Europe’s Most Exciting Summer Capital

Today’s guest post comes to us from Andy Hayes, PlanetEye’s own Edinburgh Guide. Offering up great Edinburgh tips and advice, be sure to check out The Edinburgh Guide blog before your next trip to the Scottish capital — including exclusive tips for navigating the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the world’s largest arts festival.

Edinburgh, also know as "Auld Reekie" and "Athens of the North," swells to nearly double its population every summer as tourists from all over the earth come to visit and experience the joys of one of Europe’s most exciting summer capitals.

It’s a cold, dark winter here in Scotland, so when the sun shines nearly 20 hours a day the locals drop everything and enjoy it while it lasts. With so many historic attractions, days and days of festivals, and hundreds of world-class restaurants, it can be quite overwhelming to find your way in this tiny medieval town. Here are my answers for some of the most common questions for making the most of your visit to Edinburgh.

Where to Stay?

I get this question a lot. The easy answer: anywhere will do, as the city is quite compact and with a top notch local bus service, you’ll find yourself from one side of town to the other without much effort. We recently covered accommodation recommendations in Edinburgh but if you stick to these neighbourhoods, you’ll be fine:

• Old Town – soak up the atmosphere in all the medieval architecture on your doorstep
• New Town – relax in a rental flat or B&B in one of the old Georgian townhomes
• West End – there’s plenty of stylish accommodation in this part of town at a reasonable price, especially near Haymarket Station
• Stockbridge – trendy and fabulous, you’ll have a short, uphill walk to town but it’s worth it

Where to Eat?

Well, you have to try haggis or fish and chips – head for one of our recommended Edinburgh cheap eats to get you started.

But there are so many pubs with fantastic pub grub you can hardly go wrong – I love the steak and ale pie at Greyfriar Bobby’s, the fish and chips at The World’s End, or the daily specials at the Queens Arms. But don’t be afraid to be adventurous – one of my newest finds is a fantastic little Polish restaurant called Pani Solinska, which I’d say is one of the best Polish restaurants in Scotland, if not the whole of the UK.

What to do?

Don’t miss the key sights, such as Edinburgh Castle, Mary King’s Close, and the Scottish Parliament. Well over half of the sights are along the Royal Mile so that makes it a bit easier. This list of top tips might also give you some inspiration.

But don’t miss out on Edinburgh’s outdoor scene – go for a walk along the Water of Leith or do some aerobic exploring around Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat (the highest point in the city). Edinburgh is a city of seven hills so you’ll have no trouble finding someplace to get some height and perspective.

When to go?

Well, the obvious choice is August, when the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is in full swing. But this will be the most expensive and the most crowded.

If you don’t mind it being busy but want some budget relief, try September when it’s still warm and the glow of the festival still lingers, or June when you can enjoy our world-class film festival. December is dark and kind of chilly but the fun of the Hogmanay (New Year’s) festival will warm you up – but again, prices go up. January cools off, both in terms of prices and temperature, but you’ll have the city to yourself. Otherwise pop back in around May when the spring flowers start to bloom but the crowds haven’t.

What if I have more questions?

Check out some of our posts on Edinburgh Guide – hopefully we’ll have it covered. If you still can’t find what you need, you can contact me, I’m happy to help. See you in Edinburgh!

Photo courtesy of su_perera