48 hours in… Edinburgh

Blame my fondness for Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novella, if you will, but Edinburgh will always make me think of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. On one side there’s the Old Town, once named ‘Auld Reekie’ for its infamous pungency (thankfully no more). This is your Hyde: deliciously dark and mediaeval, entwined with history marked by superstitions, executions and intrigues. It’s also one of those rare places that looks better in decidedly ‘Scottish’ weather.

Then there’s the neoclassical New Town, your Dr Jekyll, built in lockstep with the Scottish Enlightenment when science, engineering and the arts flourished in the capital. In the ‘Athens of the North’, the streets are grand and the houses grander, hewn from pale sandstone that glows on a sunny day. So, if you’ve a mixed bag of weather during your trip, swap the itinerary accordingly. Here’s how to spend 48 hours in Edinburgh, giving half to the light and half to the dark…

FRIDAY: EVENING

Make a beeline for the Market Street Hotel, primely placed on the edge of the Old Town. If you’re arriving by train, it’s right across the street from Edinburgh Waverley Station (take the Market Street exit). From the airport, hop on an Airlink tram to Princes Street, a 10-minute walk from the hotel. The rooms here mingle Scandi aesthetics with materials you might find in a Scottish baronial home – white oak, stone, glazed bricks, heritage wool and tartan. Breakfast is served at the seventh-floor Nor’ Loft, where you’ll have a fine city view, or hang the ‘breakfast bag’ outside your door to be filled with freshly-baked goodness.

For dinner, try Japanese-inspired Noto on Thistle Street, which has been making waves in Edinburgh’s restaurant scene. It’s a sharing plates set-up, with dishes like trout temaki with yuzu kosho and daikon, fried buttermilk chicken with white kimchi and coffee, and Barra skate served with asparagus and Exmoor caviar.

SATURDAY: MORNING

Prepare to sprint the Royal Mile, running from Castle Rock, a volcanic plug crowned by the UK’s most fought-over castle, through the heart of Auld Reekie to Holyrood Palace at the bottom. These iconic bookends are well worth seeing, but you’ll get a better feel for the Old Town by diving into the Mile itself, along with the many arterial closes (lanes) that run off either side.

Below the castle, the first major landmark is 14th-century St Giles Cathedral, the High Kirk of Edinburgh. Cross over the Mile and dip into Advocate’s Close on the other side, where you’ll see the tower of the Scott Monument (the Walter one) silhouetted against the skyline. Back on the street, turn from heaven to earth to spy the Heart of Midlothian, a mosaic set into the cobblestones that marks Edinburgh’s old Tolbooth prison. It’s here that legendary criminal Deacon Brodie – Stephenson’s inspiration for Jekyll and Hyde – suffered the irony of dying on a gallows he’d designed himself. Meet your maker, and all that…

Continuing downhill, you’ll pass by the unicorn-topped Mercat Cross, where traders once peddled their wares and, this being the Old Town, grisly punishments were meted out to law breakers. You’ve embraced the darkness, now step into the light through Dunbar Close, leading to a peaceful hidden garden in the Canongate. On the way there, take a detour down serpentine Cockburn Street to grab coffee from the Milkman.

At the foot of the Mile you’ll be at Holyrood Palace. If you don’t fancy going in, take a right and walk to Queen’s Drive, where you can pick up the path to Arthur’s Seat, the second of Edinburgh’s three extinct volcanoes. The hike takes about 45 minutes each way, passing St Margaret’s Loch and the six-century-old ruins of St Anthony’s Chapel. On a clear-ish day, you’ll see the whole city from the top.

Back at Holyrood, you’re within strolling distance of two prime lunch spots. The first is the Gardener’s Cottage, a rustic and untouristy option amid the greenery of London Road Gardens. Alternatively, ascend to the minimalist, glass-walled Lookout, atop the Royal Observatory on Calton Hill, where you’ll get that iconic view of Edinburgh that appears on postcards.

SATURDAY: AFTERNOON

After lunch, head west along Princes Street to the National Gallery. Here you’ll find works by Scottish pioneers like Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Phoebe Anna Traquair and the Glasgow Boys. You may also be interested in the output of a few non-Scottish upstarts by the names of Rembrandt, Titian, Vermeer, etc…

With the art exhausted, walk up the Mound onto George IV Bridge. Take a detour down the steeply curving (and much Instagrammed) Victoria Street, stopping in at IJ Mellis Cheesemongers, the Whisky Shop (which does a fine tasting), hog roast heroes Oink and tweed outfitters Walker Slater. Down in the Grassmarket, you’ll find legendary vintage shop W Armstrong & Son.

Back on the main road, you’ll see the gates to Greyfriars Kirkyard. Give Bobby (the dog’s) bronze nose a rub for good luck before heading in. You’ll need it: the churchyard’s beauty belies its dark history, most evident in the supposedly haunted tomb of Bloody Mackenzie, 17th-century persecutor of the Covenanters.

If you’ve still got the legs, cross the turf-topped Meadows to upmarket Bruntsfield, stopping in at Bennets Bar for a fortifying pint before making the return journey. See if you can snag the snug, reached through a door on the left as you go in.

