Need Help with Edinburgh trip
 

Hi,
I need help with my Edinburgh trip, from May 3 to May 5. Train arrives from London to Edinburgh at 12:00 noon on May 3. And we leave for London on May 5 at 7pm.We cannot change the dates anymore because of our hotel booking. :)

Anyways, we want to go to these places and would like to know if a) is this doable? b) Do we need to rent a car, or will the bus be okay?

We want to go to Edinburgh Castle, St Andrews (a must, even just the golf course because we need to buy souvenirs from the pro shop, is this possible, even if we don't play golf?) Loch Lomond, Stirling Castle, and Rosslyn Chapel.

What we were thinking was on the first day, take the bus to St. Andrews and back to Edinburgh at night.
Day 2 join a tour for Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle.
Day 3, take the bus to Rosslyn Chapel then go back to Edinburgh by noon to explore the City and Edinburgh Castle. then take the 7pm train back to London.

Also, what is the weather going to be like during these days??

Thanks for all your help. :)

Wearing rubber shoes ok?

You can wear any kind of shoes you want but you'd better be able to run fast in them cause that's what you'll do to see all that. And you won't see ANY of Edinburgh itself. I think your plan is doable but don't think it would be very enjoyable. You will spend all your time on a bus.

I did do a day tour (by bus, there are several companies, all the same almost) to Stirling and Loch Lomond and it was OK, it does take the whole day. When you are in Stirling you get about two hours so you can either see the castle or the town but not both. Stirling Castle and Edinburgh Castle are very similar so not sure you need to explore both. The bus tour takes you through the Trussords (not spelled right) which is a park like country side, nice enough scenery but rather boring. And it stops for a long time in a tiny town with a big woolen factory/store for lunch. At Loc Lommond you pretty much have to take the boat ride (costs extra) cause where the bus stops there is nothing else to do.

I didn't do your other day trips but while doable, they will take longer than you might think with train/bus connections, etc. I didn't do either of them because I ran out of time as there was so much to see in Edinburgh itself, and when I started researching exactly how to do them it seemed like more trouble than it was worth.

My suggestion would be to pick the one day trip that means the most to you and spend the rest of the time in Edinburgh. But that's just my opinion.

You have 2 days in Edinburgh, one of the great cities of the world and you want to spend all but the last couple of hours on buses taking hit and run trips to places 1-2 hours away?

You an pick up St. Andrews "souvenirs" in Edinburgh - since you don't golf and have no affinity for the place other than to acquire a souvenir why does it matter if you actually get there?

Sorry if this sounds a little cold but Edinburgh is deserving of the time available - especially after you are travelling so far on a train to get there.

I'm with Janis - it's theoretically possible but ridiculous.

In 14 years in Edinburgh I've been to St Andrews and Rosslyn Chapel once each, Stirling not at all and Loch Lomond just in the course of driving past it to get elsewhere. Edinburgh itself is a World Heritage Site and 2 days is not very long to see it.

Where are you staying ? Just wondering if a) you'd get to explore any nice bits of Edinburgh in the evenings and b) how much time you need to factor in for getting to & from your accommodation.

If you're determined to spend only one afternoon in Edinburgh itself I wouldn't recommend the Castle which I think is disappointing. Better to get the open top bus tour of the Old and New Towns for an overview, maybe getting off to walk down the Royal Mile then back on again.

You could get almost any weather - this is Scotland - so bring layers and an umbrella. The temperature could be anywhere between about 8 and 21 degrees C and it could be sunny, rainy, windy or all of those.

I think that if you do pack in all your planned trips, you may well find yourself regretting not having had any time to enjoy Edinburgh itself, which in my opinion outstrips St Andrews, Rosslyn or Stirling in terms of interest and beauty.

I'd look at removing either St Andrews or Rosslyn from your itinerary if you can, so as to have a bit more time enjoying Edinburgh - which really does have a lot to offer and can't really be visited satisfactorily in half a day.

I agree with everyone else. It's madness to pack in loads of day trips instead of exploring this magnificent city. It's also a good place to do a guided ghost walk.

