Edinburgh Castle… of course. Photograph: Forever Edinburgh

The moment you step off the train at Edinburgh Waverley station, it’s clear you’re in a capital city. The castle, the spires of the New Town, Victorian follies on Calton Hill and beyond it all, Arthur’s Seat and Salisbury Crags, a defunct volcano, with Holyrood Palace and the Scottish Parliament huddled into its skirts are just the start when it comes to epic history and both geological and cultural heft.

The twin spines of Princes Street and the Royal Mile are the main drags of the New and Old Towns respectively. You can spend a weekend just exploring the vennels and cobbled streets of the Old and promenading the grid system (said to have inspired New York’s planners) of the New. But there’s more to Edinburgh than the Tattoo, Festival and Harry Potter tours. Here’s our insider guide to getting the most out of Scotland’s capital.

A city of villages

Head downhill

Edinburgh is famously a city of seven hills, so be prepared to get your step count up. Start by heading down the hill from Princes St through the New Town and into Stockbridge.

The most instagrammed street in Edinburgh

Its Georgian crescents and cobbled alleyways are the perfect backdrop for Instagrammers, but it’s got more than looks. Have a rummage through its excellent charity shops, grab a coffee and a pastry from Lannan Bakery (worth the queue) or The Pastry Section (if you’d rather not wait). Then take in the view of the Edinburgh skyline from the Royal Botanic Gardens.

A great view of the Edinburg skyline from the Botanics — Get one of the best views of the iconic Edinburgh skyline from the city’s botanic garden. Photograph: Forever Edinburgh

Sculpture trail

Head west along the Water of Leith and you’ll reach the Dean Village, a chocolate box neighbourhood set in a valley that makes it feel entirely separate from the world.

Antony Gormley statues water of Leith — Antony Gormley’s Water of Leith sculpture series 6 Times makes a great trail through the city’s neighbourhoods. Photograph: Forever Edinburgh

The city’s modern art galleries are there with the art overspilling the buildings of Modern 1 and 2. Each are fronted by outdoor works by land artist Charles Jencks and Martin Creed. If you follow the river, as well as herons fishing, you can spot Antony Gormley’s sculpture series 6 Times in the water.

Urban revival

Or head east along the river, towards Edinburgh’s historic docks at Leith. Yes, this is where Trainspotting was set back in the day, but it’s had a radical makeover, in part thanks to the trams. They’ll take you all the way to Newhaven (where there’s an excellent chippy at The Fishmarket). Cool indie shops, cuisine from all over the world, street art and loads of energy, Leith is the antithesis of Edinburgh’s somewhat prim reputation.

Southside

Take a breather and head to The Meadows. Photograph: Eamonn Wang on Unsplash

If, however, you’re here for the genteel, head south into Marchmont, Bruntsfield and Morningside, three leafy, affluent neighbourhoods. Coffee shops, bookshops and boutiques filled with pretty things abound here. If you’re in the city in spring, the wide open park spaces of Bruntsfield Links and The Meadows are particularly beautiful, filled with trees loaded with blossom.

Seaside

Potobello beach — Porty, as the locals know it, is a great place for swimming and paddleboarding – or a stroll and coffee. Photograph: Forever Edinburgh

Finally, if you want to feel like you’re not in the city at all, catch a bus to Edinburgh’s seaside at Portobello. Pick up coffee at Tanifiki and a Greek Artisan Pastry and people watch the dog walkers and wild swimmers. If you’ve got your swimmers take a sauna either on the beach or at Edinburgh’s last remaining Victorian Turkish baths. Or simply relive your childhood on the slot machines at the arcades.

A feast for the eyes

Civic pride

The Scottish National Gallery is always worth a wander. Photograph: Eoin Carey

As you might expect from a city that’s hosted an international festival of culture since 1947, Edinburgh’s got a lot going on. The main civic gallery is the National Gallery which sits right on Princes Street. It’s unmissable thanks to the giant statue of Queen Victoria that sits above its doors. A street or two over is the National Portrait Gallery (which has an excellent cafe) and behind the train station is Edinburgh’s City Art Centre.

Contemporary art

Dovecot Studios Viewing Balcony. Photograph: Phil Wilkinson

But the city has an excellent contemporary art and independent gallery scene. See tapestry makers at work in the converted Victorian baths at Dovecot Studios; head up to the Collective gallery on Calton Hill for contemporary art in a former observatory and check out the exhibitions at Muddy favourites Ingleby Gallery, Fruitmarket and the University of Edinburgh’s Talbot Rice Gallery.

