One day in Edinburgh is not enough. But if you are ready to pack it in, we have great budget-friendly suggestions for how to spend your in Edinburgh.
How to Get To Edinburgh
Okay, public transit is our ride-or-die when it comes to planning family budget travels. So you know we are going to start you off by moving with the people.
But the truth is in Edinburgh it would be more of an effort to get a car than to use public transit. And we have so many tips to travel by public transit if you are a family with kids. Hear me: do not get a car to go to Edinburgh. If you feel you need a car, pick it up on your exit.
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Edinburgh has a super convenient public transit system. Once you exit the airport, you have two choices to get into the city that are steps apart. Bus or Tram,
How to Use the Bus to Get from the Airport to Edinburgh City Center
The Airlink 100 is an express bus that takes you directly to the city center. It lets you off at Waverley train station, which is literally at the center of Edinburgh and just yards from the Royal Mile.
The trip is 25 minutes, and the cost for a single ticket (single means one way; return means round trip) is under $5 for adults and $2 for children. Busses run roughly every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day. So easy.
A note on the “child” rate: In our experience, the age of “childhood” throughout our travels in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland was 15.
Unlike in the US, where there are often 3 levels of pricing, young kids, tweens/teens, and adults, we found just two tiers, which was perfect for us because our son was 15 during this trip.
How to Use the Tram to Get from the Airport to Edinburgh City Center
Steps away from the bus stop is the Tram. The tram runs every 7 minutes between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and then every 15 minutes outside of those hours. The ride takes 30 minutes.
The cost of the tram is around $7 for adults and around $4 for children. Both the tram and the bus have the option to purchase return tickets.
It always saves you money to buy the same-day return when you purchase your ticket, if that is your plan. It’s also possible to buy multi-day tram tickets.
If you are staying in Edinburgh for multiple days, this might be a good option.
While the Tram is a bit more expensive, the benefit is that, unlike the express bus, it has 14 stops. So if your first stop is not Waverly station, then the tram is your preferred method, which was our case.
Our accommodations were off of the West End stop so to save ourselves a few steps with heavy backpacks, we went by tram.
If you are just in Edinburgh for the day with no luggage and sightseeing is your mission, take the bus. Okay, we arrived. Now what to see?
What to Do with One Day in Edinburgh
The Royal Mile
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Just walking up and down the Royal Mile, in the heart of Edinburgh’s old town, is a “thing to do” all in itself. Both the Old Town, the Medieval part of the city, and the New Town, which is full of Neoclassical architecture are UNESCO World Sites. So walking Edinburgh is truly a day itinerary all on its own.
And if you walk fast, it will take you 20 minutes to walk this “Scot’s” mile (hint, it is not a mile, a bit longer actually.)
But given that this is the iconic street that connects Edinburgh’s two most famous sites: Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace, the Queen’s official digs in Scotland, you are going to want to slow down. Halfway between the Castle and the Palace is St. Giles Cathedral, which is another stop on our tour.
While walking the Royal Mile, be sure to check out some of the “closes.” Close is Scottish for alleyway. In Edinburgh, these narrow alleyways were named after famous inhabitants. The most famous close in Edinburgh is the Mary King Close.
Used as an area of quarantine during the plague, thousands of Scots died in this small area, and it is believed to be haunted. You can take the Real Mary King tour to learn all about its dark history.
If it is a rainy day in Edinburgh, which let’s be honest it may well be, you can duck in for a few hours at Camera Obscura and World of Illusions. The museum has over 100 interactive exhibits that will mystify you. The museum also has a stunning rooftop terrace for views of all of Edinburgh.
Hop On and Hop Off Edinburgh Bus Tour
If you have little ones in tow–or even if you don’t — we recommend grabbing a Hop On/Hop Off bus. Listen, I know a lot of people don’t want to be seen as tourists. But if you are spending a day in a city that is not your own to see the sights, you are a tourist.
Embrace It. Tourist is not a dirty word unless you are a bad one.
We have used the Hop On/Hop Off for years traveling with O. Now at 15, he can do all the steps.
But when he was younger, it was a great way to see a city and for everyone to learn about the history of the place. And here is the best part, kids up to 15 are free.
The Edinburgh Hop On/Hop Off scene is crowded. There are 5 (yes 5) different colors of buses around the city. Now the truth is when you first get there, all 4 bus companies seem to act independently, but that is not true.
The Red CitySightseeing Tour, the Green Edinburgh Tour, the Blue Majestic Tour, and the Yellow 3 Bridges Tour are all under the same company. The Cobbles tour is completely separate.
Here is our recommendation. Start with the traditional, Red City sightseeing tour. You can buy tickets on the bus or if this post was helpful and you want to buy us a coffee for writing it, use buy your CitySightseeing Tour.
The cost is about £22. Use the bus to see the Royal Mile and get your bearings in the city.
However, if you do happen to be in Edinburgh for more than 24 hours, just know that before your 24 hours are over, you can get back on the red bus and buy another £22 ticket to ride the other 3 buses for another 24 hours.
Buying tickets this way instead of the 48-hour ticket saves you about £6 per person. Hey, it isn’t a lot, but it is a pint.
Two of the other 3 buses move outside of the city center so they are a great second-day option. If you opt for the longer routes you can go back to the Royal Yacht Britannia and get off at the Scottish Parliament for a tour.
The green bus also has a real person narrating the city tour, which was probably our favorite.
