Travel Diary: My Time Spent in Edinburgh

Last week, I was lucky enough to be able to spend a short city break in the wonderful city of Edinburgh, the iconic capital of Scotland. I had only visited Edinburgh once before in 2024 for a brief stay and I didn’t have enough time to see all the sights I wanted to. I was thrilled when one of my close friends suggested a few months ago that our friendship group do a 3-night-stay in the city, giving us a chance to spend some well-earned time together and explore a place which holds so much history and beauty. 

We travelled into Edinburgh via a 3 and a half hours long train which, while a hefty train journey, turned out to be the most straightforward mode of transport from where we live in the Midlands. We stayed in a lovely Airbnb in Granton on the outskirts of Edinburgh near the sea which was only a 15-minute bus journey into the centre, meaning we could have the best of both worlds of a beach holiday and a city break. After settling in, the first night was spent walking along Wardie Bay which was a much-needed dose of sea air and sand after months of being landlocked.

During our trip, we woke up early and got back late, wasting little of the short time we had. On our first full day, we checked out iconic spots such as the serene St Giles’s Cathedral and Cockburn Street in the Old Town part of the city which was home to lots of independent boutiques and restaurants. We grabbed lunch at a pub on George IV Bridge and delicious ice cream from the highly praised Artisan Gelato which serves handcrafted scoops. In the afternoon, I persuaded my friends to visit the Writers’ Museum which has exhibitions dedicated to famous Scottish writers such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns. The evening was spent wandering St James Quarter, a huge shopping centre home to most brands you can think of. 

Our second day began with looking around one of the National Galleries of Scotland and sitting in Princes Street Gardens, a park enjoyed by people from all walks of life. After a Japanese lunch, we left the main centre to walk to Dean Village, a former milling hamlet connected to the stunning Water of Leith Walkway where we spent many hours just taking in the view. By the end of the day, the miles we had walked were hitting our legs so we had a slow evening back at the Airbnb. 

Checking out at 10am, we had four hours to ourselves before getting our train back home. We spent most of our time walking up and down the Royal Mile and in the adjacent streets, happy to just take in the sights and people watch the passersby. The end of our trip came all too quickly but I was slightly relieved at the thought of sleeping in my own bed and having a bit of peace and quiet. 

Edinburgh is one of the best cities I have ever visited, I promise I have not been paid to write this blog post by VisitScotland’s PR team!  There are so many historical aspects to the city you can visit if you are a history nerd like me from Scott’s Monument to Edinburgh Castle, a range of restaurants and cafes for foodies as well as many of your favourite high street shops. Despite being there, I still didn’t get the chance to see everything I wanted to and it was very convenient for all the main tourist spots to be less than a 15-minute walk from each other. If you are planning on a short getaway to Scotland for some refreshing, cooler weather then make sure Edinburgh is on the top of your list of places to go. 

Written by, Eve Hutchinson