Edinburgh
From Imakoopedia
Edinburgh is in the Central Belt of Scotland and is the capital city of Scotland. It has a population of approximately 450,000 people.
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Understand
Edinburgh in the summer becomes "festival city" when no fewer than five major arts festivals are hosted in the city. These are:
- The Edinburgh Fringe Festival (http://www.edfringe.com/) - The largest arts festival in the world
- The Edinburgh International Film Festival (http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/)
- The Edinburgh International Festival (http://www.eif.co.uk/)
- The T on the Fringe Festival (http://www.tonthefringe.com/) - A music fetival which has in the past hosted some large acts runs alongside The Fringe.
- The Edinburgh International Television Festival (http://212.250.105.238/)
Edinburgh in the summer is also kept busy with the Edinburgh Tattoo (http://www.edinburgh-tattoo.co.uk/).
An important thing to decide when planning a trip is whether you want to go at festival time, from early August to mid-September. Hotels are noticeably more expensive then, and you need to book well (at least six months) in advance. There is a huge range of performing artists in the Festival.
Edinburgh in the Festive Season is also huge: whole sections of central Edinburgh are roped off and accessible only by ticket for the New Years' Celebrations known as Hogmanay (http://www.edinburghshogmanay.org/).
Unfortunately with Edinburgh you cannot rely on the weather. Although there can be days of sunshine and calm air much of the time you should expect rain. Thankfully Edinburgh has a lot of attractions that are indoors and will not be spoilt by the weather.
Get in
By plane
Edinburgh is served by its own combined international and domestic airport: Edinburgh International Airport (http://www.baa.co.uk/main/airports/edinburgh/). Most overseas travelers will fly in via transfers at London's Heathrow or Gatwick Airports.
There is an Express Shuttle (http://flybybus.com/) from the airport to the city centre. It costs £3 single and £5 open return, and takes about 25 minutes to travel from the airport and Princes Street.
By train
The main railway station in Edinburgh is called Waverley Railway Station (http://www.networkrailstations.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=stations.liststation&stationId=5199) and is an attraction in itself. First opened in 1846, Waverley Station was rebuilt 1892-1902. It lies between the old town and modern Edinburgh, adjacent to Princes Street, Edinburgh Castle and the Princes Street Gardens, where it serves over 14 million people per annum. Despite various refurbishments, the past still survives in the station's elaborate, domed ceiling where wreathed cherubs leap amid a wealth of scrolled ironwork.
There is a second railway station in the centre of Edinburgh, Haymarket, which is around a mile to the west of Waverley.
By car
Edinburgh is at the junction of the M8 (East-West motorway), M9 (from Edinburgh North) and the A1 (from England and London). The city is famed for stationary traffic, and since privatising the traffic wardens, their dedication to ticketing anything that is not moving has become legendary. Parking is not very easy, although there are several multi-storey car parks in the city centre (Castle Terrace for the West End and try St James Centre at the East End (access from York Place).
By bus
The city is served by the major inter-city bus companies from around Scotland and England.
By boat
Car and passenger ferries from continental Europe dock at Rosyth (about 10 miles from the city centre across the Forth Bridges), and Passenger liners are a common sight in summer at Leith Docks (north Edinburgh).
Get around
There are two bus companies, Lothian and First. They share the same bus stops, but the route numbers are not interchangeable, and neither are the tickets. Day passes are cheaper if you wait until 0930.
There are also at least two companies that operate sightseeing buses. Both have a policy that a sightseeing ticket is valid for 24 hours, so you can get around central Edinburgh using the sightseeing buses.
See
- The Royal Yacht Britannia (http://www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk) - runner-up Best UK Attraction in 2004
- Edinburgh Castle (http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/edinburghcastle). ph 0131 225 9846. Edinburgh Castle, home to the Edinburgh Tattoo, is a magnificently situated royal fortress located on one of the highest points in the city. The castle has been continuously in use for 1000 years and is in excellent condition. The audio tour, which costs £3 per headset, is extremely detailed and worth hiring, providing both location based and chronologically based commentary on the castle. The castle opens at 9:30am and closes at 6:00pm April to October and 5:00pm during the rest of the year. Admission is £9.50 adults, £7 concessions and £2 children.
- The Palace of Holyroodhouse (http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page559.asp). ph 0131 556 5100. fax 020 7930 9625. email bookinginfo@royalcollection.org.uk. The Palace is a royal residence, and hosts the Queen's Gallery containing a collection of art from the Royal Collection. The Palace is best known as the home of Mary Queen of Scots and as the site of the murder of Mary's secretary Rizzio by her husband Lord Darnley. The Palace opens at 9:30am and closes at 6:00pm April to October and 4:30pm during the rest of the year. Palace admission is £8 adults, £6.50 concessions, and £4.00 children. Separate admission to the gallery is £5 adults, £4 concession and £3 children. Joint admission to the gallery and the palace is £11 adults, £9 concessions and £5.50 children.
