# Edinburgh

The Old Town and New Town are walkable, the castle and Arthur's Seat can be seen from almost any street, and the tram brings you in from the airport in half an hour.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/scotland/edinburgh · Revisado: 2026-11-13

Edinburgh is two cities separated by a valley of gardens. To the south, the medieval Old Town is squeezed onto a ridge of rock that runs down from the castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse: this is the Royal Mile, with its alleys, the closes, hanging off either side. To the north, the Georgian New Town, all straight streets and squares, with Princes Street facing the castle. Everything you will want to see fits into a rectangle you can cross on foot in twenty minutes. What tires you is not the distances but the slopes and the steps.

## The Old Town, from top to bottom

Start at the top, at the castle, on the rock of an extinct volcano: the Scottish Crown Jewels, St Margaret's Chapel and, every day except Sunday, the One O'Clock Gun. Entry costs £23.50 online; at the ticket office it rises to £26 and, if online tickets sell out, they do not sell any. Further down, beside the Esplanade, the Camera Obscura has projected the city onto a table since 1853 and fills five floors with optical illusions, and the Scotch Whisky Experience offers a whisky tasting with a Spanish audio guide.

Halfway down the street stands St Giles' Cathedral, which since October 2026 has charged £12 to visitors who do not live in Scotland. Beneath the houses opposite lies a piece of the 17th-century city: The Real Mary King's Close, a one-hour guided visit through buried streets, from £25. A few streets further east, under the arches of South Bridge, the underground vaults can be visited with a guide by day or, for those who want a fright, by night.

At the foot of the Royal Mile, the Palace of Holyroodhouse is the King's residence in Scotland: Mary, Queen of Scots' apartments and the ruined abbey, £22 if you book ahead. In winter it opens Thursday to Monday.

## Two hills that cost nothing

Holyrood Park begins behind the palace and, in the middle of it, Arthur's Seat: 251 metres of volcano with views out to sea, an hour's climb by path from the palace, or less from Dunsapie Loch. If it is windy, wrap up. If that is too much, Calton Hill, at the end of Princes Street, is a ten-minute climb up steps and gives the classic view of the castle and the Old Town. It is the place for sunset.

## Museums and walks for rainy days

The National Museum of Scotland, on Chambers Street, is free and open every day from 10:00 to 17:00: the stuffed Dolly the sheep, machines, animals and a rooftop terrace with views of the castle. It works with children of any age. If the sun comes out, head down to the river on the west side of the New Town: Dean Village and Stockbridge are a former mill village and a neighbourhood of shops joined by a path along the Water of Leith. On Sundays there is a market in Stockbridge.

## Leith, the port

Half an hour by tram to the north, Leith is Edinburgh's port. Moored at the Ocean Terminal shopping centre is the Royal Yacht Britannia, the ship on which Elizabeth II travelled for forty years; the visit takes about two hours. Afterwards, The Shore, the edge of the old harbour, has seafood: Fishers in Leith is at number 1, next to the tram stop.

## Harry Potter, without film sets

No Harry Potter film was shot in Edinburgh, but J.K. Rowling lived and wrote here. The Harry Potter walk separates what is documented (the cafés where she wrote, such as The Elephant House, which reopened in December 2025, or the room at the Balmoral hotel where she finished the last book) from what is only said, such as the graves at Greyfriars or Victoria Street. The Potter Trail does it with a guide, for free, with a tip at the end.

## A day in the Highlands

To get out of the city without a car, the Loch Ness, Glencoe and Highlands tour leaves early in the morning and returns at around 20:00. Rabbie's runs it in a minibus of up to 16 people and Timberbush by coach, both from £56. It takes about twelve hours, a good part of it on the road, with stops at Glencoe and Fort Augustus or Fort William.

## Getting around and getting there

From the airport to the centre you have the tram, £7.90 one way and about 30 minutes to St Andrew Square, or the Airlink 100, £6 and running 24 hours; until 7 January 2027 it stops on George Street because of the Christmas markets. In the city, buses and trams are paid for by contactless, one card per person, with a daily cap of £5.70. Trains arrive at Waverley station, in the valley between the two cities.

## How many days and when

With three days you can see the Old Town, Holyrood, Arthur's Seat and Calton Hill. With four, add Leith or the Highlands tour. May, June and September are the most rewarding months. In August the festivals fill the streets with theatre and music, and sleeping costs much more. In December there is a Christmas market and it gets dark at four.

## Where to stay

Next to Waverley station, the Motel One Edinburgh-Royal is the budget option for arriving by tram or train and walking up to the Royal Mile. With children, the Premier Inn on Princes Street has family rooms and free breakfast for two children per adult who asks for it. To spend little, the Castle Rock Hostel, at the foot of the castle, is for over-18s only. For two, the suites at The Witchery, right on the castle Esplanade, or the country house of Prestonfield House, at the foot of Arthur's Seat.

## Plans to organise your days

The first time, three nights to see the essentials. With children, Edinburgh with the family. As a couple, two nights for two. For fans, a day of Harry Potter and buried streets, and for a day out, the Loch Ness and Glencoe day.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Harry Potter filming locations

## Qué hacer
- **Edinburgh Castle, Scotland's crown jewels on volcanic rock** (2 h 30 · From age 6; slopes and cobbles throughout the visit · Adult £23.50 online (£26 at the ticket office) · ages 7 to 15 £11.50 · over-65s £19 · under-7s free): What's inside the walls
The castle sits on Castle Rock, the plug of an extinct volcano that towers over the centre. From here you can see the whole city: the Old Town running down to the east, the New Town to the north and the Firth of Forth in the distance. It is Scotland's most visited monument and is managed by Historic Environment Scotland.

The Honours of Scotland. The crown, the sceptre and the sword of state, the Scottish Crown Jewels, the oldest in the British Isles. They are in the royal palace, inside the grounds. There's usually a queue: go as soon as it opens or in the last hour.
St Margaret's Chapel. Built by David I around 1130 in memory of his mother. It is the oldest building in the castle and one of the oldest in the city. It's tiny: only a few people fit at a time.
The one o'clock gun. Every day at 13:00, except Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas Day, a gunner fires the One o'Clock Gun from the Mills Mount battery. Arrive a quarter of an hour early to get a spot.
The Great Hall and the gun batteries on the ramparts, with an open view towards Princes Street.
The military museums. The National War Museum and those of two Scottish regiments are inside and included in the ticket. Their hours are somewhat shorter than the castle's.

If you're looking for the Stone of Destiny, it's no longer here: since March 2024 it has been on display at Perth Museum, an hour away by train.
Tickets and opening hours

Adults (16 to 64): £23.50 online and £26 at the ticket office.
Ages 7 to 15: £11.50 online. Under-16s must always be with an adult.
Over-65s: £19 online. Students get no discount.
Under-7s: free.
Audio guide: £4, on your phone or on a device you hire inside. Bring headphones.

