2 days in Edinburgh: Scotland’s Capital City

‍ Scotland’s capital city was a beautiful place to end my tour of the country and its islands.

The sandstone buildings and architecture are regal and magnificent. The locals were friendly and welcoming, and the Tartan Parade was a wonderful surprise. ‍

The view of Edinburgh from Calton Hill

I recently travelled around Scotland for the first time since I was a young child. My tour included visits to the Shetland and Orkney Isles, as well as Dunnet Head and Ardnamurchan Lighthouse - the northernmost and westernmost points of mainland Great Britain.

I briefly saw Inverness, Aberdeen, and Fort William, but wanted to indulge in whatever Edinburgh had to offer, so made sure I had two whole days to explore the capital.

At a glance: my two days in Edinburgh

Day 1:

Greyfriars Kirkyard and Greyfriars Bobby

The Tartan Parade

Holyrood Parliament

Climbed Arthur’s Seat

Whisky tasting

Day 2:

Calton Hill

Victoria Street

Edinburgh Castle

Princes Street

Late Sunday roast in a pub watching the footie

My main reason for visiting Edinburgh

I visited in early May, for a two-day city break, after nine full-on days of touring, before heading home.

I’m sure many people plan their Edinburgh visit in August, to coincide with the world-famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe and/or Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Thousands of visitors also arrive for the annual Hogmanay, aka New Year’s Eve, and New Year celebrations, with Scotland having an additional day’s holiday on 2nd January. Something that is on my To Do list at some point.

However, my main reason for the visit was to complete one of my ‘60 Firsts’ (a challenge I set myself last year). I wanted to climb Arthur’s Seat. An unexpected and wonderful surprise was that the Edinburgh Tartan Parade was taking place on the Saturday of my stay. Perfect timing.

The summit of Arthur’s Seat Edinburgh didn’t look too high, until I started walking!

Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh

Like Rome, Edinburgh is built on seven hills, the tallest of which is Arthur’s Seat. It’s an extinct volcano which rises 250 m/822 ft above the city. The name apparently comes from the legends about King Arthur, although Wikipedia states it was originally called Craggenmarf.

My fascination with this particular hill came from seeing it in various films and TV programmes. Most recently in the 2024 Netflix adaptation of One Day, when the main characters, Emma and Dexter, climb the hill on their first date.

I’m not a climber, but as it’s a popular walking route, I (incorrectly) presumed it would be a fairly easy walk along a well-trodden path. It certainly is a well-trodden path (until it completely disappears), but far busier than I expected. A couple of hundred other people had decided to walk it at the same time as my friend and me.

We started the walk at 15:10 from Holyrood, the Scottish Parliament building. While I stopped at various vantage points to admire the view (aka catch my breath for a couple of minutes), young families and dog walkers whizzed past me. I was almost mentally defeated when a runner sped past me, heading to the top.

It took forty minutes to get to the point where the path completely disappears, and to reach the very top, you need to become a rock climber. You don’t quite need ropes and crampons but it’s definitely a scramble rather than walking along a path!

There were almost fifty people at the summit, so I waited until the Trig Beacon, aka an Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar, became free before I could get as high as possible.

We had perfect weather conditions. The views from the summit were spectacular, and we could see for miles in all directions.

I made it to the top of Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh. The weather was perfect, and the view went on for miles.

One of the many bagpipe bands marching in the Edinburgh Tartan Parade 2026

Edinburgh’s Tartan Parade

This was a completely unexpected bonus to the weekend. The 9th May 2026 parade was only the second time it had been held, following the success of the inaugural event in 2025.

My friend and I had decided to explore the city before heading to Arthur’s Seat when we heard some bagpipes. This isn’t unusual in Edinburgh, but we heard quite a few and then came across crowds gathering along the Royal Mile, where we saw multiple pipe bands warming up.

The parade started at 13:10 and made its way down the Royal Mile, into Cockburn Street, then Waverley Bridge and East Princes Street Gardens, finishing at the Mound Precinct

We arrived at 12:54 and got a front-row pavement viewpoint at the crossroads of George IV Bridge, Bank Street, and Lawnmarket on the Royal Mile, which was probably near the back end of the parade. However, we watched and listened in awe as hundreds of pipers and dancers marched past us for the next thirty minutes.

It was a magical experience, full of Scottishness, happiness, and colour, and I highly recommend seeing it. The official Visit Scotland website states that it will next be held on 8 May 2027.

Scottish dancers at the Edinburgh Tartan Parade

Scottish Whisky (not whiskey)

Disclaimer: I’m not a big drinker, and definitely not a whisky drinker, to which my friends will testify. However, the following section does nothing to aid my case.

