Weekend in Edinburgh

[Bugsy73]

Hi, have a weekend in Edinburgh coming up, myself and 3 friends. I don't know Edinburgh very well at all so am looking for suggestions for the best places to eat, drink and see whilst there! Thanks

Where are you based when here and what sort of things do you like to eat and see and do. A bit more info can help point you in the right direction.

Google and doing a bit of research is your friend. It is a much visited city - there is no lack of info out there. It will depend on what your friend's want to do tbh.

I'll help out though - Cold Town House is good for a drink with great views- you will need to book.

I did a long weekend recently in Edinburgh with my friends

Day 1, a wander about the shops, and a nice Thai meal
Day 2, an open bus tour, Botanical Gardens, a drag show and dinner in BarMania
Day 3, a ghost tour, lunch in Stockbridge
Day 4, home

I wouldn't know where to start. A bit more detail if the sort of activities and food you and your friends like is needed

I’d really recommend The Devil’s Advocate, Dishoom, Makar’s Gourmet Mash Bar and Panda & Sons. The Milkman is a good cafe if you need a drink or a light bite.

In a weekend, I’d do:
Hop on hop off tour
The Real Mary King Close
Walk along the Royal Mile
Climb Arthur’s Seat
The Scotch Whisky Experience
Cadies and Witchery Tour

Sometimes visitors spend all their time in the ‘old town’ - up the hill around castle, Royal Mile etc and then find it very gloomy in poor weather. I’d make sure to spend sometime walking through Princes Street Gardens and in the ‘New Town’ too. All the nice shops and some nicer bars ( Le Monde, the Dome, Tiger Lily- also chains like All Bar One etc) are on George Street (running immediately behind and parallel to Princes Street) and the new shopping centre (the ‘Golden Turd’) down from the Balmoral hotel end off Princes Street. Look down to the distant sea from St Andrew’s Square and grab a coffee there or a cocktail on Harvey Nicks 4th floor which is on St Andrew’s Square. HNicks do a set menu in Brasserie which is good. Dishoom mentioned above is also on St Andrew’s Square. Worth a walk back towards sea from there to see Regency terraces and Georgian streets which make Edinburgh residents scorn Bath. If in old town, worth walking down Cockburn Street that winds down to new town. Lovely old Harry Potter type street ( see also Victoria Street) with good bars and restaurants ( La Locanda good Italian) gelateria, and quirky shops.
Personally I’d avoid eating or drinking in tourist traps like Rose Street or the Grassmarket.

give us a clue as to what sort of weekend you're looking for.....cocktails and tiaras, museums and tourist attractions or the great outdoors??
There's options for just about any cuisine, style and budget so there's no point in us recommending top of the range places for fine dining if you want a burger and a pint type of pub!
see also: Restaurant recommendations in Edinburgh, please! | Mumsnet

The Real Mary King Close is a must.

Thanks everyone. We have an Airbnb booked which I think is quite central. I'm honestly not too sure as to what I want to do whilst there. No massive long walks or anything too outdoorsy, somewhere nice to eat on the Saturday night as its my friends birthday. Sorry, I'm being very vague. I'll have a google.

Have you got a location or link to the AirBnB? Then we might be able to suggest somewhere nearby for dinner.
Forget Arthur's Seat if you don't want outdoorsy!
What age group are you? I suspect a group of 20 somethings might want a different sort of weekend to a group of older ladies?
Edinburgh, Scotland 2023: Best Places to Visit - Tripadvisor

What's your budget? Lots of nice restaurants but can get spendy! We enjoyed looking round Holyrood, if that's your thing? I would recommend booking tables where possible, as places get really booked up.

My friend is turning 40. Budget not huge but can stretch to go somewhere nice. The AirBnB is on High Street?

Assuming you mean Royal Mile look at Vittoria on the Bridge or the bistro at the French Institute, but there are plenty of good restaurants in both the Old Town and New Town. You might want to reserve in advance as can get busy. Royal Yacht Britannia is a surprisingly good attraction and you can eat afternoon tea or light lunch aboard. Tram now runs out there from Prince's Street. The Botanic Garden cafe has a selection of cakes designed by Peter who won Bake Off a few years ago. Holyrood Palace is also interesting and you can pop into the Scottish Parliament opposite.

The High Street is the Royal Mile, literally the tourist heart of Edinburgh!
Suggestions for a birthday meal would be The Apartment on George IV Bridge, Howies on Victoria Street, Cafe Analuz (old town), Angels with Bagpipes (might be too fancy??), The Devil's Advocate.

Perfect! Thank you x

The Royal Mile has different street names along its length.
From the Castle to Holyrood it is called : Castle Hill, Lawnmarket, High Street, Canongate and Abbey Strand.

High Street is the middle bit. Locals will often call it by its street name depending on what bit they are talking about.

It's bit like the Highlands - Scottish people will say I'm going to Aviemore, Pitlochry, Loch Rannoch etc - tourist say they are going to the Highlands!

Definitely pop into the Dome for a drink if only to see the beautiful interior!!

Oh this looks gorgeous!

was just going to suggest The Dome for cocktails!

OP, book. Book food and book drinks, particularly if you do decide on the Dome. If you’ve got places booked you can always cancel on the day but it can be difficult to get anywhere on the day if that makes sense.

Will book. Thanks. Also have you been to Tantra? The cocktails look insane, but I'm not that bothered for Indian food, wondering if can just go for a drink?