It opens every day at 9:30. From April to September it closes at 18:00, with last entry at 17:00; from October to March it closes at 17:00 and last entry is at 16:00. It's closed on 25 and 26 December, and on 1 January it opens at 11:00. Buy online and for a set date: in summer it sells out days in advance and, once online tickets run out, none are sold at the gate. Buy only at edinburghcastle.scot; the castle warns of websites imitating its own.
How to get up there
The castle stands at the top of the Royal Mile, at the end of Castlehill. From Waverley station it's about fifteen minutes on foot, uphill all the way. There's no public parking: the nearest is the NCP on Castle Terrace, and there are only a few spaces on the esplanade for people with reduced mobility, by reservation. If you're coming from the airport, the Airlink 100 drops you at Waverley Bridge.
Inside it's all cobbled ramps and steps. It's doable with a pushchair, but tiring; a baby-carrier backpack is more comfortable.
- **The Royal Mile, from the castle to Holyrood along the Old Town's high street** (2 h · 1.6 km · All ages; downhill if you start at the castle · Free · St Giles' £12 for non-residents of Scotland aged 16 and over): The street, section by section
The Royal Mile links the castle with the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It is just over 1.6 km long and slopes downhill all the way, so start at the top. It isn't a single street: it changes name five times, and each section has its own character.

Castlehill. Just below the castle esplanade. Here you'll find the Camera Obscura and the Scotch Whisky Experience. It's the stretch with the most tartan shops and the biggest crowds.
Lawnmarket. The upper part of the High Street. Gladstone's Land is a merchant's house on several floors that gives you an idea of how people lived vertically in the Old Town.
High Street. The heart of it all: Parliament Square, St Giles' Cathedral, the market cross (Mercat Cross) and, set into the ground, the Heart of Midlothian, a heart of cobbles marking where the entrance to the old prison stood. Spitting on it is a local custom; don't stand on top of it. Further down, John Knox House and World's End Close, which marked the edge of the walled city.
Canongate. It was a separate burgh until the 19th century. It's quieter, with the Canongate Kirk and its graveyard, and it ends opposite the Scottish Parliament, a modern building that clashes with everything before it.

The closes, the other walk
On both sides run the closes: narrow, steep alleys between the old tenement blocks, leading down towards Princes Street to the north or towards the Cowgate to the south. Many are named after a resident or a trade. Peer into several: some end in courtyards, others in steps with views. Beneath one of them lies Mary King's Close, a buried street you can visit with a guide. And to the south, under South Bridge, the underground vaults.
St Giles' Cathedral
Edinburgh's principal church, with its crown-shaped spire, stands right on the High Street. Until this autumn you went in for a donation; since 5 October 2026 it charges £12 to visitors aged 16 or over who don't live in Scotland. Under-16s go in free. The ticket includes the staff-led guided tours, the Thistle Chapel with its carved stalls, and a 25-minute audio guide you listen to on your phone via a QR code. You can buy it online or at the cathedral itself.
Opening hours: Monday to Wednesday and Friday from 10:00 to 18:00; Thursday until 17:00; Saturday from 9:00 to 17:00, with a quiet hour, without noise, from 9:00 to 10:00; Sunday from 13:00 to 17:00, after the morning services. Wheelchair access is through the west door, but the Thistle Chapel isn't accessible and there is no accessible toilet for now.
- **Palace of Holyroodhouse, the King's residence in Scotland** (2 h · From age 8; the story of Mary, Queen of Scots grips older children · Adult £22 online (£26 on the day) · ages 18 to 24 £14 · ages 5 to 17 £11 · under-5s free): A palace still in use
Holyroodhouse is the King's official residence in Scotland. It stands at the end of the Royal Mile, at the bottom of the Canongate, with Arthur's Seat rising right behind it. It's opened to the public by the Royal Collection Trust, and as it's a working palace, it closes when the royal family is in residence: the week at the end of June and start of July and other odd days announced at short notice. Check the website before you go.
What you see

The State Apartments. The Baroque part, from the late 17th century, with ornate plaster ceilings, tapestries and portraits. These are the rooms where the King receives guests today on his visits to Scotland.
The Great Gallery of Scottish kings. A long room with dozens of portraits of monarchs, many of them legendary, painted almost as a series under the same commission.
Mary, Queen of Scots' chambers. The oldest tower, from the 16th century. The Queen of Scots lived here, and here in 1566 her secretary David Rizzio was murdered in front of her. You go up a narrow spiral staircase.
Holyrood Abbey. The ruins of the abbey church founded by David I in 1128, next to the palace. Roofless, with its Gothic arches open to the sky, it's what gets the most photos.
The gardens, when open, with the park and the Salisbury Crags cliffs as a backdrop.

Admission includes a multimedia audio guide. Allow about two hours with the abbey and a stroll in the garden.
Tickets and opening hours

Adults: £22 booking in advance and £26 on the day.
Ages 18 to 24: £14.
Ages 5 to 17: £11 in advance (£13 on the day).
Under-5s: free.

The ticket can be converted into a one-year pass with unlimited entry: if you return, book your second visit (there's a £2 booking fee). In November and December 2026 it opens Thursday to Monday, from 9:30 to 16:30, with last entry at 15:15; closed Tuesday and Wednesday. In summer it opens every day and until later. It's closed on 25 and 26 December.
To get there, walk down the Royal Mile or take a Lothian bus to the bottom of the Canongate; pay by contactless, as we explain in buses and trams. Next door is the King's Gallery, with temporary exhibitions from the royal collection, with separate admission.
- **Climbing Arthur's Seat, the volcano inside the city** (2 h · From 7 or 8 years old walking; the last stretch is rock and slippery in the rain · Free): A 251-metre hill in the middle of Edinburgh
Arthur's Seat is the highest point of Holyrood Park, a royal park of hills, crags and lochs that begins where the Royal Mile ends. It is what remains of a volcano that went extinct some 340 million years ago, later worn down by glaciers. It stands 251 metres high: not much on a map, quite a lot when you start almost at city level. At the top there are remains of an Iron Age hill fort and the view takes in everything: the castle, the Old Town, the port of Leith, the Firth of Forth and the Fife coast.
The park is managed by Historic Environment Scotland. It is always open and free.
Which way up

From the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The most direct climb starts from the Broad Pavement car park, next to the palace, and goes up the valley between the Salisbury Crags cliffs and the summit. It is the busiest. Allow an hour going up at an easy pace and a little less coming down.
From Dunsapie Loch, the gentlest. On the east side, a grassy slope rises from the small Dunsapie Loch. This is the one to take with children: less climbing and less rock.
Past St Anthony's Chapel. A path climbs from St Margaret's Loch to the ruins of this medieval chapel and continues towards the summit. It's worth it even if you don't make it to the top.

In all three cases, the last stretch is rock polished smooth by footsteps. In the rain it is very slippery. Wear shoes with grippy soles; HES specifically asks for this.
The park's ring road, the High Road, is closed to cars but open to walkers: it goes around the hill without climbing to the summit. The northern stretch of the Radical Road, the path at the foot of Salisbury Crags, remains closed due to the risk of rockfalls. Respect the fences.
Getting there and parking
On foot from the Royal Mile, you walk down the Canongate to Holyrood in a quarter of an hour. If you go by car: there is parking at Broad Pavement (£1 an hour Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 17:30), Meadowbank and Duddingston. The Dunsapie Loch car park only opens to cars Tuesday to Thursday, from 9:30 to 15:00. On Saturdays and Sundays the park roads are closed to cars during the day. Overnight parking is not allowed.
- **National Museum of Scotland, from Dolly the sheep to the rooftop terrace** (2 h 30 · All ages; Imagine gallery for the youngest · Free · some temporary exhibitions are paid): Where to start
The National Museum of Scotland is on Chambers Street, five minutes' walk from the Royal Mile via George IV Bridge. It's free and huge: it joins a Victorian building with an iron-and-glass atrium, the Grand Gallery, to a modern wing in golden stone devoted to the history of Scotland. Go in through the Grand Gallery, pick up a map and choose two or three areas; seeing everything in a day isn't realistic.

