Edinburgh with children

[UserExperience]

Having just under a week In Edinburgh with DH & 3 children in the Easter holidays.

Children age 14,10 and 7. Staying in an Airbnb centrally (new town area). Will drive up from midlands so can get places easily but happy to use public transport when staying in the city. I've heard it's pretty compact so will be doing lots of walking.

Any must dos in Edinburgh itself and surrounds please? Any avoids?

Happy to spend a bit but for example the zoo will be £100+ for a day trip so need to be sensible (this is an example, we're not set on the zoo).

Dynamic Earth would be great for those ages. I would avoid Deep Sea World (Its in North Queensferry so not Edinburgh but close by).

Camera obscura is great - esp if the weather takes a turn. You can spend ages in there. Located just down from the castle

National museum of Scotland, head to the roof terrace for a view. Castle/Holyrood Palace. Ride the tram. Botanic garden. Bus tour. Greyfriars Bobby and churchyard.

Go Ape in Dalkeith Country Park would be fun. There are other activities there too and a few shops/cafes.

An easy drive or get the bus.

@UserExperience zoo not worth it anyway, imo

www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-scotland/ free

www.jupiterartland.org/  reopens on Friday 29 March 2024 (£35 for 2 +3)

dynamicearth.org.uk/  (about £80 for your family!)

Check how much parking is in your Airbnb street as they can be pricey. Lots to do and you could go to Blair Drummond safari park if you wanted a day away from the city. Not sure it’s somewhere I’d spend a week with small kids but plenty to do and public transport is good.

Thanks all! Will check these out. Our place has parking - I read about the efficient parking wardens! It's why we're not quite as central as we wished but still pretty close to all attractions hopefully 🤞🏻

Good to know about the zoo!

Mine liked climbing Arthur’s Seat and trip
to North Berwick (seaside town, nice shops). And the castle.

The older ones might like the Royal college of surgeons anatomy museum, it's a bit gruesome. Hill end for dry skiing if you've nothing like that nearby. Pentland hills for walking. Arthur's seat for a central walk. Science festival might be on, check dates. Royal yacht to visit.( Have used Tesco vouchers). Portobello beach and an ice-cream. Isle of May bird trip. Walk across to Crammond island ( check tide table carefully!) Day trip to North Berwick.

My favourite Edinburgh experience has been Mary Kings Close on the Royal Mile. It's a whole world of streets and rooms under the Royal Mile and it's incredibly evocative and atmospheric (not scary!). Essential to book in advance

www.realmarykingsclose.com

It's a very compact city centre but the buses are great for getting around. www.lothianbuses.com
It's a great city for just wandering and taking in sights as you go. There's usually at least 1 bagpiper on the Royal Mile and sometimes some street artists too. With kids that age I would consider:
Camera Obscura
The national museum
Arthur's Seat or Calton Hill (Arthur's seat might be hard for the 7 year old and you'll need grippy shoes but Calton Hill is tarmac path all the way up), or you can walk round Queen's Drive loop which is about 5km and closed to traffic at weekends (note there's a parkrun round it at 9:30am on Saturday mornings so busy for 30minutes then!)
Royal Yacht Britannia
Museum of Flight in East Lothian and a walk round North Berwick
Portobello beach / prom and amusement arcade
Harry potter walking tour
Maid of the Forth boat trips are sometimes on Groupon
Drive out to the Kelpies and Falkirk Wheel, you could walk around Linlithgow Loch or visit the palace while out that way too.
Aquadash at the Commonwealth Pool (not sure about the 7yr old but it books up well in advance!)
Ninja Warrior
Get the bus to Roseburn (no 26 or 31) and walk the Water of Leith path to Stockbridge via Dean Village - it's a lovely walk and you'd never think you're in the heart of a city. You can take a detour up the steps to the galleries of modern art along the way if you wish.
Gladstone's land if you have National Trust membership.
Museum of childhood.
There's a big play area at the east side of the Meadows for the younger two.
Get the train over the Forth Rail bridge to North Queensferry, walk back over the "old" Forth Road Bridge (only used by buses now) and pick up the train again at Dalmeny (South Queensferry, which has a lovely old village street on the banks of the Forth).