Thanks everyone! I am so glad I asked before we actually get there. I am sorry the itinerary is so *zing*! :) caroline, we're staying at Clanwalker B&B at Dalkeith. So, I'll take your advise and just take day tour on the second day. I was trying to pack it all in, in such a short time :) At the chance of being *%$#! again ;) which castle is worth the visit more? Stirling or Edinburgh?

I think if those are the things you want to do, then you should have just enough time to do them. I don't know if this will help but I was in Edinburgh a few weeks ago for 2.5 days and this is what we did:

First day got in around 12:30pm, checked in. (stayed just beyond prince's street at the Clarendon hotel)saw St. John's chuch, walked around the gardens below the castle, walked up the side of the hill, took in the views. Waited in line for about 40 min (maybe longer) for tickets to the castle, did the castle untill about 4pm. Walked a bit of the royal mile, had coffees, went back to hotel to rest. Out for dinner at a local pub.
2nd day: Got up early for a tour of the highlands - lasted all day- was fansastic!
3rd day: Check out at 10:30ish, got starbucks, did roslyn chapel, returned to city by about 2pm. Walked prince's street, did the scott monument for fantastic veiws, then shopped along the royal mile for about 2.5 hrs then dinner at the witchery and off to the airport.

I was more than satisfied and it sounds aobut as much as you are planning for the same time frame.

It is worth it to note that we didn't do any of the 'new town' didnt' feel like we missed out as I heard it was lot like grafton street in dublin ie. High end stores.

Hopes this helps.

Thanks CanadianRNinDublin! I feel much confident with our trip.

Caroline;

Although I agree that Edinburgh Castle is not "Spectacular", it is such an integral part of the city that I think it merits a visit on that connection and the views of the surrounding area from it's position high above the centre of the town. And if you get a great guide, it`s a blast (damn those English!)

P I think that perhaps only the Alcazar, in Segovia can compare to the connection that a castle has to a great city.

Itan,
Just thought I should mention that you might need to be careful when giving the address of your B&B: it's on Dalkeith Road, not in Dalkeith, which is a town just outside Edinburgh. (When I first read your post I thought you meant you were staying in Dalkeith) Might be confusing if you are taking buses or giving instructions to taxi drivers!

Well done for checking that, hanl - my first reaction was - eek, you're not even staying *in* Edinburgh !

Itan, your B&B is in quite a nice location & on a fairly good bus route but it is not, as their website claims, "a 15 / 20 min walk from the Royal Mile / city centre". It would take me 30-40 mins to walk from there to say, the Castle or Princes Street. It is however a 15-20 minute bus journey (as long as you're not doing it in the rush hour), so remember to factor that into your timings.

Also, although it's a nice area, because it's not in the centre that means you won't be seeing the main sights of Edinburgh without trying, by just wandering round there in the evening. I'm not sure if I'm explaining myself well - what I'm trying to get at is that spending most of your time on daytrips maybe wouldn't have mattered so much if you had been staying right in the centre & so seeing it by default. Do you see what I mean ? So since you are staying outside the centre, I think it would be even more worthwhile dropping one or more day trips to see Edinburgh itself.

Aramis, I take your points about Edinburgh Castle. However I think the good points about it can largely be gained by just walking up to it, admiring the view from ther Esplanade outside and maybe just looking inside at the part prior to the new ticket offices.

With a limited amount of time, like half a day, I'd expand what I said before to - get the open top bus tour of the Old & New Towns, get off at the stop nearest the Castle (Johnston Terrace by the Hub), walk up to the Castle, walk down the length of the Royal Mile to the Palace, get back on the bus for the rest of the tour.

But if the day trip to St Andrew's is being dropped & you have a full day, Itan, you could include tours of the Castle & the Palace if you want. I can't comment on Stirling Castle but IMO the Palace is more interesting than Edinburgh Castle.

