[Closed] Edinburgh next weekend - eating, getting around, tips in general

IIRC the YHA is halfway down leith walk. Leith is generally less crowded than the town centre at this time of year but still pretty busy.

There are loads of really nice cafes and restaurants. Ship on the shore is my fave for good seafood

The Kelpies is a waste of time, you see them for five minutes, get the idea then go home.

Snax Cafe is the city's legendary greasy spoon. Victor Hugo is an excellent French breakfast place on the Meadows.

Evening meals - David Bann for reasonably priced but posh veggie food, Educated Flea is superb, The High Dive does great pizza, Cafe St Honore good cheap French food.

The fringe is quieter this year but the fact that there are fewer shows means even free stuff is full in advance. Book ahead.

Bread Meats Bread if you fancy slumming it with a burger and Poutine.

The Kelpies is a waste of time, you see them for five minutes, get the idea then go home.

I would disagree - combine it with a walk along the canal to the falkirk wheel and you have a nice day out.

Can be done by train as well- train to falkirk Grahamstown, walk to kelipes, walk to the wheel, walk to falkirk high

Was down in Edinburgh with my wife a couple of weeks back. Book all your meals and activities ahead of time to avoid any disappointment.

Had an amazing lunch in SALT cafe. Smoked bloody Marry WOW

I'd say if you must see the canal there are far nicer bits than anything within ten miles of Falkirk. The stretch from Lochrin Basin to the Ashley Terrace Boathouse for example.

I've been meaning to go to Jupiter Artland for years, anyways just checked and you can get a bus to it from the city centre.

More than enough in Edinburgh for a long weekend. Kelpies nice bit it'll take a lot away from your time

I was at jupitor artland the other day. Intertesting place

good point about it only being a long weekend tho - plenty to doing Edinburgh without spending time on [public transport going around the area

Open top bus rides are fun

If its raining lots Alien Rock is good indoor fun.

Kelpies are nice to see if you are in Falkirk but probably not worth a day trip specially.

We were up in Edinburgh with some mates and all of our teenage offspring last week and on TJ’s recommendation we did the open top bus tour in glorious sunshine. It’s a great way to see the city. You can jump on and off to have a closer look at anywhere that takes your fancy

We had lunch at a little Mexican place and it was absolutely bloody lovely.

Topolabamba

It’s across the road from the aforementioned Bread Meats Bread which also looked good

I'm definitely in the don't bother with the kelpies camp. It's a quick way to burn through your limited time.

Open top busses are fun and the regular busses are excellent. They take contactless and cap at like 5pounds for the day so you can go to town on them.

If it's rainy and you like interesting history. Mary kings close... You need to book.

If you want a view... Scott's monument or Arthur's seat.

The castle is a total waste of time and money, Britannia is more interesting.

There is loads I've always meant to do, but it's you know, on the doorstep so never happens.
What about one of the murder and mystery tours. There are lots of history in them there streets. Most are centred around the royal mile, south bridge, the mound and cow gate area.

I always found in the Surgeon's Hall museum and the Edinburgh Medical School interesting, seeing Burke was good, as a spoiler he was quite short. Both are just round the corner from the museum on chambers Street.

The bank museum on the mound?

Take a walk up Arthur's Seat, have a look at Hutton's unconformity and view all the other volcanic plugs in the area.

A trip on the train to South Queensferry and see the Forth Bridge, stop in at Ferry Tasty, Chris is a good guy.

There is lots to do in West Lothian, revel in the shale bings and Parafin Young.

+1 for Topolabamba.

Sandermans New Europe Tours are good. It’s a “free” walking tour starting from outside Starbucks on The Royal Mile. The tours last 2-3 hours (with a break) and takes you around the old town telling stories of history and interesting buildings. At the end of the tour you tip the guide what you think it’s worth.

Hangout around George Square / Bristo Square. There should be food / beer and loads of seating. It’s a good place to speak to other people about which shows are good. There are normally loads of flyerers handing out flyers for shows that still have tickets.