I saw more distilleries during the twelve-day tour of Scotland than I have seen in my lifetime. We passed them in both the Orkney and Shetland Isles, the Ben Nevis Distillery in Fort William, the Glenmorangie Distillery near Tain, and a couple in Edinburgh.

As we descended Arthur’s Seat on the opposite side to where we ascended, we came across Holyrood Distillery. The board outside advertised tours and whisky tasting. The sun was well past the yardarm, and it was just after 5 pm, so we felt duty-bound to indulge in one (or six) alcoholic beverages.

We didn’t even pretend we wanted the tour, which was finished for the day anyhow. We headed upstairs to the bar and looked at the whisky tasting menu. I would have been more than happy with one flight between the two of us, but choosing which flight to have proved difficult. So we got two!

‘Fully Matured’ and ‘Noir Trilogie & COCO Chocolate’ - they had me at ‘chocolate’.

The bartender brought over two flights, each featuring three whisky drams of varying ages and strengths. She explained what each whisky was, and how to use the glass of water and pipette. According to her, whisky should always be enjoyed neat, and never be served ‘on the rocks’, i.e. with ice. A small amount of water can be added to enhance the flavour and aroma and soften the strength.

Unlike me, my friend enjoys whisky, so I was more than willing for her to have the lion’s share. I carefully sipped the first couple, which weren’t to my taste, but my friend thoroughly enjoyed. Then we tried the strongest one in either flight. It was 62%, and I loved it. It’s probably good I’m not a big drinker, as I do like a drink with a high alcohol content.

The three options paired with different chocolates were also nice. Who knew whisky and chocolate went together so well?

‘Fully Matured’ and ‘Noir Trilogie & COCO Chocolate’ flights at Holyrood Distillery, Edinburgh

Places to Visit in Edinburgh

Whenever I’m somewhere new, I try to see and experience as much as possible. I’m sure Edinburgh has much more to offer than the selection I list below, but this is what I had time to do in the limited time frame.

• Arthur’s Seat

As mentioned above, this was top of my list. Absolutely worth the forty-five minute steep walk uphill for the incredible views from the top. Probably not so worth it on a wet and windy day, although I’m sure there are many hardy walkers out there who would be in their element in the rain.

• Greyfriars Bobby

I love a loyal animal story, especially when a statue is erected in their memory. Bobby was a Skye Terrier who adored his human companion, John Grey. The story goes that when John died in February 1858, Bobby refused to leave his grave and stayed there for the next fourteen years until his own death.
There’s a lovely memorial to Bobby and a headstone with him sitting on top, where he was buried just inside the gates of Greyfriars Kirkyard, close to his master’s grave. Just outside the graveyard, where the road forks between George IV Bridge and Candlemaker Row, a beautiful granite drinking fountain was erected, topped with a life-sized bronze statue of Greyfriars Bobby.

The brass statue of Greyfriars Bobby. Please don’t rub his nose.

This headstone commemorating Greyfriars Bobby is just inside the gates of Greyfriars Kirkyard

• Greyfriars Kirkyard

Graves in the graveyard were supposedly the inspiration for several characters in the Harry Potter series. Notably, Thomas Riddell may have inspired the name Tom Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort. My friend and I had every intention of wandering around for an hour, but our walk was cut short when we heard the bagpipes warming up for the Tartan Parade. We were going to go back but never got the time.

The imposing view of Edinburgh Castle from the base of Castle Wynd Steps

• Edinburgh Castle and Castle Hill
  

• Castle Hill, Edinburgh

The castle's high sandstone walls tower above the city. When I was about twelve, I visited Edinburgh on a whirlwind driving tour with my parents, and these walls left a lasting impression on me as we drove past them.
Walking toward the entrance felt like walking through history. Castle Hill is lined with historic stone buildings, some built in the 16th century. The hill is the oldest and highest section of The Royal Mile. There are several places of interest to stop and look at, such as The Witches Well. This is a memorial to the hundreds of women accused of being witches, who were burned at the stake.
The Witchery at Boswells Court is a five-star hotel and restaurant, and has its own shop on the opposite side of the street. There’s also Cannonball House, which for some reason has a cannonball embedded in one of its walls, which can be seen from the top of Castle Wynd Steps.

• Edinburgh Castle

According to the official website, the castle is Britain's most besieged place.
My friend and I forgot to pre-book our entrance tickets so waited in the queue, but only for around twenty minutes.

Once inside the castle gates, we looked backwards to see Arthur’s Seat rising above the buildings. We spent a couple of hours meandering round the various buildings that make up the castle as we know it today.

