Things to do in Edinburgh

fatboypee

Hi, Got a good deal to Edinburgh in October with RyanBus, any ideas whats good for kids ? Only 3 days so should be fine but any recommendations on what to do and where to stay would be great.

Thanks

FBP.

Teferi

What ages are they?

Edinburgh has a load of ghost type things to do, tours and that sort of thing. I have brought kids as young as 6th class on the scariest tour and they were fine with it (a few tears that night, but for the most part fine).

There is this other tour that brings you underneath the city to see old buildings that were built over. I think it is called Auld Reekies which is meant to be scary but it isn't. That was a good laugh.

The castle might interest them. Some parts were used in the Harry Potter movies. It is easy enough to find too since it overshadows the whole city.

There are a few day trips you could do outside of Edinburgh - Loch Ness et al.

Saint_Mel

Depending on the kids age ...
- Go hill walking up to Arthurs seat.
- Castle is pricey but you can do cheaper tours around it so thats good to kill time.
- CityTour bus gives a good commentary tour around the city
- Head out to Easter Road so see Hibs play

albino-pond-wee

I went there last year with my friends, I was 18 but a kids at heart:)
Anyway, we went to a place up near the castle called Camera Obscura, it was really good, there are plenty of things for kids to do, it is well worth a visit! They have optical illusions all over the place and stuff like that, it was so much fun!

I think I went on that Auld Reekies tour too, didn't think it was scary at all but all my friends were nearly in tears after it!so it might not be the best for the kids,lol.

The tour bus is quite good though, it's not too long and it's worth the money as you get to see everything around the city, so that's good to do.

Oh, I think there is a toy museum or something, so look that one up, I didn't get to go but I have heard it's good

I'll post more if I can think of anything:)

FledNanders

Headin over on Thursday for the weekend.
Suggestions welcome....

rossie1977

castle, climb Scott Monument, tour of murrayfield, Museum of Scotland, World of Illusions, Calton Hill

if you want to see engineering at its finest take the train out to north queensferry (15 mins from edinburgh) and walk across the forth road bridge to get the best view of the majestic 19th century forth railway bridge

whiskeyman

Bringing my g/f here for special occasion.
will be going for really fancy meal on Fri night, but I've nothing planned for the Sat night.
I checked all theatre and music shows, but there's nothing on.
Is there any weekly event or some place that's recommended?
Would have to be pretty special if possible... like a really cool cocktail bar or something or any ideas? A night horse and carraige trip of the city even?

ARGINITE

Their are a number of ghost tours of Edinburgh, they might also do tours of the castle at night.

Jekyll and Hyde on George street is nice and they do nice cocktails. The dome, also on George street has a good cocktail bar but expect to pay well for it.

How about ice skating, their is a ring out beside Murrayfield.

Karlrove

Heading to edinburgh this weekend.....does anyone have any recommedndations of things that we should defo do,goin with g/f...thanks or any reply!!!

whiskeyman

going soon myself.
Do a search and you'll find some threads.
Castle and whiskey tours are up there. Maybe an open top bus if weather ok (not raining!).

biko

Castle
McKenzie Poltergeist tour
http://www.bestpubs.co.uk/woalist.asp?a=832

Rebel021

Castle
McKenzie Poltergeist tour
Did it last year very good

Only spent 3 days there and its a lovely city.
Don't know much about the place as wee were there for a wedding and the weather wasn't great but I would look up the tourist information centre for more references.

clara98

Me and my boyfriend are heading over this weekend too. Have been looking up a few things i'd like to do too as we're only there for 2 days. So far we've decided on, the zoo www.edinburghzoo.org.uk (looks really good so can't wait for that).
Going to go visit the castle and the dungeons too. I found tripadvisor helpful in deciding on things to do and recommendations of places to eat/drink.

Millie

Take in the open top bus tour as you can hop on and off at your leisure.
The Castle is great but there is also another castle that was used by Queen Mary for her summer hols.

And if you really want to be freaked out/have a laugh take a ghost tour.
There are many available, the one I went on you get taken underground to the original streets of Edinburgh...great!

BIRDCAGE1

Heading to edinburgh this weekend.....

Let us know how you get on, I'm over next weekend with the missus and we were looking for things to do apart from the castle.......

rossie1977

when i was in edinburgh in september the weather was really nice, not sure how the cold and rain will affect your plans

if you are an architecture buff like me you can take the train for the really short ride to north queensferry and get a close up of the forth railway bridge, one of the 19th centurys greatest engineering marvels

climb to the top of scott monument in the middle of town next to the train station for a great view, there is also a great view from calton hill, there loads of famous edinburgh icons such as the national monument, nelson's monument and city observatory can be found.

Scotch whisky heritage centre should pass and hour or two as should the murrayfield rugby stadium tour

sambuka41

Im going to Edinbourough at end of April for few days. Just looking for some advice on attractions that be good to see. Im going to to the City of Dead tour in Greyfriars Graveyard,is there any other landmark that wrth seeing???:D

amacachi

I'm going to be in Edinburgh round the same time and would also like to hear some good ideas for fun (cheap/free) stuff to do in Edinburgh.

