Here are some Edinburgh must sees, especially if you are a first-time visitor with a couple of days in Scotland’s capital city. What else you do depends how much history you can take!
And check out our views about whether or not you should visit both Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
(Hint: we wouldn’t make the Palace compulsory!)
Visiting Scotland’s capital for a couple of days? Here are some must sees in Edinburgh to guide you. Best bit of all, it really doesn’t matter what time of year you visit – Edinburgh makes its impact at any time.
But I must have written that a thousand times in my writing career. Along with all that stuff about Edinburgh being pure theatre with its castle, crags, neo-classical columns and so on. But that doesn’t make it any the less true.
In a single sentence: Edinburgh makes you go ‘wow’ in a way that no other city in Scotland does. (Sorry, Glasgow – I’m talking first impressions here – not legendary friendliness.)
Edinburgh and ‘over-tourism’
Just a thought before you start…and I want you to mull this one over…CNN Travel in July 2019 announced that Edinburgh was high on its list of places suffering from ‘over-tourism’.
That puts Scotland’s capital in the same league as, say, Amsterdam, Venice, Barcelona, the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu and the Portsoy Ice Cream shop. (Well, maybe not so much the last one.)
They define over-tourism as ‘places that can no longer cope with their own popularity’. Edinburgh is just starting to look at how tourism, as a driver of economic growth, can be implemented to make less of an impact on, say, the lives of residents, and on everyone’s overall enjoyment of the city.
(Naturally, all that changed with the pandemic impacting on visitor numbers in 2020 and 2021…but if there ever is a return to ‘normal’, then expect this topic to return.)
By the way, remember that Scotland – overall – isn’t a crowded place, but suffers from having some areas over-promoted – mostly because they are easy targets for tourism marketeers.
This includes not only Edinburgh; I’m thinking here – for example – of the Isle of Skye, Loch Ness and that mis-represented route round the top known as ‘North Coast 500’ or ‘The Toilet Tissue Trail’. (Oh goodness, do this trail anti-clockwise, if you really must.)
I mean, in other parts of Scotland, you can still find a beach to yourself, an unfrequented hiking trail or a quiet pub.
You just have to to a bit of research on places that are a little way off the beaten track in Scotland.
So, having sounded that little note of caution…and I’m sure you’ve already made up your mind to visit Scotland’s capital – let’s go look at what you must see in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Must Sees on the Royal Mile
For first time visitors it certainly should include the iconic Edinburgh Castle. Book early (on that link) as the castle is very busy.
It’s at the heart of Scotland’s story. The rampart views are just the start. We like the walk-through tableaux on the early monarchs and the story of the finding of the Honours of Scotland.
Also the remarkable hammer-beam roof in the Great Hall, the poignancy of the Lorimer War Memorial, and the atmosphere of the dungeons. Oh, and the cakes in the Redcoat Café are really good (says Johanna). Overall, it is a great visit.
The Royal Mile when the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is in full swing will be on a list of essential Edinburgh experiences mainly because it’s hard to avoid! Just walk down the hill from the Castle and let it overwhelm you.
A tour of the famous Camera Obscura very near the castle qualifies as a must see in Edinburgh if you have children in the party. The National Museum of Scotland, another must see, is about five minutes’ walk away, off the Royal Mile.
A ‘labyrinthine’ Edinburgh must see – and a wee dog
We like the way that, off the main hall, the museum draws you in to explore – it’s slightly labyrinthine, but in a good way. And, if you end up near the National Museum of Scotland, you’ll be moments away from the wee statue of Greyfriars Bobby.
Though it’s well-known, it isn’t a ‘must see’ as such – it’s just a sentimental story of a dog – possibly of more than one dog, if you read our story of Greyfriars Bobby here.
Talking of dogs, if you own a pooch and have not given it the slip on your trip (we have this problem too) then here are some suggestions for Edinburgh places for dog-walks.
(The site is rover.com ‘The Dog People’ – a wealth of canine information, even if they do have a worrying section on cats, legitimate quarry species for Border Terriers.)
Some more must-see museums?
Sorry about that doggy aside. Anyway, retrace your steps to the Royal Mile – as just strolling along it is a must see in Edinburgh.
You might take in St Giles, or John Knox House or the Museum of Childhood. Or you might just take in the ambience of the bustling street.
Carrying on downhill, The People’s Story – a local history exhibition on everyday life – is in the old Canongate Tolbooth, once an integral part of the old Scottish burgh. The Museum of Edinburgh is opposite.
