We will be in Edinburgh for 4 1/2 days. Would appreciate any ideas for the must things to do while there. Is it worth taking a day to go to St Andrew?

I would first start with a guidebook or another source (perhaps Fodor's Destinations page?: http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/scotland/edinburgh/) and see what interests <i>you</i>. It's difficult for others to answer such a broad question with anything but generic answers like Edinburgh Castle (which is great, by the way). Once you have seen what interests you, people will be more than happy to answer specific questions.

Personally I think 4.5 days is plenty long enough for at least one day trip. I haven't been to St Andrews, but Stirling is a good one; Roslin (mostly Rosslyn Chapel) is one that looks interesting to me, but again, haven't done it yet.

- Spend at least one day walking up and down the Royal Mile with all the attractions along:
- The Castle.
- The Palace of the Holyroodhouse.
- The Cathedral.
- Museum of Scotland.
- Museum of Edinburgh.
- St. Giles Kirk and Graveyard.
- The Parliament.
- Numerous shops and taverns and more museums (the above mentioned are my first priority).

Spend half another day and, more important, a night in New Town.

Do a daytrip to Rosslyn Chapel just out of town.

Drive to Cramond harbour (in Edinburgh).

Do a daytrip to Stirling, Lake of Menteith, Trossachs, Loch Lomond, Culross and back - a long but most rewarding drive (you may skip Loch Lomond if it is too time-consuming).

Go to the top of the Scott Monument.

Walk to the top of Arthur's Seat.

Try haggis

It is probably worth while to take a part of a day for St. Andrews. There are some interesting historical sites to see and the town itself is quaint,although eating and shopping can be expensive. If you take the train, you get to go over the Forth bridge which might interest you. The golf course should take about 5 minutes of your time, although there is an extremely challenging putting green that could give you a taste of what the golfers have to put up with.

I posted quite a bit about Edinburgh the other day. It might be worth having a look at.

And yes, for sure, take a day to go to St Andrews.

can I just ask when you are visiting,the Edinburgh festival and Fringe is due to start in a few weeks,so much going on in the city then,also next weekend there is a big Homecoming event in Holyrood Park.

Thank you Jent103,traveller1959,mms,almcd,sheila, and unclegus for your info. We will be arriving on August 30th leaving Sept 4. I have rented an apartment on Eyre Terrace. Looking at pubs it seems that Cucumberland Bar and Stockbridge Bar look good and seem close. It is best to get a taxi to/from the airport. We will not have a car and like using public transportation. We love exploring cities. I love musuems but husband can only take so many. we are seniors but don't mind walking. From my research it seems Guide Friday is the best hop-on-off bus. If the weather is good, would a night cruise be something we should consider? I believe there is only one day left of the Fringe so not sure if anything is available. Barbron

I don't think you need a hop-on hop-off bus. Edinburgh is small (population less than Fort Worth, Texas) and relatively compact. The biggest problem getting around the city is that all the hills go up, not down.

The HOHO buses are all ownd by Lothian Buses now and gudes are interchangable.
http://www.edinburghtour.com/
not all have live guides and amny just have a headphone set or tape running.Ask for a live guide you will get that info from the ticket sellers on Waverley bridge wgere all the buses leave from.My friend Agnes is a guide on many of the tours as is very good and a guy called Bill Hill does them as well and is a complete laugh(used to be a professional comedian in his younger days).The good thing about these tour buses is that the ticket last for 24 hours,so you could use it in the afternoon/evening of one day and then in the morning of the next.

The main points of interest in Edinburgh are pretty compact; on my last trip I spent 2.5 days there and walked EVERYwhere - we didn't even take a bus. So not having a car won't be a problem, assuming your apartment is within walking distance of, say, the train station. If you want to take the HOHO bus for the tour guide aspect, great; if you're mainly looking at it as a form of transport, I don't think you need it.

I also recommend the Museum of Scotland - maybe it could be the "so many" your husband could take. I really enjoyed it.

A good way to do the H-o-H-o buses is to get on at Waverly Bridge, ride the short way up to the Castle stop (UP !), get off, tour the castle, and then walk <u>down</u> the Royal Mile, looking in at St Giles Cathedral, Gladstone's Land, etc and ending up down at Holyrood. Then after touring the Palace, jump on another H-o-H-o and travel over to the New town and see many of the sites including along Princes street, Charlotte Sq, the Botanic Gardens etc and finish the loop back at Waverly Bridge.

yes Edinburgh is compact but the H-o-H-o buses let you see a good overview w/o miles of walking. Then the next day you can explore more of the old town, more of the new town, the gardens, or the Royal Yacht . . . .

Barbron,
Do mind sharing info about the apartment you are renting? We are planning a trip to Edinburgh in 2010.
Thanks,
P

Barbron
Your apartment is in an area consisting mainly of housing and offices. Eyre Terrace is on the northern outskirts of the city centre and it is quite a long uphill walk from there to the city centre. There is a good bus service from both Dundas Street and the nearby Rodney Street which costs £3 per day pp for unlimited travel. Princes Street is and will be for a considerable time closed to traffic due to ongoing - tram work, and this makes it longer to travel to the Royal Mile. Your apartment is near and within walking distance of the Botanic Gardens and these are well worth a visit. If you walk along Henderson Row to Stockbridge you will find quite a few good bars / restaurants and a visit to St Stephen Street is a must if you are interested in Antique shops. The Cumberland Bar is a good and is only a short walk away.

309pbg I got the apartment on the web at Let In Edinburgh - home of short term lets in Edinburgh.
Who we are
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I can let you know what it is like after our trip. Just took a chance that this would be ok.