tried 5 of the whiskies and OMG they were amazing! They ranged from full peat to not peaty at all. We wanted so badly to buy a bottle but alas, we were not members. Maybe next time.

Scotch Whisky Experience

The Scotch Whisky Experience is the best way to try different whiskies while you are in Scotland. They are located up on the Royal Mile and offer tours throughout the day. They do get full soon so book your tour in advance. We didn’t do this on our trip, but it is on the list for next time!

Day 2

Once again, we headed out for breakfast, but this time a little earlier. We had many big plans for the day. First, we were going to take a Harry Potter tour around Edinburgh. Then, we were meeting up with our new friends, Knocke and Alan for lunch and then a tour of Mary King’s Close. It was a BIG day.

Harry Potter Walking Tour

We booked a guided tour through Air B&B but Kat has her own tours with Travel Kat Tours. She does a Harry Potter tour and a witches tour. She was working on the Outlander tour as well but it wasn’t ready for us yet.

The tour started up at the Royal Mile by Edinburgh Castle so we were able to see the other part of the Royal Mile we missed the day before. We walked around the outside of the castle, saw some really cool owls, and visited the famous tartan store there. That’s where we were meeting up with out tour guide, Kat.

We visited several places that were inspirations for J.K. Rowling while she was writing her book. We visited the writers walk, next to the writers museum, which had a stone for every writer that had something to do with Scotland. Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns, and Robert Louis Stevenson all have stones here. Rowlings wasn’t there yet since you have to be dead to get one.

We toured Victoria street once more and ended the tour at the Greyfriars Kirkyard, where you can see many names that were used in the books. You can also see the cafe where she wrote before she became really famous. Unfortunately, it burned down several years ago and has not been rebuilt.

Greyfriar’s Bobby

At the end of the Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, there is a grave dedicated to a Terrier. This terrier was so loyal to his owner, John Grey, that he guarded his grave for 14 years. A statue was erected to honour the sweet boy and people often leave sticks on his grave as a tribute.

National Museum of Scotland

After a great lunch at a local pub that Alan used to frequent, we took a short walk around the National Museum of Scotland. There is a great deal to see here and we didn’t really have time to experience it like we wanted, but it was a nice introduction. The coolest thing we did see is the Millennium Clock Tower. It chimes every hour and is a whole show in itself.

The Real Mary King’s Close

The Real Mary King’s Close was definitely a tour I would recommend. It is a bit touristy but gives great information about Mary King, who was one of the few business women during the 17th century. The area was discovered under the Royal Mile and excavated so that people could really understand what it was like to live there.

They must not allow pictures because we did not have a single one for the entire visit. Plus, it really is dark down there!

After our tour, we walked back down to the Grass Market area for a drink. I wanted to peak in to the White Hart Inn for a pint.

Grass Market

Known for its bars and nightlife, the Grass Market is a perfect place to get a drink. I wanted to go to the White Hart Inn, supposedly the oldest bar there. But many of these places boast some historical connection. The market was used as a market, of course, but also a place to hang witches back in the day.

Day 3

Our last day in Edinburgh was shorter since we had to leave, but thanks to Knocke and Alan, it was full! The couple met us one more time at Loudon’s for breakfast and then we hopped a bus over to Waverley Train station in Edinburgh’s new town to store our luggage for a while. Then Knocke and Alan took us for a long walk!

Calton Hill

Calton Hill is no doubt the best place to get great views of the city. The climb is a little steep, but not too bad. On top, there is an observatory and small museum. We spent a hour up there just enjoying the views.

Princes Street Garden

After we hiked around Calton Hill, it was time for a pint before we had to be off to the airport. But first, we took a walk through Princes Street Gardens and took in the atmosphere and and beauty of the flowers. It was Tuesday and the crowds were lively and there was live music in the park. It made us wish we could have stayed a little longer.

For Next time we visit Edinburgh

One of the things we wanted to do but didn’t feel like we had time was the Edinburgh Castle. We knew it would probably take a good chunk of the day and we wanted to see other things. It is definitely on our list for our next trip.

Three days doesn’t seem like a very long time to spend in Edinburgh because there is so much to see and do. We know we want to try more whiskies, do the underground walking tour, do more of the National Museum and the Scottish National Gallery, see Holyrood Palace, tour the Scottish Parliament building, hike up to Arthur’s Seat, see the Royal Botanic Garden, and experience the fringe festival. We hear the street performers are the best there! But we would need at least another 4 days for all of that!

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