Edinburgh, Scotland

We arrived at our apartment in Edinburgh (that was right on The Royal Mile!) at night around 10:30pm, which was so nice because our first look at this beautiful city was with a dim glow that was magical.  Jay and I went for a walk as soon as we arrived to take it all in and got some really beautiful photos.

The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland

The Royal Mile with St Giles Cathedral and Parliament

We explored the Royal Mile more the next day.  It is an alluring mile-long cobblestone street that connects Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace and has numerous attractions, restaurants and shops along the way.  We headed first to Edinburgh Castle, the most recognizable landmark in the city as it is perched high upon a volcanic peak.  It has been the residence of many monarchs, including Mary, Queen of Scots, it houses the Scottish Crown Jewels, and it includes two war museums.  The Palace of Holyroodhouse, is the present-day residence of the queen when she is in Scotland.  In addition to the Royal Apartments and State Apartments, which are still used today by members of the royal family for events, we visited the ruins of the 12th century Augustinian Holyrood Abbey as well as the beautiful gardens.

*TIP FOR TICKETS  We bought the Royal Edinburgh Ticket in advance on this website which included fast-track entrance to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace and the Royal Yacht Britannia.  We buy combo tickets or “city pass” -type tickets many times when available.  If you plan to see several of the attractions included it does save money, but always price the tickets out both ways to make sure it is best for your trip.

Edinburgh Castle, Home of the Scottish Crown Jewels

Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland

Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland

The Abbey ruins at Holyrood Palace

The following day began with a mid-day brunch at the Deacon’s House Cafe, a small cafe across the street from our apartment.  Then we began our steep climb to the top of Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano that is the peak of the group of hills in Holyrood Park.  No tickets are required.  It was a little more strenuous that we thought it would be, but offered an excellent view of the city from the very windy top.

Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh, Scotland

The hike to the top of Arthur’s Seat

The top of Arthur’s Seat

That afternoon we took an Uber to the Royal Yacht Britannia.  I think we could’ve taken the hop-on-hop-off bus as it was included with our Royal Edinburgh Ticket, but we weren’t sure how close it was.  Uber was fast and inexpensive, so we chose that route.  Known as Her Majesty’s Yacht, Britannia, this royal floating palace was in service to the queen and the royal family from 1954 to 1997.  It was famous for hosting magnificent state receptions and banquets for leaders around the world.  Dinner that evening was at Cafe Andaluz, a Spanish tapas restaurant.

After our next three days in the Scottish Highlands, we returned to Edinburgh so we could return our car and catch the train back to Manchester.  During this last day we decided to take a tour of the Harry Potter sites.  First we went to Victoria Street, believed to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books.  We saw The Elephant House, the cafe where J.K. Rowley wrote some of the first books.  We went to Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, a cemetery with graves said to have given Rowling inspiration for some of the HP characters.  One such character is Thomas Riddle, believed to have inspired the name of Lord Voldemort (Tom Marvolo Riddle).  We walked through the cemetery and went inside the church.  We went in a few Harry Potter themed shops.  Then we walked past the George Heriot’s School.  Built in 1628, it is today a prestigious primary and secondary school that is believed to be the inspiration for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  We could only see it from outside the gate as school was in session.

Victoria Street

Greyfriar’s Kirkyard

Entrance to George Heriot’s School

Museum Context, a shop on Victoria St

After the Harry Potter outing we went to the National Museum of Scotland.  We had dinner at the Royal Mile Tavern, a pub on the Royal Mile, then boarded the train back to Manchester.  We stayed a cute little apartment near the airport, had a quick breakfast the next morning, and then flew back home.