I'd recommend a walk up Arthur's Seat/The Crags instead of the Kelpies. Only takes about 90 minutes up/look about/down and the views are great.

Edinburgh Dungeon is really good as is the Royal Yacht Brittania.

I did a Silent Disco walking tour in the Meadows last wekk which I expected to hate (friends dragged me along) but it was absolutely excellent fun - the folk who run it are really good.

I’d recommend a walk up Arthur’s Seat/The Crags instead of the Kelpies. Only takes about 90 minutes up/look about/down and the views are great.

I’d be in that camp. The Kelpies are impressive as a piece of sculpture and the wheel is impressive as a piece of engineering, but I wouldn’t travel from Edinburgh as a tourist. Unless you go on a school day they are heaving with the sort of people who only go outdoors if there is an organised park for them and my tolerance for them is limited! I’ve never worked out what the Kelpies was trying to be; bizarrely it still seems to be popular at it!

Arthur’s seat on the other hand - how often are you in a city with a huge hill in the middle.

Aye, bugger the Kelpies, nice if your cycling along the canal, but not to leave Edinburgh to go to.

Arthurs seat, Mary kings close, open top bus +1

Thanks for the ideas and feedback.

We've done Arthur's Seat, Castle and Britannia on other visits, so have 4 days to fill this time, which is why the Kelpies was an idea

Was up a few weeks ago. Kids enjoyed the castle but the queue for the crown jewels was mental, so we didn't see those.

Dynamic Earth really surprised me. Wife wanted to go and I thought it would be boring but was excellent. Especially the planetarium.

Another vote for Arthur's Seat. Can get busy though, so go first thing or last thing. On a similar vein, Calton hill is a nice trot up.

this might be an idea. I have never been on one of these walking tours but I know the woman who does these and she is really nice and knowledgeable

https://www.hettyshistorywalks.co.uk/

Spend all 4 days in Sandy Bells😊. I have to admit that I I am of a certain vintage.

I know - how about we all pool our knowledge to find the dodgy pubs for them to visit on a sort of "Trainspotting" tour

I'll kick off with " the port of leith" Its been sanitised but its still a bit dodgy.

Says the man with coriander on his fry up.

Says the man with coriander on his fry up.

That's going to haunt us all for years....

" the clock on the shore" for the corander on your fry up

"rocksalt" for the pomegranite seeds on your eggs benedict ( actually very nice)

"relish" for a nice coffeee / scrambled aggs, pastry breakfast

"printworks coffee" for really good scrambled eggs

"Mimis" for coffee and cake and they also do french toast with bacon and maple syrup but I have yet to try their breakfasts but the cake is top notch

all within a few hundred m of my flat. the names give away the poshness a bit don't they

Kings Wark pub in Lieth for breakfast and a pint.

You're spoiled for choices and you'll get a hundred suggestions on food in Edinburgh.

I don;t think the kings wark is doing breakfasts anymore nd the last evening meal I had in there was not terribly good - which is a shame - its one of the places I have eaten at a lot

there are over 30 eating and drinking establishments withing 400m of my flat - varying from michelin starred to pub grub

The Kelpies are alright, worth booking a tour if you do visit though (the guides are generally brilliant). But like others saying, it's a long way to come just for them so worth doing a few more things in Falkirk if you venture out of Edinburgh.

Add in the Falkirk Wheel and possibly Callendar House too. There's also leccy bikes for hire with stations at all 3 locations above, and a brilliant canal/offroad path network between them all. https://www.forthbike.co.uk/map

Disclaimer: Falkirk born and bred, and I can see the Kelpies from my home office window as I type 🙂

In edinburger next week for one of our offspring's held over graduation so won't get to any of the above bar a very trendy leith meal. Anyway, I guess depending on teenagers, the art galleries are very worth checking out, combined with the walk along the waters of leith and botanic gardens. I tend to do small doses so just the impressionist/post impressionist room at the national gallery (assuming it's not been rehung or owt) which has cezanne, gauguin, van gough, monet and others all in one room. Tben find the stream and head for the gallery of modern art which I recall being on a couple of sites (cba googling).

