Edinburgh, Scotland

Travelling The World With Emma

Hello Travel Bloggers

My next adventure took me to the northern capital, Edinburgh in Scotland. I’ve always wanted to go to this wonderful city as it has been recommended by so many of my friends.

I arrived on Monday and I was only supposed to stay in Scotland for 3 days, but due to ‘The Beast from the East’ I was stuck for 4 more days until Sunday. So I tell you what, I definitely explored this beautiful city to the fullest.

So I am going to tell you some of the best parts of Edinburgh to visit, the most delicious places to eat, and the best places to get a lovely beverage!

BEST TRANSPORT AROUND SCOTLAND

To and from the airport is the Airlink/Skylink bus, this takes you right into the heart of Edinburgh. The Bus will drop you off at Waverley Station just down the road from the Castle. Waverley Station is the place to get your tour buses; you can either buy tickets at the bus itself or get deals online. The Majestic Bus is one of the best ways to get around and is accompanied with an audio experience telling you all about the city.

 

BEST PLACES TO VISIT

THE ROYAL YACHT

This was one of my favourite places to visit here in Edinburgh.

The Royal Yacht Britannia is located in Leith and docked at the Ocean Terminal. You get to walk the decks and wander through the history of the Royal Family. Before you board the Britannia, you are given an audio guide in the shape of a really cool phone 😉 As you stroll through the ship, you are given numbers on the wall to key into your audio phone and this will give you all the insightful information you need to know.

Don’t forget to bring your camera!!

 

EDINBURGH CASTLE 

 Edinburgh Castle, you cannot visit Scotland without exploring the historical nature of this wondrous building.
There is no way you can miss the castle, it’s on a huge rock in the middle of Edinburgh and at the top end of the Royal Mile. With lots of museums, memorials and an abundance of history, it is the perfect place for tourists.

 

THE SCOTCH WHISKEY EXPERIENCE

Right on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, the Scotch Whisky Experience is a journey into the world of whisky. This replica distillery will educate you on the tastes and flavours of Scotland’s favourite tipple.

On one of my snowed in days, I trekked all the way to the old town, taking me an hour to trudge through the snow, especially for this experience! It really does give you an incredible knowledge about how the Scotch whisky is made, learning about all the regions of Scotland that make the best whiskies.

 

HOLYROOD PALACE

The Palace of Holyrood House is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland; Queen Elizabeth II. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace has served as the residence of the Kings and Queens of Scots since the 16th century.

This was a very good visit, a little bit of royal history, beautiful history, a stunning palace with old, creaky wood floors and scary looking wall paintings (as expected). When you visit this palace you will receive a free audio guide, talking you through each room.

Once again if you love a little bit of the Royal history, this is the place for you!

BEST PLACES TO EAT

THE NEWSROOM

I must have walked for about an hour around the old and new town of Edinburgh, trying to find a unique place to eat local food with an enticing atmosphere. The News Room caught my eye and it is located on the east end just round the corner from Waverley Train station. It was a lovely atmosphere and the food was incredible.

The Menu was set out entirely like a newspaper, which I of course kept as it was that cool!

I went for the Chicken Balmoral with haggis and it was delicious, I really recommend it. 
The price of the food is very reasonable for what you are receiving.

The Newsroom is a great experience and i would really recommend it.

Stars: ****
Price:£££

 

THE CHOP HOUSE

The Chop House is exactly how it sounds! Famous for cooking some of the best beef over an open flame on a charcoal grill there are 3 Chop House’s situated around Edinburgh.

The atmosphere, once again, is just how I like it, unique, quiet and just that little bit different. The steak is incredible in this restaurant, but yes you do pay the price for it.

A menu with a huge variety of different tastes and lots of interesting food choices, especially if you fancy trying something new.

Stars: ****
Price:££££

TOP BARS

THE JOLLY JUDGE

The Jolly Judge is situated on the Royal mile only metres from Edinburgh Castle in the old town. I was very lucky to find this bar as it is down a side street so it would be very easy to miss. With a lovely serene atmosphere adorned with log fire and gorgeous low wooden beams, making it the perfect ‘Oldie Worldly Place’.

I am a beer lover, so it’s a great place to sample the local beverages.
Here is just a little example of the beers they have in the Jolly Judge.

Draught Beers
:
Belhaven Best
Guinness
Kronenbourg 1664
McEwan’s 70/-
McEwan’s 80/-
Magner’s Gold Cider
Tennent’s Lager
West Hefeweizen
Thistly Cross Cider
Weston’s Scrumpy

The Jolly Judge is also a place for a good lunch and a stop between adventures


Stars:***
Price:£

The Tolbooth Tavern

This a little bit of History on the Tolbooth Tavern from their website:

The Tolbooth tavern is located along the Royal Mile in the old town of Edinburgh towards Holyrood House. This is a great place to relax after a long day of walking around the town with delicious food and very good beer. A beer with a little bit of history! What more could you want?

Stars: ***
Price:£

 

BREWDOG

 

Founded in 2007 in Scotland, Brewdog is a multinational Brewery and Pub. Brewdog Beer has recently become my favourite beer after a very good friend of mine gave me a taste of my first ever Brewdog. It was delightful, and so I of course punched Brewdog into Google and headed straight there. A fan of beer? This is the place to go!

With a lovely urban rustic feel and a good atmosphere, I am sure you will walk our happy….. And a little tipsy.

Stars: *****
Price: ££

TOP TIPS

• • PICK UP THE LOCAL WORDS….. WEE(LITTLE), DRAM (DRINK), SWATCH(TAKE A LOOK AT SOMETHING) AND BLETHER( CONVERSATION)
  • SCOTLAND HAS THEIR OWN BANK NOTES, THEY COME IN ALL DIFFERENT PRINTS DEPENDING ON THE BANK THAT PRINTED THEM, DON’T WORRY YOU CAN USE THEM THROUGHOUT THE UK.
  • DON’T SPEND ALL OF YOUR MONEY ON TAXI’S, GET A BUS, OR WALK, YOU MISS TOO MANY WONDERS OTHERWISE
  • BE OPEN MINDED WHEN IT COMES TO WHISKY, GIVE IT A GO EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT TOO SURE, YOU MAY SURPRISE YOURSELF (LIKE I DID).
  • TRY THE LOCAL CUISINE; GET SOME HAGGIS IN YE 😉
  • DRINK ALL THE CRAFT BEER YOU CAN GET YOUR LOVELY TRAVELLER HANDS ON!
  • TRY THE LOCAL TENNENT’S LAGER
  • YOU NEED TO AT LEAST SPEND A GOOD TWO DAYS IN EDINBURGH TO COVER ALL THE WONDERS OF THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY
  • DON’T FORGET TO HAVE FUN RELAX AND INDULGE IN THE SCOTTISH CULTURE
  • AND DON’T GET SNOWED IN!!! (EVEN THOUGH IT’S REALLY PRETTY)

  HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED MY EDINBURGH BLOG
GO VISIT AND HAVE FUN!!
INSTAGRAM: @TRAVEL_WANDER_GIRL