Edinburgh in February?

[nancy75]

Looking for somewhere to go for a few days during half term, never been to Scotland at all & Edinburgh looks fab BUT are we going to freeze? Is it silly to go in February? We would be doing city stuff not countryside & Dd would like to see the pandas ( when answering please take into account I am a soft Londoner who is not really used to weather & DH is an Aussie so thinks 20 degrees is cold)

I have just double checked the weather stats, confirming my hunch that it's only 2 degrees colder on average in Edinburgh than London so no need to worry.

I am going to London in February wonder if I will need the big coat

Looking at the temperature doesn’t give the full story in Edinburgh, there is usually a biting wind that makes it feel colder. I’m originally from Aberdeen (further north obviously) and found it very cold in Edinburgh when I moved there.

Thank you for all the replies ( I’ll ignore the snarky ones, thanks all the same)
Ginky your list is fabulous & answers my question of best things to see & do!
All I need now is recommendations for restaurants if anyone has any favourites to share?
So far I’ve got pork sandwiches ( definitely on the list!)

MrsJayy I think we had snow in London in Feb last year, so you’ll need your big coat & your emergency end of the world plan - anymore than 4 flakes of snow is Armageddon in London & surrounding areas

The Outsider does a very nice lunch. Civerinos Slice does amazing pizza. Both are very central.

I second the Outsider, handy for the Museum of Scotland and the Royal Mile. Angels with Bagpipes is good, and Micheal Neave’s Whisky Bar and Restaurant, both on the royal mile.

The outsider does look nice, Puzza place always popular with Dd & anything with Whisky in the name will keep DH happy!
I like to be organised with restaurants, when there’s too much choice & no recommendations we end up just wandering aimlessly unable to make a decision - we are the kind of people that need a plan!

For a real treat the restaurant at the top of Harvey Nichols is lovely and has a good view. Cafe St Honore is a long standing favourite with Edinburgh people, super-reliable French food.

I’m going to spend the afternoon googling food & restaurants- my favourite thing to do!
DH is 40 the day before we go so a nice posh restaurant would be good for one of the evenings.
Chemenger, we all like French food do I’ll definitely check that out

Aizle is good for a special meal, not especially child friendly though unless your child has a particularly well developed palette.

21212 and Martin Wishart are also good for special occasions.

Dd is 13 but a bit fussy, she’s usually ok in restaurants if they have steak! As she’ll be with us I’m thinking poshish rather than tasting menu type places

It's currently warmer here than it is at my mums in east London

It's really not too cold here on a regular basis imo, winter layers and you will be fine. If it snows it won't be around for long as it's too warm to hang about most of the time.

I love The Scran and Scallie in Stockbridge but I'm a huge Tom Kitchin fan.

IHaveBrilloHair that looks like a great place, nice food but not too out there so Dd will eat it too.
By the way, I also have Brillo hair!

If you're in and out of the shops you will be absolutely boiling with a big coat on 😁

It is a really windy city so take hats/earmuffs and gloves.

The bus service is one of the best in the UK, you won't need to take taxis at all.

I really want to go and spend five days in Edinburgh now!

Arkengarthdale my DH wears a jumper in summer, believe me, he’ll need the big coat
How do the buses work - do you just pay with money or do I need to get a travel pass ( for those that think it a daft question, London buses do not accept cash at all)

DC happily wander round Edinburgh in their school blazers. God forbid they should put on a coat or hat or gloves .

There’s loads of good burger places in Edinburgh now if you want something quick to eat- Bread Meats Bread, Byron Burgers, whatever the Innis & Gunn Place on Lothian Road is called...

For the buses, use cash but it needs to be exact change. There are day tickets, but not sure how good value they are.

The LRT page is here:

www.lothianbuses.com/tickets/

Yes the buses take cash and don't give change. But it's £4 per adult per day for unlimited travel and is exceptionally good value. It costs more to go to the airport but who goes out to the airport to 'visit'?

Lothian Buses also have a phone app for tickets but it's one ticket per phone, not sure how children are catered for. There's also a Lothian Buses travel shop on Hannover Street in the city centre who can advise on travel cards etc.

A day ticket also works on the trams but not as far as the airport.

The Royal Yacht Britannia is also worth a visit

Thank you all again, very useful tips! Looks like there is so much to do we are going to be exhausted!

chemenger

I'm glad you feel that Edinburgh is colder too! I always dress appropriately when I wake up in Glasgow but every time I get off the train at Waverley there's a wind that would cut you in two. It's always much colder.

The grain store is lovely for a special meal and quite french . Just check that your dates don’t co- incide with one of the 6 nations rugby matches - if you go then there is a great atmosphere but accommodation gets very booked up in advance .

Lothian buses do a prepaid card that you can buy multiple tickets on but I’m not sure about children‘s fares. The centre is walkable but you will need a bus to the zoo. There is also a taxi app, Gett, which lets you order and pay for black cabs which is useful.