As you will be gathering, Edinburgh is big on museums. Whether or not these informative places qualify as must sees in Edinburgh depends entirely on your level of interest and the time you have in the city.
Same goes for the Palace of Holyroodhouse, at the foot of the Royal Mile.
The Palace is very popular, for sure, and, imagine, you can see the exact place where Mary Queen of Scots’ favourite secretary, David Riccio, was stabbed by the plotters.
Palace of Holyroodhouse – ‘must see’?
– No, not on my list of Edinburgh must sees.
Unless you are a real history enthusiast, the official residence of the British monarch when in Scotland carries the faded air of somewhere that is just putting on a show for the visitors to make a bit of money for the royal coffers.
Crudely, then, it’s a lot of gloomy rooms with sharp-eyed custodians, while the Queen’s Gallery is quite small, but for which they charge extra. (Especially money-grabbing, may I suggest, as Edinburgh has a good number of free art galleries, see below.)
I appreciate this is not going to put me on the medal list for services to tourism and I also think I’m off Mr Windsor’s garden party invitations.
OK, I’m NOT going to put the Palace of Holyroodhouse on the list of Edinburgh must sees. (But, hey, it’s only fair to point out that we once took a top lawyer from Austin, Texas, to the palace – and, as a history buff, he thought it unmissable!)
However, if you are interested in the world of unelected privileged pointlessness that is ‘our’ royal family, then head down to Leith to tour the Royal Yacht Britannia.
Watch the video – unless you worship the royals, in which case you’ll not be pleased I give the boat a bit of a kicking as a display of pomp and pointlessness.
You, however, might love it. It brands itself, far from modestly, as Scotland’s best attraction. It’s not, of course. It’s just a display of toe-curling sycophancy. But it’s very popular.
Edinburgh Must sees – Galleries and Gardens
Yes, let’s put the National Gallery of Scotland on the list of Edinburgh must sees. Hours of absorbing gazing, right at the foot of the Mound. Nice Scottish-themed café on site as well with a fine view of the Scott Monument.
(Just to clarify: the National Galleries of Scotland is the collective name for a number of galleries, three of which are in Edinburgh.)
Let’s head down to the Royal Botanic Gardens, also making it to the Edinburgh must sees, not just for its extensive collections (especially strong in temperate plants from the Far East) but also as a green haven and place to pause.
And, on the way, we can further bolster the must see in Edinburgh list by suggesting that the New Town of Edinburgh is also a must see.
(There’s a useful guide for a mini-walking tour of the city-centre on that link.)
Now, that New Town experience could take the form of a visit to the Georgian House in Charlotte Square, part of the north side of the Square that is sometimes described as one of the finest pieces of 18th-century civic architectures in Europe.
Or you could simply take a stroll north of Queen Street (itself north of Princes Street) around the grid of streets, gardens and fine facades behind which Edinburgh’s residents’ somewhat rarefied life has gone on for more than two centuries.
A new attraction in Edinburgh’s ‘West End’
Now, I’m not suggesting this is for the Edinburgh must sees list, as, frankly, I haven’t been – it’s the post-pandemic caution, 2022, you know – it just puts you off – but the west end of Princes Street has something new-ish.
It’s the conversion of a once-popular departmental store by those Johnnie Walker whisky folk. As it’s in Princes Street, they thought long and hard and called the attraction Johnnie Walker Princes Street. Or maybe the Johnnie Walker Experience.
Anyway, It’s an ‘eight-floor whisky visitor experience’ promising ‘immersive experiences’. (Maybe they drown you or just baptize you in whisky?) The Johnnie Walker website modestly claims that it ‘provides a stunning setting for every event imaginable’. Crikey.
I’ll pop along (anonymously!) if I can scrape together the not inconsiderable sum for an immersive experience, and report back.
And one final Edinburgh suggestion. Take in the view from the top of Calton Hill.
Actually, a view from any of Edinburgh’s hills would make it to this list – for example, a stroll along Salisbury Crags, or all the way to the top of Arthur’s Seat.
Because, Edinburgh is all about first impressions and spectacular panoramas – those vistas that hint at the rest of Scotland that lies beyond.
Incidentally, you sometimes hear Edinburgh is ‘The Athens of the North’. Well, if you are looking for somewhere different, and very northern, take a look at the Egypt of the North – Rousay, one of the islands of Orkney.
The New Town of Edinburgh is worth a look.
And there is a lot of information here on how far you can go in Scotland and how long you’ll need, using Edinburgh as a starting point.
You’ll need accommodation in Edinburgh. Book well in advance!