Dolly the sheep. The first mammal cloned from an adult cell, in 1996, at an institute near Edinburgh. She's stuffed in a display case in the Explore gallery, on level 1, and she's the museum's selfie spot.
The Millennium Clock. A tower of gears, figures and music next to the Grand Gallery. It springs into action on the hour, from 11:00: if you're nearby, stop and watch.
The Scotland galleries. From prehistory to the 20th century, in order, floor by floor: Pictish stones, Viking pieces, mementoes of Mary, Queen of Scots, the industrial revolution.
Animals and science. Hanging skeletons, stuffed animals and science rooms with buttons and screens to touch.

With young children and with teenagers
For the youngest there's Imagine, on level 1: a colourful room with dressing-up, sound games, a story corner and an area for crawling babies. In autumn and winter there are song and play sessions for under-5s (Magic Carpet), from 7 September 2026 to 15 March 2027; check the times on the website. There's pushchair storage on level 1 of the Scotland galleries and baby-changing facilities on almost every floor.
Teenagers usually get hooked on the science and technology rooms, the animal gallery and the rooftop terrace. Let them pick an area to explore on their own with a meeting time in the Grand Gallery.
The rooftop terrace
On level 7 there's a terrace with views of the castle, the Old Town and Arthur's Seat. It's free and opens from 10:00 to 16:45. Go up the stairs from the Industry and Empire gallery, on level 5, or take the terrace lift. It's one of the easiest viewpoints in the city: no slopes, no queues and with a lift.
- **Calton Hill, the monument-topped viewpoint over the New Town** (1 h · All ages; the Waterloo Place steps are short · Free · the Nelson Monument is paid separately): What you see from the top
Calton Hill is a 103-metre hill at the end of Princes Street, on the edge of the New Town. It takes ten minutes to climb and from the top you get the view that appears in every photo of Edinburgh: the Old Town stepping up to the castle, the spire of the Scott Monument, Arthur's Seat on the other side of the valley, and to the north Leith and the Firth of Forth. It's a public park, free and always open, within the city's World Heritage Site.
For the classic photo, stand by the Dugald Stewart monument, the round temple on the south slope: you have it in the foreground with the castle behind.
The monuments on the hill

The National Monument. Twelve roofless columns. It was meant to be a copy of the Parthenon honouring the Scots who died in the Napoleonic Wars; construction began in 1826 and stopped halfway in 1829, when the money ran out. That's why it was called "Edinburgh's disgrace". You can climb onto the base and sit among the columns.
The Nelson Monument. A tower shaped like an upturned telescope, built between 1807 and 1815 for the victory at Trafalgar. At the top it has an 1853 time ball that drops every day at one o'clock, at the same time as the gun at the castle. It opens daily from 10:00 to 15:30 and there's a charge to climb the tower; check the price on the Culture Edinburgh website.
The City Observatory. The old observatory is now Collective, a contemporary art centre with free entry, open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00. It has a coffee kiosk and, next door, a restaurant with a terrace.
The Old Calton Burial Ground, at the foot of the hill on Waterloo Place, with the Political Martyrs' Monument.

How to get up
The shortest climb is the Waterloo Place steps, five minutes from Waverley station and the St Andrew Square tram stop. You can also go up via Royal Terrace, from the north. There's no car access except for people with disabilities; taxis can drop you at the top via the service road. Pushchairs manage fine on the tarmac path.
- **Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, optical illusions next to the castle** (1 h 45 · From age 4 or 5; under-13s enter with someone aged 16 or over · Adult £24.95 · ages 5 to 15 £17.95 · students and over-65s £21.95 · under-5s free): What's on the six floors
The Camera Obscura occupies a tall building on Castlehill, two minutes from the castle, with a black-and-white tower visible from halfway down the Royal Mile. It bills itself as Edinburgh's oldest tourist attraction: the camera obscura on the top floor has been working for 173 years. Below, on six levels, there are more than a hundred hands-on optical illusions: mirror rooms, a giant kaleidoscope, light games and an Ames room, where a person seems to shrink as they cross it.
It's not a look-don't-touch museum: here everything is touched, tried and photographed. That's why it works so well with children, and why teenagers leave with their phones full.
The camera obscura and the rooftop
Right at the top is the camera: a darkened room with a white table onto which mirrors and a lens project the surrounding city live. In daylight, a guide turns the periscope and shows you the streets, cars and people moving across the table. At night or in bad weather, the show is a projection. If you want the live version, go in daytime with clear skies.
Next to it is the rooftop terrace, with views of the Old Town, the castle and, to the north, the New Town and the Forth.
Tickets, opening hours and getting around inside

Adults (16 and over): £24.95.
Ages 5 to 15: £17.95.
Students and over-65s: £21.95.
Under-5s: free.

