UK Part 8 (Edinburgh)
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
A long time ago, the city of Edinburgh was known as “Auld Reekie.” This was back in the days of peat fire smog, overpopulation, and a lack of modern plumbing. Add to this a stagnant Nor Loch (which was polluted with everything from waste to dead bodies), and you probably can figure out where the “Reekie” came from.
Thankfully, Edinburgh has come a long way since then.
It was on this very first trip that I totally fell in love with Edinburgh. The city is filled with history (both its Old and New towns are UNESCO World Heritage Sites), amazing architecture, plenty of Scottish culture, and not one but TWO castles!
If you've never been to “Auld Reekie” before, here are my suggestions for what to do in one day in the city. (And don't worry – they figured out those plumbing issues ages ago.)
Accommodation-wise, we stayed at Grassmarket area, located at the Old Town and it is extremely nearby to Edinburgh Castle. We booked our accommodation via AirBnB and the apartment was lovely.
The second place that we went was Calton Hill. Edinburgh is surrounded by seven hills, so you don't need to go too far to find a great view out over the city. At the end of Princes Street is Calton Hill. This hilltop park is covered with monuments and statues, including the Greek-inspired National Monument and Dugald Stewart Monument.
The third pit stop was Edinburgh Castle. The Edinburgh Castle is an important landmark. Although it costs 17 GBP to enter, you can spend a good part of the day here, and it's worth it alone just to see the Crown Jewels exhibit. You can also get sweeping views of the city.
The last stop was Edinburgh's most famous attraction by far is The Royal Mile. Though “attraction” isn't really the right word, since the Royal Mile is so much more than just a singular thing to see.
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