Edinburgh-Paris-London (March/April 2026)
May 15th, 2026 | 06:50 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Nov 2021
Posts: 86
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Edinburgh-Paris-London (March/April 2026)
Hi all! This year I went on a rather short trip (not my idea, just how it happened) and this is how it went!
March 25-27
I had a week in Paris planned, but I've been wanting to visit Edinburgh for years, so that was where I decided to start my trip. I got round trip flights from Sydney to London for about $1600 (AUD). I flew Sydney to London with about 8 hours stopover in Shanghai (which was awful, but partly my fault- I forgot about China blocking every useful app and didn't find out beforehand where the sleep pods were).
Landing in London on the evening of the 26th, I then flew to Edinburgh and checked into the hotel room I was sharing with my roommate, who was on her own Euro trip and only meeting up with me for the day.
On the 27th, we had a day out in Edinburgh. We walked from our hotel, Balmore Guest House, to Dean Village, a leisurely stroll that took about 30 mins, just enjoying being in Scotland together. It was freezing cold, something I had been warned about but not prepared for, naively thinking that because I run hot (fat girl things ✨) I wouldn't need to bundle up. I was wrong.
We had breakfast at a tiny cafe in Dean Village (The Dean Coffee Shop) which served lovely breakfast burgers and coffee. Then we wandered through the picturesque scenery along the Waters of Leith Walkway, until we found our way to The National Galleries (Modern Two) and took a bus back into the city centre.
Dean Village
Dean Village
Dean Village
We got off on Princes St and went to see the Ross Fountain, and walked through the Princes St Gardens to the art gallery. The plaza outside had a nice view of the Scott Monument, and a man was playing the bagpipes nearby, which made everything feel very atmospheric.
Ross Fountain
Roommate and I at the Ross Fountain
Scott Monument
Princes St Park
Art Gallery
Bagpiper
We then walked (and climbed) to Victoria St, which supposedly inspired Diagon Alley in Harry Potter, and had a Butterbeer at The Elephant House. I'm not a Potterhead myself, but I was curious about the drink, which is not a beer at all, but a butterscotch flavoured soda with whipped cream. It was yummy! Sipping our butterbeers, we wandered Victoria St, which is full of curiosities, and found our way to Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetery, where the famous dog, Greyfriars Bobby, has a monument. We then had lunch at Greyfriars Bobby's Bar, where I tried haggis for the first time and found it to be surprisingly good!
Butterbeers in The Elephant House
Victoria St
A Crow in Victoria St
Victoria St
Edinburgh Castle
Greyfriars Bobby's grave
Both of us were tired by now, so we dropped into a souvenir shop to grab a magnet for our fridge, and went back to the hotel for a nap. We had plans to meet up with a friend that night for dinner, so we headed out a few hours later to the Frankenstein Pub, which I had been excited to visit since seeing it on Tiktok. It's dark and spooky except for the giant screens above the bar which almost ruin the vibe, and every hour, a replica of Frankenstein's Creature comes out of the ceiling and lowers for all to see amidst spooky music and dry ice. It's quite the experience and I had a great time!
Frankenstein's Pub
Frankenstein's Pub
The Creature is coming!
Frankenstein's Creature
Freezing in Edinburgh
We wandered the city afterwards, and I was freezing my ass off because I hadn't brought warm enough clothes. We had ice cream at a tiny, warm dessert shop, before my roommate's friend drove us back to our hotel, ending a lovely day in the city I'd always wanted to visit and wished I could have stayed in longer. But the next day, I was flying to Paris.
(To be continued.)
March 25-27
I had a week in Paris planned, but I've been wanting to visit Edinburgh for years, so that was where I decided to start my trip. I got round trip flights from Sydney to London for about $1600 (AUD). I flew Sydney to London with about 8 hours stopover in Shanghai (which was awful, but partly my fault- I forgot about China blocking every useful app and didn't find out beforehand where the sleep pods were).
Landing in London on the evening of the 26th, I then flew to Edinburgh and checked into the hotel room I was sharing with my roommate, who was on her own Euro trip and only meeting up with me for the day.
On the 27th, we had a day out in Edinburgh. We walked from our hotel, Balmore Guest House, to Dean Village, a leisurely stroll that took about 30 mins, just enjoying being in Scotland together. It was freezing cold, something I had been warned about but not prepared for, naively thinking that because I run hot (fat girl things ✨) I wouldn't need to bundle up. I was wrong.
We had breakfast at a tiny cafe in Dean Village (The Dean Coffee Shop) which served lovely breakfast burgers and coffee. Then we wandered through the picturesque scenery along the Waters of Leith Walkway, until we found our way to The National Galleries (Modern Two) and took a bus back into the city centre.
Dean Village
Dean Village
Dean Village
We got off on Princes St and went to see the Ross Fountain, and walked through the Princes St Gardens to the art gallery. The plaza outside had a nice view of the Scott Monument, and a man was playing the bagpipes nearby, which made everything feel very atmospheric.
Ross Fountain
Roommate and I at the Ross Fountain
Scott Monument
Princes St Park
Art Gallery
Bagpiper
We then walked (and climbed) to Victoria St, which supposedly inspired Diagon Alley in Harry Potter, and had a Butterbeer at The Elephant House. I'm not a Potterhead myself, but I was curious about the drink, which is not a beer at all, but a butterscotch flavoured soda with whipped cream. It was yummy! Sipping our butterbeers, we wandered Victoria St, which is full of curiosities, and found our way to Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetery, where the famous dog, Greyfriars Bobby, has a monument. We then had lunch at Greyfriars Bobby's Bar, where I tried haggis for the first time and found it to be surprisingly good!