Silver screen

The Cameo is just one of several independent cinemas in Edinburgh – Filmhouse, Dominion and The Scotsman Picturehouse are others. They all have their quirks and retro qualities which make them beloved. But The Cameo has the edge for Muddy thanks to its nearness to The Wildcat bar over the road and Yamato’s excellent Japanese food next door.

A feast for the belly

Quick and convivial, Edinburgh Street Food will sort you out with Korean or Peruvian food, pizzas or burgers, and more. At the opposite end of the spectrum are the city’s Michelin-starred restaurants – Lyla, The Kitchin, Timberyard, Avery, Condita, Heron and Martin Wishart. And there’s so much in between.

Grab lunch or dinner at the Palmerston — Always busy for a reason, The Palmerston is a great spot day or night. Photograph: James Porteous

Locals love The Palmerston for its excellent lunch prix fixe and wine list, Pomelo for noodles, Bruntsfield neighbourhood gem Leftfield, Asian fusion in the St James’ Centre at Ka Pao, small plates at Montrose and chef Roberta Hall-McCarron’s Ardfern.

Not to mention Stockbridge Market on the weekend for produce, wine bars like Spry on Leith Walk, the ever changing ice cream flavours of Mary’s Milk Bar and the renowned IJ Mellis whose cheesemonger’s is a cornucopia of dairy delights.

I J Mellis - heaven for cheese lovers Edinburgh — I J Mellis is heaven for cheese lovers. Photograph: Forever Edinburgh

Spending spree

Princes Street is the city’s equivalent of Oxford Street, with a smattering of shops on George Street parallel to it. The relatively new St James Quarter next to the distinctive Ribbon Building hosts all the main high street names. Running between it and Harvey Nichols in St Andrew’s Square is Multrees Walk where you’ll find luxury Scottish brands like Strathberry and Johnstons of Elgin as well as Burberry, Gucci and others.

Unsurprisingly, given Edinburgh’s slightly rarified sense of self, it’s a city with excellent indie bookshops. Get lost in Topping and Co and you might get offered a cup of tea to curl up with while you browse. Ginger and Pickles in Stockbridge is the spot for kids books, while Rare Birds’s focus is on women authors. But if you really want to disappear in a tiny space jammed with books, Tills at the edge of the Meadows is a longstanding institution. A second hand bookshop, it’s the perfect tiny place to spend a rainy afternoon.

Bard Leith Edinburgh — Upstairs at Bard. Photograph: Murray Orr

The city’s got its fair share of gorgeous design boutiques. Three Muddy favourites are all in Leith: Handsel, for gorgeous art, homeware and jewellery, Logan Malloch for ceramics, plants and gifts and Bard, which celebrates the work of Scottish crafts people and designers.

Cocktail hour

Award winning bars – they’re here. Panda & Sons, a speakeasy style bar on the corner of Queen Street regularly features in global top 50 lists. There’s also Hey Palu near the castle, Lucky Liquor in the New Town and Chancho’s agave-based cocktails down in Leith.

Never missing an opportunity to show off its skyline, Edinburgh’s got its fair share of spots for aperitivo with a view. Down in Leith, the bar at the top of the Port of Leith Distillery (incidentally, the only working vertical whisky distillery in the world) has a view that takes in the full width of the city and Arthur’s Seat to boot. Slightly closer to the centre, the 1820 rooftop bar on the top of the Johnnie Walker Experience offers excellent views along the length of Princes Street to Calton Hill and across to the castle. Meanwhile Joao’s Place, at the top of the W Hotel, has views over the Firth of Forth to Fife – ideal for summer sundowners.

The best night’s sleep

The Hoxton, Edinburgh, where to sleep — Get forty winks in The Hoxton’s newest outpost in the city’s west end

Grand hotels, like The Balmoral (right next to Waverley station) and The Caledonian, have both been hosting visitors to Edinburgh in style since the turn of the 20th century. The Hoxton’s latest outpost, on the other hand, opened its doors in the summer of 2025.

Fingal, Edinburgh, where to sleep, sleep on a boat — Sleep on a boat! The Fingal is a floating hotel. Photograph: Jeremy Rata

For something very different, stay a night on Fingal, an ex-Northern Lighthouse Board service ship turned high end floating hotel, moored up in Leith.

IN THE MOOD FOR MORE?

The Muddy insider guide to Glasgow: where to eat, drink, stay and play

Get cosy! 11 great pubs with roaring fires for dreich days

10 stunning Scottish coastal walks (binoculars and wild hair essential)

Insider guide to Edinburgh: See another side to Scotland’s capital

You may also like