SATURDAY: EVENING 

Wet your whistle at The Devil’s Advocate, an Old Town drinking hole with 300 whiskies in its collection. Drams downed, descend to the bottom of Advocate’s Close and up to St Andrews Square, where you can hop on a tram to Leith.

Once a bustling port connected to the world, Leith used to be separate from the city but was incorporated into Edinburgh in 1920. For the most part its maritime days are in the past, but its pretty dockside buildings have found new callings as artisan bakeries, wine bars and new-wave Scottish restaurants. Ship-shape pub and cocktail bar Nauticus does excellent apéritifs, served at a bar topped with gold-tipped fish scales.

Heron, right by the shore, is emblematic of Leith today – youthful, contemporary and a far cry from the tartan-toting tourist traps. It was opened by chefs Tomás Gormley and Sam Yorke in 2021, with a Michelin star following not long afterwards. The menu changes as frequently as Edinburgh’s weather but you can expect national specialities like sourdough with brown-crab butter, Arbroath smokies and Sika venison.

SUNDAY: MORNING 

It’s a new day, and time to hit the New Town. Designed to a masterplan by architect James Craig in 1767 (and expanded later), the New Town is the largest example of Georgian town planning in the world, so you’ll want to take it slow. Starting on George Street, make your way north to riverside neighbourhood Stockbridge, entering via Circus Lane, Edinburgh’s most coveted mews. Once you’re in Stocky, hit Scandi café Söderberg for coffee and one of their cult cardamom buns.

It’s a tad proper to be truly bohemian, but Stockbridge has always had an artsy, bookish lean, which shows itself in the abundance of independent bookshops, galleries and the odd antique dealer – Duncan & Reid is well worth a browse. The neighbourhood is a confirmed bon vivant, too, prized for its delis (try Herbie of Edinburgh), bottle shops (Vino) coffee spots (Artisan Roast) and cake shops (Patisserie Florentin). On Sundays, there’s a market from 10am to 4pm in Jubilee Gardens, where you can pick up artisan breads, cheeses, handmade soaps, knick-knacks and jewellery.

You’ll get a hearty brunch at Pantry, on North West Circus Place. It’s a dressed-down affair, with utilitarian furniture and white-tiled walls. Try the preserved lemon tagine with crispy fried halloumi or the vegan ‘nduja and pumpkin toastie.

SUNDAY: AFTERNOON

From Stockbridge, take the forested Water of Leith Walkway to Dean Village, in a steep-sided valley (or ‘dene’) on the river. This was once a grain-milling quarter, and its bucolic rubble-stone houses will make you question whether you’re in a city at all. After passing through the dene, the path snakes all the way to Modern One and Modern Two, Edinburgh’s National Galleries of Modern Art. Between them, you’ll find work by Matisse and Picasso, Scottish Colourists like John Duncan Fergusson and Samuel John Peploe, post-war superstars Francis Bacon and David Hockney, and a world-class collection of Surrealist and Dadaist works.

You can walk, but if you’re short on time, hop in a cab to the Royal Botanic Garden in Inverleith. The gardens date all the way back to 1670, though they’ve moved a few times over the centuries. The current site is spread over 72 acres and contains 10 majestic Victorian glasshouses filled with botanical marvels from all over the world.

SUNDAY: EVENING

Back in town, head up Calton Hill for your final Edinburgh sunset. On the way back to the centre of the New Town, take a stroll down regal Queen Street, opposite a glorious gated garden that is, alas, only open to residents. Rubber-necking is free to all, however. Cut up to Thistle Street, lined with pint-sized pubs and boutiques, to pop in to Francophile drinking hole the Bon Vivant for a glass of French red.

Fhior, on Broughton Street, is a worthy contender for a last supper. Drawing from Scandinavian culture (which has its counterparts in Scotland, too), its seven and 10-course tasting menus showcase seasonal Scottish and foraged produce, with plenty of fermenting, pickling and preserving going on in the kitchen.

For a final tipple in art deco surroundings, post up in the wood-panelled bar of the Register Club, the one-time headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland. For a more speakeasy-style ambience, find the ‘secret’ door to would-be barber shop Panda & Sons, where the mixologists sling some of the best cocktails in the capital.

NEED TO KNOW

Flights London to Edinburgh takes an hour and 20 minutes.

Transport You won’t need a car: the city centre is best seen on foot and there’s an award-winning bus network and plenty of cabs to get you around. Trams run from the airport right through the centre of town before terminating at the docks in Leith.

When to go High summer is peak season, when there’s daylight until almost 10pm and you’re more likely to catch some sun. Late spring and early autumn are perfect for thinner crowds.

Good to know The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the world’s largest performing arts festival, runs throughout August. The city comes alive and the atmosphere is electric, but be aware it’s by far the busiest month to visit, particularly in the Old Town, where there’s a multitude of festival venues. Many pubs and bars stay open later during the Fringe, and you can find all sorts of pop-up food stalls, cocktail shacks and temporary beer gardens in the city centre.

Ready for a dram or two? Browse our collection of Edinburgh hotels