Okay, after you’ve walked or bussed the Royal Mile. Let’s move on to the Castle.
Is Visiting Edinburgh Castle Worth the Cost?
Every blog is going to tell you to go inside the Castle. We have mixed feelings.
Yes, it was a good castle. But to be honest, we preferred visiting every other castle we saw throughout Scotland, Wales and Ireland to this one.
Here is why you might go in and why you might not:
Reasons to Visit and Not Visit Edinburgh Castle
Views: The Castle has amazing views of the entire city including Prince Street Gardens, which you should stroll through at some point during your day. You can sort of get those same views around the Castle, but they aren’t quite the same.
Of course, we were there on a rainy day. And if the same is true for you and this is your primary reason, maybe skip and save money.
Or if you are looking for other great places for Edinburgh views try hiking Arthur’s Seat or head up to the Dogald Stewart monument.
Arthur’s Seat is the 640-acre royal park adjacent to the Holyrood Palace and close to the Royal Mile. The area is an extinct volcano and you can hike to the top for great views. The hike takes about 2 hours roundtrip. It might not be something you have time for on a one-day Edinburgh itinerary. If you are building a 2-day Edinburgh itinerary, include Arthur’s Seat.
Another great place for views besides the castle is the Dugald Stewart Monument. Situated on Carlton Hill, which is just off the east end of Princes Street, the Monument is the perfect place to catch sunsets over the city.
History: There is a good audio guide and some really good information about the defense system and the Scottish military. O was really into it.
But if you don’t purchase the audioguide (we only got one and let O teach us what he had learned). Or if military history is not your cup of tea, you should know that is the majority of the information about the Castle.
Crown Jewels: The Scottish Crown Jewels are housed in the Castle. The jewels date back from the 15th century and were used in the coronation of all Scottish royalty.
However, if you are anticipating seeing another in scope to what is in the Tower of London, you will be really disappointed.
There are 3 pieces: a crown, a scepter, and a sword. Not to poo-poo the history and opulence, but we probably waited 20 minutes for about 30 seconds to see Crown Jewels. I probably would wait again.
The Cost: The cost to enter the castle is around £20 for adults and £12 for children aged 5-15. So for all 3 of us to go in it was roughly $60 US, which felt pretty steep for us.
If this is your only castle opportunity and the views are super important to you, then yes. But otherwise, we are a no.
St. Giles’ Cathedral
St. Giles’ is a perfect stop halfway between Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood House. You will be walking by, so take 20 minutes to stop in. The cost to enter is free, although they do ask for a £5 donation.
The Castle, which started construction in the 14th Century and was completed in the 16th, is in itself impressive. However, most people make their way to the Order of the Thistle Chapel.
The Order of the Thistle is the greatest order of chivalry in Scotland. It honors 16 Knights who have contributed to Scottish society. The Order was exclusively for men, but now women are permitted in the order.
The Scottish National Museum
All of the museums and galleries in Edinburgh are free. Yes, you heard me right. Free.
While I wish I could recommend more, if you only have 24 hours and especially if you are traveling as a family, the Scottish National Museum is a wonderful place to spend a few hours.
The museum has numerous world-class galleries on Science and Technology, Art and Fashion, Scottish History and Archeology, and Natural Science. There are numerous hands-on exhibits to keep your busiest people engaged. Definitely a must.
There are so many other things we wish we could have experienced in Edinburgh:
-Holyrood Palace, the Queen’s Scottish Home. The palace is only open Thursday-Monday, except in July and August when it is open 7 days a week. Alas, we were exploring on a Tuesday in June so weren’t able to go in.
-A Harry Potter Walking Tour: Edinburgh is the birthplace of some pretty famous writers like Robert Lewis Stevenson and Arthur Conan Doyle. While J.K. Rowling was not born in Edinburgh, she wrote most of the Harry Potter books in Edinburgh.
It only takes a minute walking the Royal Mile to feel echoes of the books and the view of Edinburgh Castle from Princes Street has strong Hogwarts vibes.
If you are a Potter fan, you can go one step further and take a guided Harry Potter tour. Tours are very inexpensive and are great ways to walk to the Old Town and explore the mysterious alleyways and winding streets that inspired Rowling.
-Scottish National Gallery: We are big art museum people. In the end, I am glad we selected the National Museum, but if we had just a few more hours and energy to do it, this would have been our next stop.
–The Red Bus Bistro: We don’t even have a photo to show you, but trust me when I say that this double-decker red bus tour provides full afternoon tea, unlimited tea and coffee, and a glass of prosecco to enjoy while touring around the city looked perfect.
It is a bit pricey for us, but if we went back, we would do it. They also offer this tour in Glasgow. And Dublin has a similar tour through the Vintage Tea Tour.
Well, I guess that just gives us all the more reason to go back.
Traveling Around Edinburgh: Is Edinburgh Walkable?
Edinburgh is a very walkable city. In 2017 it was voted as the U.K.’s most walkable city.
The city’s walkability is especially true if you are spending your one day in the old part of town along the Royal Mile. And while there is some rise in elevation, with Edinburgh Castle, at the highest point, most visitors will be fine.
However, if you have smaller kids in tow or want to see more of the city. We recommend the Hop On and Hop Off Bus. You can also easily use the tram system to get to other parts of the city.
Our time in Edinburgh was a part of a larger trip around Scotland without a car. In this larger post, we provide all of the details about how we saw Edinburgh, the Scottish Highlands basing out of Fort William and Glasgow, using public transit.
