Edinburgh Nightlife
 

I will soon travel to Edinburgh with a small group of 17 & 18 year old students and would love ideas for fun things to do in the evenings. Does anyone have any suggestions for bars, restaurants, or activities? Currently on my list are: a ghost tour, a walk to Arthur's Seat to city views at sunset, a trip to see the Royal Yacht (though tours won't be available in the evening). I would be very grateful for all suggestions and tips! Thank you!

I failed to mention that we are staying near the Castle!

Rather depends on the interests of the students, though given their ages I suspect many will be sneaking off by themselves to imbibe the local nightlife.

Send the 18 year olds off to get trashed at the local Brewdog Pub and send the 17 year olds to McDonalds.

In my considerable experience in Edinburgh, night life for students tends to focus on the [heavy] consumption of alcohol.

Your 18 year olds can drink anywhere or buy alcohol in off licenses [liquor stores] or supermarkets. The 17's can have beer, wine, or hard cider with a meal and drink at home (I think including the privacy of their hotel rooms). It is not illegal and may be required that a person of 18 order the beer plus food for the younger person.

There are plenty of dance clubs etc, but young people tend to drink in pubs, then go out for chips or a curry late at night.

There isn't a whole lot you can do about this culture, so I hope you are comfortable supervising the group.

They do need to be counseled on a couple of things. Scotland has incredible sports loyalties: Hearts and Hibs, Ranger and Celtic being the most prominent. Sometimes these rivalries lead to fights. Girls, ditto. If they find themselves somewhere that seems unfriendly, just leave.

It would amuse me greatly if those kids end up in the center of a brawl. Welcome to Scotland, laddies!

The first time I was in Inverness I was at Hoots enjoying a Black Isle Heather Honey Ale and a guy walked up to me and said "Ian MacLeod, Clan MacLeod. Wanna fight?" (Yes he was drunk) I responded with "I'm a lover, not a fighter" and he looked at me, clinked my glass, and staggered off to pick a fight with someone else.

God, what a country!
Hard not to love people like that, eh, sparkchaser!

I love Scotland.

Thank you all for taking the time to comment. I do hope that we come across the more friendly people of Edinburgh!

There is a walking tour that leaves, in the evening, from the Witchery restaurant which is just a few yards from Edinburgh Castle. I think it is called the Witchery tour, and it gives a slightly offbeat history of old Edinburgh. It is fun, but informative. The Royal Scottish Museum on Chambers Street is well worth some time to see it. You could take them out to South Queensferry to have a look at the construction of the new Forth road bridge and have a look at the iconic Forth rail bridge.

<i>I do hope that we come across the more friendly people of Edinburgh!</i>

Edinburgh is the only place I have been to where I have heard multiple times "Fu€k!ng tourists". So make sure your kids don't act like asses.

a typical Edinburgh welcome from Trainspotting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ryye-v-8j0

I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression, mirabel.

Scots are the friendliest and in some ways the most generous people in the world, but in a hard drinking culture, your students need to be aware that enjoying themselves while not asserting themselves is a good idea, whether they are male or female.

And here I admit to sexist assumptions in that I automatically thought of issues that would affect males -- because I am a male. In every bar from Austin, Texas, to Leith, Scotland, men are constantly put in the position that sparkchaser so wisely got out of -- do I fight this guy or walk away from him?

The answer is "walk away."

But everyone should try to avoid being provocative and refrain from commenting or getting involved in discussions of sports teams, politics, religion, music, clothing, dress, appearance. Don't refer to the Scots as "English" and don't talk about independence in a bar, though they should talk about it in academic situations.

Finally, I think sparkchaser and I are both "taking a bit of the mickey out of you", which is a national sport everywhere in the British Isles. I started out with a perfectly sensible caution that night life for 17 and 18 year olds in ?Scotland (as opposed to an activity that occupies time at night) involves legal drinking, and some of it may take place at venues that are very different from home. I have also talked about topics that should be off the table in pubs and bars.

Then maybe I did a bit of teasing. That's the "taking the mickey" part.

Eh, I've had a gun pulled on my in the US. I have yet to have that happen to me in the UK.