These are the 2026 prices; for 2027 they go up by a pound. You book by time slot and capacity is limited: buy on their website, which is where entry is guaranteed. The ticket office sells if there's space. During school holidays there are slots before 9:00 with £4 off online.
It's open all day and into the evening: until 18 December, Monday to Thursday from 9:30 to 19:30, Fridays until 21:00, Saturdays from 9:00 to 21:30 and Sundays until 20:00. At Christmas it extends its hours and on the 25th it's closed.
The building dates from the 17th century and has no lift: there are 98 steps in total. Pushchairs stay at the entrance and they lend you a baby carrier for free (for babies from 3.5 to 14.5 kg). Under-5s don't pay, but they need a booked ticket. The ticket is valid all day. Under-13s must be accompanied by someone aged 16 or over.
- **Dean Village and Stockbridge, a walk along the Water of Leith** (1 h · All ages; with a pushchair, best along the Well Court bank · Free): A mill village in the middle of the city
Fifteen minutes' walk from the West End of Princes Street, the ground drops suddenly into a valley and another Edinburgh appears: stone houses right by the water, an old bridge, courtyards and the sound of the river. This is Dean Village, a mill village that for centuries was the city's industrial quarter. At one point it had eight grain mills, a brewery and a distillery, all driven by the water of the Water of Leith. The mills belonged to the bakers' guild and Edinburgh's flour came from here, until the steam mills of Leith arrived in the 19th century.
Today it's a quiet residential neighbourhood. The building that appears in every photo is Well Court, in red brick with a clock tower: it was commissioned in 1884 by J. R. Finlay, owner of The Scotsman newspaper, as housing for workers. Opposite, across the footbridge, are the Hawthorn Cottages, from 1895. Remember that people live here: keep your voice down and don't go into the courtyards.
Walk down from the city via Bell's Brae, the slope that leaves Queensferry Street just before the Dean Bridge. That tall stone bridge you see over the valley is the work of Thomas Telford, from 1830.
From Dean Village to Stockbridge along the river
From the village's old bridge, follow the Water of Leith Walkway downstream, heading east. It's a dirt and tarmac path among trees, below street level: you pass under Telford's bridge and in a quarter of an hour reach St Bernard's Well, a classical temple with a statue of Hygieia, from 1788, built over a spring. The inside only opens on Sundays in August and on the September open days; from outside it can always be seen.
A few more minutes and you come out in Stockbridge, a neighbourhood of small shops, cafés and Georgian houses. From the village to Stockbridge it's just over a kilometre: allow an hour with stops and photos. If you still feel like it, the path continues downstream to Leith, about three and a half miles more.
The Sunday market
On Sundays from 10:00 to 16:00, all year round, the Stockbridge Market is held on Saunders Street, next to the bridge over the river. There are hot food stalls to eat standing up, bread, cheese, meat, fish, fruit, sweets and crafts. It has been running since 2011 and is outdoors, so don't count on finding cover. If you do the walk on a Sunday, leave it for the end and have lunch there.
- **The Real Mary King's Close, the buried streets beneath the Royal Mile** (1 h · From age 5; below that age entry isn't allowed. There are 58 steps going down and 38 going up · Adult from £25 · child from £18.25 (Essential ticket) · Standard, with free changes, adult £28.50 and child £21): Beneath the City Chambers, Edinburgh's council headquarters, built in the 18th century as the Royal Exchange, several 17th-century alleys survive that the city covered over when it built on top. They were closes, the narrow, steep streets running down from the Royal Mile, lined with houses where whole families lived and worked. Today they can only be visited with a guide, on an hour-long tour that goes down stairs to Mary King's close and into some of its houses.
An hour beneath the City Chambers
The standard tour is called the Signature Guided Tour. It's led by a guide dressed as one of the former residents, who tells how life was in the close, house by house, with the stories of the people who lived there. You walk on uneven ground, in dim light and on slopes; inside you can't take photos or film, not even with your phone. At the end they take a souvenir photo you can buy.
The tour is in English. To follow it in Spanish, download the free The Real Mary King's Close app beforehand, which has a multimedia guide in Spanish, and bring headphones: they're compulsory.
Tickets and which to choose
There are two tickets for the same guided tour. The Essential costs from £25 per adult and £18.25 per child, and changing it carries a £15 fee. The Standard costs from £28.50 and £21 and can be changed for free up to four hours before. Neither is refundable. If you're travelling with a fixed schedule, the Essential is enough; if you depend on the weather or other plans, the Standard is worth it.
There are also themed tours: the 17th Century Medicine Experience (£35, Friday to Sunday) adds half an hour with a 17th-century doctor, and in December 2026 there's a Victorian Christmas tour at weekends. Payment is by card only, no American Express.
Getting there and things to bear in mind
The entrance is at 2 Warriston's Close, right on the High Street, next to the City Chambers and a few steps from St Giles' Cathedral. There's no parking; walk from Waverley station, about five minutes uphill. There are lockers in the courtyard for backpacks and suitcases; arrive a few minutes early if you're going to use them.
There are 58 steps going down and 38 going up, with handrails, and you can't go down with a wheelchair or pushchair. If you feel uneasy in enclosed spaces, tell the guide: they carry a radio and someone will take you back up.
- **Vaults under South Bridge, a guided visit to the 18th-century chambers** (1 h 15 · From age 5 on the daytime tours; Auld Reekie Tours' night and ghost tours, from age 12 · Desde 24 € person): Beneath South Bridge, the bridge built in the 18th century to link the High Street with the south of the city, vaulted chambers were left between its arches: the vaults. At first merchants used them as warehouses and workshops. In time they ended up as homes for the poorest, unlicensed taverns and hiding places for thieves. Today you can only enter with a guide, and two companies have access to different parts.
Two companies, two sets of vaults
Mercat Tours goes into the Blair Street vaults, which it presents as the oldest and deepest, and is the only walking-tour company with access to them. Its tours start at the Mercat Cross, on the High Street, take a walk through the old town and then go down into the chambers. They finish at its small vaults museum on Blair Street. They last 1 h 15 min and admit children from age 5.
Auld Reekie Tours goes through the vaults that open onto Niddry Street, also under South Bridge. It leaves from 300 Lawnmarket, in the upper part of the Royal Mile, and ends at its office at 45 Niddry Street. Its daytime tour lasts an hour and costs £24 per person, or £80 for a group of four. Inside they show a room that was used by a modern witchcraft group, with its stone circle.
By day for history, by night for ghosts
Both companies have a history version and a ghost version. The daytime one explains how the vaults were built and who lived in them; Mercat lets you touch objects found there. The night-time one focuses on crimes, executions and legends; Mercat warns that it does not stage scares. Auld Reekie does not admit under-12s on its night tours; Mercat opens its night tours from age 5. All are in English.
Inside it is cool and damp all year round, with uneven floors and steps. Wear shoes with grip and a jacket even if it is nice outside.
- **The Scotch Whisky Experience, a whisky tasting next to the castle** (50 min · Silver Tour for all ages (children try a soft drink); Gold Tour and Taste of Scotland over-18s only · Silver Tour £25 adult · Gold Tour £39.75 adult · Taste of Scotland with meal £95): At the top of the Royal Mile, a few steps from the castle esplanade, The Scotch Whisky Experience explains in under an hour how Scotch whisky is made and what sets its regions apart. It isn't a distillery: nothing is distilled here. It's a visitor centre with a guide, themed rooms and a tasting at the end. It works as an introduction before visiting a real distillery, or as your only tasting if you won't be leaving Edinburgh.
Silver or Gold: how much whisky you want to try
The Silver Tour costs £25 and lasts about 50 minutes. With a guide you follow the process from grain to cask, they explain what a blend is, and you choose a malt or a blended whisky to taste, or a soft drink. It ends in the collection room, which the company presents as one of the largest collections of Scotch whisky in the world. You take the crystal tasting glass home.
The Gold Tour costs £39.75, lasts about 75 minutes and adds a tray of four malts from different regions to compare. It's for over-18s only. If you're going as a couple and you're into whisky, the Gold is worth it; if you just want to find out what it's all about, the Silver is enough.
For a meal with a tasting, Taste of Scotland combines the Gold with a three-course menu at the Amber restaurant in the same building, for £95.
With children and without English
The Silver is the only tour suitable for under-18s. Children have an Irn Bru, the Scottish soft drink, instead of whisky, and follow a treasure-hunt game during the tour. There's a child rate and a family ticket, and also concessions for over-60s and students. The tour is in English, but there's a free audio guide in Spanish; the guided tasting on the Gold is in English only.
Under the Challenge 25 policy, if you look under 25 you'll be asked for photo ID: bring your physical ID card or passport. They only accept pounds, not euros.
Opening hours and getting there
Tours start at 10:00 and the last one leaves at 19:00, every day. The address is 354 Castlehill, just before the castle esplanade. From Waverley station it's about ten minutes uphill. There's a lift to every floor and accessible toilets. They don't store luggage, but you can take it with you.
- **Royal Yacht Britannia, Elizabeth II's ship moored in Leith** (2 h · All ages; with a children's audio guide and five accessible decks · Adult £23 online or £25 at the ticket office · ages 7 to 15 and 16 to 21 or students £11.50 online · up to 6 free · prices from 1 October 2026 to 21 March 2027): Britannia was the British royal family's yacht for more than 44 years. She was launched at the John Brown shipyard in Clydebank, near Glasgow, on 16 April 1953, sailed more than a million nautical miles on official voyages and royal honeymoons, and was decommissioned in Portsmouth in December 1997. Since October 1998 she has been permanently moored in Leith, Edinburgh's port, and you can visit her inside, from the State Apartments to the crew's working areas.
Five decks at your own pace
The visit has no guide or set departure time on board: you go in with the audio guide and explore the five decks at your own pace. The audio guide comes in 42 versions: 36 languages, sign language and braille. There's also a children's audio guide in five languages. Allow about two hours; you can stay as long as you like within opening hours.
The ship has two worlds. Aft are the State Apartments and the royal family's quarters, calm and elegant. Forward of the funnel the crew lived and worked, in a much more cramped space. On board is the Royal Deck Tearoom, with views over the water; tables can't be booked and you need a ticket for the ship. Every deck has a lift, you can take a pushchair on board, and the visit works well in the rain too.
Tickets and opening hours
From 1 October 2026 to 21 March 2027, an adult ticket costs £23 bought online before the day and £25 at the ticket office. Ages 7 to 15, and 16 to 21 or with a student card, £11.50 online. Children up to 6 don't pay. The ticket includes the audio guide and an annual pass to return free for twelve months. The ticket office only accepts cards.
From November to March it opens at 10:00, last entry is at 15:00 and it closes at 17:00. From April to October, from 9:30 to 18:00 with last entry at 16:00. Closed on 25 December and 1 January.
Getting to Leith
The ship is next to the Ocean Terminal shopping centre, about 3 km from the centre. The entrance to the visit is on the second floor of the shopping centre.