@tjagain
That's a shame, they used to be fantastic.

Still, you are never short of eateries up the Toon.

The Kings Wark is one of my favourite pubs of all time - shame it's not so great now 🙁

I might have just got them on a bad day - I had the pulled pork and it had obviously been reheated in sauce so was a mushy mess
Its not been a pub for a long time - its a restaurant nowadays

If it rains (Scotland) and the kids get bored, the Camera Obscura is good fun. Conversely, the Camera works best in good light, but they have several floors of entertaining optical illusion things to play in - great venue too right by the Castle.

Dynamic Earth really surprised me. Wife wanted to go and I thought it would be boring but was excellent. Especially the planetarium.

We were there about a month ago and it was very good, I could have spent hours in the planetarium, pity the show is only about 30 minutes long.

There's three bus tours that do mainly different routes round the town kids are free and your tickets last 24 hours so you can use them to move around on if you want. They have a phone app so you can see when the next bus is due which is handy.

Bin the teens and take the other half to the Witchery, then get them back to the hotel quick, cause you'll have scored.

Amazing food. Just read the wine list with your wallet at a safe distance.

First coast is good for an evening meal, Bonnie burrito for great value burritos - unsurprisingly, artisan roast or Kilimanjaro for coffee, The Cloisters is a good shout if you do like good beer in a traditional style pub. Braid and Blackford hills for walking/views of the city. Royal Yacht Britannia is worth a look, I've zero interest in the Royal family but my wife works on board so went and was surprised by how interesting it was. Botanic gardens are also nice, could be combined with a walk along the water of Leith as and visit to the Morden art gallery.

Is it busy with the fringe festival at the moment or is it a subdued version?

It's busier than it has been, but nothing like a normal August! it's actually quite nice.

While you're in the port o Leith you could go full sticky carpet in Cock o the walk, then a 5am pint in the huntsman (alway an old bloke slumped over a half an' half)

Would u advise booking for food due to the fringe

I would always advise booking in Edinburgh - it has been super busy since end of lockdown - domestic tourists. And as a friend of mine in Stockbridge put it "the Festival ****s vacuum has been filled by central belt Neds".

Although during the Feestivals Edinburgh restaurants generally don't take bookings, they don't need to, and can sell way more covers with walk-ins and constant full tables.

Was quiet by Fringe standards last night, restaurants seemed quiet, but definitely busier at Waverley just now when we came back in, so maybe mid-week Fringe better than weekend Fringe.

Combined the Kelpies with a walk to see the Falkirk Wheel, actually not a bad day out.

A sunday morning walk down the Leith from Dean village to Stockbridge is nice - great sunday market in Stockbridge/ loads of places to eat etc

Booking tables might be needed at the weekend - Mamma Roma squeezed us in between bookings, but they were full, and turned away later walk ins.

And it was the best Italian I've had in a while too.

Sorry to hear people dissing the Kelpies.
They are absolutely stunning, try and go towards dusk to see them lit up from within, it works well with the short walk from the carpark, as you get closer to them and their scale becomes apparent.

Any food recommendations

A sunday morning walk down the Leith from Dean village to Stockbridge is nice – great sunday market in Stockbridge/ loads of places to eat etc

Stockbridge. It was still a slum when I lived there (not sure about cause and effect....)  🙂

Don't think we're dissing kelpies just if you are time tight and in Edinburgh there are easier things to do.
Although as kelpies are water spirits that drag their victims to their death I do always question the siting of them.

Good job your not here on holiday just now as it's peltin down, that really wet Scottish rain

Good job your not here on holiday just now as it’s peltin down, that really wet Scottish rain

There's a lot of young ladies dressed to impress who must be very cold and wet today.

