A Weekend in Edinburgh | Best Things to Do, See, & Eat in 72 Hours
We visited Edinburgh in August 2023 and initially went because we got invited to a wedding! But we both had never been to Scotland before and thought it would be great to make a trip out of it. August is Edinburgh is probably the most popular time to visit because that’s when they hold the annual Fringe Festival — an arts & culture festival all throughout the city. Because of the Fringe Festival the city was very crowded when we visited, but also very lively and energetic at the same time.
Edinburgh is a gorgeous city with a medieval tone. It’s well known as the city that inspired the Harry Potter books (because the author was living there at the time), and when you’re walking around you will definitely feel like you are in Hogwarts. We fell in love with Edinburgh and we already want to go back (maybe at a less-touristy time of year haha). We spent about 3 days in the city and compiled a list of our favorite things to do & see if you’re only visiting for a weekend!
Where to Stay in Edinburgh
Edinburgh is a fairly small city and very walkable, so it doesn’t really matter what area you stay in! You will be able to walk everywhere. We stayed at a friend’s apartment, but there are so many cute neighborhoods in the city that you really can’t go wrong. We recommend using Hotels.com to look for accommodations in Edinburgh. We almost exclusively use them when traveling and always have a great experience and get the best deals!
Find Edinburgh accommodations here on Hotels.com
How to Get Around Edinburgh
Like we said above, walking is the best way to get around the city! The farthest something ever was from us was a 35min walk. Walking is also the best way to see the city and get a sense of different neighborhoods! You can also use Uber in Edinburgh if you need to, and there is a tram that will take you to/from the airport.
Best Things to Do in Edinburgh
Ross Fountain & Edinburgh Castle
Dean Village
Circus Lane
Caton Hill
Walk down the famous Victoria Street - Victoria Street is a colorful, cute, shopping street in the city center. It’s famous for inspiring Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books!
See the city from above at Caton Hill - We won’t lie it’s a steep hike up there lol, but the views at the top are so worth it! You can see an aerial view of Edinburgh and there are so pretty cool monuments at the top as well.
Explore Dean Village - a cute, picturesque town in Edinburgh. It’s about a 25-30 min walk from the city center, but it’s such a different vibe! We loved it there and thought it was 10/10 worth it.
Walk down Circus Lane - a pretty, picturesque street in the city center. We don’t know how to explain it, but this street felt very Scottish lol.
Check out Ross Fountain & Edinburgh Castle - You’ll be able to spot the Castle from nearly anywhere in the city because it’s on top of a hill (it’s giving Hogwarts lol) but the best view we think of the Castle is from Ross Fountain! The fountain is also beautiful and in a really nice park.
Do a day trip to the Scottish Highlands - the wedding we went to was in the Highlands (we even spotted a Highland cow!) but doing a proper day trip here would be epic. Maybe you’ll even be lucky enough to spot Nessie aka the Loch Ness Monster! You can find Scottish Highland day trip on Expedia.
Book other tours & activities in Edinburgh here on Expedia!
Where to Eat & Drink in Edinburgh
As vegans, Edinburgh had some of the best plant-based food and tons of vegan options! We found so many vegan options everywhere we went in Edinburgh. We loved the food so much that one of the reasons why we want to go back is to try more haha!
Paradise Palms
Paradise Palms
Paradise Palms
Plant Bae
Dishoom
Maki Ramen
Sora Lella
Nova Pizza
CC Blooms (LGBTQ+ bar)
We really had the best time in Edinburgh and we are so glad we got to visit so much of the city during our trip! If you want to see more of what we did during our time in Edinburgh, make sure you check out our Edinburgh vlog on YouTube!
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