24 Hours in Edinburgh

[slimeyjoe]

I’m travelling to Edinburgh next week for business and will have a couple of afternoons to myself to explore. What would you recommend to do/visit? All suggestions welcome. 🙂

Whereabouts are you staying and what kind of thing are you interested in?

Wander the Royal Mile up to the Castle, back down to Princes St, through the New Town

Visit the National Gallery of Scotland and the Portrait Gallery

Walk up the Crags/Arthur's Seat

Love Edinburgh - loads of excellent independent bars and restaurants to go to.

I’m staying right near the airport so I’d be getting a bus/train into the city centre

Interested in anything really, I’m planning to go to the castle and Mary Kings Close if I can, but all historical places, museums etc I’d enjoy

You could visit the Holyroodhouse. You get a complimentary audio guide, which lasts about an hour. Take your own headphones if possible. The cafe is open too. From there you could walk into the park and up Arthur’s Seat.

There isn't a train from the airport to the city centre (unless you're staying at Edinburgh Park but I wouldn't call that by the airport) so it's the Airlink 100 bus or the tram from the airport. The bus is cheaper and quicker, especially at the moment when traffic is quiet.
Definitely head to the Royal Mile and explore the closes. You'll need to check what's open but i fear not much! The castle isn't open until the 1st August, the galleries say they are planning to open in August, National Museum still doesn't have a date........so I fear your options other than exploring on foot might be limited! Calton Hill is a shorter, easier walk than Arthur's Seat and still offers good views over the city.
The zoo is open but you'd need to pre-book (it's on the bus route from the airport) and likewise the botanic gardens (free entry but also need to book). You could get the bus from the city centre down to Portobello which has a proper sandy beach if the weather is nice (lots of cafes open along the prom and some independent shops on the high street).
You'll need a face mask on public transport and in shops and you can pay with contactless card on the buses / tram.

@emmathedilemma

There isn't a train from the airport to the city centre (unless you're staying at Edinburgh Park but I wouldn't call that by the airport) so it's the Airlink 100 bus or the tram from the airport. The bus is cheaper and quicker, especially at the moment when traffic is quiet. Definitely head to the Royal Mile and explore the closes. You'll need to check what's open but i fear not much! The castle isn't open until the 1st August, the galleries say they are planning to open in August, National Museum still doesn't have a date........so I fear your options other than exploring on foot might be limited! Calton Hill is a shorter, easier walk than Arthur's Seat and still offers good views over the city. The zoo is open but you'd need to pre-book (it's on the bus route from the airport) and likewise the botanic gardens (free entry but also need to book). You could get the bus from the city centre down to Portobello which has a proper sandy beach if the weather is nice (lots of cafes open along the prom and some independent shops on the high street). You'll need a face mask on public transport and in shops and you can pay with contactless card on the buses / tram.

This is great, thankyou

www.lothianbuses.com for routes and times, although I'm not sure if the COVID timetables are online. Their app is worth downloading as you can use it find your nearest bus stop and departure times. The airport bus usually runs every 10 minutes, i know it was reduced during lockdown but it will still be very frequent.
It's actually nice just walking round the city while it's quiet, i've noticed things i've never seen before! I think some walking tours might be operating again.