I'm thinking of visiting Edinburgh for 7 days and seeing surriunding places by public transport. Any suggestions? I'm on my own and 60+.
moonrise

>>Any suggestions?<<

For what -- Sites? Accommodations? Something else?

And what time of year?

Edinburgh can be pretty hilly, so ask the others who are more familiar with the city where is the best place to stay to minimize that.

Well, I am a lot older than you and get around Edinburgh just fine, though it is indeed hilly.

For a week, I would rent a flat, likely to be cheaper than a hotel, and more private, though this could be a disadvantage if you like encounters with other visitors. In that case a very small hotel or B&B will be good. If you want a flat in the Old Town, we have had great luck dealing with Katie at GreatBase.

Public transportation is good in Edinburgh, and cabs are not expensive. I would do my itinerary daily on a high-to-low pattern: Castle to Holyrood down the Royal Mile or in clusters like Museum of Scotland- Greyfriars-St Giles-Law Courts etc. the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery are together, adjacent to the New town shopping etc.

You can easily goo to Stirling or Glasgow for the day by train, and the attractions in each are easily reached from the station, and others will no doubt make even better recommendations.

Suggestion to do it or not? Firm yes.

In addition to "For what" from JanisJ .. budget?

Trip reports could help you. I've posted reports from my trips to Scotland.

I've not done Stirling or Glasgow from Edinburgh yet, but easily can see those included on a future trip.

Day trips I've done from Edinburgh using public transport:
National Museum of Flight, by bus, http://www.nms.ac.uk/our_museums/museum_of_flight.aspx
Falkirk Wheel, train and then local bus, http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk
Deep Sea World, train and walk down steep hill, http://www.deepseaworld.com
Carlisle, England, train, walk around town, visited cathedral and Tullie House Museum, http://www.carlislecathedral.org.uk and http://www.tulliehouse.co.uk

I've done a couple minibus tours, too, and (just IMO, YMMV) happy to leave driving to someone else.

Check if a Rover Pass would work for you, buy it once there .. http://www.scotrail.co.uk/tickets/tr...scotland-rover

Thanks so much for such handy information.
Thinking of going in late early October, Janisj and thought of staying in a 3 to 4 star hotel near the city centre. Enjoy gardens, history and art.
train or bus trips to nearby places sound good.
Hope to spend 7 days in London, 7 in edinburgh then 7 more in London, flying both ways.
moonrise

Spend a day in Glasgow; it's about an hour by bus or train. See some of the Charles Rennie MacKintosh locations.

http://www.crmsociety.com/

You could take one of these one-day tours:

http://www.rabbies.com/one_day_tours_scotland_ed.asp

You've caught me again on the way out so no time for a detailed response.

Just two quick comments for now:

1) London to/from Edinburgh is faster and often cheaper by train than by flying. When you factor in the schlepp to/from the airports etc, taking a train city centre to city centre is almost always better.

2) star level really doesn't help much. What is your actual budget?

There is a great website www.walkit.com/cities/edinburgh from which you can find the distance and time ( at a slow,moderate or fast pace) it takes to get from one site to another.

The central bus station in Edinburgh is located at St. Andrews Square not far from Waverley Station. You can see the various bus routes online but if you intend to do use them in the city and surrounds, it's best to have a schedule in hand.

Lothian Buses do day tours around the city and through out the Lothians.

As has already been noted, taxi fares are fairly reasonable.

No one has mentioned Rosslyn Chapel. With its renovations completed and fewer Dan Brown aficionados, it is well worth a visit.

Fantastic help!Many thanks.
moonrise.