Arcee

If you have a student card, Edinburgh is your oyster. Discounted drinks and entry into clubs and two meals for the price of one or special student menus in some places.

amacachi

Wish I'd stayed in college now :P

ferrigan101

Well there is Edinburgh Castle, The Scot Monument, the pubs on Rose Street, shopping on Princes Street, The Royal Mile, The Scotsman Lounge at the top of Cockburn Street (great little pub!), the National Galleries, Dynamic Earth, head to Hollyrood to look at the Palace and laugh at our Parliment building, and last but not least if Hibernian are playing at home go to Easter Road, get a ticket for the East Stand and enjoy! Don't go to see Heats play though, they are muck:D Seriously though, any questions just give me a pm. I'm from Edinburgh but living in sunny Dublin now.

amacachi

ferrigan101 wrote: »

Well there is Edinburgh Castle, The Scot Monument, the pubs on Rose Street, shopping on Princes Street, The Royal Mile, The Scotsman Lounge at the top of Cockburn Street (great little pub!), the National Galleries, Dynamic Earth, head to Hollyrood to look at the Palace and laugh at our Parliment building, and last but not least if Hibernian are playing at home go to Easter Road, get a ticket for the East Stand and enjoy! Don't go to see Heats play though, they are muck:D Seriously though, any questions just give me a pm. I'm from Edinburgh but living in sunny Dublin now.

I'm heading to 7 Rugby League matches over 2 days, so I don't think I'll need to go to any more sport :P

Which of those things you mentioned are free?

locky76

open top bus tour,
sounds a bit cheesy but well worth it to get a feel for the geography of the city,
you can hop on and off as it suits and it passes all the sites mentioned by ferrigan101
you get on anywhere along the route as well
i think its about 10 pounds

sambuka41 wrote: »

Im going to Edinbourough at end of April for few days. Just looking for some advice on attractions that be good to see. Im going to to the City of Dead tour in Greyfriars Graveyard,is there any other landmark that wrth seeing???:D

Kopkillers

I'm going myself for one night only in April..anyone recommend a good but cheap hotel..preferably with a bar/restaurant and within distance of the city centre??

Shiv411

I'm goin myself at the end of April for a few days with a couple of girls none of us have been before, so any suggestions on good night clubs or disco bars would be great.

Thanks

fifib

I would def recommend doing the Vaults tour also..the evening one
The Edinburgh pass can be good value if you plan on going to the sites on it. we got 3 day for price of 2 at the time.
i hear the zoo is good too..its on the pass also but we didnt make it out to it

Samhlaigh

Well anyone looking for a good area to stay With a bit of a night life near by I got say anywhere near the grassmarket or high street (the royal mile) You'll have plenty of nice pubs on the grassmarket Biddy's and DropKicks just off it and Clubs worth heading to...City=cheesy bit cliched but good enough, faith on cowgate can be good, mood over by the Playhouse on a wed night..college crowd like or Shanghai over on George's street is mad on a Sat night make sure to go before 12 ish to get in though which can often prove to be to early when your on a night out in the burgh. In fairness it's not hard to find a good pub plenty to be discovered anyways.

Sites....Calton hill is my favourite spot, unreal view of the city especially if you dont have the time to climb Authur's seat.walk the full lenght of the Royal mile and you'll see plenty of sights even wandering through the closes and what not can be a great ay to pass a few hours


And if you've a student card ask for a discount!! 2for 1 drinks and meals sooo handy. from the airport get the bus into the city as well like it brings you right into the city centre it's every 10mins and much cheaper than a cab.

ok im just gonna stop no could go on for ever bout the place hope ye all have an unreal time though!

Shiv411

Thanks very much really helpful, we're only going for 3 days so want to make the most of the city while we're there

Brian_Uckfast

The haunted tours are very good. The guides are excellent, and very funny too. They leave from Princes St, I think, often enough

ferrigan101

Brian_Uckfast wrote: »

The haunted tours are very good. The guides are excellent, and very funny too. They leave from Princes St, I think, often enough

Leave from the royal mile normally.

Shiv411

Hey, I'm heading to Edinburgh next week and I'm renting an apartment for 2 nights and have been offered one in on Barony St, I'm really bad at reading maps (I'm a woman haha) and wondering how far it is from the main town?

I'd rather walking distance rather cab distance from the town so if anyone could help i'd be greatful.

Thanks

biko

15 min walk

baldbear

Mary Kings Close is worth a trip but we had to book it the day before because it was sold out.
Stayed in The Apex hotel Grassmarket street which was nice and handy(used Roomex to book it).
Theres a market beside Grassmarket on the Saturday which has lovely stuff. I had a nice Buffalo burger! ummmmm

kiwikeane1985

Hi...I am heading to Edinburgh in 2 weeks with 2 mates...all male aged 24. headin from Tues to Thurs. Basically we wanna do it on the cheap...does anyone know any good bars who do dirt cheap drinks promotions. also lookin for the best pubs/clubs to go to!! where is good for cheap meals too?? sorry bout all the questions ha!! just wanna know about few spots before head over..

rizzla

Stay away from Espionage, most expensive drink in Edinburgh.

