Places to see in Edinburgh!

[Lucio]

So in light of the other thread, I've decided that now would be a good time to take a trip to Scotland, just in case the worst happens.

What would people recomend is worth seeing on a short (4-5 day break) to Scotland, specifically looking in and around Edinburgh as my other half wants to at least see the pandas and visit the Edinburgh tea company.

[Splash]

There are some great views from Arthur's Seat, well worth it if you're feeling energetic And if you're *not* feeling energetic then you should also be aware that everything in Edinburgh is uphill both ways.

If you're into comedy it's worth checking out what's on at The Stand too, pretty central and a cracking wee venue.

[finlay666]

There are a few other Stand comedy clubs, the one in Newcastle does cracking food and the shows are really good value so based on that I'd recommend it too. IIRC Billy Kirkwood does a fair few nights there and is a funny guy to see live

For where to go, there is the zoo as you've said (easy to get a bus there from the centre) and you can book tickets in advance, Arthur's Seat, the castle, the Royal Mile (nice little walk). There is also a the Scottish national gallery and the royal gallery

Food I'd suggest Dubh Prais and some traditional Scottish cuisine

[HalloweenJack]

Holyrood before it gets burnt down by angry an disenchanted scotsmen......

[Rob_B]

Arthur's seat is a nice view/walk.

Parliament is a horrific eyesore but you can go inside if you want for a walk around or tour at the right time.

Near Parliament is Dynamic Earth

The Royal Mile obviously, lots of tat shops but some lovely ones too, if you're into Whisky then all the better! There are things like John Knox's house, I'm not too into historical stuff so I'm not the best salesman for that type of thing!

Mary King's Close is quite a good little tour.

You have ghost walks at night, usually cheesy but a good laugh.

Near the Castle is Camera Obscura - Never been myself but heard it's fun if a little expensive.

Also near the top of the Royal Mile/Castle there is the Scotch Whisky Experience

Then there's the castle, hmmm,tricky one, personally I wasn't impressed (see my earlier comment re: History!) but it's certainly good to look around, can get very busy.

The museum has had a recent facelift, free so well worth it and only 2mins from Waverley Station/Princes St.

Further afield is the national gallery (art, meh!)

There is the Playhouse if you're after a show.

For food, if you like steaks then goto Shebeen South African Bar & Braai Just trust me on this one, they are amaaaaaaaziiiiiiiing! The 'Lion' sized steaks are minimum of 500g and cooked to perfection.

[TeePee]

There are two fantastic medical museums in Edinburgh.

Surgeon's Hall is open every day, and has a fascinating collection of anatomical samples (not for the squeamish), along with a lot of history. Edinburgh was and is an important center of medical research.

The other is The University of Edinburgh's Anatomical museum, which is open to the public only one day a month. Along with the skeleton of William Burke, there's another fascinating collection of samples.

Probably the two best medical-related museums I've been dragged to as a result of dating a surgeon.

[george1979]

A few miles south of Edinburgh is Rosslyn Chapel - it was apparently featured in the Da Vinci Code book and movie (I've neither read nor seen either of them).
http://www.rosslynchapel.org.uk/

I got dragged to it once and was skeptical but it is pretty impressive.

For food there is a great little Filipino place -

http://rice-terraces.com/

I got taken there by some Filipino friends who were visiting and it was really good.

Portobello is quite nice, you can walk along the beach, there's a nice Spanish cafe and on a Sunday afternoon locals just come in and play live music in the Dalriada bar which is right on the beach.

There is also the supposed haunted dungeon tour. I'd avoid that - its basically a walk round some old, dark cellars. The Castle is good for the views and such but otherwise pretty boring.

[Rob_B]

Oh and of course you can go on a train and visit Deep Sea World in the lovely North Queensferry *cough*

If you do then also grab some lunch in Rankins cafe/deli

[Infinite]

Lived in Edinburgh for 5 years and what everyone else said is spot on. Not much to add except where to dine

If like good food and don't mind paying a bit extra I can recommend a few places:

Castle Terrace Go to this place!!

Cafe St Honore Solid fresh, seasonal food.

Mark Greenaway Dishes are a bit experimental.

Tower Restaurant Food is OK but dining outside on a good day in summer makes it worth while.

The Witchery I haven't been to this myself but have heard good things!

[jimbouk]

If you're there for a number of days then maybe day trip across to Glasgow on the train, it really isn't that far! (We did this the other way round as we have family near Glasgow). The bus tour was actually a pretty good way to see a number of sights, hopped off at the Cathedral, People's Palace and Botanical Gardens.

Then again if you've seen one city you may want to get out for a day and visit some coast-land or lochs for a day trip.

[petrefax]

i pass through Edinburgh fairly often, but have only actually stopped there twice.

i know its cheesey but i had great fun on one of their ghost walks through the back streets & cemetery. i also found if you like live music you're spoilt for choice since there are a number of bars off Price's street that have live acts over the weekends

however don't do what i did when asked by a random dude at the bar what i thought of the band & say "band are good, shame about the singer, he's rubbish" because it turned out i was talking to the singer's brother. oops

as has already been mentioned, if you're there a while you could venture further afield, an hour's drive in either direction could get you to Glasgow or Dundee. personally i could drive around scotland all day because its a beautiful place

take care if you're planning on driving at night anywhere near a loch, there's a particular type of mist (my scottish friends did tell me the name of it but i've since forgotten unfortunately) that rolls in off the lochs, so what may be an hour's drive by day will turn into 3 hours at night due to not being able to see particularly far

[Smudger]

I'll echo the recommendations for the ghost walks - do the one that goes to the Black Mausoleum - that is proper 'atmospheric'. Another recommendation would be to get on one of those open-top tourist buses. It may seem cheesy, but they do a good tour of the main parts, and you can hop on and off again for the whole day if something requires a closer look. There's a narrow street behind Princes Street which is full of bars and cafés, (Rose Street?).

[Funkstar]

The Mining Museum. Not in edinburgh itself, but close by. I've not been, but the wife and kids have, they really like it. They say I would love it as there is lots of engineering (abviously).