By tram: get off at the Ocean Terminal stop. A single within the city zone costs £2.40; buy your ticket from the machine on the platform before boarding.
By bus: Lothian Buses routes 10, 16, 34 and 35 run from the centre. From the airport, Skylink 17 goes direct.
By car: the Ocean Terminal car park is free, with a maximum height of 2 metres. Motorhomes don't fit.
- **Harry Potter walk through Edinburgh's old town: what is real and what is legend** (1 h 30 · 2 km · Readers from around age 7; almost all flat · Free on your own · The Potter Trail's public tour is free, with a voluntary tip at the end): The first thing worth knowing: no Harry Potter film was shot in Edinburgh. The saga was filmed mostly at Leavesden Studios, in England. What Edinburgh has is something else: J.K. Rowling lived here from the end of 1993, wrote a good part of the books in old town cafés and finished the last one here. Some places have a proven connection; others are only said to have inspired her. This walk separates one from the other. It is about 2 km, almost flat, and takes an hour and a half.
What is documented

The cafés where she wrote. Rowling often wrote in cafés; one of them was Nicolson's, which her brother-in-law part-owned. The Elephant House, at 21 George IV Bridge, says the writer worked in its back room, with views of the castle and Greyfriars, and that she introduced herself to the staff in 1997, after the first book's success. The café burned in July 2021 after a fire in the neighbouring premises and was closed for more than four years; it reopened in December 2025 and is open every day from 9:00 to 18:00, no booking needed.
The Balmoral, room 552. In this hotel next to Waverley station, Rowling finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on 11 January 2007, and wrote so on a marble bust in the room. Today it is the J.K. Rowling Suite, one of the hotel's suites.
Rowling's hands at the City Chambers. In 2008 she received the Edinburgh Award, and the council reproduces the hands of each recipient on a slab in the City Chambers courtyard, right on the Royal Mile.

What is said, and why

The graves at Greyfriars. In Greyfriars cemetery lies a Thomas Riddell, and it is believed his name may have inspired Tom Riddle, the future Voldemort; there is no confirmation from the author. There is also the grave of the poet William McGonagall: the surname matches the professor's, and that is all. The cemetery is a good place anyway: enter by the gate next to the statue of Greyfriars Bobby.
Victoria Street. This curving street of colourful façades, which drops down to the Grassmarket, is presented as the model for Diagon Alley. It is an idea that circulates among fans and shops; the author has not confirmed it. At number 30, a second Elephant House café opened in 2023.

With a guide: The Potter Trail
The Potter Trail has run the walk since 2012 with guides dressed as wizards. The public tour is free, with a voluntary tip at the end, but you must book: it leaves from 4 Greyfriars Place, opposite Bobby's Sandwich Shop, at 11:00 almost every day, and ends on Victoria Street after 75 to 90 minutes. It is in English and recommended from around age 7. Bring something that can serve as a wand: a pencil or an umbrella will do.
- **Day trip to Loch Ness, Glencoe and the Highlands from Edinburgh** (12 h 15 · From age 5 with Rabbie's and from 4 with Timberbush; it's a long day, mostly on the road · Desde 56 € adult): Loch Ness lies in the Great Glen, the huge fault that cuts across the Highlands, far from Edinburgh. Going there and back in a day adds up to about 360 miles, almost 580 km, so the practical option is an organised tour: you don't drive on the left and along the way you see Rannoch Moor and Glencoe, one of Scotland's best-known landscapes. In exchange, you spend most of the day sitting down. It's a way to see a lot in little time, not to set foot in the Highlands.
The route: from the Forth to the Great Glen
Both companies follow a similar route. They head north-west, pass by Stirling Castle and enter the Highlands through the Trossachs, with a coffee stop. They cross Rannoch Moor, a vast unpopulated expanse, and stop at Glencoe for photos. Then they continue beneath Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain, and enter the Great Glen as far as Loch Ness.
The return takes another way: the Cairngorms National Park and the forests of Perthshire, with a final stop, arriving back in Edinburgh after dark in winter.
Rabbie's or Timberbush: small group or coach
Rabbie's travels in a minibus with a maximum of 16 seats. It picks up at 7:45 at gates J and K of Edinburgh Bus Station, on St Andrew Square, and returns around 20:00. At the loch it stops in Fort Augustus, a village built around a set of locks, with time for lunch and for a 50-minute round cruise paid separately. It costs from £56 per adult, with a 15% discount already applied on departures from November to February. Children are accepted from age 5.
Timberbush Tours travels by coach, with groups of 15 to 53 people. It leaves at 8:00 from Castle Terrace, opposite the NCP car park, at the foot of the castle, and returns around 20:30: 12 and a half hours and about 360 miles. Lunch is in the Fort William area and at the loch it stops next to Urquhart Castle, with two optional packages: boat, or boat and castle entry. The last stop is Pitlochry. It also costs from £56 and accepts children from age 4.
Timberbush runs it in English and sends a link to a digital Spanish translation with the booking; Rabbie's doesn't advertise guides in other languages. Lunch isn't included on either.

## Dónde comer
- **The Witchery by the Castle** (Restaurant, Edinburgh · Castlehill, Royal Mile, €€€€). Qué pedir: the Scottish beef tartare or the Glenfeshie venison; at midday, the two or three-course lunch menu
- **Mary's Milk Bar** (Café, Edinburgh · Grassmarket, €). Qué pedir: a scoop of the flavour of the day; if it's cold, the hot chocolate float, hot chocolate with ice cream on top
- **Fishers in Leith** (Restaurant, Leith, Edinburgh · The Shore, €€€). Qué pedir: Shetland mussels in white wine, the house fish soup or, to share, the smoked platter
- **The Abbotsford** (Bar, Edinburgh · Rose Street, New Town, €€). Qué pedir: haggis with neeps and tatties, the steak and stout pie or haddock and chips; a pint of the guest ale
- **The Elephant House** (Café, Edinburgh · George IV Bridge, Old Town, €). Qué pedir: a tea or a coffee in the back room, the one with the window onto the castle; at the second premises on Victoria Street, their Butterscotch Beer with cream
- **Oink Victoria Street** (Takeaway, Edinburgh · Victoria Street, €). Qué pedir: the 160 g Oink with haggis stuffing and apple sauce; for children, the 80 g Piglet

