Edinburgh suggestions

[Livpool]

I am going to Edinburgh next week with DH,
DS and my parents.

I want to do the castle and my parents want to do the boat (?) but any other suggestions? There for 3 days and my DM had limited mobility so any other suggestions?

We are in an apartment and in the Old Town so any nice pub/restaurants that are kid friendly?

Thanks

Has** limited mobility not had

I thoroughly enjoyed the free, National Museum of Edinburgh just pre-covid when I was last there. In fact, I went back the next day as there was SO much to see. You might be able to borrow wheelchairs for your DM inside, but ring to check. I recall lots of elevators because I had a knee injury at the time and was also limited in movement.

Fab @MarmiteCoriander - thanks

National Museum as PP suggested, there's also the Museum of Childhood which is nice and just on the Royal Mile.

I usually walk down RM (towards Holyrood) and stop at the Fudge Kitchen, Museum of Childhood, then the Witchy / Fairy Shop, and stop at either Mimi's Bakehouse for tea and cakes or another little cafe for lunch.

RE castles... I know everyone wants to see THE castle but as a local I've always found it disappointing. Overcrowded, ugly, and most of it feels more like a barrack than a castle imo. If you are here more than a few days and want to see a real, beautiful medieval castle then 10min taxi / 20 min bus (#30,#14, #2) from old town is Craigmillar Castle which used to be the home of Mary Queen of Scots and has everything you'd want. Dungeons, turrets, great hall, rooms, staircases, battlements, courtyards, all set within a woodland.

Only issue with my suggestions might be mobility for DM, but I think you'd face the same at Edinburgh castle so it might be worth looking into hiring a scooter for your stay? The city is very walkable as in packed close together BUT not easily walkable because of all the stairs / closes / cobbles etc if that makes sense?

@severrely oh, great, now I want to visit Edinburgh and i really haven’t got the time or budget - could you not have made it sound so good? Maybe go on about the drizzle and gnats a bit more next time?

<grumblegrumblemutterbooksticketsgrumble>

Camera Obscura is good for kids but not great for mobility problems. Also consider Holyrood House.

One place I WOULDN'T recommend is Holyrood Palace. As mentioned up thread, I visited Edinburgh with a knee injury and recall there were no lifts there and lots of stairs. I think either the palace and/or the museum inside seemed expensive for what it was and likely boring for a child.

The botanic garden is beautiful - I saw the most beautiful exhibition about rhododendrons. It was one of the most wonderful experiences seeing how people dedicated their lives to documenting them and caring from them.

Take a walk around Dean Village, Stockbridge and Leith Walk - the architecture is so dreamy. Edinburgh is incredibly pretty!

National Museum and the Botanical Gardens would be my top tips. Lifts in the museum and you may be able to borrow a mobility scooter. Botanical Gardens has flat walking routes, or again try for mobility scooter. Both are free (though encourage donations) which makes up for any spendy attractions like the castle.
My kids (9 and 12) loved the camera obscure, but it's lots of stairs so wouldn't recommend it for your mum.

Open top bus tour
Remember Edinburgh is quite hilly and lots cobbled streets!

As PP says start at castle and work your way down royal mile.
Lots of little closes, Deacon Brodie's tavern, st Giles cathedral, city chambers, John Knox house, museum of childhood.
But beware the cobbles

Thanks all - these are really useful!

Me and DH can take DS somewhere more suitable for him while my parents entertain themselves.

Can't wait now!

For dinner try Makers Mash near Royal Mile. It's good. Small menu but all about the different mash. I definitely recommend the Haggis. It's amazing.

Your ds will probably love Dynamic Earth but I’m not sure how wheelchair friendly it is for your father. Opposite the Scottish Parliament building which might be interesting, not sure how much of it you can see inside.

Local here…….if by "boat" you mean the Royal Yacht then I wouldn’t bother. It’s moored in Leith which is miles away from the other attractions you mention. I would second the Botanic gardens, they even have mobility scooters if needed, and a couple of really lovely cafes. If weather not great, then head for the museum which is not far from the old town. Nearby Cafe Andaluz good for tapas and definitely child friendly, as most places are. Edinburgh is a university city and has a young vibe. The Grassmarket is fun for eating and drinking outside, again it’s near the old town.

(As for "gnats", I presume PP means midges which are a problem on the north west coast near still water, not an issue in Edinburgh).

The Royal Yacht is quite fascinating actually, when you see how small and modest it is inside. Look at the tiny little double bed that Prince Charles had installed in his room after he married Diana (previously, he had a single bed!)

Totally agree with what @severrely says about Edinburgh Castle. It's always really crowded and it's not nice to look around, or easy for anyone with mobility problems, because it's all separate entrances and steps for every bit.

Our Dynamic Earth is a great little museum for kids, the National Museum of Scotland is big and informative and good if you need to get out of the rain, the National Gallery of Scotland is lovely, but depends whether your DS will tolerate art (mine are philistines and won't go in any art museums), the botanical gardens are good at this time of year and on a nice day.

As for restaurants that are kid friendly, The Filling Station on the RM is good, as is Mamma's (pizza) on the Grassmarket.

I really enjoyed the Royal Yacht - we took DMum for a MD day out, with a cream tea. She’s in a wheelchair and there were very few places we couldn’t take her. The staff were also lovely and helpful.

Botanical gardens are lovely, as pp have said they have mobility scooters and wheelchairs available. Fantastic place for a picnic, as is Princes Street Gardens.

Museum of Scotland is good for wheelchairs, National Gallery not so much.

Dean village and Stockbridge are good for a wander, great cafes and charity shops.

Gnats?

If you want a lovely meal, check out a place called Pickles. It's on the edge of town so we got an Uber (we were located near the castle) but it was only 5 mins away and it was amazing. It's cheese, pate & cold meats. If you like that sort of thing make sure you check it out. I was there about 4 weeks ago and I'm still dreaming of how yummy it was.
Good wine too.

Oh guys, thank you so much. Was going to start a thread but this has answered my questions. Except for one, if you only had time for one, would you choose Author's seat or Calton Hill? We have 48 hours in Edinburgh and the list is long. Castle is crossed off thanks to this thread.

OP hope you love it as much as us!!

The Maid of the Forth is a fantastic way to see all the forth crossing bridges. You could get off at Inchcolm Abbey too if you fancied it.

Hop on , hop off bus tour to take in the main sites? Botanic Garden is good. You can borrow a mobility scooter if needs be but much is relatively level and accessible. RY Britannia has lifts between levels, restaurant is surprisingly good value. The Old Town itself is hilly and uneven though. Museum and Galleries are free and you can access the roof of the Museum of Scotland to get a good view over the city and castle.

Calton Hill is brilliant, I love Edinburgh, but after a day trip with a knee injury, really wouldn't recommend it to anyone with mobility problems. Cobbles and hills

You must book the castle in advance on the Historic Scotland website. If you go any day apart from Sunday you can watch them fire them 1 O’clock gun.

they bc are no cobbles they are ‘Setts’ which bc are different somehow.

Buy tablet from one of the fudge shops.

Avoid Deacon Brodie’s tavern, tourist trap and food is meh!

To reduce the massive hills between
the new and old town walk walk over the North Bridge next to the Balmoral hotel. It’s a fascinating city and if it wasn’t for mobility issues I’d suggest a Mercat walking tour.

There are currently works on North Bridge which restrict pedestrian access. Buses have a flat single fare and capped day rate, if they happen to go where you want to.