Rick Steves - Rick Steves Snapshot Edinburgh

SNAPSHOT

Edinburgh

This Snapshot guide, excerpted from my guidebook Rick Steves Scotland, introduces you to the rugged, feisty, colorful capital city of Edinburgh. A hubbub of innovation and tradition, this urbane city rambles along seven hills on the banks of the Firth of Forth. Its historic Royal Mile links Edinburgh Castlehome of Mary Queen of Scotsto the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the home away from home of King Charles III. To the north is the citys New Town, a characteristic 18th-century neighborhood of Georgian mansions and upscale hangouts.

Edinburgh is the political, cultural, and intellectual center of Scotland, but intrepid visitors can still find a few surviving rough edges of Auld Reekie, as it was once called (for the smell of smoke during the Victorian era). Take a walk along historic cobbled streets and narrow lanes, tracing the footsteps of Robert Burns and Robert Louis Stevenson. Sip whisky with an expert and see firsthand how Scotlands national drink can become, as theyre fond of saying, a very good friend. Debate the pros and cons of Scottish independence on the steps of the 21st-century parliament building. Through it all, be prepared for a Scottish charm offensive that will make you want to stay longer in one of Europes most intoxicating capitals.

To help you have the best trip possible, Ive included the following topics in this book:

Planning Your Time, with advice on how to make the most of your limited time

Orientation, including tourist information (abbreviated as TI), tips on public transportation, local tour options, and helpful hints

Sights, with ratings and strategies for meaningful and efficient visits

Sleeping and Eating, with good-value recommendations in every price range

Connections, with tips on trains, buses, and driving

Practicalities, near the end of this book, has information on money, staying connected, hotel reservations, transportation, and other helpful hints.

To travel smartly, read this little book in its entirety before you go. Its my hope that this guide will make your trip more meaningful and rewarding. Traveling like a temporary local, youll get the absolute most out of every mile, minute, and dollar.

Happy travels!

Edinburgh is the historical, cultural, and political capital of Scotland. For nearly a thousand years, Scotlands kings, parliaments, writers, thinkers, and bankers have called Edinburgh home. Today, it remains Scotlands most sophisticated city.

Edinburgh (EDn-burahonly tourists pronounce it like Pittsburgh) is Scotlands showpiece and one of Europes most entertaining cities. Its a place of stunning vistasnestled among craggy bluffs and studded with a prickly skyline of spires, towers, domes, and steeples. Proud statues of famous Scots dot the urban landscape. The buildings are a harmonious yellow-gray, all built from the same local sandstone.

Culturally, Edinburgh has always been the place where Lowland culture (urban and English) met Highland style (rustic and Gaelic). Tourists will find no end of traditional Scottish clichs: whisky tastings, kilt shops, bagpipe-playing buskers, and gimmicky tours featuring Scotlands bloody history and ghost stories.

Edinburgh is two cities in one. The Old Town stretches along the Royal Mile, from the grand castle on top to the palace on the bottom. Along this colorful labyrinth of cobbled streets and narrow lanes, medieval skyscrapers stand shoulder to shoulder, hiding peaceful courtyards.

A few hundred yards north of the Old Town lies the New Town. Its a magnificent planned neighborhood (from the 1700s). Here, youll enjoy upscale shops, broad boulevards, straight streets, square squares, circular circuses, and Georgian mansions decked out in Greek-style columns and statues.

Just to the west of the New Town, the West End is a prestigious and quieter neighborhood boasting more Georgian architecture, cobbled lanes, fine dining options, and a variety of concert and theater venues.

Todays Edinburgh is big in banking, scientific research, and scholarship at its four universities. Since 1999, when Scotland regained a measure of self-rule, Edinburgh reassumed its place as home of the Scottish Parliament. The city hums with life. Students and professionals pack the pubs and art galleries. Its especially lively in August, when the Edinburgh Festival takes over the town. Historic, monumental, fun, and well organized, Edinburgh is a tourists delight.

While the major sights can be seen in a day, Id give Edinburgh two days and three nights.

Day 1: Tour the castle, then take my self-guided Royal Mile walk, stopping in at St. Giles Cathedral and whichever shops and museums interest you (Gladstones Land is especially worthwhile). At the bottom of the Mile, consider visiting the Scottish Parliament, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, or both. If the weathers good (and the trail is open), you could hike back to your B&B below Arthurs Seat.

Day 2: Visit the National Museum of Scotland. After lunch, stroll through the Scottish National Gallery. Then follow my self-guided walk through the New Town, visiting the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and the Georgian Houseor zip out to Leith to squeeze in a quick tour of the good ship Britannia (confirm last entry time before you go).

Evenings: Options include various haunted Edinburgh walks, the literary pub crawl, or live music in pubs. Sadly, full-blown traditional folk performances are just about extinct, surviving only in excruciatingly schmaltzy variety shows put on for tour-bus groups. Perhaps the most authentic evening out is just settling down in a pub to sample the whisky and local beers while meeting the locals...and attempting to understand them through their thick Scottish accents.