Edinburgh – charming & authentic
This past year, I have had the pleasure of visiting Edinburgh 5 times. Every time I was charmed and delighted. My visits were only day trips but I do feel that I was able to get a really good feel for the city. In fact, I would love to return one day, hopefully for more than a day.
Charming but not polished
I found Edinburgh to be full of interesting historical monuments, charming side streets, crooked alleys called ‘closes’ and wonderful old buildings. Parts of Edinburgh look like a postcard and at the same time, there are some areas that are unapologetically grimy. It’s a friendly city but the people are not overly ‘nice’ or curated. I love a well-curated museum or art gallery but I do not love a curated city. Edinburgh is charming but not polished.
There are obviously areas that are quite ‘touristy’ but overall the city, even the historic old areas near the famous Edinburgh Castle, felt lived in by locals. Every coffee shop I visited seemed to have both locals and tourists sharing tables. Even Victoria Street appeared to be a mix of Scottish people and tourists.
And the Scottish people themselves are some of my favorite people in the world. This might be an unusual observation or opinion but I like how real and different and oblivious to trends the Scottish people seem to be. I wandered into the Exchange District on one visit – Edinburgh’s financial district – and I was struck by the lack of uniformity.
It’s something I notice as a traveler and a nomad – people in certain cities have a specific look. There are trends that get followed, sometimes specific to a city or sometimes the trends are global. But more and more, people and places have a certain ‘aesthetic.’ I did not find a specific aesthetic in Scotland. And as someone who doesn’t have one themself, I really appreciate that! The people are like the city – charming but not polished.
Free museums and galleries
Another thing I love about Scotland is all of the free things. Specifically things that should be accessible to the general public are, in fact, accessible to the general public. I have seen many people comment that Edinburgh is very expensive. And hotels and restaurants are definitely pricey. But almost all of the art galleries and museums are free.
I visited the Writers Museum, Scottish National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, National Museum of Scotland, Greyfriars Cemetery, Calton Hill and Victoria Street. All of them were free!! The Writers museum was particularly interesting to me and the staff there were so helpful. The National Museum of Scotland was massive and I did not have enough time to fully appreciate it. I could easily go back and spend another afternoon exploring. And I absolutely loved seeing so many families in all of the galleries and museums, knowing that ticket prices are often prohibitive for families.
Edinburgh Castle is probably the most famous historical landmark. It definitely dominates the skyline and is an important piece of Edinburgh history. I admired it but I didn’t visit. It isn’t free and tickets must be booked well in advance. I have heard mixed reviews in terms of whether the price is worth it. But if you do want to visit, I would book tickets soon after booking your flight! I can’t say if it is worth it but many people think so. I can say that sipping a cappuccino, wrapped up in a cozy jacket, while admiring it from below is definitely a vibe and a memory I will cherish forever. Sometimes you can appreciate a place without fully experiencing it.
Another thing that I noticed and appreciated about Edinburgh, and Scotland in general, is the public transport system. They have an extensive network with buses, trains, trams and subways connecting all areas of Edinburgh to all parts of Scotland. Getting around Edinburgh, and the country in general, was easy and affordable. I especially loved that public buses are free for everyone under the age of 22 and over the age of 60. And on a side note – period products are free and available in every public washroom that I visited. How awesome is that?!? Scotland might have high taxes but they have great public services.
As I mentioned, I mostly visited Edinburgh on day trips while pet sitting in different parts of Scotland. I did stay overnight in Edinburgh twice on my way to pet sits. If you are a budget traveler, I would definitely recommend staying on the outskirts of the city. The public buses and trams are really easy to figure out and accommodations are so much cheaper on the fringes. In fact, there is a Premiere Inn – it’s a UK budget hotel chain – close to the airport that was so clean, with the friendliest staff I have ever encountered at a chain. (Not sponsored but I genuinely had the best budget hotel experiences at every Premiere Inn I stayed at while in Scotland.)
When I started travelling, I had a list of countries and cities that I wanted to visit. Honestly, it is a list that I keep adding to, as often as I check places off. And it likely does not make sense to other people since, as I mentioned, I don’t have an aesthetic or a specific ‘type.’
I had a romantic image of the Isle of Skye with a ‘maybe one day I’ll visit Skye’ thought, but truthfully Scotland was not on the list. But then I accepted a pet sit in Dunfermline, Scotland – mostly to visit the Isle of Skye. And while that pet sit was not the best experience, I am so grateful I accepted it. It was a dream come true visiting Skye but I also fell in love with Scotland in general, and Edinburgh in particular. It’s the perfect combination of charm, history, whimsy and gloom. Edinburgh is truly one of a kind.