## By plane: Direct flight to Edinburgh and the tram to the centre
Edinburgh has direct flights from many Spanish airports. All year round they leave from Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Alicante, Seville and Santander, and from Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, with Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2 and Vueling depending on the route. In season Valencia, Palma, Ibiza, Menorca, Reus, Girona and Bilbao are added, as well as Iberia Express from Madrid and British Airways from San Sebastián. From Madrid the flight takes about three hours. The airport is about 20 minutes by car from the centre, but you don't need one: the tram and the Airlink bus drop you near Princes Street in half an hour.
### Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Motel One Edinburgh-Royal** (Hotel): By Waverley, with the Old Town above
The Motel One Edinburgh-Royal is on Market Street, the street running behind Waverley station. Get off the train, cross over and you're at the door; from here, the Royal Mile is a couple of streets uphill and Princes Street is on the other side of the station. It's the option for anyone arriving by train or on the airport tram who wants to do everything on foot, without paying what the hotels on the main streets cost.
Small rooms, cleverly done
The chain is known for its compact, well-kept rooms, and this one is no exception. The standard, The One, is 16 m² with a 160 or 180 cm bed; the Cosy One, at 14 m², has a 120 cm bed and suits one person. For families with one child there's the Family One, 20 m², with a double bed and a sofa bed. There's an accessible room. All have a rain shower and free wifi. The décor plays on Scotland: tartan headboards, photographs of Highland flora and fauna and living ferns on the reception wall.
Bar, breakfast and what it doesn't have
Downstairs is the One Lounge, with a whisky bar under a chandelier made from fifty decanters, and in the morning the buffet breakfast, with organic products and fair-trade coffee. The hotel has no parking: the nearest it suggests is at Greenside Row, a quarter of an hour's walk away, so it's not a place to arrive by car. Pets are allowed, but they ask you to check first.
- **Premier Inn Edinburgh City Centre (Princes Street)** (Hotel): A room for four on the main street
This Premier Inn is on Princes Street, the New Town's great shopping street, with Princes Street Gardens opposite and the castle peering over them. The castle esplanade is about fifteen minutes' walk away; Rose Street and George Street are one street behind. It's a chain hotel with no surprises, and that's exactly what many families are after: clear prices, identical rooms and a location where you don't need transport for almost anything.
What makes it practical with children
The family rooms have a large double bed and, depending on how many of you there are, a sofa bed or a trundle bed. Cots are free of charge. Breakfast is a buffet with hot dishes (bacon, sausages, eggs), vegetarian and vegan options and pastries, and for every adult who orders it up to two children eat free. There's an in-house restaurant for dinner, which comes in handy when the little ones can't manage another outing. It also has accessible rooms and free wifi.
Arriving and getting around without a car
The airport tram stops on Princes Street, a few minutes from the hotel. You don't need a car, and it isn't a good idea: the hotel has no parking and lies within Edinburgh's low emission zone, which fines non-compliant vehicles. If you're arriving by car, the car park they suggest is the NCP on Castle Terrace, ten minutes' walk away, with a 50% discount when you validate your ticket at reception.
- **Castle Rock Hostel** (Hostel): Sleeping at the foot of the rock
Castle Rock is on Johnston Terrace, the street that wraps round the south side of the castle rock, between the esplanade and the Grassmarket. Step out of the door and in five minutes you're on the Royal Mile, on Victoria Street or in the Grassmarket square with its pubs. It's a large, lively hostel in an old high-ceilinged building, aimed at people travelling solo, as a couple or with friends who want to spend little on a bed so they can spend on everything else.
Dorms, private rooms and rooms to spend the evening in
There are shared dorms of various sizes, women-only dorms and private rooms for anyone who wants their own door. Beds come made up and each guest has a locker with a key in the room; towels are for hire. Downstairs there are several lounges: a large common room for socialising, a music room with guitars and a piano, a quiet room for reading or working, games and film nights. The kitchen is spacious and fully equipped, with fridges and freezers, and in the mornings they serve a simple continental breakfast.
What you need to know
It's an over-18s only hostel: it doesn't work for families with children. Reception is open 24 hours, there's a laundry and luggage storage, and on bookings of three nights or more an automatic discount applies. They organise activities daily and have a courtyard for some fresh air. There's no parking: arrive by train at Waverley or on the airport tram to Princes Street and walk up.
- **The Witchery by the Castle, suites** (Small hotel): Nine suites above a candlelit restaurant
Above the dining rooms of The Witchery, in the 16th-century houses of Castlehill, there are nine suites, each with its own name and décor. All are designed for two adults, with a king-size bed, and all follow the same idea: velvet, tapestries, dark wood, four-poster beds and freestanding baths, sometimes for two. It's the place for an anniversary, a honeymoon or a night you want to remember, a few steps from the castle esplanade.
Choosing a suite
Size and views vary. The Old Rectory is the largest, with seven windows onto the Royal Mile. The Vestry is reached by a stone spiral staircase and has three windows over the street. The Library hides a secret door in a book-lined bathroom. The Heriot looks out over the Old Town towards George Heriot's School, the turreted school that, according to the hotel itself, is believed to have inspired Hogwarts: it's the suite for a couple of Harry Potter fans. The others are The Sempill, The Inner Sanctum, The Guardroom, The Armoury and The Turret.
Breakfast, bookings and what there isn't
Breakfast is for residents only and you can have it in the Original Dining Room or ask for it to be brought up to your suite in a hamper. If you book on their website, there's a bottle of champagne in the room every night. Children are admitted from age 10 sharing a suite with an adult, but there are no extra beds, so it isn't family accommodation. Dogs aren't allowed, the building isn't adapted and there's no parking; the nearest is the NCP on Castle Terrace. If you want to dine downstairs, book a table too: the restaurant recommends doing so well in advance.
- **Prestonfield House** (Hotel): A country house inside the city
Prestonfield House is a 1687 mansion in its own parkland of about eight hectares, with gardens and woodland, at the foot of Arthur's Seat and five minutes by taxi from Waverley station. It's a five-star hotel with the same owners as The Witchery, and it shares their taste for the theatrical: velvet, antiques, deep colours and roaring fires. What sets it apart in Edinburgh is the silence: you sleep in the city as if you were on a country estate.
Rooms, dining room and lounges
There are 23 rooms and suites, each decorated in its own way, with antique pieces and heavy fabrics. The Rhubarb restaurant is open every day from 12:00 to 22:00 (last booking), and the Whisky Room has sofas by the fire for an after-dinner drink. Afternoon tea costs £70 per person. There's a lift to the restaurant and the rooms.
Who it suits
For a luxury break as a couple, for anyone travelling with a dog (every room accepts them, and they can be in the lounges, though not in Rhubarb) and for those arriving by car: parking is free and there are electric chargers. It also welcomes children of all ages, who can dine in Rhubarb until 20:00. If you don't have a car, buses 2, 14 and 33 stop about five minutes' walk away. The hotel suggests walks that start from the estate itself.
### Servicios
- **From Edinburgh Airport to the city centre by tram**: The tram leaves from beside the terminal and reaches the centre in about 30 minutes, stopping at Haymarket, Princes Street and St Andrew Square. Single ticket £7.90.
- **Airlink 100, the airport express bus**: Lothian bus linking the airport with the centre 24 hours a day, every 10 minutes during the day, in about 30 minutes. Single £6, return £8.50.
- **Buses and trams with contactless (TapTapCap)**: On Lothian buses and the tram you pay with your card or phone and the system applies the cap: £5.70 a day and £26.50 a week in the city.
- **Edinburgh Waverley station**: Edinburgh's main station, between the Old Town and Princes Street, with left luggage, lifts to every platform, taxis and the Airlink at the door.

