My sister moved to Edinburgh in January 2022 and I’ve enjoyed visiting her several times. Edinburgh is such a beautiful city and I was delighted to discover how multi-faceted it is and how much it’s got to offer. Here are some of my recommendations:

Food

• Chez Jules – enjoy delicious steak frites in a bustling French inspired bistro.
• Urban Angel – excellent brunch offerings including lovely French Toast.
• Söderberg – the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had the pleasure to come across, you’ll find several branches across Edinburgh plus some in London too.
• Uplands Roast – dreamy hot chocolate perfect for strolling the Meadows with.

Söderberg

Uplands Roast

• Civerinos – the coolest spot for delicious pizza.
• Cowan and Sons – very tasty brunch and lunch food.
• Victor Hugo – great lunch spot, they do a wonderful chocolate tiffin.
• Dishoom – if you’ve not made it to Dishoom in London here’s your chance. Be prepared to queue for dinner or you can make breakfast reservations, the chai is a must.

Chez Jules

Places to explore

• Botanic gardens – I couldn’t believe these are free to enter! Extensive gardens with plenty of beautiful flora. Lovely gift shop and the Christmas Botanical Illuminations are also worth a visit.
• Stockbridge Sunday market – a lovely local market with independent vendors. Grab a hot drink here before browsing the charity shops along Stockbridge high street.
• Calton Hill – a delightful viewpoint over the city (and less of a climb than Arthur’s Seat!), a perfect sunset spot.
• Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art – free entry, split across two buildings ‘Modern One’ and ‘Modern Two’ with an outdoor sculpture park to also explore.

Stockbridge Sunday Market

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

• Grow – a creatively laid out plant shop combined with a coffee shop.
• Victoria Street & Cockburn Street – many lovely independent shops to be found.
• Ann Street & Circus Lane – two very picturesque streets.
• Pentland Hills – hop on a bus to venture out of the city and into nature.

Circus Lane

Victoria Street

There are of course the classics if you’re new to Edinburgh – the Royal Mile, the Castle (time it for the 1pm cannon firing), Princes Street Gardens (see if you can spot an automower!), and the National Museum of Scotland (great free viewpoint at the top).

Princes Street Gardens

I also loved going to my first Edinburgh Fringe in August 2023 and enjoyed it even more than I expected! My highlights were Gillian Cosgriff (Australian comic), Shamilton (improv musical) and Brave Space (incredible circus). The four main ‘agents’ that a lot of the best shows get picked up by are called Assembly, Pleasance, Underbelly and Guilded Balloon, so these are worth checking out if you’re wondering where to start.

Enjoy!

Alexa

P.S. If you enjoyed reading this post, you may like to read my posts about Bath, Paris and Amsterdam.