3 days in Edinburgh advice

[YodaBabe]

We're staying in Edinburgh over the half term 2 adults & 2 kids 12&15. We get in late Sunday night and travel back Thursday afternoon so we have 3.5 ish days to fill.

We've been before many years ago and did the castle and camera obscurer then.

So far the rough itinerary is

Day 1 - Arthur's seat, 2pm Harry Potter walk(1.5hrs), Mary kings close
Day 2 - hop on/off bus to leith, royal yacht
Day 3 - mooch round princess street/ royal mile, evening ghost walk.

Does that sound like too much much/ about right?

Eating out do we need to book places? Any recommendations for mid priced places?

Sounds fine. You might want to hop off the bus briefly at Holyrood to see palace and parliament. Not much on Princes street these days except the monument and gardens.

monday looks very busy and a lot of walking

the royal yacht is interesting but a morning or afternoon only. I’d switch one of the Monday things to Tuesday.

depending on what you mean by ‘mooch’ I’d probably add in a gallery or musuem, Holyrood, Scottish Parliament, Dynamic Earth, all down Arthurs seat end of the Royal Mile.
Climb up Scotts Monument in the Princes Street gardens or Calton Hill for the views

Book restaurants if you can. Cafes and pubs are just walk-in. Makers Mashed Potato restaurant is supposed to be good but we neglected to book and never got a table 😔

Alternatives:
The Castle is a very good day out, with beautiful views.
Go and find Greyfriars Bobby's statue, the faithful dog.
Walk to the top of Calton Hill.
The National Museum of Scotland is free and good for kids.

(Just some ideas. We visited last autumn. Take a warm waterproof coat, the breeze off the river can be chilly)

Yip, sounds about right timing wise. May also want to have the museums up your sleeve (esp if weather is soggy or very cold) - good for all ages. Check to see if any special exhibitions on at the museums/any of the galleries also. Princes Street is really run down (city centre shopping mainly at George St and St James Quarter). Stockbridge has good variety of wee shops and the water of Leith for a wander (otters!).

Weather forecast is very cold and wet next week. It’s windy too. Try for some indoor things and bring warm stuff or you will be miserable.

We had a great boat trip a few years the Three bridges and Inchcolm Island
Forth Boat Tours

National museum of Scotland is great - free but unsure if you still need to book.

@Pizza, Urban Angel and Vitoria on the bridge are all central and good value with teens.

Princess street mediocre for shopping but St James Quarter lovely and new. The Churro van behind it a big hit too plus decent coffee van next to it.

Book your evening meals at least. This year the English and Scottish school holidays are in the same week. It will be busy.

In winter I wouldn't bother walking up Arthur's Seat. It looks better from a distance anyway. As both the HP walk and Mary King's Close are in the Old Town, I'd substitute a visit to the Museum of Scotland - indoors and plenty to interest everyone.

Princes Street is a waste of time now, sadly. A bus tour that includes the New Town could be interesting though and you'd see what Princes Street once was!

The Royal Yacht is good. It's much more outdoor than you'd think, so dress appropriately! While you're in north Edinburgh, I'd go on to The Fishmarket for fish and chips (best I've had in Scotland). They do takeaway if you can't get a table.

I'd second the suggestion of Holyrood Palace. The Scottish Parliament is worth looking at, but unfortunately it's still closed to the public because of covid. Bruntsfield / Morningside is a good place for little independent shops and lovely cafes.

Have a lovely time.

I agree that Arthur's seat is too much on day 1 and likely pretty miserable at this time of year. If you want to do it for the views a shorter alternative is just to walk up the Salisbury Crags, the rocky long bit in front of it. Still get great views but take care with footing and I think last time we went the lower path had been closed. Maybe someone still local can advise.

I second chamber Street museum and that's also right next to greyfriar's Bobby to pop up for a quick visit.

For food with teens I would recommend booking the outdoor terrace at Coldtown house on the Grassmarket. Pick whatever day has the best forecast but they do have a retractable roof if the rain starts. It's right under the castle rock and is casual/quirky (can sit in a cable car) and serves great pizza.

Camera obscura is supposed to be really good!

I think there's on the "Majestic Tour" HOHO bus route that goes to Leith and if you're not going to the botanic gardens as well then it's a big loop through some not particularly scenic areas just to get to the Royal Yacht. I would save your money and use the Lothian Buses that go straight there, the no22 is a very frequent service to Ocean Terminal from Princes Street.
I agree that day 1 might be quite a lot of walking , maybe mix some of those activities up with another day. Arthur's Seat will also depend on the weather, there's no point going up if you can't see the view, or if it's like today it'd be too windy to stand up! Calton Hill is an easy, tarmac paths alternative if the weather isn't great.
The National Museum is worth a visit.
If the weather is nice the walk from Dean Village along the water of leith into Stockbridge is pretty and there's plenty of cafes / pubs for lunch in Stockbridge.
Food suggestions:
Mamma's pizza in the Grassmarket
Howies
Vittoria
Cafe Andaluz
Whiski Bar on the Royal Mile (should be ok with kids in for food early evening)
Vesta
Mimis by the Shore at Leith for cakes
I would definitely book and remember you'll still be required to wear a face mask indoors / on public transport etc.

Princes Street, apart from the marvellous view of the castle, isn't worth spending too much time on. The Royal Mile is very touristy, most locals don't set foot in it unless strictly necessary. Stockbridge is a good shout, a lovely walk from Princes St through the New Town, some decent cafes etc. Maybe stroll through Inverleith Park and across to the Botanics, very lovely, very fine views of the city, and get a bus, 8, 23, 27 back in to town. It would give you more of a feel for the city that the usual, crowded touristy to trail.

This sounds like.my sort of holiday. But I'm struggling to find a cost effective way to get there.
OP, where are you travelling from and how are you getting there? Thanks.

@Ricardothesnowman

train services to Edinburgh are good. Invest in a family railcard. Last time I went to Edinbugh, I got me and my son from Birmingham to Liverpool, few days there, Liverpool to Edinburgh and them Edinbugh back to Birmingham - total £56

@Ricardothesnowman hey there, we've met flying up from Birmingham. I don't know if it was a special offer but I just happened to get a super deal where 4 of us return flights was £150.
We're flying with easyJet and it was cheaper to go up Sunday evening and pay an extra nights accommodation than to fly up on the Monday morning

Be aware that Ocean Terminal next to the yacht is dire now. I agree with using the 22 not the tour bus.
The Botanics is a great option, even if the weather is patchy. A walk from the top to bottom of the Royal Mile can be good,
with a stop at Smoov for waffles. Take a detour to see greyfriars Kirk too. The Museum of Scotland is great. The portrait gallery on Queen Street has been my favourite since I was a wee girl.

Yeah, I would recommend to anyone visiting Edinburgh to wander down the Royal Mile, I'd think you'd be mad not to, it's touristy because it's a UNESCO world heritage site that you can roam around for free.

Yes, most of the shops sell the same stuff and are in fact owned by the same family, so wouldn't recommend it for shopping, but there are multiple museums for free/cheap along the Royal Mile and in 45 years I haven't got tired of the architecture, especially with some winter sunlight if you're lucky enough. Remember to look up! Makes my heart sing after all this time.