Edinburgh

[WTF1974]

Afternoon all.

I've posted this in the UK Travel topic but am reposting here for traffic!

I'm looking to drive to Edinburgh from the midlands for a 3 or 4 days away in mid to late April

Looking for recommendations for suitable accommodation such as a Premier Inn or Travelodge close to the centre with parking to use as a base whilst there.

Also looking for recommended sightseeing - what's the best thing to see and where to avoid? .

TIA

You can park on the park & ride car parks (apart from the one at Ingliston) overnight for free and then bus into the city centre if you wanted to stay more central without paying a small fortune to park. It’s also a hideous city to drive around if you don’t know roads (it’s bad when you do know them!)

I'm in fountain park right now, and Google maps tell me it would be 20 mins to the very start of Princes Street - though maybe I'm just a slow walker! You would only get 4 hours of free parking with validation.
OP are you someone who likes to be out all day, and just to back to the hotel at night? Or would you like to go back after sightseeing, before heading out again for dinner. If the latter, you definitely don't want to be a 30 minute bus journey each way.

Thanks for all the suggestions folks. I'm going to sit down this evening with pen and paper and go through all the options.

My recommendations may be a little dated but these things seem to still be around!

History: The National museum is nice with a good view from the roof. Nearby is the historical graveyard at Greyfriars Kirk with a Covenanter's monument. Gladstone's Land, a 17th-century house in the Lawnmarket which you can tour round. Another tour is Mary King's Close.

If you like random little shops, in the Grassmarket off Candlemaker Row there's FabHatrix for hats, Mr Wood's Fossils, Armstrong's Vintage for clothing. I see a couple of new shops on Candlemaker Row too. And Victoria St might have some nice little shops too but haven't checked what's there now.

If it's a lovely day and you'd like a stroll outdoors then the Botanics is nice for flowers and plants and trees and lawns, gift shop too and there used to be a very good icecream truck at the west entrance (10 + years ago mind 🤣), or Arthur's Seat for views and a well-behaved volcano.

We stayed in the Premier Inn on Princes Street. We parked on George Street for a short time to get the bags in (expensive, pay meters). I checked in while my husband moved the car to the QPark Omni (5 mins away) and walked the 15 mins back. We got a good deal on the parking from one of the discount sites. It was a bit of a faff but worth it for the money we saved on hotels.

Highlight of our visit was the free Edinburgh walking tour. Such an amazing storyteller.

It really depends on what is going on in the city. If there is a concert or an event that weekend you'll struggle. I've stayed at the Ibis at Edinburgh Park before which is reasonable and on the tram line. Also the Malmaison in Leith is nice but you would need to get a taxi late at night because although you could walk it you have to pass through a rough estate.

Edinburgh is overrun with Air BnBs so have a look there.

Stockbridge has a nice vibe with loads of lovely restaurants as is the West End. The area around the Meadows is nice but again don't walk through the Meadows at night.

Mary Kings close is great to visit. The vaults walking tour is good.

Stockbridges a lovely area to stay in. The Raeburn is a nice hotel there but depends on your budget. Scran and Scally is a gastropub with great food. You can walk to the village of Dean along the River of Leith and visit the Botanic gardens all in this area. And it’s only 15 minutes walk to Princes Street

You have to walk along The royal Mile but it’s very touristy there.
Victoria terrace and The grass market are also great to wander round.

We stay at the Travelodge, St Marys Street, 10 mins from Waverley Station and is at the bottom of the mile. It does have parking , not sure how much as we fly in. Everywhere is within walking distance - 10 mins down the way to Holyrood, 20 mins up the way to the Castle

There is just so much to see and do in Edinburgh that this is our second visit in a year. You can spend hours just wandering the closes - walking boots/shoes are a must, I think we averaged 25k steps a day :)

We loved the museums, the library and St Giles - that definitely a must. The art gallery is worth a dander, a museum we really enjoyed was The Bank of Scotland and I know we may be weird, but we enjoyed the two graveyards, on at the back of the castle and one on Carlton Hill ( or the road leading to the hill ) Very interesting histories

The one thing we were a bit "erm" about was The Real Mary Kings Close. Its a booked tour and I will admit it was OK - But you could see more of how Edinburgh used to be by wandering the closes

We traipsed up Carlton hill late afternoon and watched the sunset. We were blessed with clear weather and could see right down to the Forth Bridges - wrap up warm, it gets a tad chilly up there

We didnt bother using any transport on our last visit, Edinburgh is an easy city to walk. This time we will as we want to travel further afield , defo wanting to get to Queensferry and I want to go to the Zoo to see the hippo :)

We do tend to do budget breaks and found Edinburgh very reasonable price wise. When we were there last year you could get a 2 course lunch in Michelin Star restaurants for £20 - £30 a head

No need to get a taxi to Malmaison, there’s a tram stop at port of leith now or buses to commercial street mean you don't have to walk through any dodgy estates!