Escape to Edinburgh

Everyone should take a trip to Edinburgh Castle (at the start of the Royal Mile) and make sure you are there for 1pm as they fire a canon every day).

Take a walking Ghost tour at night - great fun!

Explore the city on foot - there is so much to see.

Take a hike up Arhurs Seat (near Holyrood Palace) if you are feeling energetic - the views from the top are great!

Chill out in the many parks and gardens - take a good book and escape from the world ;-)

Try a Haggis - or a battered Mars Bar!!!

Overall it's a great city with very friendly locals.

Quick Tips:

The Royal Mile is the centre of the 'cultural' Edinburgh. Starting with the Castle and continuing down to Holyrood Palace.

I would recommend the Internet Cafe on Rose Street. It is well run and has over 500 PC's. It is a far better alternative to the one on the Royal Mile.

The Tourist office is located on the roof of Princes Street Mall (The mall is built on a hill so it isn't as strange as it sounds).

If you are looking for a supermarket there is one in the James Centre, and also one off Rose Street.

The Post Office is also in The James Centre.

Best Way To Get Around:

You should definitely walk around this city. Everything is easily accessible by foot. The 'new' town and 'old' town are joined by a big hill - you have been warned!

From the airport there is a local bus run by LRT and this is cheaper than getting a taxi. They run very regularly from just outside arrivals.

You can get a local bus ticket for £2.20 a day if you want to explore the outskirts. The ticket gives you unlimited travel for the day.

The LRT bus offices are located on Hanover Street and beside the Waverly train station.

Trains run regularly to Glasgow from Waverly Train Station.

This hostel is old but the staff is friendly, and it is clean. It is about a 15 minute walk from the city centre but the walk itself is through a meadow (not recommended at night if alone).

Accommodation is in unisex dorms so is sharing with members of the opposite sex is not for you - avoid! To be honest despite being VERY central I really didn't like this hostel. I suspect I was eaten alive as there were many of us who stayed there had lots of bites afterwards. The place is a bit dreary and the staff not overly friendly.

I just loved this place and went back every night. Their fajitas are yummy! All their food that we tried was really nice and the staff was very friendly. Portions were good, too.

There are three hotels joined together by a massive courtyard. In the summer it's great to sit out in the courtyard, enjoying a few drinks with friends and soaking up the atmosphere. As night falls - head inside and boogie the night away in the night club - great fun.

We took the 6 day tour but there are many other options available. We saw a lot of Scotland. It was well run, great fun and I'd recommend it to anyone. We got to stay in a castle!!!