Places of interest in Edinburgh

[Elchupacabra]

Myself DH and 3 DCs aged 14 , 12 and 8 are going to Edinburgh for a week and I'm looking for recommendations for things to do which all of us will enjoy. We will definitely do the bus tour and Edinburgh castle, maybe drive up to St Andrews but what have you done in or around the city that you still talk about?

Gosh, what are your interests? It’s a capital city so it has everything - all wrapped up in staggering beauty.

Walking - Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat (not a park, a wild landscape leading up to an extinct volcano, in the middle of a city).

Landscape and art - the two buildings constituting the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Glorious outdoor space at both, and magnificent buildings housing fabulous artworks. Several other galleries.

Numerous theatres, concert halls, the national museum, lots of ‘touristy’ venues - the castle, ancient buildings, loads of history …

But really what’s best in Edinburgh is just wandering and stopping for coffee and cake, and wandering some more. (It’s one of my favourite places in the whole world.)

Falkirk horses (but not the Wheel) , country park around it. Botanic Gardens, National Museum (view from roof), Arthur's Seat or Calton Hill, Royal Yacht, Scottish Parliament.

I’ve been to Edinburgh a lot so have done most stuff from climbing the Scott monument to watching Mary Poppins at the Playhouse. Liked Camera Obscura and Mary King’s Close. There’s the Royal Yacht Britannia out at Leith if you like that sort of thing. Enjoyed the Botanical Gardens too. The new shopping quarter at St James is very nice.

Camera obscura was a bit hit with all of us. Arthur's seat for the walk & the views
We did find it a little tricky to sit down for a drink. Lots of pubs in the centre don't allow kids

To be pedantic, they are selkies not horses,but they are cool. Surgeons hall museum is a bit gruesome,but I love it, museum of Scotland is worth a visit too.

Mary kings close is fascinating as are the vault tours, but that depends on how your 8 year old is with scares. They are both fairly spooky!

Everything TottersBlankly said plus Calton Hill, the view is amazing.

Camera Obscura is fun for all ages, the zoo is very popular. Dynamic Earth although possibly a bit young for your teens.

If the weather is good you can walk across the Forth Rd Bridge, and have lunch in South Queensferry. St Andrews and Fife is a great day out, the East Lothian beaches in the other direction are lovely as well.

To be even more pedantic they're kelpies not selkies!

I'd recommend a lot of wandering around. Have a few things planned but not too many. If your kids like gruesome things then the Surgeon's Hall Museum is great and maybe a ghost tour. NMS is a must and great on a rainy day.

Oo I did a weekend in Edinburgh last month...would definitely recommend Arthur's seat, the national museum & the bus tours.

Even just the usual shops etc I found nicer than in other cities

St Andrews is a long drive from Edinburgh. Unless you have a particular reason to go there, there are lots of nicer places which are closer. Pubs in Scotland don’t allow children unless you are eating. I agree with the posters who suggested Mary Kings Close and also National Museum.

I hope your accommodation has parking if you're bringing a car!
I actually think the castle is a bit too much for kids, there's a LOT of Scottish and military history stuff to read about and a lot of it doesn't look how you'd maybe expect a castle to look once you're inside.
Edinburgh Zoo
Portobello beach and amusement arcade
Arthur's Seat might be tricky for an 8 year old but the others should manage it., or walk round the roadway of Queens Drive.
Calton Hill is an easier climb and still gives good views across the city.
Maid of the Forth Boat tour (sometimes on groupon)
Harry Potter walking tour
There's a Giraffe trail (those statues that people decorate) arriving some time in the near future (I think it's for July & August)
Indoor climbing arena at Ratho
Royal Yacht Britannia (debateable if kids would enjoy it but I suspect it might be more fun than the castle)
Gladstones Land (National Trust if you have membership)
Edinburgh Dungeons for the older kids but not the 8yr old
Dynamic Earth
Aquadash at the Commonwealth Pool
Ninja Warrior at Leith
Mini golf at Fountain Park

