Edinburgh - Top Tips For Visitors

Edinburgh is a great place to visit. There are lots of reasons Edinburgh gets so many visitors.

People come on holiday. They may be from Scotland or other parts of the UK and coming on a short city break or from further afield and having a major holiday in Edinburgh, perhaps travelling to other parts of Scotland. Many such visitors are researching their ancestry, interested in the fascinating history of the city, or spending time with family.

Edinburgh has stunning scenery, some of the most interesting history and architecture there is, as well as the biggest arts festival in the world. It really is a beautiful, and many faceted, city. It inspires writers as diverse as Ian Rankin, JK Rowling and Alexander McColl Smith today and previously people like Adam Smith, Robert Louis Stevenson and Muriel Spark.

So you have decided to come to Edinburgh. Here are my top tips for visitors.

Tip 1: Leave the car at home, or in a park outside the city, and get public transport into the centre. The old town, which is full of historical and architectural interest, was built well before cars were invented and the streets are just not well suited to cars. Parking is difficult, expensive and policed by extremely diligent traffic wardens! There are currently lots of road works, which mean signposts can be confusing, or just wrong! Even people who know the city well get confused by where you can and cannot go just now. Walking and public transport are the best options for getting around. See my next tips.

Tip 2: Walk. Edinburgh is a small, but hilly city. The best way to get round the city is to walk. Wear comfortable shoes or boots as the cobbled streets, which add to the character of the city, are not good on heels. There are steep streets and lots of steps to deal with the gradients, just take your time while dealing with these, and enjoy the views.

Tip 3: Use public transport if you do not want to walk. There is an excellent bus service that can take you to some interesting attractions such as the Zoo and the Royal Yacht Britannia which are outside the city centre. Day tickets are very reasonable and give you all day travel for a single fee. Alternatively, if there are a group of you travelling and you only want to make occasional use of the buses, get a book of tickets from the Lothian Buses office on Hanover Street. For short journeys, and especially if you have heavy bags, taxis are a good option. They are plentiful, can be hailed off the streets or at taxi ranks, and are reasonable value if there are more than one or two people travelling.

Tip 4: Clothing. As I have already mentioned, comfortable walking shoes or boots are important if you are going to get the best out of walking round Edinburgh. The weather is unpredictable, and the key to dealing with that is layers. You will need tee-shirts, jumpers or cardigans, sweatshirts and fleeces, waterproof and windproof jacket or coat, and if you are travelling outside summer, bring hat, scarf and gloves.

Tip 5: Stay in self-catering accommodation. Hotels are expensive and they are frequently booked. Hotels in Edinburgh are reputed to be second only to London in the UK in terms of cost and occupancy. You can get a wide range of self catering properties that work out to be even cheaper than hostels, and at the other end of the scale there are some wonderfully luxurious self-catering properties available that will come with maid service and you can even hire a chef if you want to have self catering luxury and space without the effort of cooking!

Self-catering is a particularly good option for families. The sleeping arrangements are normally more appropriate with children being able to have separate rooms from Mum and Dad without huge cost. You have a kitchen so you can feed them food you know they will eat (at least for some of the time!). When they get tired you can retire to your apartment and let them rest or just watch TV for a while.

Whatever you choose, you should have plenty to do and see in Edinburgh. Have a great time!