BTW have you found a tour which includes Stirling & Loch Lomond ?

hanl, thank you for the address correction. I had no idea about the Dalkeith error till you posted it :)
but as caroline mentioned it's bit away from the center so I'll probably look for another b&b nearby.
caroline - thank you for the many tips. It is much appreciated! We did find a tour that has a day trip for Loch Lomond and Stirling castle but there was mention of the 2 castles being similar so I decided against it. sigh. I'm more confused than ever :) We'll just do a day tour by ourselves, that way if we want to leave early or late it'll be ok.
What you wrote made perfect sense, about seeing more of Edinburgh if we're staying near the city center. Can you recommend a nice b&b near the center? oh boy, we leave Saturday and we're still nowhere. lol!

caroline, found this b&b online "Castle View Guest House" located at 30 Castle Street, Edinburgh PH2 3HT Is this ok or near the center? Thanks!!

Castle Street leads off Princes Street and the Castle View Guest House is only 20 - 30 metres from the junction.
I think that the Guest house is on the top floors of the building and there are a number of flights of stairs leading to the entranceway.
It has a good city centre location, near the bars, restaurants and shops of George Street. Princes Street Gardens are only metres away and you are only a 10 - 15 minute uphill walk from Edinburgh Castle / Royal Mile.

Indeed, as meks says, Castle View is very central & always used to get good reviews on this site. It was up for sale a year or so ago but I haven't heard what happended & their website does still seem to be functioning. If that's full...

Do you particularly want a B&B as opposed to a hotel or apartment ? What is your budget ? The cheaper chain hotels have less character than B&Bs, on the whole, but can be cheaper. Your age/tolerance for noise may have a bearing on what I & others might recommend too.

Most B&Bs in the New Town (the central Georgian part) are c.£50 per person per night. Look for ones on Abercromby Place, Northumberland Street & Dundas Street.

For chain hotels in the Old Town (the central mediaeval part), which will be modern but cheaper & more convenient...

My top pick would be the Ibis, which is right next to the Royal Mile.

The Holyrood Aparthotel is not quite so convenient but just behind the Royal Mile & seems to be well regarded on Tripadvisor.

Ten Hill Place is also in the Old Town - it's fairly new, was developed by the University & lookd OK.

If you are young & tolerant of stag/hen parties, the Grassmarket Hotel in the (street named) the Grassmarket is in the heart of the Old Town, actually in a mediaeval building, close to lots of pubs & restaurants & quite cheap.

Any of these any good ?

Caroline, we'd like to try and stay at b&bs since we're staying at hotels most of the time. Castle Views booked, as are other b&bs around that area. I'm still frantically searching for a b&b close to the center. What is a self service? It'd be great if we can find rooms under GBP100 but if we really have no choice (since I now want to stay near the center) we might get the 1 royal circus? It looks real nice. I'll go back to searching for a place to stay.

The reason Castle View is booked up is it is about the best located B&B in Edinburgh - walking distance to everything. But it books up pretty much year round.

At this late date - if you want to be central (which is a good idea) you will be better of booking one of the moderately priced chains like the Ibis Caroline mentioned.

What about Ibis Hotel or Bank Hotel on the Royal Mile? Totally agree on the prior post about Castle Street, stay right in the centre if at all possible. This is what I'd do on 1st trip.
1. Do the open air bus first (across the road from Waverly station)to get lay of the land.
2. sign up for a walking tour(ghost/historical/Ian Rankin). Cheap and worth it. They start around St Giles Cathedral...you can do it day or after dinner (if you are up for it, head for grave of Montrose in the cathedral or spit on John Knox's grave in the parking lot behind (seriously, it's a tradition for some women who took issue with his views)
3. Dinner at either Merchants or The Grain Store,(Victoria Street), drinks before dinner at the Dome and after dinner head to live folk music at Ensign Ewart (on high street)named after the sojer who captured Napoleon's eagle.
4. I would ignore the ridiculously expensive Holyrood Palace tour and head instead to the National Museum of Scotland on Chamber Street, make sure you have coffee in the tower cafe there. (and cover the declaration of arbroath section).
5. From museum, head to Greyfriars Churchyard, beautiful.(covenanters prison onsite) and eat highland tablet or fudge as you look around the graves.
5. Hit at least one pub on a close, eg Jolly Judge at Lady Stairs Close, where a lot of the MSPs hang out.

As for other visits.