## Car-free: Edinburgh on foot, by tram and by bus with a daily cap
Central Edinburgh is best explored on foot: the Old Town and the New Town are separated by Princes Street Gardens and Waverley station, and from the castle to Holyrood you can walk down the Royal Mile in half an hour without hurrying. What's further out, like Leith or the Royal Yacht Britannia, is on the tram line, and from the airport you arrive by tram or on the Airlink. Pay with your card or phone: the system never charges you more than £5.70 a day in the city. For a trip to the Highlands, organised coach tours leave from the centre.
Presupuesto orientativo: 80–170 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Motel One Edinburgh-Royal** (Hotel): By Waverley, with the Old Town above
The Motel One Edinburgh-Royal is on Market Street, the street running behind Waverley station. Get off the train, cross over and you're at the door; from here, the Royal Mile is a couple of streets uphill and Princes Street is on the other side of the station. It's the option for anyone arriving by train or on the airport tram who wants to do everything on foot, without paying what the hotels on the main streets cost.
Small rooms, cleverly done
The chain is known for its compact, well-kept rooms, and this one is no exception. The standard, The One, is 16 m² with a 160 or 180 cm bed; the Cosy One, at 14 m², has a 120 cm bed and suits one person. For families with one child there's the Family One, 20 m², with a double bed and a sofa bed. There's an accessible room. All have a rain shower and free wifi. The décor plays on Scotland: tartan headboards, photographs of Highland flora and fauna and living ferns on the reception wall.
Bar, breakfast and what it doesn't have
Downstairs is the One Lounge, with a whisky bar under a chandelier made from fifty decanters, and in the morning the buffet breakfast, with organic products and fair-trade coffee. The hotel has no parking: the nearest it suggests is at Greenside Row, a quarter of an hour's walk away, so it's not a place to arrive by car. Pets are allowed, but they ask you to check first.
- **Premier Inn Edinburgh City Centre (Princes Street)** (Hotel): A room for four on the main street
This Premier Inn is on Princes Street, the New Town's great shopping street, with Princes Street Gardens opposite and the castle peering over them. The castle esplanade is about fifteen minutes' walk away; Rose Street and George Street are one street behind. It's a chain hotel with no surprises, and that's exactly what many families are after: clear prices, identical rooms and a location where you don't need transport for almost anything.
What makes it practical with children
The family rooms have a large double bed and, depending on how many of you there are, a sofa bed or a trundle bed. Cots are free of charge. Breakfast is a buffet with hot dishes (bacon, sausages, eggs), vegetarian and vegan options and pastries, and for every adult who orders it up to two children eat free. There's an in-house restaurant for dinner, which comes in handy when the little ones can't manage another outing. It also has accessible rooms and free wifi.
Arriving and getting around without a car
The airport tram stops on Princes Street, a few minutes from the hotel. You don't need a car, and it isn't a good idea: the hotel has no parking and lies within Edinburgh's low emission zone, which fines non-compliant vehicles. If you're arriving by car, the car park they suggest is the NCP on Castle Terrace, ten minutes' walk away, with a 50% discount when you validate your ticket at reception.
- **Castle Rock Hostel** (Hostel): Sleeping at the foot of the rock
Castle Rock is on Johnston Terrace, the street that wraps round the south side of the castle rock, between the esplanade and the Grassmarket. Step out of the door and in five minutes you're on the Royal Mile, on Victoria Street or in the Grassmarket square with its pubs. It's a large, lively hostel in an old high-ceilinged building, aimed at people travelling solo, as a couple or with friends who want to spend little on a bed so they can spend on everything else.
Dorms, private rooms and rooms to spend the evening in
There are shared dorms of various sizes, women-only dorms and private rooms for anyone who wants their own door. Beds come made up and each guest has a locker with a key in the room; towels are for hire. Downstairs there are several lounges: a large common room for socialising, a music room with guitars and a piano, a quiet room for reading or working, games and film nights. The kitchen is spacious and fully equipped, with fridges and freezers, and in the mornings they serve a simple continental breakfast.
What you need to know
It's an over-18s only hostel: it doesn't work for families with children. Reception is open 24 hours, there's a laundry and luggage storage, and on bookings of three nights or more an automatic discount applies. They organise activities daily and have a courtyard for some fresh air. There's no parking: arrive by train at Waverley or on the airport tram to Princes Street and walk up.
- **The Witchery by the Castle, suites** (Small hotel): Nine suites above a candlelit restaurant
Above the dining rooms of The Witchery, in the 16th-century houses of Castlehill, there are nine suites, each with its own name and décor. All are designed for two adults, with a king-size bed, and all follow the same idea: velvet, tapestries, dark wood, four-poster beds and freestanding baths, sometimes for two. It's the place for an anniversary, a honeymoon or a night you want to remember, a few steps from the castle esplanade.
Choosing a suite
Size and views vary. The Old Rectory is the largest, with seven windows onto the Royal Mile. The Vestry is reached by a stone spiral staircase and has three windows over the street. The Library hides a secret door in a book-lined bathroom. The Heriot looks out over the Old Town towards George Heriot's School, the turreted school that, according to the hotel itself, is believed to have inspired Hogwarts: it's the suite for a couple of Harry Potter fans. The others are The Sempill, The Inner Sanctum, The Guardroom, The Armoury and The Turret.
Breakfast, bookings and what there isn't
Breakfast is for residents only and you can have it in the Original Dining Room or ask for it to be brought up to your suite in a hamper. If you book on their website, there's a bottle of champagne in the room every night. Children are admitted from age 10 sharing a suite with an adult, but there are no extra beds, so it isn't family accommodation. Dogs aren't allowed, the building isn't adapted and there's no parking; the nearest is the NCP on Castle Terrace. If you want to dine downstairs, book a table too: the restaurant recommends doing so well in advance.
### Servicios
- **From Edinburgh Airport to the city centre by tram**: The tram leaves from beside the terminal and reaches the centre in about 30 minutes, stopping at Haymarket, Princes Street and St Andrew Square. Single ticket £7.90.
- **Airlink 100, the airport express bus**: Lothian bus linking the airport with the centre 24 hours a day, every 10 minutes during the day, in about 30 minutes. Single £6, return £8.50.
- **Buses and trams with contactless (TapTapCap)**: On Lothian buses and the tram you pay with your card or phone and the system applies the cap: £5.70 a day and £26.50 a week in the city.
- **Edinburgh Waverley station**: Edinburgh's main station, between the Old Town and Princes Street, with left luggage, lifts to every platform, taxis and the Airlink at the door.

## As a family: The castle one day, free museums and hills the next

Edinburgh works well for families with children of different ages because the expensive and the free are only a few streets apart. Alternate: the castle or the Britannia one day, the National Museum and Calton Hill the next. At the castle, under-7s go free and tickets for 7 to 15-year-olds cost £11.50 bought online; the National Museum, Arthur's Seat and Calton Hill cost nothing. The Old Town is all slopes and cobbles: expect tired legs and a pushchair that suffers.

