Possibly the best city in the world (Edinburgh in General)

Member Name: louise1971

Product:	Edinburgh in General
Date:	15/03/02 (242 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Views, architecture, a castle

Disadvantages: The weather!!

It may never have had the title 'City of Culture' bestowed upon it, but perhaps that is because, all year, every year, this is one of the most culturally rich cities in the world.
Where else is there a castle at the very heart of a city, and views of the Royal Mile that someone I knew once described as the 'Scottish Disneyland'?

I am reasonably well-travelled, and have been to a few European Cities, but believe me, Edinburgh is a fantastic place to come home to (and I am sure I am not biased!).

Hopefully over the next wee while, I can give you a taste of Edinburgh, and persuade you to visit.
Before going any further though, I would recommend you have a look at the website www.efr.hw.ac.uk - a really useful website. Although it does have a rather large and scary picture of our Lord Provost, Eric Milligan!

I'll start this off by giving you an overview of on of my favourite things to do in Edinburgh - Shop:

Princes Street has taken a lot of flack recently, due to shop spaces standing empty and not keeping up with the times, but it is here that you will find your shopping 'essentials' - a large Marks and Spencer (actually split into two stores - menswear and food are separate to everything else: both in Princes Street though), Gap, Next, Boots (several), etc. Princes Street is also where you will find Jenners, traditionally a store for 'Ladies who Lunch'. It does house a designer clothes department (Ghost, Dolce e Gabanna etc), which can be a bit scary (lots of noughts on the price tags), but I recommend you visit it, especially at Christmas - the decorations are great, and I am sure the real Santa lives here. It really gets you in the Christmas spirit.

For a less hectic shopping experience, head up to George Street - here you will find Karen Millen, Whistles, Space NK, excellent hairdressers (try Cheynes) and Grays, which is an 'Are You Being Served' type of store and
which does a great hot chocolate in it's cafe.

Staying in George Street for now, we'll move on to another favourite of mine - Eating and Drinking:

Over the past few years, pretty much all the old buildings in Edinburgh which housed banks have been turned into pubs. There are a couple of these in George Street - The Standing Order and All Bar One. Both of these are good for a pub lunch, or a starting point for a big night out (good happy hours!!). For something a bit posher, try Est, Est, Est, Browns or Wok Wok.

Staying with food and drink, I recommend jumping on a bus (No 22 from the city centre), or taking a taxi (for about 7 quid), and heading for the Shore at Leith. Here you will find trendier pubs, such as Sirius, which is frequented by workers from the nearby Scottish Office. Eateries here range from Indian's (Britannia Spice, which currently has the best in Scotland accolade) to an excellent place to get a fry up for Sunday brunch, The Rock.

On to the traditional Tourist Attractions:

The City has thousands of buildings that are protected because of architectural or historic importance.

Edinburgh Castle is obviously one of these. The Castle is a breathtaking sight, and houses the Scottish Crown Jewels, and the oldest building in Edinburgh, St Margaret's Chapel, from the 11th Century.

Try to see the Palace of Holyroodhouse - this dates for the 1500's, although underwent a restructure in the 17th century.

Also visit the Botanic Gardens at Inverleith (about 15 minutes from the city centre) - take a picnic and enjoy the views (hopefully you will get some nice weather).

I would also recommend you visit Mary Kings Close. This is underneath the City Chambers in the High Street - it was closed off at the start of the plague. Legend has it, residents of this Close did not get warning when their houses were going to be nailed shut - if the plague was thought t
o be in their house, that was it. So of course, some ghosts still wander about, telling their tale! You can also see the original shops in this underground street, including a butchers, complete with original hooks.

As far as accommodation goes, you have a wide choice.

Pick a B&B if on a tighter budget (there are some good ones close to Murrayfield, to the West of the City), or blow it all in a big City Centre hotel, such as The Balmoral or The Caledonian (frequented by famous people during the Festival - although the most famous person I saw was Terry Christian!).

There are very frequent bus services through the centre of Edinburgh - black cabs though can sometimes be tricky to find at peak times, and in busy seasons. Try ringing a private cab firm (check the yellow pages) - most are very good.

There is so much more I could tell you about Edinburgh - the Theatres, the world famous festival, the Hogmanay party (and the celebrations which precede it), the museums, the fantastic people (definitely not snobbish or standoffish), the football - but that could all take days (especially if I went into details about Hibs woes over the past few months!).

Get yourself a guide book, book a train to Waverley Station, and enjoy!

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