Best to get to Rosyln now while you can, they're going to have to change the rules soon to protect the chapel.
As for St Andrews, the Edinburgh to Leuchars train runs about every hour.(journey is 1hr,15 mns) From there its only a 5 pound cab to St Andrews. You can do St Andrews in about 2 hours (its really only 3 streets and the cathedral,plus of course a quick shiftie at the university) and it does give you a wonderful sense of the north sea and the old course. walking along the beach or the cathedral walk is a wonderful way to get out all the cobwebs.

So I personally would do Edinburgh,(From 12pm May 3 forward)early start to Rosyln Chapel,(am on May 4th, then back to Waverly for train to Leuchars/St Andrews for the afternoon of May 4th and back to Edinburgh at night. May 5th is Edinburgh again. That means your first and last day is in Edinburgh which is easier on the traveller, but worth it for first trip.

Next time you must must do Stirling on the way to Glasgow, and both locations are ideal jumping off points for the west (egOban) and the north (Inverness.)

/www.premierinn.com/pti/home.do

Sorry, forgot to mention Premier Inn,in Old Town, it's about same price as Bank, but more American standards.

1 Royal Circus would be very nice. Otherwise try the Ibis as I suggested before. Otherwise phone the tourist office & ask for anything in the Old (preferable) or New Towns - +44-845-22-55-121.

You have left it *very* late !!

Thanks for the suggested places to stay. My sister was able to book at 20 London Street B&B, we were frantic and we did it before I read this forum. I think it's fine now :)
Scotlass- great itinerary! I'll show it to my sister and we'll skip the graveyard tour though lol! I know we're really pressed for time but I think we'll keep roaming while there's *light*

OK - how about this itinerary?

Day 1 - we arrive lunchtime. 2 hour Edinburgh tour (it came with buying the train tickets) hop off hop on bus tours. Edinburgh castle (just outside) not going in :)

Day 2 - Rosslyn Chapel, St Andrews - just a quick tour, Fife Village then back to Edinburgh

Day 3- Stirling Castle (yeah - we're really going here) back to Edinburgh

I'll ask around the train & bus centers for time.

That B&B should be great, Itan - what a lucky find ! As you no doubt know it is on a nice street in the New Town. But also, run by Gillian Glover !! I now remember hearing some time ago that she did B&B but I'd forgotten. She used to be the Scotsman newspaper's restaurant critic, I always enjoyed her columns & respected her opinions & she seems like a nice person. Lucky you !

Re the itinerary, do you mean you are now planning on seeing Rosslyn Chapel, St Andrew's & a Fife village (which - one of the fishing villages ?) in one day without a car ??? Oh dear...

First, this is a Sunday, isn't it ? Rosslyn Chapel doesn't open until noon on Sunday. If you really have to visit all these places I suggest you go to Stirling on the Sunday as then you can fit more in on Saturday.

Let's see how it might work if you do Rosslyn etc on Saturday. The Chapel opens at 9.30 so you'll want to get the bus at 0822 (to arrive in Roslin at 0900) or 0852 (to arrive in Roslin at 0930). So that means leaving your B&B to walk to St Andrew Square c. 0805/0835. (http://www.lothianbuses.com/r15.php) Say you spend half an hour there, get the 1019 bus back, arrive bsck in St Andrew Square 1101.

Walk to Waverley railway station, buy your "St. Andrews railbus ticket" and get the train to Leuchars. You'd be very lucky to catch the 1110, more likely the 1210 so arrive Leuchars 1312. (http://www.thetrainline.com/Time_Tab..._Timetable.asp) Get bus to St Andrew's. It's pushing 2 o'clock, you've spent most of the day so far on a bus or train & you haven't had any lunch yet. Do you still think you'll fit in a Fife village too ?!?

Not trying to be harsh, I just want you to enjoy your visit.

Please heed what caroline says. Trying to squeeze in Rosslyn chapel and all of Fife on the same day -- even driving yourself - would be pretty difficult. Using public transport, you would end up w/ about 2.5-3 hours total in the Chapel and seeing St Andrews. The <u>whole rest of the day</u> would be spent to-ing and fro-ing on various buses and trains. You would see a lot of public transport but no fishing villages . . . . .

