Edinburgh quickly became the heartbeat of our trip to Scotland. With its dramatic volcanic skyline, ancient stone wynds, vibrant pub culture, and rich history around every corner, the Scottish capital captivated us from the moment we arrived.
Since Justin’s sister was staying in Scotland, having Edinburgh as our home base allowed us to mix city exploring, casual pub hopping, and quick day trips. Here is how we spent some of our time exploring Edinburgh.
Places We Went
St Giles’ Cathedral
On our way to the Castle, we are walking down the cobblestones of the Royal Mile, and stopped to admire St Giles’ Cathedral, rising grandly over Parliament Square with its iconic crown spire defining the skyline. While the cathedral’s lofty stone arches and brilliant stained glass are breathtaking on their own, stepping into the tucked-away Thistle Chapel in the southeast corner felt like discovering a secret world of royal tradition.
Built as the official chapel for The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle—Scotland’s highest chivalric order—every inch of this intimate room is filled with astounding detail. Lining the walls are individual wooden stalls reserved for each knight, crafted with extraordinarily intricate oak carvings by Scottish brothers William and Alexander Clow. If you look closely, you’ll spot heraldic animals carved onto the armrests, delicate Gothic spires, and even angels playing bagpipes!
What amazed us most was the living history represented in each seat. Rising above every stall canopy is a tall spire displaying the current knight’s personal helmet, crown, ceremonial sword, and hand-painted heraldic crest. When a knight passes away and a new member is appointed by the Monarch, the old crest is replaced with a new custom-carved crest, while a small enamelled brass plate bearing the former knight’s coat of arms is fixed to the back panel. Gazing up at those colorful helmets and historic brass plates, you can truly feel centuries of Scottish heritage preserved in one room.
Exploring Iconic Edinburgh Castle
Stepping onto the Royal Mile—the historic cobblestone thoroughfare stretching from Edinburgh Castle down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse—feels like stepping onto a historic movie set.
Perched high atop Castle Rock—a dramatic extinct volcanic crag—Edinburgh Castle dominates the city’s skyline. The ascent up the steep cobblestone incline leading to the fortress entrance is an workout in itself, but pushing up Castlehill offers breathtaking views opening up over the city rooftops below. Standing at the battlements next to historic cannons, you get an incredible sense of the fortress’s historic strategic power.
Once inside the castle grounds, we spent time exploring its historic chapels, great hall, and courtyard spaces.
One of the absolute highlights was entering the Royal Palace to view the Honours of Scotland—the nation’s crown jewels—alongside the legendary Stone of Destiny. The jewels are kept in an intimate, highly secured vault space where photography is strictly prohibited, which actually made seeing the sparkling crown, scepter, and sword in person feel all the more special and preserved in memory.
Walking through the fortress, from the dark medieval vaults below to the sunny battlements above, gave us a deep appreciation for centuries of Scottish royal and military history. It’s an essential stop for anyone visiting Edinburgh for the first time!
National Museum of Scotland
Beyond the entry doors, the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street is a breathtaking, grand maze of human history, science, and world cultures. The moment you step into the Grand Gallery—a magnificent Victorian atrium flooded with natural light from a soaring glass roof and lined with cast-iron balconies—you realize just how vast this museum truly is.
Entry is completely free, making it easy to wander through its endless galleries spanning everything from prehistoric Scottish archaeology and ancient Egyptian mummies to space exploration, fashion, and interactive technology exhibits. Two of our absolute favorite highlights were seeing the famous preserved Dolly the Sheep (the world’s first cloned mammal!) and leaning in close to admire the intricate 12th-century Lewis Chessmen, hand-carved from walrus ivory and whale teeth. You could easily spend a whole day getting lost in its halls, but even a quick afternoon visit offers an incredible journey through history.
Hiking Arthur’s Seat: A Blustery Adventure
On one of our mornings in the city, we set out to hike Arthur’s Seat, the main peak of the group of hills in Holyrood Park. Steeped in folklore and legendary ties to King Arthur, this extinct volcano sits right in the middle of Edinburgh, offering remarkable views over the entire city and out toward the sea.
We got a little lost on our way to the park, so we logged a ton of steps just getting there, and honestly, I was already tired before we assended.
As we made our way up the winding gravel path, the wind picked up significantly. By the time we reached the summit trig point, it was sooo incredibly blustery that we had to hold onto our hats and hoods for dear life! Even with the wild Scottish wind trying to blow us off the rock, looking down over the skyline of Edinburgh from the peak was beautiful.
A 3-Hour Boat Trip: Maid of the Forth to Inchcolm Abbey
For a peaceful escape from the city streets, we took a trip out to South Queensferry and boarded the Maid of the Forth for a three-hour boat excursion on the Firth of Forth.
During the 45 minute sailing, we went under the Forth Bridge, a red steel railway bridge connecting Edinburgh to Fife. It was the world’s first major structure constructed almost entirely of steel and remains one of the most famous cantilever bridges in existence. How beautiful!
Cruising across the water gave us magnificent views of the iconic Forth Bridges before dropping us off at Inchcolm Abbey, an ancient island monastery founded in the 12th century by King Alexander I. Often described as the “Iona of the East,” the island is home to remarkably intact medieval abbey ruins. We spent our approximately 90 minutes exploring the cloisters, chapter house, and high stone walls right along the water, taking in the quiet coastal atmosphere before catching our return boat back to shore.
