Edinburgh for a weekend with 9 and 11yo

[Yearandyearsfangirl]

Hi, I have a weekend in Edinburgh in May with a 9 and 11 year old and would love any recommendations of things to see and do, places to eat out etc. I’ve not been in 25 years and that was definitely an adult trip, so I’d be grateful for all and any suggestions Thank you!

Scottish History Museum is an amazing way to spend a few hours and as a bonus it's free entry.

The red tour bus is great.
Edinburgh Castle
A walk around the Royal Mile
Dynamic Earth
Arthers seat is a great walk and free

The Dome restaurant is really lovely.
There is a great Italian restaurant in the Grass market area.. sorry can't remember the name.

Edinburgh is a great city for walking about and then doing what you find or planning.

The Edinburgh Dungeons
Cream tea at the Balmoral
A ghost walk or a Edinburgh history walk with a guide. Some are donations only.

The Harry Potter walking tour was fun when I took my niece 😊

Ours loved the Britannia and Hollyrood palace. Ice cream at Alandas Gelato!

Dynamic Earth is brilliant. If you don’t live somewhere coastal then I’d do breakfast/lunch at Portobello beach one day, there’s a really nice vibe there now with lots of open air cafes etc.

Camera obscura
Get the bus to portobello arcades
Open top bus ride
Chocolate bar at Harvey nicks

The Castle, Holyrood Palace and the Parliament, Britannia and the Children's Museum.

We went one Easter weekend, and were thankful we'd bought a pack of tickets for different places (sorry, can't remember how or why, but think it might have been through the red bus) because the queue into the Castle went right down the street. We sailed straight in with our tickets.

Camera obscura made me dizzy as hell in the revolving tunnel but good fun.

We took DS2 last summer. He loved Arthur’s Seat (me not so much!) but his favourite thing was the Royal Yacht Britannia, appreciate it’s not for all kids though.

Do you have Historic Scotland membership? If so the castle is free and I think (better check) if you have English Heritage membership it’s also free. Definitely dynamic Earth and maybe a clamber up Arthur’s seat.

Yes to al the suggestions, and to add, DS2 11 enjoyed mary kings close. A tour of 17th century Edinburgh streets and plague. Have a lovely time

My daughter went to the Camera Obscura last November and remembers it fondly as her best day out ever in the history of the world.

My 9 year old enjoyed the dungeons. It was a good laugh.

Definitely camera obscura and dynamic earth for those ages. The national museum of Scotland is a good day out and free!

Wow, thanks everyone - amazing! So many great suggestions! I’m going to get googling for a shortlist and then let the kids vote on what we do. I’m really excited as it will be my first time in a big city since 2019 Thank you so much

Camera obscura, Dynamic Earth, The Dungeons, the museum, one of the ghost tours (City of the Dead, in particular, if your children are brave).

We went with slightly younger children and they loved Camera Obscura and the Museum of Scotland. Plus all the Harry Potter souvenir shops.

We went a couple of years ago.

The National Museum of Scotland is so brilliant we went twice.The kids also loved The Camera Obscura.

Dynamic Earth
Castle
I loved Portobello beach.