Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - One day in Edinburgh

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One day in Edinburgh

What are the "must sees" in Edinburgh? Is everything walkable? Which are the most centrally located hotels (moderate to high end? Also, are there some castles/sites worth visiting on the way to St. Andrews or Carnoustie?

Edinburgh has IMHO one of the best castles in all of Europe. I enjoyed John Knox home, the Edinburgh castle, Holyrood House and Deacon Brodie's Tavern! US

I posted all my Edinburgh stuff the other day. It's in the top 100 if you scroll down. The most central hotels to consider would be the Balmoral, the Caledonian, the Scotsman and the Crown Plaza. Going north from Edinburgh, you cross the river Forth, and just over it Dunfermilne is on your left. Robert the Bruce, the hero king who won Bannockburn, is buried here in Dunfermilne Abbey (although his heart is buried at Melrose in the borders); go back onto the main road and you will shortly come to Loch Leven, where Mary Queen of Scots was locked up in the castle on the island (v. romantic..the story of the escape- she then fled to her cousin in England for succour. She locked her up for 20 years then beheaded her.) Vane Farm Bird Reserve is on the other side of the Loch There's a stretch of picture-postcard little fishing villages, along te coast, with Anstruther, Crail, etc, leading toward St Andrews and there are lots of other nice places, like Ceres, and Falkland Palace. in Anstruther, visit the fishing museum, Then have the best fish in the world for your lunch. at the Cellar. After that drive along the coast to Largo, home of the 'original' Robinson Crusoe. When Daniel Defoe wrote about Robinson Crusoe, he was writing about a real person. His name was Alexander Selkirk and he came from Largo in Fife. Defoe was an English spy up in Scotland in the 1700's and nicked the story. Other restaurants in the area which are very good would include the Ostler's Close in Cupar, the Cellar in St Monan's and the Peat Inn at Peat Inn. On the way to Carnoustie, try Dundee. There is a very good visitor centre (the Discovery Centre) near the station which interprets Captain Scott's voyages to the Antarctic, and his ship, the Discovery is moored alongside so you can visit. Nearby is the Unicorn, a Dundee Whaler, which is also open to the public.

If I had one day in Edinburgh, I would start out by visiting the Castle in the A.M. Plan several hours here, it's a fabulous visit in my opinion. Then you can walk your way down the Royal Mile to the Holyroodhouse (sp?), and visit that as well. The keys are the Castle, the Royal Mile and the Holyroodhouse. It's a long walk from the Castle to the Holyroodhouse, but it's definitely doable and is downhill. As for hotels, we stayed at the Balmoral last year and it was wonderful and very well located.

Some of my (quirky?) favorites in Edinburgh include the Castle, the Museum of Scotland (a must-see if you're interested in Scottish history and archaeology), the National Gallery of Scotland (excellent and not too big), the Botanic Gardens, and just walking and walking around the Old and New Towns. For whatever reason, I've never been a big fan of Holyroodhouse.

For hotels, you could also consider the Roxburghe and the Carlton.

I'm with KT! The Museum of Scotland was, for me, one of the most enjoyable museums I've been to in all of Europe, and I'm kind of a museum person. The Castle is good, and Holyroodhouse would probably would be a miss in my book with only one day to spend (you must do it on a guided tour and it takes a while.) I'd definitely do some wandering through old/new towns to see the contrasts in architecture. And yes, if you like to walk, you can do it all on foot. Or hop on a bus if the weather isn't cooperating.

Thank you for all the suggestions.

If I could offer one suggestion re: touring Edinburgh Castle (other than it is not to be missed). Hop on one of the tour buses - this is really a great way to get your bearings in Edinburgh. Since your ticket allows you to hop on and off - 'hop on' at Waverly Train Station and take the tour - the guides are terrific and you'll learn more from them than if you were walking on your own. When you return to Waverly Train Station don't hop off. Stay on the bus and ride back up to the castle. You can avoid the long walk up to the castle and save your energy for all the great sites at the castle. Make sure you 'visit' the pet cemetery inside the castle. Mention has been made about Deacon Brody's Tavern which is not only historic but beautiful. Another great place to eat would be End of the World situated on the "Royal Mile".