Butterbeers in The Elephant House
Victoria St
A Crow in Victoria St
Victoria St
Edinburgh Castle
Greyfriars Bobby's grave
Both of us were tired by now, so we dropped into a souvenir shop to grab a magnet for our fridge, and went back to the hotel for a nap. We had plans to meet up with a friend that night for dinner, so we headed out a few hours later to the Frankenstein Pub, which I had been excited to visit since seeing it on Tiktok. It's dark and spooky except for the giant screens above the bar which almost ruin the vibe, and every hour, a replica of Frankenstein's Creature comes out of the ceiling and lowers for all to see amidst spooky music and dry ice. It's quite the experience and I had a great time!
Frankenstein's Pub
Frankenstein's Pub
The Creature is coming!
Frankenstein's Creature
Freezing in Edinburgh
We wandered the city afterwards, and I was freezing my ass off because I hadn't brought warm enough clothes. We had ice cream at a tiny, warm dessert shop, before my roommate's friend drove us back to our hotel, ending a lovely day in the city I'd always wanted to visit and wished I could have stayed in longer. But the next day, I was flying to Paris.
(To be continued.)
Today | 03:29 AM
#5
Original Poster
Joined: Nov 2021
Posts: 86
Likes: 0
March 28/29
On the morning of the 28th, I said goodbye to my roommate, who was heading to Ireland on her big solo trip, and grabbed some breakfast in a cafe before taking the bus to the airport. I flew from Edinburgh to Paris Beauvais Airport, and took a bus and a train into the city. The Airbnb I was staying in was in the Latin Quarter, and it was quite a climb up a long, dark, pokey staircase, but it was worth it to have a relatively nice apartment to stay in for my trip.
The day was a quiet one, and I wandered around, getting reacquainted with the city I loved so much 4 years before. I bought a huge sandwich for €2.70, and a cherry beer that I've been craving since I left and couldn't find in Australia, and had a quiet night in, preparing for the week I was about to spend.
The next morning I would be joined by some friends of mine from New York on their spring break. I got up early to grab some coffees and met them at the gate, and after they settled in and had a quick nap, we headed off to Notre Dame, which was only a 10 minute walk from us. As it was Holy Week, there place was crowded. We decided to attend mass at Notre Dame, although only one of us could understand French, but as we are all very interested in the cathedral itself, we thought it would be interesting. Respectfully... It was very long. I've never been to a Catholic mass before, so it was new for me. I quite enjoyed the organ playing- whoever was up there was VERY good at their job. It's a pity that the organ blocked the view of the stained glass window in the front of the cathedral though. I had been looking forward to seeing that.
Now is probably a good time to mention that my friends and I are very big fans of Victor Hugo's 'Notre Dame de Paris'. In fact that's how all of us met. So this trip was going to be very 'Hunchback' focused. After mass, we found our way to the Place de Vosges and Victor Hugo's House, where I had already been on my last trip, but it was nice to see it again with my friends. After relaxing in the Place for a little while, we took a walk to the Palais de Justice, before heading back to our Airbnb. For dinner that night, I brought them to my favourite restaurant from my last trip, La Petit Hostellerie, and though the prices had risen by about €5 since I was last there, the food was just as good as I remembered. It was lovely to have a relaxed night with my friends, catching each other up on our lives, and we had a relatively early night, because the next day was going to be a long one.
La Seine
Metro sign
Notre Dame
Inside Notre Dame
Place de Vosges
Painting depicting the "Sanctuary!" scene from Notre Dame de Paris.
Victor Hugo House
Palais de Justice
On the morning of the 28th, I said goodbye to my roommate, who was heading to Ireland on her big solo trip, and grabbed some breakfast in a cafe before taking the bus to the airport. I flew from Edinburgh to Paris Beauvais Airport, and took a bus and a train into the city. The Airbnb I was staying in was in the Latin Quarter, and it was quite a climb up a long, dark, pokey staircase, but it was worth it to have a relatively nice apartment to stay in for my trip.
The day was a quiet one, and I wandered around, getting reacquainted with the city I loved so much 4 years before. I bought a huge sandwich for €2.70, and a cherry beer that I've been craving since I left and couldn't find in Australia, and had a quiet night in, preparing for the week I was about to spend.
The next morning I would be joined by some friends of mine from New York on their spring break. I got up early to grab some coffees and met them at the gate, and after they settled in and had a quick nap, we headed off to Notre Dame, which was only a 10 minute walk from us. As it was Holy Week, there place was crowded. We decided to attend mass at Notre Dame, although only one of us could understand French, but as we are all very interested in the cathedral itself, we thought it would be interesting. Respectfully... It was very long. I've never been to a Catholic mass before, so it was new for me. I quite enjoyed the organ playing- whoever was up there was VERY good at their job. It's a pity that the organ blocked the view of the stained glass window in the front of the cathedral though. I had been looking forward to seeing that.
Now is probably a good time to mention that my friends and I are very big fans of Victor Hugo's 'Notre Dame de Paris'. In fact that's how all of us met. So this trip was going to be very 'Hunchback' focused. After mass, we found our way to the Place de Vosges and Victor Hugo's House, where I had already been on my last trip, but it was nice to see it again with my friends. After relaxing in the Place for a little while, we took a walk to the Palais de Justice, before heading back to our Airbnb. For dinner that night, I brought them to my favourite restaurant from my last trip, La Petit Hostellerie, and though the prices had risen by about €5 since I was last there, the food was just as good as I remembered. It was lovely to have a relaxed night with my friends, catching each other up on our lives, and we had a relatively early night, because the next day was going to be a long one.
La Seine
Metro sign
Notre Dame
Inside Notre Dame
Place de Vosges
Painting depicting the "Sanctuary!" scene from Notre Dame de Paris.
Victor Hugo House
Palais de Justice
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