The highlight at the Abbey was the Chapter House room. Built in the 13th century, this octagonal stone room is one of the best-preserved medieval meeting halls in all of Scotland, complete with a soaring stone vaulted ceiling and high arched windows. This was where the Augustinian canons gathered every morning for daily abbey business, to listen to readings, and to assign duties.
At the far end of the room, Justin and I couldn’t resist taking a seat in the three raised, ornate stone niches built into the wall. We later learned we were sitting right where the Abbot—the head of the monastery—and his senior officers sat during meetings! Positioned above the lower stone benches where the rest of the monks sat along the perimeter walls, these elevated seats gave the Abbot command over the room. It was also in this very hall during the 1400s that Abbot Walter Bower wrote the Scotichronicon, one of the most significant early written histories of Scotland. Sitting in those centuries-old stone arches with the soft coastal light pouring through the windows was an unforgettable moment.
We couldn’t resist climbing the incredibly steep, narrow ladder-staircase tucked inside the abbey’s central Bell Tower. In medieval times, this was where the monks climbed to ring the heavy church bells calling the brethren to daily prayers. Reaching the very top rewarded us with an unbelievable view over the entire island and out across the waters of the Firth of Forth.
Calton Hill
For some of the best panoramic views in the entire city, we made our way up Calton Hill. Perched right at the summit is a concrete trig point marker—the spot used by surveyors to map out the geography of Edinburgh. Standing right at 251 meters (822 feet) above sea level, this pillar sits on the highest peak in Holyrood Park and the highest natural point across all of Edinburgh.
Right next to it stands the striking National Monument, an ambitious structure built to resemble the Parthenon in Athens to honor Scottish soldiers and sailors from the Napoleonic Wars. Known locally as “Edinburgh’s Disgrace” because the builders ran out of funds in 1829 after completing only twelve columns, it remains one of the hill’s most iconic photo spots!
Near the edge sits the Nelson Monument, a stone tower shaped like an upside-down telescope built to honor Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson. Standing up there on a sunny day with the city skyline stretched out below us was pure magic.
Princess Street Gardens
Down below, separating the historic Old Town from the New Town, lie the lush green lawns of Princes Street Gardens. Walking along the garden paths offers incredible, postcard-worthy views looking straight up at Edinburgh Castle towering high above Castle Rock.
The highlight of the park is the magnificent Scott Monument—a towering, 200-foot Victorian Gothic spire dedicated to famous Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. Underneath its grand stone arches sits a beautiful white marble statue of Scott with his beloved dog, surrounded by dozens of intricately carved statues depicting characters from his novels. It’s the perfect spot to slow down, grab a bench, and admire the city’s stunning architecture.
Nestled at the foot of Castle Rock, is the stunning Ross Fountain—an ornate 19th-century French cast-iron fountain painted in vibrant teal, gold, and bronze tones. With its detailed sculptures representing art, science, poetry, and industry. This fountain was exhibited at the Great London Exposition of 1862.
Sampling Scottish Pub Culture & Cask Ales
After long days of walking, relaxing in local Scottish pubs became our evening ritual. Coming from the US, we experienced a fun little culture shock when ordering local cask ales! They are served at natural cellar temperatures with a smooth, light finish. We couldn’t adjust to them, instead ordering a cold beer.
A few memorable beer stops along our route included:
- The Hanging Bat: Located on Lothian Road, this iconic craft beer bar features an ever-changing chalkboard menu packed with unique cask and keg lines from top Scottish microbreweries.
- Innis & Gunn: A fantastic brewery taproom spot where we enjoyed a few crisp, local pints.
- Black Isle Brewing Co. Taproom: Famous for their organic craft beers brewed in the Highlands, where we sampled a couple of delicious, hazy pales.
- World’s End Pub: just outside the gates of the Castle.
- The Last Drop
Eating & Drinking Around Town
Afternoon Tea at The Dome
We made sure to balance out our pub casualness with a little glamour! On our final full day in the city, Justin’s sister and I headed over to New Town to treat ourselves to Afternoon Tea at The Dome. We saw the spectacular glass dome ceiling, but were seated in a different room. We had a glass of sparkeling wine, sipped hot tea, and enjoying tiers of savory sandwiches and sweet pastries while while Justin enjoyed a round of golf.
The Legendary Auld Hoose – The Best Nachos in Edinburgh!
Of all our dining experiences, hands down the most epic meal was at The Auld Hoose pub. Famous across the city for serving Edinburgh’s biggest plate of nachos, they brought out a massive, towering bowl heaped high with melted cheese, chili beans, fresh jalapeños, sour cream, and a giant mountain of guacamole! It was easily the largest and best plate of nachos we’ve ever had, after a long day sightseeing we were hungry, and we almost finished them – but not quite.
Final Thoughts from Exploring Edinburgh
Edinburgh effortlessly combines centuries of dark medieval drama with modern charm, incredible food, and unbelievable coastal hikes. Whether you are climbing extinct volcanoes, sailing out to ancient abbey ruins, or simply enjoying a warm pint in a cozy pub corner, this city holds a special kind of magic that stays with you long after you leave!
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