short trip to edinburgh
 

Hi

We are going to Edinburgh soon and would appreciate some local wisdom and how to make the most of our time there.

We arrive on a Tuesday (10 sep) at around 5pm and leave on Friday (13th) at midday and are staying at the Edinburgh Regency guesthouse, Granville Terrace, EH10.

We both love history and the paranormal ( there are so many ghost type walks, any ideas as to which are best????) but are not that into arty type things. Also is is worth using the HOHO bus or just get around on local buses.

Finally recommendations for eateries that are reasonably priced and serve good Scottish food would be most welcomed.

Many thanks

Lynn

We took a walking tour through the underground vaults with Mercat Tours. We really enjoyed it. Their tours have elements of history and paranormal.

http://www.mercattours.com/home.asp

One young boy from a boy scout troop, that was on our tour, actually saw a young boy ghost who frequents the area of the vaults we were in. The guide hadn't even mentioned the young boy ghost yet, so when the young boyscout saw him, the guide was pleasantly surprised that he had showed up on our tour, possibly because of the group of young boys on the tour. That poor little boyscout was a bit rattled after the sighting, but we were thrilled.

Hi lynntigon,

I've not done the HOHO bus on any of my trips, just local buses and lots of walking. Perhaps someone else will post about the HOHO bus.

For history, of course the castle has lots.

My favorite visit is always the People's Story, http://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/V...People-s-Story If the top story video room is open, you get some good first person accounts of people who grew up through the many changes in the city during the 20th century.

http://www.royal-mile.com/
this link will give you lots of info,The Peoples Story that Scotlib mentions is also one of my faviourite places to visit,worth going in just to see the interior of the building,you have Huntly House museum right across the road which is also very good. can't help with ghost tours as i think they are all rubbish just not my thing. I did do Mary Kings Close a few years ago and it really annoyed me that they turned a really interesting historical feature into a third rate ghost tour,but each to their own and I hope you enjoy the tours you go on.

There are loads of "ghost tours" in Edinburgh. We did the witchery tour many years ago which was a cheesy but fun way to spend the early part of the evening. They have various people dressed as ghosts stationed along the route who jump out and try (usually without success) to scare the punters. It's all very tongue-in-cheek, but does annoy some of the local residents who get irritated by groups of tourists shreiking in the lane outside while they're trying to watch the tellie or have their tea.

thanks guys. Will certainly check out the Peoples Story. I know the ghost walks can be "cheesy", but as neither of us are drinkers or clubby types it is a fun way to pass the time in the evenings. thanks for the mercat link, I have seen their ads on the tourist sites.

We do normally try to find our own way around but have opted for the HOHO a couple of times to get an overview,they only really work for me if the commentary is live. Edinburgh seems to be quite compact so maybe there is no need for the HOHO this time.

Keep those thoughts and ideas comimg.

Thanks once again.

Lynn

Forgot to say thank you to unclegus for the royal mile link. Had a quick look but will look in greater depth later on.

There is plenty of real scary history in Edinburgh so you do not need a ghost tour

Do not be surprised if it is a bit quiet - the Festivals will have just finished and people will still be recovering / sobering up / on a diet

Walk the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood House.

Hike up to Arthur's seat. Walk around New Town.

Easily combined are Craigmillar Castle (Edinburgh´s "real" castle) and Duddingston village.
Hollyrood is worth a visit and if you like history a daytrip to Roslin might be worth the effort.
Keep in mind that not everything you have to pay for is necessarily worth visiting.
Explore the closes off the High Street (Royal mile).
Visit the Old Calton and Greyfriars cemeteries, take a bus tour, go for a pint in the Royal Oak in Infirmary Street (if it is still there), down the stairs they used to play live music every night.
Walk up Salisbury Craigs for the view, walk through Princess Street Gardens for the peace and quiet, go to the Zoo for the fun of it and the views from Corstorphine Hill.
Take the bus to Cramond and do the River Almond walk, go to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Inverleith and enjoy the smells and views.
All these things, with the possible exception of Roslin, are well within the city limits and easily done at an easy pace.

Good advice. Saving this information for our trip next June.

In case anyone's googling for more info, note that it's "Salisbury Crags" and "Princes Street".

Also, Holyroodhouse Palace not Hollyrood and Rosslyn Chapel in Roslin.

I just came back from a week in Edinburgh. Since we were there for the festivals, and are into arty stuff, our trip had a different focus than the one you are planning. But we did eat in some very good restaurants serving modern Scottish food at reasonable prices.

The Dogs on Hanover Street in New Town http://thedogsonline.co.uk/

The Kings Wark in Leith http://www.thekingswark.com/

Purslane in Stockbridge http://www.purslanerestaurant.co.uk/

"Easily combined are Craigmillar Castle (Edinburgh´s "real" castle) and Duddingston village."

Edinburgh Castle is a real castle - it's beginnings go back to the Iron Age, Craigmillar is Edinburgh's OTHER real castle

>>Also, Holyroodhouse Palace not Hollyrood<<

:) I've heard worse - once overheard an English tourist in the breakfast room of a Edinburgh hotel informing his travelling companions that today they would walk down the "Golden Mile" before finishing up at "Hollywood House".

Willowjane - same!!

LOL, That should teach not to post anything after a night on the sauce :)

I don´t thing the good people here will run into difficulties using Google Gordon, much like yourself they also have a spell checker.

In my defense (other than the taking of drink), to me a Crag is a Craig and either way you can´t really miss it.
It is the big basalt contraption next to the Holyrood (House, Palace of)car park.
There´s nice views from it and some remains of an old chapel, even a small loch.

Roslin is an easy bus ride from E´burgh city center, it´s less than 10 miles away.
Apart from the chapel there´s a castle, some industrial remains and Roslin Glen.
Don´t let the spelling fool you by the way, the town is called Roslin where the battle of Roslin was fought in 1303 and contains Roslin Glen and where you can visit Roslin Castle (sometimes spelt Rosslyn Castle) and Rosslyn Chapel (almost always spelt Rosslyn Chapel).

Edinburgh Castle is a must for every visitor.
There is enough to see to keep you entertained for hours.
Most of what is there today however is part palace, part garrison and part museum.
Apart from the chapel of St. Margaret, reputedly the oldest building in Edinburgh, and the Palace very little remains of the medieval fortress.
Most of what is there now was constructed after a siege in the 16th century which virtually leveled it.
The Scottish National War Memorial is particularly moving.

Human habitation of Castle Rock indeed goes back a long way but that goes for most places around here.
That does not mean they are by definition worth visiting.
Craigmillar is often overlooked but is what most people would consider a "proper" castle.

Inverleith Gardens and the park in Princes Street give you (in my opinion) great views of the castle and E´burgh skyline respectively.
They are also great for a picnic and, together with Greyfriars and Calton Hill, get you away from the hustle and bustle without having to leave the city centre.

When you walk down the Royal Mile during the day pop down some of the closes that project off it left and right.
There are some interesting architectural features and it gives some indication of living conditions in days past.

St. Giles Cathedral is worth a visit as is a stroll through the Cowgate to the Grassmarket.

Most of these reminisces go back about 12 years when I spent two years there as a perpetually broke student.
Although I now live about 70 miles away I have never been back since.
It did teach me though that you can have a good time and see the sights without spending a lot of money.

Newington was always good for decent B&Bs, it is a quiet area but close enough to the city centre and Arthur´s Seat to do everything on foot.

As to the name of Princes Street ....
I give you, the mystery of the missing apostrophe !
I nearly wet myself reading this when it came out.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotlan...ophe-1-2963260