Edinburgh, the Capital City of Scotland has a very rich history for the culture freaks, lots of shopping opportunities for the fashionista’s – especially in Princess Street, and greener than green hills and stunning nature for the future David Attenboroughs.

And if you love it all, even better! Welcome to Edinburgh, where Nature meets City.
With this article, we will take you on a little throwback and hopefully inspire you to visit Edinburgh.

Travelling to Edinburgh is super easy with several ( low cost ) airlines flying direct from several cities in Europe to Scotland’s capital city. 

History of Edinburgh

Edinburgh has a very rich history which is still very well visible with her beautiful old buildings, grand squares, beautiful gardens and a mixture between classic architecture and modern touches.

A walk through the streets of Edinburgh takes you back on a journey in the old days. The must see historical attractions are the Royal Mile, the Edinburgh Castle, the Parliament, the Edinburgh National Museums & Galleries and the royal palace.

Edinburgh, Where City meets Nature

Edinburgh is surrounded by green hills and stunning nature. If you walk on the outskirts of the city you will find the hills as a great decor of the city’s old buildings, but also within the city there are numerous parks to discover.  The Princess Street Gardens, the Royal Botanical Gardens are just a few to name, but also a stroll along the promenade at Portobello Beach makes you feel you are miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Monuments and Statues in Edinburgh

Look around the city and in every corner in Edinburgh you will find a monument and/or Statue to mark important events and special people. The money for most of these works was raised by public subscription.

A funny ( not for everyone ) fact to know is that the Scottish government spends lots of money to get all the traffic cones removed from the statues as jokers keep getting them on the heads of popular statues.

Visit Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is the most visited paid tourist attraction in Scotland and welcomes well over a million visitors every year. It’s located on Castle Rock and dominates the skyline of the city.

You can walk the steep steps all the way from the park below or you can take the main entrance, but this is also accessible via a very steep slope. There is a special mobility vehicle available for visitors unable to manage the castle’s steep slopes.

Scottish Bagpipes

If there is one thing very Scottish, it’s a bagpipe right? Oh wait, it can be even even more Scottish in combination with a kilt. Well you won’t miss them on your visit to Edinburgh, because you will definitely find a Scottish man in a kilt playing his bagpipe somewhere on a corner of the street or in a park.

Traffic in Edinburgh

Traffic in Edinburgh looks very organised and smooth. There are lots of cobblestone streets, red busses and those cute little typical Scottish / British taxis. Driving on the left can make it a bit challenging for some people who aren’t used to it or doing it for the first time. This reminds me of my first time driving on the left in New Zealand, but this is a story for another time 😉

Red Phone booths and Clocks

Another thing you won’t miss in Edinburgh are clocks and red phone booths. There are clocks hidden in or attached to historical buildings and there is a bit of a story behind the red phone booths.

As more and more people are using their mobile phones, the number of phone booths will continue to decline.

But some people across Scotland are turning them into unique and interesting projects. They have been previously used as little retail spaces and cash machines, and one community converted them into a defibrillator site for the use in the local community in case of an emergency.

While a New York based company has plans to convert them into a mini office where the hireable phone booths will have a Wi-Fi network, office essentials like a printer, scanner and a wireless mouse. The idea is to use them as a private alternative to cafes or social work offices.

Are you inspired to travel to Edinburgh yet? 

We have created this Scotland Travel Guide for you to make planning and booking your trip to Scotland easy! 

We use www.skyscanner.com for all our flights. It’s one of the most popular flight search engines and it compares hundreds of airline companies and booking websites. A big plus for us is that Sky Scanner can look for flights in the cheapest month, and it will also automatically look for the cheapest dates in that particular month. 

Are you looking for something more luxurious like a 5 star hotel in Edinburgh ? Or maybe you want to visit Edinburgh on a budget? Agoda offers accommodation in Edinburgh suitable for any budget or wish list. Check out all hotels in Edinburgh right here

Airbnb offers many lovely Airbnb’s in Edinburgh. 

Book via our special link to get a whopping $$$ discount off your first booking with AirBnb, so you can definitely score yourself a bargain.
Have you booked your trip via Airbnb before? Book your next Airbnb accommodation in Edinburgh easy and fast right here ↓

Tours and Transport in Scotland

Viator offers a wide range of tours and excursions in Edinburgh and all over Scotland for travellers who’d just like to sit back an relax and see the highlights with a professional guide.

You can also book your transfers in Edinburgh via Viator. 

Check out many different tours in Scotland for the best prices right here ↓

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Thank you for reading our article about Traveling to Edinburgh, Scotland. This article contains a few affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission when you book your trip to Edinburgh via us, which helps in providing you with our epic and FREE travel content and insider tips.