This guide of tips for traveling to Edinburgh, will help you prepare a trip to a city with a beautiful historic center and a great atmosphere, thanks to the hospitality of the Scots.
The city is divided between the New Town and the Old Town and is dominated from a hill by Edinburgh Castle. To enjoy the city to the fullest, we recommend walking through the streets and patios of the old town, which will make you go back to the Middle Ages, relax in its well-kept parks and museums, watch the sunset from one of its viewpoints and end the day taking a He paints in one of his famous pubs.
If you have extra time you can make an excursion to one of the wonders of Scotland such as Loch Ness, the city of Saint Andrews, Dunnottar Castle, Sky Island or Rosslyn Chapel, among many others.
Using as a reference the days we spent in the city and in the country during our trip to Scotland for free, we have made this selection with those we believe, are the 10 essential tips for traveling to Edinburgh. We start!
1. What is the best time?
Although we can say that it is always a good time to travel to Edinburgh, the best time is from May to September, when you will enjoy temperatures close to 20 degrees. Keep in mind that rains are present in the city and throughout the country throughout the year, although they are usually small showers that last a short time.
If you want to save money on accommodation and avoid tourist overcrowding, the best months are May and September since in this time you will also have many hours of light and less chance of rain than in summer.
Although winter in Edinburgh is very cold and there are few hours of light, it can also be a good time to see the snowy city and the beautiful Christmas markets.
2. Entry requirements and travel insurance
The citizens of the European Union only need to show their ID or passport to enter the country, without the need for a visa. These requirements will surely change if the United Kingdom leaves the EU with the famous Brexit, so it is important to be aware and check the latest information in this regard.
If you are from another country, we recommend you check with the Foreign Ministry or the British Embassy in your country, where they will tell you what the mandatory documents are.
Another of the requirements to travel to Edinburgh, that although it is not obligatory yes that is very necessary, is to take the European Sanitary Card to cover the majority of medical setbacks.
If you do not have the card or want to go more covered, you can book travel insurance that includes situations such as repatriation, which is not included with the Health Card. You can find more information in this post that we talk about the best travel insurance to Europe.
We always travel insured with Mondo, with whom we carry a totally adequate insurance to the needs that we will have on the trip. Hiring your insurance here with Mondo, just for being a Street Travelers reader, you have a 5% discount.
3. Money exchange
Keep in mind that Scotland belongs to the United Kingdom and despite being a country of the European Union this does not have the euro as its official currency.
To get pounds sterling or popular pounds, one pound is equivalent to 1.20 euros, it is advisable to get money at ATMs, rather than changing euros at offices or exchange houses. To avoid paying commissions and always having the current change, we recommend using the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
Another of the best tips for traveling to EdinburghIf you do not have any of the cards mentioned above, it is to get the minimum money at the ATMs of the airport and wait to get to the city, where bank tellers usually charge less commission.
Pound sterling
4 How to get from Edinburgh airport to downtown?
To make the transfer to the center from Edinburgh Airport, located 12 kilometers from the city, you have these options:
- Bus: The blue Airlink bus, operating 24 hours, will take you to the Waverley Bridge station, located downtown, in 25 minutes for 4.50 or 7.50 pounds if you buy round trip. You can book the Airlink here in advance.
Line 300 of the Skylink bus will leave you at the Surgeon's Hall stop, located downtown, for the same price as the Airlink. This bus runs from 6 in the morning to 11 at night and if you want to make the early morning transfer you can use the N22 line, which stops at Princes Street and costs 3 pounds.
You can check the timetables and the stop closest to your hotel on the official website of the Lothian company. - Trolley car: Edinburgh Trams will take you downtown, with stops at Princes Street and St Andrew Square, in about 40 minutes for £ 5 or 8.50 if you buy round trip. The tram runs from 06:00 to 23:00 and has a frequency of 10 minutes.
- Private transfer: This is the most comfortable way to wait for a driver at the exit of the arrivals terminal and take you directly to your hotel. You can book this service here.
- Taxi or Uber: the taxi with a capacity for 5 people costs about 30 euros. Another good option is to use Uber that costs about 25 euros.
Cab
5. Where to sleep when traveling to Edinburgh?
One of the best tips if you are traveling to Edinburgh in summer and want to save money, is to book a hotel several months in advance.
The prettiest and most central area to stay is around the Royal Mile in the Old Town, with most of the city's attractions nearby.
If you have a tighter budget and want a quieter area, we recommend New Town, where one of the most valued hotels in this neighborhood is the Old Waverley Hotel, located next to the Waverley train station and with good connection to the Airport using the bus and tram. In addition to its magnificent location on the popular Princes Street and a 10-minute walk from Old Town, the hotel has a 24-hour reception, an excellent breakfast, attentive staff and one of the best value for money in the city.
If you are not convinced by the New Town area, you can look for a hotel in the modern Stockbridgek, a cheaper area located half an hour walk from Old Town and 15 minutes from Princes Street.
A good option to find a hotel or hostel at the best price is to use Booking, the famous accommodation search engine.
Old Town in Edinburgh
6. Transportation in Edinburgh
To the travel to Edinburgh Keep in mind that it is a city that concentrates the most points of interest in Old Town, between the Castle and the Palace of Holyrood and even some of the points farthest from the center, such as Calton Hill and Dean Village, can be easily walk
If you prefer to use public transport to the furthest points, you have the bus that covers the entire city and a single tram line that connects to the airport. In both the price of the ticket is 1.6 pounds and the daily ticket costs 4 pounds.