Real Mary kings close.
zoo

we stayed in York place and used taxis and it was cheap to get to the zoo by taxi. There were long queues though and make sure you book.
real Mary kings close is good for a day you are doing the royal mile. Hopefully all the road works have finished now though as we could only do part due to the noise and the blocking off of a lot of it. This was in April.

there are lots of good bars and restaurants around near at andrews squarr near Harvey Nichols. My daughter enjoyed the Hard Rock Cafe as well.

there is a street off of the royal mile that curves down and has rainbow coloured buildings. Victoria street/road? Leads down to a square where the Italian cafe is lovely. We had delicious arancini and cake. 😋

if you like Chinese food Karen’s Unicorn was nice. Service a bit abrupt but the food was good.

Dd (student there) also suggests the zoo, Camera Obscura, Portobello beach

we stayed in York place and used taxis and it was cheap to get to the zoo by taxi
Edinburgh has an excellent bus service, you rarely need to use a taxi unless you're staying out until the early hours of the morning! £9.50 for an unlimited travel family ticket.
It's Victoria Street which is rumoured to have been the inspiration for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter.

Bus fares are capped per journey/day/week. You can tap on/off.

Calton Hill is brilliant. Top views of the city, and beautiful monuments. A must see!

I suggest the National Museum of Scotland and going to Greyfriars to see where Greyfriars Bobby's memorial. I also noticed how many street names ended up in the Harry Potter books!

The Heart of Mithlothian off the Royal Mile! See if anyone spits on it! (We were disappointed)

I didn't much like the museums within the Castle (military history) but the views were awesome. The Great Hall (I think it's called) is fab, stuffed full if weaponry.

Walk around the Old Town and get lost in the alleys.

I had never been to Scotland before and since we visited last November I'm keen to see more!

Ooh...loads of brilliant suggestions here, I've been googling like mad. 😃

If you’re driving i hope you have parking sorted? If you are driving though I’d recommend jupiter Artland just outsude the city.

Get the train to North Berwick, it only takes 30 mins. It has a lovely beach and you can get a speedboat to look at the puffins.

Agree with PPs that one of the deepest joys of Edinburgh is to wander, especially along the High Street, some closes/wynds, Grassmarket, Victoria Street, Candlemaker Row.

Agree also that St Andrews is a fair trek. Unless there is some specific reason to go there, my advice if you want to get out the city for a day is to swap out Edinburgh Castle for Stirling Castle. Can be done easily by train in a day. It's more of a proper medieval castle, more interesting for children, a longer visit and slightly cheaper to get in.

You won't need a car much, if at all, for most of the suggestions here.

If you want more good old fashioned castles try Linlithgow Palace (also train-able), Craigmillar Castle (still Edinburgh but further out of the centre, in a very un-posh area but you might get the castle to yourself if you're lucky), bit of a drive but not as far as St Andrews would take you to Tantallon Castle, on the coast. Dramatic setting. Honestly, if you have your heart set in Edinburgh Castle, don't let us put you off but it's not the best fun, and it is pricey.

Botanical gardens are lovely

We all loved Camera Obscura and we're all in our 50s. I got a telescopic back scratcher that fits in my handbag and some rude putty from the gift shop

There's the Royal Mile with a fantastic chocolatarium. Harry Potter themed escape rooms.

If you have the car you could go out to the National Museum of Flight and have a look at the Concorde exhibition (along with everything else there)

National Library of Scotland often has exhibitions and Van Gogh Alive is in town right now too.

There is so much to do.

Linlithgow palace is currently closed (has been for ages along with quite a few historic Scotland properties pending “masonry inspections”)

Mary King's Close is fascinating

These suggestions are brilliant...I am buzzing with excitement now! We have Airbnb sorted with free parking too! Not too far from city centre, maybe 20 mins walk. I spent some time in Edinburgh in my early 20s but all I wanted to do was shop and socialise and so I could take my family on a walking tour of every pub I ever fell out of but it seems unsuitable somehow...😂I barely appreciated the amount of beauty and culture that surrounded me.