Opium is very cheap, especially on a Sunday £1.50 a drink and a vodka and a splash is still only £1.50. Place plays lots of Rock music and is a bit of a dive but I love it.

The Cowgate over there is like Templebar here, you should check that area out.

Frankensteins is not bad. Bit expensive too.

http://www.caledonianbackpackers.net/ thats a good hostel, they have a very ceap bar for residents only. Always had a few there before going out for the night.

Lava/Ignite is probably the biggest club in Edinburgh, attracts alot of scum though. Went there a few times, one time when it was kicking out time there was one of them tv show's about drunken yobs being filmed outside.

Don't go to Faith, it may look cool cause it's in a converted church, but they always have a cover charge and the place does be dead.

giddybootz

Dunno if it is still around but MadDogs was the cheapest place to get drinks during the week it runs special of a pound a drink at certain times.

Jimmy Changs buffets are amazing value (especially at lunch) as they are all you can eat and have the most variet/number of dishes I have ever seen.

Mama's Pizza in grassmarket is a great pizzeria...and has the biggest selection of toppings I've ever seen including cactis, marshmellow, chocolate, baked beans, apple, bananna as well as loads of more traditional toppings!

It's the best city in the world imo...you will have a blast!

Gus Ivey

Heading on a stag to Edinburgh on 6th Feb. Were looking into things to do on the Saturday. We were looking at rage buggies but some of the lads dont want to do it because it clashes with Ireland in the 6nations.

anyone know of fun things to do maybe from 6-9 O clock ??

Jax Teller

go d pub , or lapdancing club as they close at 1am unfortunately
and little tip for ya leave clubs about half two cause all the food places close at 3 when the clubs close so ya cant get food stupid i know but if ya like food after a few drinks like me better to leave bit earlier

Camera Obscura, Edinburgh Castle and the National Gallery. All within a few minutes walk. Gallery free admission and has great collection.

Calton Hill is a lovely walk, 10 mins from train station.

The Volt

Heading over with friends in January for a few days. A Monday to Thursday thing. Students kind of buzz. Any tips?

The Volt

Heading away from Mon-Thurs next week with my college group. Anyone got any tips on what we have to do for fun?

Gaz

Edinburgh is a class city, the below will get you started ...

http://www.realmarykingsclose.com/ - Very cool old street that has been built over.

http://www.camera-obscura.co.uk/ - I thought this place was cool, all optical illusions

http://www.edinburghcastle.biz/ - Nice cafe up here that does good haggis

http://www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk/ - worth a look

http://www.thedungeons.com/ - Good craic

Enjoy !

Lollymcd

+1 for Mary Kings Close.

Also try climbing to Arthurs Seat, great views.

We went out to the zoo and it was kind of cool, they have a huge selection of penguins and do a March of the Penguins once a day.

Have a great time.

Mickeyie05

BUMP

The Volt

Mickeyie05 wrote: »

BUMP

Amazing City. Best club is The Cabaret Voltaire. Drum n Bass on Tuesdays and Techno on Wednesdays. I loves the Scotch Whiskey Experience (Right at the top of the Royal Mile) and the Camera Obscura Museum.

Stayed in Caledonian Backpackers, great location, dirt cheap and great banter too.

friggles

Hello...did a search on this topic but didnt find anything! About 10 girls are thinking of heading over for a cheap few days in July. Would love feedback of hostels to stay in, places to go and things to do from people who have been before! Anywhere you would definitley go back to and also places you would avoid?? Any must sees or places that are worth a visit (including pubs and clubs:D) Thanks !

aflib

going in sept for a few days and its the g/f birthday one of the days.want to bring her out for a nice meal.any suggestions would be great.also what to do the other few days.
ta

The Volt

friggles wrote: »

Hello...did a search on this topic but didnt find anything! About 10 girls are thinking of heading over for a cheap few days in July. Would love feedback of hostels to stay in, places to go and things to do from people who have been before! Anywhere you would definitley go back to and also places you would avoid?? Any must sees or places that are worth a visit (including pubs and clubs:D) Thanks !

One and one only, Caledonian Backpackers. Cheap, safe and a great location.

Michael B

Going to Edinburgh at the start of October for a weekend. Despite my girlfriend living there for a summer and being back 7 or 8 times all she can come up with for us to do is the Castle, the Dungeons and the pubs, I think she spent most of her time there drinking Anyone else have any info on must see places or tours in the city? It's somewhere I've always wanted to visit so I want to make the most of it. Thanks.

The Volt

Michael B wrote: »

Going to Edinburgh at the start of October for a weekend. Despite my girlfriend living there for a summer and being back 7 or 8 times all she can come up with for us to do is the Castle, the Dungeons and the pubs, I think she spent most of her time there drinking Anyone else have any info on must see places or tours in the city? It's somewhere I've always wanted to visit so I want to make the most of it. Thanks.

The Whiskey Experience is good craic!

Daisy!

Does anyone know how often the Auld Reekie tours go? And if it's all one tour or seperate ones? I want to do the underground one. I've done a search online but I'm not getting much back.