Edinburgh Trip
 

Will be in Edinburgh in a couple weeks for 3 days and looking for non touristy places within the city to visit; we already plan to go to the Castle, trek up Arthur's Seat and trip to Leith and the Royal Britannia. Looking to fill in the trip unusual shops, neighborhoods, etc. Also looking for good places to eat frequented by the locals. We are staying at the Radisson Collection Royal Edinburgh Mile in Old Town. Thanks!

In a 'couple of weeks' will be smack dab in the middle of the very busiest, most crowded time of the entire year in Edinburgh. The location of your hotels is fabulous but near ground zero for the largest crowds. The city essentially doubles in size (triples on weekends)

There wil basically be no corner of the city not taken over by Fringe venues, street performers, and general buzz.

If you want to book restaurants -- you may need to fall back on your hotel concierge. Even casual places (assuming they take bookings) will book up well ahead. Don't worry about places frequented by locals -- a lot of the locals will have decamped LOL.

It is a GREAT time to be in the city but is not the best for typical sightseeing since there are so many visitors. Do hope you have tickets to the Tattoo

this local will have decamped , off to Prague on Monday for 2 weeks, mind you my sister from Liverpool is using my place whilst I am away.Places frequented by locals,well in the city centre not many as we can't get in the bloody places at this time of year but try any Wetherspoon pub as it is about the only place we can afford to go to during the festival.Add 20 minutes or more onto any travel time you expect by bus or car ,actually don't even think of a car in the city and the same for walking you can't get anywhere fast.
BTW the Raddison is used as a Fringe Venue and tends to be mobbed,been there many times to see shows including last year.This year as I said I am going away ,just need a complete break from the manic atmosphere of the city at this time of year.

If you are going in the week (as opposed to weekend) you will probably find you don't have much trouble finding places to eat during the day, especially in the New Town - evenings will be a busier though. You could head out to Leith of an evening, as there will be less crowds there and some decent restaurants.

As for slightly more unusual, there's a cat cafe (Maison de Moggy), Mellis cheesemonger, a smattering of vintage stores, and any number of quirky historical 'attractions' to see:-

https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-...burgh-scotland

You should definitely catch some Fringe shows while you are there - download the Fringe 2018 app to your phone so you can see what's on when.

>>download the Fringe 2018 app to your phone so you can see what's on when.<<

Yes definitely download the app, but you can also just stand at the corner of Lawnmarket and George IV Bridge just in front of your hotel and collect flyers fro the dozens (hundreds) of hawkers.

During the festivals, a newspaper is distributed daily with reviews of the various performances. It is worth checking out the offerings before you go though in case there are any you want to be sure to see and you can plan ahead for them.

I haven’t been in Edinburgh in August in five years, but at least at that time we had no trouble reserving restaurants for dinner.

You won’t be able to get too far from tourists though, the city is packed with them all month. I would go back in a heartbeat for the vibrant atmosphere during the festival season, the performances of all kinds (especially theater at the Travers Theatre) and music of every variety.

Dean Village, Calton Hill, Grassmarket and graveyard at St. Cuthbert.

https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/cha...day-edinburgh/

Tea at Prestonfield House.

https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/cha...tea-edinburgh/

Had a very good dinner at L'Escargot Bleu, 56 Broughton Street

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bb6a5e29cb.jpg

This article is from 2016 . . . I'm linking it just to show what we mean by crowds. The photo is on he Royal Mile -- not a special event bu just the milling crowds

https://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk...uide-old-town/

The place Maitaitom mentions are great -- but Grassmarket, St Cuthbert's etc will also be very crowded.

Here is another:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...70492a9381.jpg

We were in Edinburgh in August last year and it was as has been described (we stayed in the Balmoral). This year we will be there for a couple of days on the weekend of August 11th for yet anther Tattoo performance and have booked into the Radisson. It is what it is; hopefully we'll have decent weather.

Following this thread with interest as I plan our next trip that includes Edinburgh.

Just enjoy the crowds and all the electricity in the air. It's a special place at a special time.

If you want to escape the mobs (but no guarantees,) a couple of possibilities -

Portobello Beach Promenade: An old-fashioned beachfront walkway with some funky beachy shops and arcades, and a surprisingly nice sandy beach. Probably under £10 by Uber, maybe £15 by cab, cheaper but slower on the bus. https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co....llo/index.html

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ae433aa603.jpg

Cramond Village: An old village at the mouth of the River Almond. There's another shoreline promenade, a terrific old church, nearby Roman ruins (not easily accessed) and an ancient pub with mediocre food but good beer, the Cramond Inn. Probably around the same cost to get to from the Old Town. https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co....ond/index.html

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8cfa84b801.jpg

Duddingston Village. This is a small village with another historic kirk and a lovely wee loch (part of a nature reserve) on the opposite side of Holyrood Park from the palace and Parliament. The Sheep Heid Inn, a pub of great character with an actual skittles lane, is ostensibly the oldest functioning pub in Scotland. Apparently Mrs. Q dropped in for a nosh a couple of years ago.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5ff5dfe4d6.jpg

Swanston Village. Swanston is another ancient village (barely, more just a collection of old buildings) located at the foot of the Pentland Hills on the city's southern boundary. It's noteworthy as having been home to Robert Louis Stevenson for a time, also for having a nice collection of thatched buildings, highly unusual in Scotland. A walk up into the Pentland Hills will make you think you're a million miles from the crowds on the High Street. https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co....ton/index.html

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d2151e08d1.jpg

Royal Botanic Garden. The "Botanics" are located not far north of the New Town, and are a place of serious respite from the big city, despite being surrounded by it. The "Botanics" features glass houses, wonderful gardens, and the occasional peek-a-boo view of Edinburgh Castle looming to the south. It's a marvelous place, easily reached by bus (or, for the energetic, on foot) from the central part of the city. https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co....den/index.html

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1364d301c0.jpg

The Royal Botanical Gardens are a great half-day visit and best of all is also their location in a fantastic part of town. Adjacent to the Gardens are Stockbridge and Inverleith Park, which are well worth discovering. Lots of local, artisan shops and those parts of town are definitely not overrun, like Princes Street or the Royal Mile. Much more a "local's place" for people in the know.