As the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh is justifiably the most popular tourist destination in Britain other than London. This is a gorgeous and historic city that is a perfect second stop when visiting the UK. The culture is proudly and uniquely Scottish so it’s a great place to discover another dimension to this part of the world.
With fascinating history and surprisingly good nightlife, Edinburgh should be near the top of your list for places to go after London.
The attractions in Edinburgh range from quite expensive to completely free, as state-run museums throughout the UK have no admission charge.
It’s also worth mentioning how far north Edinburgh is and that the days are extremely long in summer and quite short in winter.
| Population | 470,000 |
| Area | 1,200,000 |
| Timezone | UTC+0 |
| Currency | British pound |
| Airports | Edinburgh Airport (EDI) |
Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile is a wonderful cluster of historic and gorgeous buildings that ends at the extremely photogenic Edinburgh Castle.
Edinburgh will be a welcome relief to anyone coming from London, as it’s noticeably cheaper. As long as you aren’t visiting during the August festival season you should be able to get a reasonably deal on either a well located hotel or hostel, at least compared to London. If you are coming in August, here’s how to do the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on the cheap.
| Rating | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
 | 27.50 - 75.00 |
| 58.75 - 125.00 |
| 40.00 - 160.00 |
| 71.25 - 236.25 |
| 150.00 - 293.75 |
Cityroomz Edinburgh Doubles from £75/night | |
Our pick: The best cheap and central 3-star hotel in Edinburgh |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Hostel Bed | 13.75 - 40.00 |
High Street Hostel Beds from £12/night | |
Our pick: The best cheap and central hostel in Edinburgh |
The cost of food and drinks is also lower here than in London, though of course your options are far more limited as well. There are plenty of snack bar and sandwich places around the city if you are looking for a cheap meal, and plenty of great restaurant choices if you want to try some local favorites like haggis.
| Budget breakfast | Most hotels will include breakfast. If not you have fast food options plus proper local restaurants. | $5.00 - $7.50 |
| Budget lunch | Aside from fast food there aren't many good cheap lunch options in the city center. | $8.13 - $11.88 |
| Budget dinner | Pubs and other similar casual places are good options for cheaper local fare, including haggis. | $11.25 - $16.25 |
| Beer (pint) | Corner pubs are cheaper in Edinburgh than in London. | $4.75 - $7.19 |
| Beer (.33l bottle, retail) | Bottled beer in shops can be a good bargain. | $1.25 - $1.56 |
The free (tips-based) walking tours of Edinburgh are highly recommended since so many of the top sights are in or near the pedestrian-friendly Royal Mile area.
The hop-on, hop-off bus tours of Edinburgh are also a great way to get oriented as there is plenty to see outside of the pedestrian range.
| Month | High F | Low F | PRECIP (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44 | 33 | 2.5 |
| February | 44 | 34 | 1.8 |
| March | 48 | 36 | 2.1 |
| April | 52 | 38 | 1.7 |
| May | 58 | 42 | 1.9 |
| June | 63 | 47 | 2.1 |
| July | 66 | 51 | 2.3 |
| August | 66 | 51 | 2.1 |
| September | 61 | 47 | 2.5 |
| October | 55 | 43 | 2.7 |
| November | 48 | 37 | 2.4 |
| December | 45 | 34 | 2.6 |
Considering how far north of the equator it is, Edinburgh has a very mild climate. It rarely falls below freezing in winter, and summer days tend to be pleasantly warm, though almost never uncomfortably so. It doesn’t even rain much in Edinburgh so you’ll be unlucky if you get a downpour during your stay.
The wind is the thing to consider, as it can be rather strong at any time of the year. With this in mind it’s a great idea to dress in layers as open areas might feel unusually cold even on an otherwise warm day, and winter days can feel bitter at times in open areas as well.
| 21 Mar | 6:13am | 6:28pm |
| 21 Jun | 4:26am | 10:03pm |
| 21 Sep | 6:56am | 7:15pm |
| 21 Dec | 8:42am | 3:40pm |
Hotels in Edinburgh tend to be small and historic, similar to those in London. The Old City is the center of the tourist district, but the so-called New Town is almost as old (from the late 1700s) and is also a central and convenient place to stay.
Hotels in Edinburgh have more or less three distinct seasons. The absolute peak season is the entire month of August, when the city is overflowing with festival-goers and performers. If you want to stay in Edinburgh during the festival season then you are advised to book at least six months in advance, and many hotels are literally booked up a full year in advance.
The rest of summer is the normal “high season” so June, July, and the first half of September are as busy as the days are long, so it’s best to book well in advance even during this season.
The low season is really only from January though March, but availability and decent deals are possible from October through December as well, although the Christmas and New Year’s holidays do get crowded and a few smaller hotels actually close during this period.
| Rating | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| 27.50 - 75.00 |
| 58.75 - 125.00 |
| 40.00 - 160.00 |
| 71.25 - 236.25 |
| 150.00 - 293.75 |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Hostel Bed | 13.75 - 40.00 |
The Edinburgh Airport is a major hub in northern Britain and fares are reasonable from within Europe as well as from overseas.
High-speed trains from London take only about four hours and they are quite cheap if you book well in advance. The normal trains running between English and Scottish cities are slower, but the connections are good.
Bus service around Scotland is good and often it’s much easier to get around by coach than by train.
Central Edinburgh is a great walking district, which is another reason to stay in the center if you can.
Bus service in Edinburgh is good and fares are reasonable.
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Edinburgh Tramway to city center | 6.88 |
| Airlink Express bus to city center | 6.25 |
| Public bus from airport to city center | 2.00 |
| 3km taxi ride in Edinburgh | 11.25 - 17.50 |
| Public bus ride in Edinburgh | 2.19 |