A Day in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
When I first googled about Edinburgh, I was excited to know that it is a historic city steeped in stories and mysteries. It is a modern yet medieval city combining elegance with contemporarity. Several neoclassical buildings adorn the city retaining its old world charm. Filled with castles and palaces, it is city for discovering the royalty within you. Not surprisingly, it is also a city which wears its culture on its sleeve and yet buzzes with a vibrant nightlife and pubs. To add to its variety, the city is also touted to be the most haunted place in the world. After checking out all this, I was enthused from the word ‘go’ to visit this capital city of Scotland.
How to spend your day in Edinburgh?
If you have just a day to spare, what would you like to cover in the city of Edinburgh in the limited time that you have? I am talking about just the city and not its surroundings. Don’t mistake me. So a day is good enough to cover the major tourist attractions here.
Well, coming back to answer my question, I would suggest that you explore the Royal Mile and enjoy a little bit of history along with mystery; throw in some time for good food, and then enjoy a beautiful sunset along with a bird’s eye view of Edinburgh from a hillock nearby.
Sounds good? Then let’s get going…actually…walking the Royal Mile. Most of the attractions are on this street and you just need to hop on from one end to another to see most of Edinburgh.
Tram to Edinburgh
We were put up in Callander and we drove to take a tram from Ingliston parking station. It was 15-minute tram ride to Princess street which is located just across the Edinburgh castle. Trams are one of the best ways to reach Edinburgh and not worry about parking your car on the busy streets of this medieval city.
Some captured memories…
The Royal Mile
Royal Mile is the busiest touristy stretch of Edinburgh that runs across the heart of the Old Town and is approximately one Scot mile long (1.81 km). It starts from the historic Edinburgh Castle that sits on a volcanic rock on one end and ends at the magnificent Holyrood palace on the other, which is just under the Arthur’s Seat.
We too started our sightseeing from the castle to begin our day.
The Edinburgh Castle (2 hours)
We covered the castle in around 2 hours. We took the guided audio tour but since we are not acquainted much with the history of Scots, we could relate much to the stories of the castle. However, it was fun to see the one o’clock gun which is fired every day at 1 pm except on Sundays, Good Friday and on Christmas. The practice started from 1861 to help the mariners set their clock, and is followed till date. We could not witness the firing of the gun since we went there on a Sunday.
The view of the Edinburgh city from the castle was absolutely breathtaking. We could see the firth of Forth. (Firth means estuary and Forth is the name of the river joining the North Sea.) Look at the symmetrically arranged buildings of the New Town in the pic below. It’s definitely a beautifully planned city!
Here is my FB link when we started exploring the Royal Mile. Do check it out to get the touristy feel of the city.
It was almost noon by the time we were done with the castle. So we decided to have a quick lunch at Tortillas. Nothing much to rave about the restaurant except that it was convenient for us to grab some quick food.
Underground Vaults Tour (90 minutes to 2 hours)
The next on our list for the day was the Mercat underground vaults tour. This is an absolute must-do when in the city. Well, you can go for any well-reviewed tour and not just Mercat, but we loved this tour and so I am recommending it. The story teller or the narrator of this tour was aptly dressed with a cloak and a pointy hat, just like a modern-day witch ;), and took us down to the deep dark vaults of the old city.
There are underground caverns built in the 18th century below the South Bridge, which was inhabited by the destitute of the city. Since they could not afford to rent places up above in the city, they preferred to work below in the deep recesses of the bridge. Blacksmith, tailor, barbers and many such professions were carried out in the dark chambers below the bridge. Such was the plight and the working conditions of these caverns, that these unfortunate people succumbed to the darkness of their fate. As a result, it is said that these caverns are haunted and the hauntings can still be seen and felt till date.
We absolutely enjoyed this creepy tour. I made sure to keep close to the group lest I was caught unawares by a resident ghost of these caverns. Jokes apart, this tour is worth your every penny and gives you the creeps. If you like listening to dark, creepy, and true haunted stories, then this is the place for you.
Snack Time
By the time we were done with the Mercat tour, we were tired of all the walking. And it was also time for some evening chai. Finding an Indian restaurant and chai is an easy task in Scotland. One can find Indian takeaways even in the remotest corner of this country. So finding the Pakora Bar on the Royal Mile was no big deal. When we spotted this cute little eatery on our way down the Royal Mile, we quickly grabbed the opportunity to venture in and try some yummy pakoras from the menu there. They were good. The icing on the cake was the elaichi tea served there. Seriously, never had such perfect tea even in India. It is a place run by some Punjabi brothers and they do a good job of it.
Holyrood Palace (1-2 hours)
Holyrood palace stands at the end of the Royal Mile. This is open to the public all year round and has some amazing displays of art and architecture. Check out the link here to know the visiting days and hours. However, we were not too keen and also short on time to see this palace. Hence, we decided to skip this and instead headed to Arthur’s seat right across the road.
Arthur’s Seat ( 2 hours)
Arthur’s seat is the highest point of an extinct volcano in Holyrood park and is one of the popular treks in Edinburgh. Situated at a height of around 800 feet above the sea level, the climb to the top is relatively easy and a beautiful one. The grassy hill offers numerous stunning vistas of the city from its various vantage points and is a must-do to take in a bird’s eye view of Edinburgh on a fine evening.
Yes, plan to climb the Arthur’s seat in the evening to witness the sun setting over Edinburgh (just literally of course!) and cast a beautiful glow all around. It is not clear if there is a connection between this trek and King Arthur (of England). However, the name has stuck and is not bad 😉
We usually travel and explore leisurely at our own sweet pace and do not like to rush into things. However, you can pack in more places in this itinerary before you call it a day. Hope you enjoyed reading about Edinburgh and know where to go and what to do the next time you are here. Till then, take care!
Also, if you liked reading this blog, then check out my other trips in Scotland here.