With international travel currently being off the cards, I recently went to Edinburgh for a little break and a change of scenery. Please check virus-related restrictions in Scotland before you travel, as the situation is constantly changing and they are not the same as in England.
Victoria Street
No trip to Edinburgh can be complete without exploring Victoria Street - a colourful, historical curved cobbled road built between 1829 and 1834 by the architect Thomas Hamilton, one of the leading architects in transforming the city with neo-classical buildings. It is thought to have been the inspiration for the fictional Diagon Alley, along with the adjacent Candlemaker Row.
Writer’s Museum and Makars’ Court
Writer’s Museum is housed in Lady Stair's House at the Lawnmarket, on the Royal Mile and is dedicated to the lives and work of three of the greatest Scottish writers: Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns and Robert Louis Stevenson. Outside The Writers' Museum, you will find Makars' Court - a peaceful public space with beautifully inscribed flagstones which celebrate Scottish writers from the 14th century up to the present day.
Calton Hill
Calton Hill offers fantastic views over the city of Edinburgh and is also famous for its collection of historic monuments. One of them is the National Monument, inspired by the Parthenon in Athens. Intended to commemorate the Scottish servicemen who died in the Napoleonic Wars, it was never completed leaving just the twelve columns you see today. The City Observatory is also located here, a Greek temple styled building designed by William Henry Playfair in 1818.
There is also the Nelson Monument, shaped like an upturned telescope. The monument commemorates the death of Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. However, later in 1852, a time ball was added to the top to enable ships moored in the Firth of Forth to set their time-pieces accurately. The Nelson Monument is open to the public, and the Time Ball still drops at one o’clock six days a week.
Even on a gloomy day (which is so typical in Scotland), Calton Hil is a sight not to be missed.
Stockbridge and Circus Lane
Stockbridge is a vibrant area with a village vibe filled with elegant Georgian and Victorian terraced houses on the Water of Leith. You’ll quickly recognise Circus Lane for being one of the most popular places to photograph on Instagram when visiting Edinburgh.
Dean Village
Dean Village is a charming area that was known as the "Water of Leith Village" and was the centre of a successful grain milling area for more than 800 years. It makes for a lovely walk from Stockbridge to here.
Chessels Court
This location is not very obvious and not somewhere you can stumble upon unless you know where you are going. Some people have asked me if the heart-shaped ivy is real - I’m happy to confirm that I’ve seen it with my own eyes and it’s as real as it gets.
Royal Botanic Garden
Royal Botanic Garden is free to visit but you currently need to book a time slot in advance. Sadly, the glasshouse (pictured below) was closed when I visited.
White Horse Close
A little less popular location but it has an interesting history and is well worth visting. The close takes its name from an inn which used to stand at its north end. The White Horse Inn on the Canongate closed its doors in the late 18th century, but in its day it was one of the best-known coaching inns in Edinburgh. Its location at the beginning of the Great North Road meant that a journey to London would start from its courtyard.
Bookshops: Armchair Books
Perhaps, Edinburgh’s most famous bookshop on Instagram, Armchair books is the one not to be missed. It’s a cosy bookstore with a quirky vibe offering a wide selection of secondhand books.
Bookshops: Edinburgh Books
Located on the same street as Armchair Books, Edinburgh Books is another quirky independent bookshop formerly known as West Port Books.
Bookshops: Topping & Company Booksellers
A much bigger bookshop with space for over 70,000 books with a cosy vibe and friendly atmosphere. A huge selection of books, big windows with plenty of light and rolling library ladders is what you can expect to find here.
There’s a lot more to Edinburgh than what I covered here but I hope it gives you some inspiration and a few not-so-obvious locations to add to your list.
