Scotland - Edinburgh 2 Days
 

I'll be traveling to Edinburgh through for two days this coming weekend. We have limited time to sightsee, etc.

Castle, Museum of Scotland are on the to-do list. What else?

We're very intereseted in the ghost tours. Any advice? Are they worth it?

Thanks!

Holyrood Palace is a must see. It's the Queen's official residence in Scotland. Mary Queen of Scots lived there too. You'll hear a lot about her and her husband at the Edinburgh Castla. Take an opentop bus tour first. Regarding the ghost tours, go to the big church on the Royal Mile. The tours are called Auld Reekie. THey are pretty inexpensive.

http://www.auldreekietours.co.uk/

Holyrood Palace and Edinburgh Castle are must-sees!! I would avoid Auld Reekie tours as the one I took was not even close to worth the 9 GBP it cost. I would go for the City of the Dead ghost tour. It was far more interesting and cheaper. I've heard Mary King's Close is the best ghost tour, but is often sold out, so you might need to check on that beforehand.

Two other sites I'd recommend for your consideration in Edinburgh are the Royal Yacht Britannia anchored at Leith (short bus ride from the city center) and if you have a nice sunny day, the Royal Botanic Gardens which has lovely views of the city also and admission is free except they ask for a donation at the tropical building. I've also heard they've added a Celtic maze in honor of the late Queen Mum. Also if you're semi-fit, climb the Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens. (That is, climb the steps inside it, I'm not advocating climbing up the outside!)

You could camp out for the 2 days on the Royal Mile & never get bored. Just walking around is a blast. I 2nd the definites to see are Holyrood Palace & the Edinburgh Castle. Just down from the Castle on the right is St. Giles Cathedral which is really beautiful on the inside. The Museum of Scotland is really neat but you better plan to spend at least an hour & a half in there if you've never been. :) Have lunch or dinner in a pub, they're so good & so cheap. A good one is Frankenstein, it's down by the museum. Have a blast!

Last question, I promise.

We're staying at the holiday inn express - waterfront. What's the most cost effective way to get to the hotel from the airport. Taxis are so expensive! 30-40 pounds? There has to be a cheaper way.

Thanks!

Where did you get the quote of £30-40 for a taxi in from the airport? Are you sure you're not thinking of London Heathrow? EdinburghGuide.com says the taxi fare should average about £14. I've always arrived in Edinburgh by train so I don't know from experience, but I'm sure can't be even close to £30. There are some Scottish residents who visit these boards - maybe they can esimate more accurate prices. The public bus should only cost a few pounds, runs twice hourly and takes about 20 minutes. Edinburgh is a fairly small city so their airport isn't as far away from the center as, say, London's Heathrow.

Isn't the Holiday Inn Express Waterfront at Leith by the Ocean Terminal? I remember walking by it.

Our taxi from the airport to the city center was about £14. Leith might be somewhat more, but I wouldn't think it would be double. It is another 1 1/2 to 2 miles.

The Airlink bus into the city center is less, but it doesn't look like it goes to Leith. You would have to catch a separate bus to Leith from Princes St.

http://www.flybybus.com/

Also, re: your question about ghost tours -- we took the Real Mary King's Close tour. Normally we're not really into that sort of thing, but we found this one to be very interesting. It has a couple of cheesy parts (especially where it is trying to be a ghost tour), but on the whole, we thought it was worth the time.

Enjoy Edinburgh!

I don't know the answer to the question, but it's a long way from the centre to Leith

Mary King's Close is no longer a "ghost tour", but a historical tour - it is still supposed to be very good, but with a different approach. We took a Mercat tours ghost walk (can't remember the name) last August. We went into the catacombs under the city. The ghost stories were predictable, but the atmosphere was fun. Holyrood Palace is a MUST SEE! Make sure that you walk through Princes St. gardens. It is lovely. Also Victoria Street & Victoria Terrace in old town are full of atmosphere, as is Grassmarket, at the bottom of Victoria Street. I would skip the Brittania in Leith if you only have two days. There is enough in old town to keep you occupied. The museum of Scotland is worth a little time even if you only visit the main floor; it's full of ancient Roman artifacts displayed on really interesting sculpture. I'm not a museum freak on vacation, but I was enthralled. The bus system in Edinburgh is very efficient. I spent 2 weeks there last year and used the buses everyday. I don't know what # you need, but I will post again later with a link. You should be able to get a connection with no problem.

Rsund, my mother always uses Central taxis and we did when we visited last Christmas. Here is a link to their web site.

http://www.taxis-edinburgh.co.uk/index.html

When we left on January 2,which is a holiday in Scotland, we needed a large vehicle to accommodate four adults, six large cases and four carryons. I had to book that from another company, but I don't think it cost more that 20GBP. That was from the city center.

A month ago we took a taxi from Edinburgh airport to our rental apartment in Stockbridge (10 min. walk from Princes Gardens) and it was 16 GBP.

I only had 1 day in Edinburgh when I went to the UK this summer, and I wish I had more time. While on the Royal Mile, be sure to go into St. Giles cathedral. I had the privelege of singing there, and it was gorgeous inside. Dont miss it. Also, be sure and see the Scottish Crown Jewels. They are very pretty(inside the castle)