- Museum of Scotland (http://www.nms.ac.uk/scotland/), Chambers Street. ph 0131 247 4422. fax 0131 220 4819. typetalk 18001 0131 247 4422. email info@nms.ac.uk. The museum mixes innovative modern architecture with the best of Scotland's heritage. Exhibits include Scottish pottery and weapons from the Roman era and the Renaissance. Opening hours are 10am - 5pm Monday to Saturday with extended opening to 8pm on Tuesdays; and 12pm - 5pm Sundays. Admission is free.
- The Scott Monument - built in 1846 to commemorate the life of Sir Walter Scott after his death in 1832, the Gothic spire monument allows you to climb 200 ft above the city centre to enjoy fantastic views and get a closer look at sculpted statuettes of characters from Scott's works. Open April - September Mo-Sa 9-6, Su 10-6; October - March Mo-Sa 9-3, Su 10-3. East Princes Street Gardens, Tel: 0131 529 4068. Admission £2.50.
- The National Gallery of Scotland (http://www.natgalscot.ac.uk/) holds much of Scotlands fine artwork and carries exhibitons that change seasonally. The Mound, Edinburgh, EH2 2EL, tel. +44 (0)131 624 6200.
- Visit Edinburgh Zoo (http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/). £8.50 Adults, £5.50 Children.
Do
- Climb up to Arthur's Seat (http://www.scottishsport.co.uk/walking/arthurseat.htm), an extinct volcano. Wonderful view.
- Climb Calton Hill in the morning or evening hours to experience a great sunrise/sunset over Edinburgh
- If you like country dancing, go to a ceilidh (http://www.caledonian-brewery.co.uk/events/ceilidhs.htm) at the Caledonian brewery. Tickets £3-£6.
- Walk down the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Royal Mile is the backbone of the sixteenth century Old Town and most of the buildings date from this period.
- Edinburgh has an excellent theatre and concert life. Europe's largest theatre, the 3000-seat Edinburgh Playhouse (top of Leith Walk) hosts major West End shows. The Festival Theatre frequently hosts opera and ballet, and the Usher Hall (Lothian Road) has weekly orchestral concerts all year round with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The Queen's Hall (South Clark Street) is home to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
- Follow a ghost walk around the back street surrounding The Royal Mile and learn about the sinister goings on of Edinburgh's past.
- Go to the cinema. Edinburgh has a number of cinema's covering mainstream, foreign language and arthouse films.
- Cameo Cinema, Home Street (0131 228 4141) - Mainstream & alternative films
- Filmhouse, Lothian Road (0131 228 2688) - Arthouse & foreign language films
- Odean Cinema, Lothian Road (0870 50 50 007)
- Vue, Leith Street (08702 40 60 20)
Learn
Edinburgh is host to a number of higher and further education organisations including:
- Edinburgh University (http://www.ed.ac.uk)
- Heriot-Watt University (http://www.hw.ac.uk/)
- Napier University (http://www.napier.ac.uk/)
- Queen Margaret University College (http://www.qmuc.ac.uk)
Work
Buy
- Princes Street, north of the castle, is the main shopping street in Edinburgh. It runs through the middle of the city from the train station to Lothian Road. It contains large chain stores such as HMV for music, Topshop and H&M for clothes, touristy shops, and department stores. There are lots of more upmarket shops and restaurants/bars on George Street and Cockburn Street in the Old Town has many small alternative shops selling novelty toys, underground clothing, body piercings and spiritual items.
- The Royal Mile, especially the higher end near the castle, has a lot of tourist-oriented shops selling Scottish souvenirs from postcards to whisky and kilts.
- Try and take home a bottle of Scotland's finest export - A single malt whisky.
Eat
Edinburgh is a great city for the food lover. There is a massive selection of eateries scattered throughout every part of the city. All tastes, prices and styles are catered for in the same way that you would expect from any other large European City. The are a large selection of takeaways, fine restaurants and pubs where food is served; also Edinburgh is joining the rest of the UK that is currently seeing a boom in the Cafe Culture. I think there are currently five Starbucks in the city.
There is a selection of traditional (and not so traditional) Scottish foods that you should try. These include:
- Scottish Salmon
- Aberdeen Angus steak
- Haggis
- Fruit pudding
- Deep-fried Mars bar (only the Scots could do this!!)
As well as the centre of Edinburgh it is also worth checking out Leith and the West End when looking for a place to eat. Both of these places are out of the centre of the city but hold a large number of places to eat. A list of specific places that are recommended follows:
- For good traditional Scottish The Whitchery by the Castle (http://www.thewitchery.com), Castlehill, Royal Mile, Edinburgh (0131 225 5613) is highly recommended as is Oloroso (http://www.oloroso.co.uk) (0131 226 7614) - albeit a little pretentious, and A Room in the West End (http://www.aroomin.co.uk/westend).
- Edinburgh hosts a number of excellent Indian restaurants including Suruchi (http://www.suruchirestaurant.co.uk) (0131 556 6583), Namaste (0131 466 7061), Britannia Spice (http://www.britanniaspice.co.uk) (0131 555 2255), City Spice (http://www.cityspice.net) (0131 476 1593), The Bombay Bicycle Club (0131 229 3839) and The Far Pavillions (http://www.thefarpavilions.co.uk) (0131 332 3362).
