Edinburgh for 1 day with a teen - recommendations?

[gerbo]

My daughter and I are up for the university open day tomorrow. We have Sunday and a few hours on Monday to sightsee.

We like galleries/museums and she loves theatre. (No money for a show, though!)

Maybe the castle? Portrait gallery? Any hidden gems or tips?

She also loves shopping.

Thanks for any tips.

I really enjoyed the castle, nice walk up to it too, cute cafes etc

National Museum is great (and free entry), opposite is greyfriars churchyard which is very pretty and you can see the statue to greyfriars bobby.
If you walk down to the National Gallery you'll be next to the main shopping street - look up Baba restaurant. You should book ahead but the food is fantastic and the vibe great.

Holyrood Palace is very good and a lovely walk along the Royal Mile to/from the castle.
My nephew was at Edinburgh Univ, it's a fabulous city to study in.

The National Museum of Scotland is really close to the university and great for a wander (and free). The National gallery at the Mound is also good, especially the newish Scottish collection looking over Peinces St Gardens. The Portrait Gallery is lovely but a bit further away. Shopping - the St James Quarter at the east end of Princes St is a good bet (for shops like Bershka, H&M, Hollister, Mango, Pull & Bear) and there's a couple of decent chain food places there too. Hope you enjoy your visit!

The castle is a bit dull IMO unless you’re heavily into
scottish history and the military.
national museum is much better and free. The portrait gallery is really good.
you could head down to Stockbridge where there’s a farmer’s market and food stalls on Sundays and then walk along the water of leith, through Dean village to the two modern art galleries.
for shopping the cool kids are all heading to the st James centre at the east end of princes street. Bonnie and wild food court on the top floor is good too.

So brilliant, thanks all. I'll see what she fancies.

We loved the Chocolaterium. It's at the bottom of the Royal mile and a fun way to spend a few hours if you can get a booking

My teenagers and I really enjoyed a tour of the underground vaults recently.

Close to the castle and Greyfriars Kirk is Victoria Street, supposedly the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the HP books, even if she's not a fan it's lovely to stroll down, all the shops are different bright colours.

Read up on the story about grey friars Bobby and then go and see the statue. Also the Castle.

We went to Mary kings close years ago and we enjoyed it. It's all underground and is a bit of a history tour. Shows you old buildings which was built over.

It's called the real Mary kings close.

Mine loved Camera Obscura.

On a tangent, Baba looks good, but are there any other restaurants you would recommend? Very central? We're staying on Queens St.

Holyrood Palace is very good and a lovely walk along the Royal Mile to/from the castle.

Agree. I loved Holyrood, much better than the castle in my opinion. The castle was too packed for me to really enjoy it. Probably depends on whether OP's daughter is into history though.

Any other restaurant recommendations please? Baba does look great but we are here for 2 nights.
We are central - Queen St.
Thank you in advance...

Theres a really cool hidden bar, like a speakeasy called Panda and Sons, the zoo is really good and a short bus ride, the dungeons are work a look.

Urban Angel is really near and great for breakfast/lunch.

If you like Thai then Chaophraya it’s central and very nice. Hawksmoor is great if you like steak.

Mary Kings Close, Silent Disco and I found Royal Yacht Britannia fascinating too. The shopping centre just off St Andrews Square will satisfy her shopping needs 😁

Bonnie and wild is fun if you want something a bit different than a sit down restaurant. I really like Devil's Advocate, Wahaca, El Cartel, the Outsider... there are tons of options depending on what you like and your budget. Have fun!

The dome is very good.

Dishoom or Mowgli for Indian food.

Just don't touch the Boaby!🤣

Which end of queen street?