My Favourite Town....

Everyone should visit the castle, even just for the views... Other great places to visit are the Camera Obscura, Botanic Gardens, the art galleries.

Quick Tips:

Dont drive in the city centre - Edinburgh has major traffic restrictions and parking can be a nightmare. If you have a car, leave it out of town and get the bus in; it is much easier and cheaper.

Best Way To Get Around:

In Edinburgh City Centre - walk! It's really not that big! If you want to get a bus, you can get a reduced ticket after 9:30 am which costs £1.50 for unlimited travel on the red buses all day. Taxis are very expensive, but the only way to travel after midnight.

China China is Edinburgh's first all you can eat Chinese. Its great for those on a budget - if you go before 5pm any day it costs just £5.

The selection of food is great; a good selection of starters, main courses and fruit and ice cream for dessert. Typically there are huge plates of prawn crackers, ribs, chicken wings, onion rings, spring rolls, wantons, chips, rice, noodles x2, sweet and sour chicken, sweet and sour veg, beef and black bean, curry, crispy pork.... In the evening they add more dishes such as mussels, prawns, more chicken dishes and more beef.

You can pile your plate, or go back as many times as you like. They usually take your dirty plate away while you are getting your next one.

I have found this restaurant to be very crowded the last times I have been there, and you often have to wait for a seat in the evening. You can book a table for a specific time.

Also it has been commented that they often bring the bill when you havent finished eatingm which is quite annoying as you feel like you're being pushed out.

I would recommend going during the day when its at its cheapest, and think of it like a fast-food outlet rather than a nice dining experience. Fill yourself up around 3-ish and you wont want to eat for the rest of the day.

A good place for those on a budget or with a huge appetite.

Edinburgh Zoo is a great zoo with loads of animals. I have had some great days out there is recent years. It has the biggest penguin enclosure in the UK, with underwater view areas and a bridge through the middle of the pool. Each day there is a "penguin parade" where some penguins walk by the public on a designated route through the zoo. The parade is usually at 1pm and its a good chance to get to see these animals within touching distance.

Built on a hill, the zoo is sectioned into different areas (African Plains, Reptile Houses, etc). You can now get a safari up to the top of the hill and the guide will give you some information about the animals which you pass.

There are large grassy areas throughout the zoo, so it is an ideal place to take a picnic, although there are a variety of restaurants and cafes where you can buy food.

There is an adventure play area for children, which also has seating for adults to relax.

There are three indoor houses in the zoo, reptiles, fish and the monkey house. These are good place to go if the weather should be bad, as you can spend a great time watching the monkeys and gorillas swinging past and grroming each other as well as a variety of snakes, frogs and lizards.

If you can, I would recommend that you go to the zoo on a sunny day, as you will see more animals and invariably have a better time when the sun is shining.

The zoo has Gorillas, Polar Bears, tigers and lions, camels, giraffes and monkeys, as well as a huge range of other animals. Kids especially will enjoy the zoo.