St Margaret’s Chapel, which was built by King David I around 1130 to honour his mother, is the oldest building in Edinburgh. Over the centuries, more buildings and fortifications were added. It was interesting to read about the castle's turbulent history and the battles that raged between Scotland and England over the years. As with many medieval buildings, there were some pretty horrific stories about dungeons and prisoners.

There’s a lovely tea room within the grounds, but as we hadn’t pre-booked, there was no availability, and it looked very busy.

• Holyrood Parliament Building (and its loo and cafe)

Following the end of the Tartan Parade, we walked down the Royal Mile towards Holyrood. I knew I was going to need the loo before we set off on our climb of Arthur’s Seat, but couldn’t see any obvious public toilets around. So, once we reached the parliament building, I asked a policewoman where I might find one. I wasn't expecting her to say I could use the ones inside the Parliament building!

Turns out there’s a cafe inside that is open to the public.

To reach both the toilet facilities and cafe, you need to pass airport-style security screening. Inside there’s a large reception area with some information stands and displays. As we had time, we decided to grab a pot of tea and Scottish sweet treat to give us some energy for our climb.

A quick loo and brew stop at Holyrood Parliament building

• Palace of Holyroodhouse

Opposite the Parliament building are the King’s Gallery and Palace of Holyroodhouse.
We didn’t go in, but the beautiful sandstone palace and the gold-gilded wooden doors of the gallery were an impressive sight.

• Calton Hill

One of the seven hills of Edinburgh from where you can get great views of the city.
It’s more easily accessible and a quicker climb than Arthur’s Seat, although it is steep and has some steps. Several monuments and statues sit at the top of the hill: the National Monument, which looks a bit like the Parthenon in Athens; the Nelson Monument in honour of Admiral Nelson; and the Dugald Stewart Monument (seen in the foreground of the above photo), plus others.
There’s a cafe at the top with indoor and outdoor seating.

• Royal Mile and Princes Street

Possibly the two most famous streets in Edinburgh and well worth wandering down each of them.
The Royal Mile runs through the Old Town from the Palace of Holyroodhouse on a slow incline towards the castle. The walk takes around twenty minutes, depending on your pace and which end you start at. It passes lots of beautiful historic buildings with mysterious alleyways and stairwells separating them. There’s an exhibition called Mary King's Close, which looked really interesting, but we didn't have time to visit. A brass plaque commemorating the site of the last public execution can be found at the corner of Lawnmarket and George IV Bridge.

Tourist busses waiting near the Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh

Princes Street runs through New Town, is full of shops, and runs virtually parallel to The Royal Mile, separated by Waverley train station and Princes Street Gardens.
Walking westwards, from the bottom of Calton Hill via Waterloo Place, where many of the tourist hop-on, hop-off buses wait, we passed the beautiful clock tower of the Balmoral Hotel. Then we saw the striking Scott Monument, dedicated to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott, which has blackened over the decades from city air pollution.

• Victoria Street

This UNESCO World Heritage site is a colourful cobbled street just off George IV Bridge. Built in the early 19th century, it elegantly curves downward to Grassmarket in Edinburgh’s Old Town, and has lots of boutiques and shops.
It is said to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series, which I had my doubts about - until I saw it. Victoria Street definitely felt like a much bigger version of the Diagon Alley recreation at Harry Potter World in Watford.
There’s a walkway above with lots of cafes and restaurants where you can get a bird's-eye view of the street below.

Victoria Street Edinburgh bustling with lots of visitors and shoppers

View looking down on to Victoria Street Edinburgh

The Royal Yacht Britannia can also be found moored at Whisky Quay, Leith, by the Ocean Terminal shopping centre, a twenty minute drive on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Something else that I will need to see if I ever get back to this beautiful city.

Eateries in Edinburgh

Here are a couple of the places we ate at that I think are definitely worth a visit.

Saturday Brunch - Old Woods Cafe on St Leonards Street served a fabulous hot open chicken sandwich and had a great menu.

Saturday Dinner - 10 to 10 in Delhi on Nicolson Street was fabulous. The food was great, with good-sized portions. The beautiful decor and intimacy of this small restaurant made the dinner experience feel very different to any other Indian meal I have tasted before.

The colourful decor of the 10 to 10 in Dehli restaurant, Edinburgh

Sunday Late Lunch - We had a delicious roast dinner in a pub, but I can’t recall which one - sorry bout that.

Monday Breakfast - Lucken Booths on High Street. A bit posher than we expected, so I felt a bit odd walking in there with my rucksack for the journey home. The staff were very accommodating, and the pancakes were good.


And that’s two days in Edinburgh in a nutshell. A city well-worthy of being a capital, and has so much more than I had time to see and do, but Arthur’s Seat is a big tick off my ‘60 Firsts by my 61st’ challenge list.