HI,
Thanks for your reply. Just talked to my sister, and she booked us at the 22 Royal Circus, sigh. Is this okay? Or is the 20 London Street better as she still has a vacancy as of today :)

As for the itinerary, we arrive Edinburgh on Saturday around noon, so we can still go to Rosslyn Chapel that afternoon? Sunday, we can do St. Andrews and be back at Edinburgh by nightfall.
On Monday morning we'll go to Stirling Castle, go back to Edinburgh and look around if we still have time. You think this is okay? Or should we do Stirling on Saturday (our first day) and Rosslyn on Monday (our last day??)

Thanks for the advice on the time frame for the St. Andrews trip, will try to do that. I clicked on the link you sent me but got an error message :( Will try again later.

I'm not sure I caught everything in this thread, but here's my $.02:
I would totally skip Stirling Castle this time. It is very similar to Edinburgh's castle. We saw the two castles on back to back days and have not been able to distinguish them in my memory ever since (although we enjoyed both). So, while I would say each castle is worthy of a visit, with less than 3 days in Scotland, I think you'd be nuts to fit Stirling in. You're already going out of the city to see Rosslyn and St. Andrews. Do yourself a favor and spend the rest of the time in Edinburgh, and you will get a nice taste of city, castle, palace, history, park, etc.

I could not agree more - you are going to/staying in Edinburgh but are not really seeing any of Edinburgh itself.

You are trying to see half of central Scotland in less than 3 days. Whoa a bit - stick to Edinburgh and St Andrews (if you must). Even then you'd only have a day and a half in Edinburgh. I don't get the logic of skipping Edinburgh Castle, yet traveling to Stirling to see its castle. Staying in the city and visiting Edinburgh castle instead is a much better use of your VERY limited time.

Oh dear, the struggle continues :-)

I hadn't heard of 22 Royal Circus before this thread but it looks very nice. Both it and 20 London Street are in very nice parts of the New Town. Royal Circus is slightly grander but London Street is a bit closer to the railway &amp; bus stations. I think you may as well stick with what you have.

I realised that I looked up the Saturday timetables for the Roslin bus &amp; Leuchars train whereas I was recommending you do that itinerary on Monday if at all - not Sunday at any rate. I'm sorry to hear that my links, which were to the exact timetables you'd need, didn't work. Try www.lothianbuses.co.uk &amp; look up the number 15 bus route for Roslin (the village where Rosslyn Chapel is - note different spelling) &amp; www.thetrainline.com for buses from Edinburgh to Leuchars.

The only comment I'd make on your latest itinerary as that you are staying in Edinburgh but spending all of your days elsewhere, which seems bizarre.

There seem to be some great local experts on this thread. My friend is going to Edinburgh for a week.

What are your favorite restaurants and pubs?

Must see sights?

Favorite off the beaten track sights?

Favorite walks and gardens?

Interesting shopping areas?

This is sinking Sally, because it's an add on to someone else's thread.

Do a wee search and then post your more specific query on a thread of its own, I suggest.

Hi. Couldn't help go over this thread carefully as am about to book our lodgings in Edinburgh for 3 days in July. Am debating between a place on Gilmerton Road well connected apparently by bus to the center and Gilmore Place for a difference of about 90 pounds for the whole stay. Any advice for me? Thanks janisj and caroline. p.s. I know its a tag-on to someone else's post but am now scrambling!

to tongsa - you really need to post your question as a separate thread. You will get more replies and quicker, I think.

to SallyJ -
those are a lot of very broad questions! There are tons of previous threads that should help with planning a visit to Edinburgh/Scotland. A book that I highly recommend is Peter Irvine's &quot;Scotland the Best&quot; which gives lists of the best of all the types of things that you are asking about. There is an extensive section on Edinburgh. You will find excellent advice here once you get a bit of focus. Another place to look is the &quot;Destinations&quot; tab on the menu bar above - it will give some great ideas to get you started.

Tongsa - Gilmerton is a pretty rough area and quite far out. Gilmore Place is nice enough and very central. No contest.