If you do not have much time to visit the city, it may be advisable to book the tourist bus, which stops at the main tourist attractions of the city, while listening to the information of each place recorded in Spanish.
Transportation in Edinburgh
7. Points of interest
A good way to visit most of Edinburgh's sights is to tour the entire Royal Mile, the most famous street in the city that links the Castle with the Palace of Holyrood.
We recommend starting visits to Edinburgh Castle, the most visited place in the city where you can visit many of its interior rooms and enjoy magnificent views of the city from its walls. Being the place that concentrates the most people, it is advisable to book tickets in advance to save your queues or learn more about the history of the castle by booking this guided tour in Spanish.
After the visit to the castle you can go down the Royal Mile, stopping at St Giles Cathedral and discovering the closes, covered passages that lead to beautiful interior courtyards, among which the Mary King's Close stands out.
In this street and its adjacent ones there are also some of the most historic pubs in the city such as Deacon Brodies's Tavern and The World's End, perfect to take a good look and make a stop on the route.
Near the Royal Mile is also Victoria Street, another of the most beautiful streets in the city that impresses with two levels and houses with colorful facades.
The Royal Mile ends at the Palace of Holyrood, official residence of the Queen of England when you visit Scotland, which is in the ruins of the Augustinian abbey of Holyrood, which are a true jewel. You can book the ticket here in advance, which includes audioguide in Spanish.
After the visits of the Old Town, you can go down to the New Town to see places like the Princes Street Gardens, the National Gallery of Scotland, the Scott Monument and walk 20 minutes to the charming village Dean Village.
Before sunset we recommend you to climb the hill of Calton Hill to see the best sunset over the city and if you have extra time you can also climb to Arthur's Seat, an ancient volcano located in the Holyrood Park and the highest point in Edinburgh .
Another of the best tips for traveling to Edinburgh And not to miss anything important, is to read before this list of the places to visit in Edinburgh essential and this one of the best things to do in Edinburgh.
8. Routes through the city
Have 2 or 3 days to travel to Edinburgh It is perfect because in addition to visiting all the points of interest, you will have time to stroll through its streets and alleys with more charm and enter the taverns with more atmosphere of the city.
Something important to make the most of the time, is to chart the itineraries on foot or by public transport, before leaving the hotel.
For this, a good option to make a good route knowing the history of every interesting place in the city is to book this free tour of Edinburgh Free! or this guided tour, both with a guide in Spanish.
If in addition to the usual tours you want to know the darkest part of the city full of legends and mysteries we recommend you book this tour of the ghosts or this one through the subways of Edinburgh, both with a guide in Spanish.
Based on our experience in the city we have made these optimized guides so you don't miss out on anything important in Edinburgh if you have 1, 2, or 3 days.
Climb to Calton Hill, one of the best tips for traveling to Edinburgh
9. Where to eat in Edinburgh?
Another reason for travel to Edinburgh is to try their copious dishes of food, always accompanied by a pint of beer or a glass of a good Scotch malt whiskey. Some of the most typical dishes are:
- Haggis: the most famous Scottish dish made from lamb or sheep casserole, oatmeal, onion and spices.
- Neeps and tatties: mashed radishes and potatoes that usually accompany haggis.
- Black pudding: a sausage made of blood, spices and fat.
- Porridge: porridge or porridge.
- Stovies: onion and potato based salad.
- Fish and Chips: fried fish and chips typical of the entire United Kingdom.
- Cock-a-leekie: Leek soup, potatoes and chicken broth.
- Oatcakes: Oatmeal Cookies.
- Shortbreads: butter cookies.
Among the most valued restaurants and pubs in the city to try typical dishes, which are also in tourist areas, are: Deacon Brodie's Tavern, The Dome, Usquabae, Wildfire, Pibroch and Lovage.
Fish and chips
10. Tours and excursions
If you have extra time and have already completed all the essential visits to the city, you can do some of the best excursions in Edinburgh.
These one or several day tours will allow you to know some of the most beautiful places to visit in Scotland such as Loch Ness, the cities of Saint Andrews and Glasgow, the castles of Dunnottar and Glamis, the Rosslyn Chapel and the beautiful Sky Island , among many others.
The best way to get to all these places and have the freedom to stop wherever and whenever you want, is to rent a car.
But if you do not want to rent a car, or drive on the left, you can combine the bus and train to reach most of these places, although you will lose a lot more time than by car.
A comfortable way to visit all these wonders, learning its history, is to book one of these excursions with a guide in Spanish:
More tours and excursions in Edinburgh here
Dunnottar Castle
Do you want to travel to Edinburgh?
Get it here:
The best offers of Flights to Edinburgh here
The best hotels at the best prices in Edinburgh here
Book the best tours and excursions in Edinburgh in Spanish here
Book your transfer Airport⇆Edinburgh here
10 essential tips for traveling to Scotland
Rent your car in Scotland at the best price here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
The best offers of Flights to Edinburgh here
The best hotels at the best prices in Edinburgh here
Book the best tours and excursions in Edinburgh in Spanish here
Book your transfer Airport⇆Edinburgh here
10 essential tips for traveling to Scotland
Rent your car in Scotland at the best price here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount hereIf you feel like helping us complete the list of the 10 essential tips for traveling to Edinburgh, add yours in the comments.
