to ask here too? Edinburgh Zoo

[welliesundermeballgoon]

Hi,

I am taking the DC to Edinburgh the weekend after next for a weekend away as we can't afford a proper holiday this year

I am doing it on a budget as things are a bit tight, I got the cheap £19 travel lodge room and have spent my tesco vouchers on day out vouchers for various attractions, however did not have enough to 'buy' Edinburgh zoo tickets (as other venues offered 4x value but EZ was £ for £ iyswim)

I'd really like to take the DCs there but its really expensive, I have tried to find promotional codes but there doesn't appear to be any However I have seen that if you travel with Scotrail they are giving free children admission vouchers away, I was wondering if anybody has any that they wouldn't require which I could buy?

Sorry if IABU to ask !

I have some but I'm sure they expire end of this month. I'll try and find where DH put them.

Not sure if they're still doing it, but last month they had cheap admission if you booked online, think it was £10 adults, £5 kids.

Sorry yes mine expire 31st may.

If you are on the bus in Edinburgh, the bus ticket quite often has a £5 off at the zoo or dungeon (one or other), so make sure you look at the back just in case you get a zoo one. Scotrail tickets are only valid until the end of May.

Edinburgh Zoo is good but it is expensive. If you have a car, then 2 cheaper options out of town are (1) Almond Valley and (2) Five Sisters Zoo

Hi - I used my Tesco vouchers for Edinburgh Zoo. They don't x3 but are only £5.50 each as a buy in full which i think is about half the price of normal tickets. You have to use then by 30th June but that would be ok for you.

Wow thanks for all the replies!

Thanks for checking Horsemadgal

We are taking the car Runner , but may be worth while getting on a bus for the £5 off

Glassof, thanks for that I will look into those now as I haven't heard of either of them!

Curly I have unfortunately used all the vouchers now on Camera Obscura etc as it worked out more economical (they offered 4x)

Really appreciate all of your replies, someone on Ebay is selling 1 voucher here, do you think that it would work? here

Someone had a link for a free child somewhere when you pay for a full adult, you could google it.

If they want to go see animals you can go to Gorgie Farm. Its Free :) You can get there on a few different buses but its not far from the town centre.

Oh Glassof I think you've cracked it! Infact we could go to both for less than the price of EZ!

Think that deal ran out before easter unfortunately Grovee unless there's another?

Zukie thanks we'll check them out, Greyfriars was already on the list!

Girly whereabouts is Gorgie farm?

What about Gorgie City Farm, its free

www.gorgiecityfarm.org.uk/home/

oops I should read the whole thread

directions

www.gorgiecityfarm.org.uk/general/

The zoo is over priced and a bit rubbish IMO. Gorgie Farm is good though. If you are prepared to travel the safari park in Blair Drummond is great.

Gorgie farm, the National Museum, even getting the bus down to Leith to look at Britannia is quite fun (is it still there ? we've moved away).

I'd agree about the Zoo - we had season tickets one year, which were worth it because you could just pop in for an hour - but at the day-ticket price you feel like you have to stay for 10 hours.

I'd check out Vue cinema for their £1 sat/sun morning showings - good if it's rainy.

We really didn't like the safari park and much prefer the Zoo - each to their own The zoo is expensive though and it's a lot of walking around to get best value from the tickets and the on site food is HORRIBLE
Have you got the Botanic gardens on your list? My kids loved that but we haven't been for years as the in laws thoughtlessly moved out of Edinburgh

Wellie's if you PM me your email i will send you a free adult voucher to the zoo as it was a top up surprise i wont be able to use, i just looked and the day out need's to be picked and voucher printed by 31st of may if you want it. (you just need to follow the link on the email and choose the venue.

You still have to pay to go into Craigmillar Castle
If going there on foot there's a pathway from Craigmillar Castle Avenue, much safer than trying to walk up Craigmillar Catle Road which has no pavement but is now one of the nearest roads to the Infirmary

Of course if its nice there's always the beach at Portobello
or Silverknowes

Holy Rood Park has several lochs, Duddingston Loch has geese and other birds and St Margarets has lots of swans
In the evening you also get bats over St Margarets loch

There's a kids play park that looks nice East side of the Meadows, corner of Melville Drive and Hope Park Crescent

The Museum of Childhood is dull. Always has been.

Botanics are great, the park on the meadows that Ratspeaker mentioned is fab. Brittania is overpriced.

We prefer the zoo to the safari park - the sealion show at the safari park is as bad as a circus from the 50's. Take your own food to the zoo and get the wee bus to the top and walk down. Refuse to pay the extra (vouluntary!) donation for the new chimp enclosure.

Edinburgh Castle at this time of year is bedlam, was there last week and it was over-run with italian school groups.

You get a fab view of the city from Arthurs seat and it's lovely to walk all the way down the royal mile - cake at the Queen's gallery at Holyrood House is fabulous too!

Nice walks along the water of leith and the Modern Art Gallery and the Dene gallery are free so good for a quick look and quirky enough to appeal to kids.