💬 First Take

Edinburgh is a beautiful city. Looks like a sliver of Ireland that somehow got cut off and sent adrift-which is likely what happened back in the last ice age or something.
Green, hilly, a great combo of old and new, and home to some of the pubbiest pubs in all of Europe.

One thing you can count on, is there will ALWAYS be a dude playing a bagpipe wearing a kilt, all hours, day or night, You cant avoid him. I know its traditional, and people stop and listen, but really, to me, it sounds like a dog that swallowed the squeaky part of toy.

And the place is wet — I think it’s wet all year. It has that mossy, damp feel that somehow adds to the whole Dark Shadows / Harry Potter vibe. And honestly? It works. After a few thousand years, nobody’s in a hurry to change Edinburgh’s image- and good for them.

I love the vibe here. The pubs are packed, the food’s fine, and the tourist stuff runs deep. The people are EPICALLY nice- top 2–3 in Europe, easy. Like a 9+ on the niceness scale.

Really enjoyed this trip and will definitely go back-haggis and all.

🛏️ Where We Stayed

Our hotel was perfectly placed-right on the edge of everything without being in it. Ten-minute walk and you were right in the middle of it all.
Great breakfast (not by accident), comfy rooms, and massages (ding ding ding). Bonus: right across from the Old Calton Hill Burial Ground, where David Hume and others are in eternal rest.

🤷‍♂️ The Good, The Weird & The WTF

Edinburgh doesn’t really buzz — it just is.
Never in a rush, never trying too hard. It’s got that quiet confidence of an old, beautiful city that just says, “Here I am-love me.

As cold as it gets outside, this place was clearly built for the inside-pubs, fireplaces, cozy corners, warm chatter.

Tourist central is smaller than you’d think. One end of the Royal Mile the old castle. The other the palace.
So you get really old on one side and regular old on the other.
Between them sits St. Giles’ Church-a stunning architectural gem, free to enter and worth ten times that.

👉 Come on, we’re doing this together

We stayed central, hit the highlights, and found a few standouts:

🍴 Walking Food Tour ➜ One of the best we’ve ever done. Sampled member-only whisky from a private club, tried haggis (after a couple of strong drinks), and hit several fun bars. Full-meal experience-count it as dinner. Long walk across both sides of the city but worth every step.

🏰 Edinburgh Castle ➜ Lots of original history still intact, plus a nice little museum. Dramatically perched at the end of the Royal Mile-a must-see.

🚶 Cheap Walking Tour ➜ €5 (about six bucks). Picked it up off the street-total bargain.

🕳️ Underground Vaults Tour ➜ Fantastic. A deep dive into Edinburgh’s seedy past -creepy, cool, and completely worth it.

🏛️ Royal Palace ➜ Another palace. Nothing special, keep moving.

🍰 Mimi’s Tea Room ➜ Famous for cakes-and rightfully so. Proper tea-and-cake moment in a cozy, very Scottish setting.

🌄 Scottish National Monument ➜ Nice views, big park, not a must-do, but a good walk if you’ve got extra time.

🚖 Getting Around

We Ubered in from the airport ➜ easy.
The city has a central tram / bus / train station, but honestly, you’ll walk everywhere. Most of the good stuff is right on or near the Royal Mile, or spilling down the slopes on either side.

About as traditional as it gets-World’s End!

🍽️ The Bite Test

Some spots good, some meh-found two spots worth the calories:

🍝 Amarone ➜ Solid Italian, good prices, classy atmosphere.
🍺 World’s End Pub ➜ Warm, authentic Scottish food (I had the fish & chips), great beer list, friendly crowd. Solid pick all around.

And of course, a bit of street food and a few random walk-ins-hit or miss, typical of touristy areas.

💭 Final Thoughts

We missed plenty- it was just a long weekend. But I’ll definitely be back.

If you go, and like to hike, hike Arthur’s Seat. The view overlooks the entire city. We ran out of time, but it’s top of the list for next visit, assuming we want to make the long ass walk.

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Edinburgh-Yes, I ate Haggis