- Vegetarians are catered for with David Bann's (http://www.davidbann.co.uk) vegetarian restaurant. 56-58 St Mary's Street (0131 556 5888), info@davidbann.co.uk. Imaginative and tasty vegetarian food, some courses are suitable for vegans. Main courses cost about £10. Also worth a mention is Black Bo's (http://www.blackbos.co.uk) (0131 557 6136) just off the Royal Mile.
- Edinburgh also has a number of fine fish restaurants ones to try include: Fishers Bistro (http://www.fishersbistro.co.uk) (0131 554 5666), The Mussel Inn (http://www.mussel-inn.com) (0131 225 5979) and Maxi's (0131 343 3007).
- Other personal favorites include Jacques (http://www.jacquesbistro.co.uk) (0131 229 6080), Maison Bleue (http://www.maison-bleue.co.uk) (0131 226 1900), First Coast (http://www.first-coast.co.uk) (0131 313 4404), Izzi (http://www.izzi-restaurant.co.uk) (0131 466 9888), Tijuana Yacht Club (0131 220 1208) and The Outsider (0131 226 3131).
Drink
The Scottish really like their drink and Edinburgh's pub and night life really reflect this. There are establishments to suit all tastes scattered throughout every pocket of the city. Be careful, some of the more local pubs can be a little rough around the edges, especially in the area of Leith.
For a non-alcoholic beverage give Scotland's second national drink a try - IRN-BRU. It's a great cure for the hangover.
As for Scotland's first drink, you will find The Whiskey Museum at the top of The Royal Mile.
- The city has highest number of pubs/clubs per capita.
- Lots of traditional pubs all around the city.
- Many famous traditional pubs at Grassmarket St. These pubs are tourist traps, real Edinburghers keep clear.
- Lots of modern clubs around Cowgate and Lothain road including Subway and Diva'.
- Yellow Card at The Tron (at Hunter Square) cost you only £1 but will gives you discount on almost every drink in the pub. The same card can be use with many other pubs around the country with a Yellow Card sign
- The Opal Lounge (http://www.opallounge.co.uk/) is one of Edinburgh's most trendy nightspots and is located on George Street amongst a feast of other pubs including The Candy Bar, Tonic, Fingers, Bar38 and All Bar One.
- In the old town around George IV bridge you will find another selection of pubs including The Beluga Bar, Frakensteins and Bar Khol.
- Other night clubs around the city include Ego, Faith and The Liquid Room.
- The Bongo Club (http://www.thebongoclub.co.uk) (0131 558 7604) is also well worth a mention for travellers. Although a little further outside the city towards the new Scottish Parliament this is a great cafe style bar come live music venue.
Sleep
Expensive
- The Caledonian Hilton (http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=EDNCHHI), Princess Street, tel. +44 (0)131 2228888. The Caledonian Hilton is a five star hotel situated within the building of the Old Caledonian Railway Station. This one hundred year old hotel is centrally located and holds fantastic views of the Edinburgh Castle on one side. Three restaurants are situated within the hotel as well as two separate bars. Prices vary from £125 for a basic double to £400 for a luxurious suite (and they are luxurious).
Cheap
- Edinburgh First at University (http://www.edinburghfirst.com/) aka Pollock Halls, 18 Holyrood Park Road, tel. 0800 028 7118, fax 0131 667 7271, overseas tel. +44 (0)131 651 2189. Open June 18th to September 24th. Accommodation on the campus of the University of Edinburgh, near to the Royal Commonwealth Pool and Arthur's Seat. About half-hour walk to city center. Very nice Scottish breakfast in campus cafeteria: stuff up in the morning and skip lunch. Completely nonsmoking. Single room £27-£46, most expensive in August (Edinburgh Festival time).
Contact
- The Jolly Judge Pub (http://www.jollyjudge.co.uk), 7 James Court, Lawnmarket (Royal Mile, near the Castle). ph 0131 225 2669. Open daily, mid-afternoon until 11:30 (later on weekends). No computers, but free wireless connection for those with the right equipment and know-how (no support); may be too busy on Thursdays and weekends for extended web sessions. Drinks: yes, it's a pub. Food: don't think so, apart from crisps. Price: Free (but buy a pint!)
- The Forest (http://www.theforest.org.uk), 3 Bristo Place. ph 0131 220 4538. Open daily. 2 computers and wireless connection for free. You probably have to wait for a while, but as it is a bar, you can enjoy a coffee while waiting.
- Pyramid Imaging, 6-8 Bread St. ph 0131 229 7010. 3 computers with Internet access. Access is 5p/minute.
Stay safe
Cope
Get out
External links
- Edinburgh.org (http://www.edinburgh.org/) - Edinburgh and Lothians Tourist Board website
- City of Edinburgh Council (http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/) - official website for the Edinburgh municipal authority