The castle is very heavy on Scottish history, I'm not sure it's worth the entry fee with kids that age.
Avoid Edinburgh Dungeons unless you don't want your kids to sleep for a week and I'm in two minds about taking a 7 and 10year old to Mary Kings close! Also avoid the sea life centre at North Queensferry, last I heard the fish counter in Tesco had a better range of species ;)

Wow! Enough for 10 trips. Thanks everyone. Will make a list and see what we can fit in!

You will LOVE this! Perfect for your ages and even the adults, I recon it would be a holiday highlight.

Its like a whole hidden city underground, with so much preserved and the tour guides are great storytellers to really bring it alive.

@EasterMummie @niteklub I think I've heard of these. Are they also known as the vaults/ catacombs? Or am I mixing up attractions?!

Would they be a bit scary for a 7 year old?

It's been 15 years plus since I was last in Edinburgh and I remember seeing them then and wanting to explore more. I'm a history lover so I'll go alone if necessary!!

Ah I see, not scary. Sounds perfect then.

Definitely second the walking along the water of Leith. Also suggest walking along through the meadows to Doodles pottery cafe in Marchmont (then possibly over to Morningside for ice cream at Lucas!) Edinburgh is so walkable and there are some lovely areas. Blackford pond and hill are also great.

I seem to recall quite a lot of talk about ghosts in the Mary Kings Close tour and there was a shrine of soft toys left to a child ghost from memory.......it's also very dark and enclosed so could be scary for a child.

I live near in Edinburgh and my two are 15 and 11 years old

What we love

Free of charge

National Museum in Chamber street
People's story museum on the high street
Museum of childhood on high street

Excellent but with costs

Camera obscura on the high street
Climb the Scott monument in princes street
Deep sea world in north Queensferry
Boat trip on the Forth depart from south Queensferry
Edinburgh Dungeon near Waverley station
Ghost tour on the high street (loads to choose from)
Mary kings Close on the high street

To add both north and south Queensferry have train stations with a short ride from the city centre.

And agree with dynamic earth suggestions

A PP mentioned Jupiter Art World, I would highly recommend it on a nice sunny day. The cafe isn’t great, so take a picnic.

Museum of Scotland. Free of Charge I think. Been with and without kids. Always impressed.

@UserExperience I took my DCs there when they were 7 and 9 and it really wasn't scary for them. But I suppose it depends on the child. I think in general, kids love ghosts stories

In Edinburgh, it's called 'the museum'. If you ask directions to the national museum of Scotland nobody will have heard of it 😂

Kids that age will love Vittoria's restaurant, just over the road on the totally unpronounceable George IV Bridge. It's called George the Fourth bridge.

Buses ridiculously easy, tap your phone or bank card to get on, don't tap off. Travel as much as you like and it tops off at about four quid a day. Say cheers to the bus driver as you get on, and thanks as you get off. If you feel really friendly say hiya, it's universal.

Edinburgh Street Food is great for families as you can choose what you want from different kiosks, the Peruvian steak is out of this world. Two minutes walk from east end of Princes Street.

There's a random stone lion in St Andrews Square (opposite Harvey Nicks) which your seven year old will find eminently climbable. The TK Maxx just round the corner is small but brilliant.

We went in August it was so busy castle was crazy and I wasn't impressed at all. Walk to Arthur's seat was lovely. National Museum of Scotland was great too

Disagree about the zoo, we all loved it. Take a picnic to save on food costs.

The museum is great and we more than got our monies worth out of the city sightseeing tours. HOHO and horrible histories commentary.

I devised my own Harry Potter tour and we enjoyed that. Haunted tour was good too.