### What works best
Edinburgh Castle: the rock, the cannons and the one o'clock gun, except on Sundays

National Museum of Scotland: free, with Dolly the sheep and a play area for little ones

Camera Obscura: six floors of optical illusions on Castlehill, for almost every age

Royal Yacht Britannia, in Leith: a whole ship to explore, free up to age 6

Arthur's Seat or Calton Hill, depending on how much climbing they can take

### Where to stay
Premier Inn Princes Street: family room, free cot and free breakfast for two children per adult

Motel One Edinburgh-Royal: 20 m² family room with sofa bed, next to Waverley

Prestonfield House, if you want a garden and free parking

### Where to eat
Oink, on Victoria Street, with the small roll for children

The Abbotsford, in the upstairs restaurant, from age 5

Mary's Milk Bar in the Grassmarket for ice cream, Wednesday to Sunday

### Bear in mind
The Real Mary King's Close does not admit under-5s and you can't take a pushchair down

On the bus, children aged 5 to 15 pay half and up to three under-5s travel free with an adult

The Witchery and Castle Rock Hostel don't admit children: the first from age 10, the second adults only

### Qué hacer as a family
- Edinburgh Castle, Scotland's crown jewels on volcanic rock
- The Royal Mile, from the castle to Holyrood along the Old Town's high street
- Palace of Holyroodhouse, the King's residence in Scotland
- Climbing Arthur's Seat, the volcano inside the city
- National Museum of Scotland, from Dolly the sheep to the rooftop terrace
- Calton Hill, the monument-topped viewpoint over the New Town
- Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, optical illusions next to the castle
- Dean Village and Stockbridge, a walk along the Water of Leith
- The Real Mary King's Close, the buried streets beneath the Royal Mile
- The Scotch Whisky Experience, a whisky tasting next to the castle
- Royal Yacht Britannia, Elizabeth II's ship moored in Leith
- Harry Potter walk through Edinburgh's old town: what is real and what is legend

## With teenagers: Buried streets, ghosts and a volcano to climb

For 12 to 17-year-olds, Edinburgh hooks them with its dark side: underground alleys, tales of plague and witches, graveyards with Harry Potter names and an extinct volcano in the middle of the city. The centre is compact and walkable, so you can give them some freedom on the Royal Mile or in the Grassmarket with a time to meet up. What wears them out are palace rooms and long queues with nothing to do.

### What works best
The Real Mary King's Close: an hour beneath the Royal Mile with a guide

Vaults under South Bridge: the night-time and ghost tours, from age 12

Climbing Arthur's Seat: about two hours there and back, with the whole city at your feet

Harry Potter walk through Greyfriars and Victoria Street, if they are readers

Loch Ness and Highlands trip, for a whole day out of the city

### Where to stay
Motel One Edinburgh-Royal, in the centre, so they can get around on foot without depending on you

Premier Inn Princes Street, with a family room for four

### Where to eat
Oink, to eat standing up on Victoria Street

The Abbotsford: 14 to 18-year-olds can be in the bar before 17:00 if eating with an adult

Fishers, in Leith, if they dare to try mussels and oysters

### Bear in mind
From age 16 they pay adult prices at the castle

At Mary King's Close and at the castle, under-16s must always be with an adult

The Scotch Whisky Experience Gold Tour is for over-18s only; with them, take the Silver

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Edinburgh Castle, Scotland's crown jewels on volcanic rock
- The Royal Mile, from the castle to Holyrood along the Old Town's high street
- Palace of Holyroodhouse, the King's residence in Scotland
- Climbing Arthur's Seat, the volcano inside the city
- National Museum of Scotland, from Dolly the sheep to the rooftop terrace
- Calton Hill, the monument-topped viewpoint over the New Town
- Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, optical illusions next to the castle
- The Real Mary King's Close, the buried streets beneath the Royal Mile
- Vaults under South Bridge, a guided visit to the 18th-century chambers
- Harry Potter walk through Edinburgh's old town: what is real and what is legend
- Day trip to Loch Ness, Glencoe and the Highlands from Edinburgh

## With friends: Edinburgh with Friends: Vaults, Whisky and a Free Volcano

Edinburgh is explored on foot and divides neatly into two halves: the Old Town, with its underground tours and pubs, and the hills, which you climb for free and which finish off the day. For a group it is a cheap city once you skip the paid museums, and the Royal Mile packs almost everything that happens at night into 1.6 kilometres.

### What works best
Arthur's Seat: about 2 hours there and back, 251 metres and free. In strong wind, ice or fog, better another day.

Calton Hill: a ten-minute climb from Princes Street with the castle and the Forth in front of you; sunset is the best time.

Vaults beneath South Bridge: guided tour of up to 1 h 15 from £24; the ghost tours leave in the evening and at night.

The Real Mary King's Close: one hour beneath the Royal Mile, from £25, with departures every ten minutes.

The Scotch Whisky Experience: tour and tasting at the foot of the castle; the Silver Tour costs £25 and the Gold £39.75 and is for over-18s only.

Royal Mile: free, from top to bottom, with the closes and the shops; the castle sits at one end.

Loch Ness and Highlands tour: 12 hours from £56 if the group wants a whole day outside the city.

### Where to sleep
Castle Rock Hostel: for over-18s, with dormitories and private rooms, a big kitchen and 24-hour reception, beneath the castle rock.

Motel One Edinburgh-Royal: design hotel at a moderate price, next to Waverley and two streets from the Royal Mile.

### Where to eat
The Abbotsford: pub from 1902 on Rose Street with Scottish cooking until 21:30; order haggis with neeps and tatties and a pint of the guest ale.

Oink: roast pork rolls from 11:00 to 17:00, until the pork runs out.

The Elephant House: café open 9:00 to 18:00 where part of Harry Potter was written, no booking.

### Keep in mind
The underground tours and the tasting are booked for a set time: choose the same one for everyone.

Climb the hills in shoes with a firm sole, especially in winter.

If the group is big, book a table at the pub or arrive early: long tables are scarce.

### Qué hacer with friends
- The Royal Mile, from the castle to Holyrood along the Old Town's high street
- Climbing Arthur's Seat, the volcano inside the city
- Calton Hill, the monument-topped viewpoint over the New Town
- The Real Mary King's Close, the buried streets beneath the Royal Mile
- Vaults under South Bridge, a guided visit to the 18th-century chambers
- The Scotch Whisky Experience, a whisky tasting next to the castle
- Day trip to Loch Ness, Glencoe and the Highlands from Edinburgh

## Consejos

### Shoes with grip
The Old Town is cobbles, slopes and steps; in the rain they are slippery.

### One card per person
On buses and trams each traveller needs their own card or phone for the daily cap to work.

### The castle, first thing
It opens at 9:30. With an early-hours ticket you see the jewels before the queues.

### Calton Hill at sunset
It is free, a ten-minute climb, and from the top you can watch the castle light up.

### Wind on Arthur's Seat
It blows harder up there than in the city. Bring an extra layer even if it is not cold below.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How many days do you need to see Edinburgh?
Three for the castle, the Royal Mile, Holyrood, Arthur's Seat and Calton Hill. Four if you want Leith or a day in the Highlands.

### How do you get from the airport to the centre?
By tram, about 30 minutes and £7.90 one way, or by the Airlink 100 bus, £6, which runs 24 hours.

### What should you book in advance?
The castle, with a time slot; Mary King's Close; The Potter Trail's free tour; and, in August, your hotel, months ahead.

### What can you see for free?
The National Museum of Scotland, Arthur's Seat, Calton Hill, the Royal Mile, Dean Village and the Harry Potter walk on your own.

### Can you visit Loch Ness in a day?
Yes, on an organised tour of about twelve hours that passes through Glencoe and returns at around 20:00.

### Is it a good city for children?
Yes: the castle, the Camera Obscura and the National Museum work well with children, and Arthur's Seat is a short climb for them. Keep the slopes in mind if you have a pushchair.