I am officially old for

What poncho for Edinburgh 😂😂😂

That was a very wet day of walking around. Luckily I managed to be in a bike shop for the duration of the extreme downpour. I am told we walked 30,000 steps today, and we did 25,000 yesterday. The only thing stopping my kids hating me completely is the steady flow of cake and cafes.

Surgeons’ Hall museum yesterday proved a little much  for the stomach. Today has been mostly charity shops, which my 13 year old declares are much better than at home.

That was a very wet day of walking around.

We did the Harry Potter Walking (Wading) Tour this morning which coincided with the worst of the rain. Still distinctly soggy at the Corn Exchange ahead of seeing Henning Wehn.

Any food recommendations

If you like Italian and can book, this was great last night

http://www.mamma-roma.net/

Sounds biblical the rainfall, has it dispersed the crowds at all

More cash I've checked it out, very nice and close by

Surgeons’ Hall museum yesterday proved a little much for the stomach

my mum was a dental hygienist so when kids if we refused to brush our teeth we were shown her bumper book of dental diseases so nothing the museum could throw at me was that bad ,🤣

All this talk of the festival makes me want to take a trip up town.

I’m in Edinburgh for the festival this weekend. It’s very quiet and doesn’t have the buzz of the festival. You can walk down the Royal Mile without being flyered.

Still decent I bet

You can walk down the Royal Mile without being flyered

fixed that for you.

I hated living in Edinburgh during the festival. It's proper shit.

Definitely not as busy as the last time we were up here when the festival was on. Much nicer, to be honest. Far less hassle with flyers.

One of the better jokes from Henning Wehn tonight was about how nice it was to come out of Waverley station and there being no bagpipers this year.

I hadn’t noticed there are no bagpipers! But now you mention it, what a joy. I once had an office overlooking cathedral sq on the Royal Mile. As a consequence I am severely allergic to bagpipes.

Currently barely able to move after a very nice and authentic Italian meal at Cafe Domenicos down at Leith.

A couple of stray pipers on the Royal Mile, but definitely not as bad as previous visits.

My musical youth is desperate to have a go at the bagpipes🤦‍♂️

Anyway, if anyone spots a balding, overweight, middle aged bloke in an STW Lockdown T-shirt around Edinburgh tomorrow, do say "hi!"

My musical youth is desperate to have a go at the bagpipes🤦‍♂️

They're bloody hardwork. Breathing and squeezing takes months to get the hang of.

But if you are serious get a practice chanter and have a play.

They’re bloody hardwork. Breathing and squeezing takes months to get the hang of.

Think that's why he wants a go - he can play pretty much any wind instrument he tries his hand at, think he reckons the pipes would be a challenge.

They certainly would be.

The fingering is completely illogical and they are a fixed scale to boot.

To avoid buying tat bagpipes galore in Edinburgh would set you up with something reasonably cheap to have a go a practice chanter atleast is a fun thing for a wind player the have.

To avoid buying tat bagpipes galore in Edinburgh would set you up with something reasonably cheap to have a go a practice chanter atleast is a fun thing for a wind player the have.

We went past there the other night on the way to a show, which prompted the conversation 🤣

Can you set fire to bagpipes

ah, I hadn't realised there were so many STWers around Edinburgh. Visited last week, Monday - Saturday. Several concerts - bit odd in big tents rather than auditoriums. My chest got a good physio workout from the Anna Meredith on Friday evening.

I was trying to dodge the rain 🌧️ in Stockbridge yesterday and it was a fairly easy day not busy at all, I see the old ironmongers still there not sure if he ever has a customer maybe open through the week.
Judy Murray spotted , maybe doing the charity shops with Sir Andy tagging along
He would probably the only one willing to part with 2.5k for an old Ralph Lauren seat
Some charity shops pricing is crazy, £20 for an Alison Moyet LP , hardly a classic with very few Japanese pressings

Hot up here today, the people are so nice

Grabbing a quick bite to eat ahead of seeing Basil Brush Unleashed.....

only celebrity spotting I managed was going round the Alison Watts exhibition at same time as Val McDermid..