Other than the usual tourist traps of the castle and that street with the all the shops?

We are away up there this weekend for a couple of nights this weekend so would rather have some ideas. Also need recommendations for good pubs and places to eat.

well what kind of thing are you thinking?

Whiski Rooms do a very nice steak.

National Museum in Chambers’ Street
Mary Kings Close is a wee bit of a tourist trap but from what I remember it’s still worth visiting.
If you like big black pinuses, the botanical gardens has loads of em. Very good.

Owt or nowt. Oddball stuff is better, Mrs Matt likes oddball stuff.

Mary kings close is well worth it, not my usual thing but the oh loves that sort of thing. Tbh it was really fascinating! We did the vaults ghost tour that was ok as well, other than that just had a nosy round and did whatever we wanted.

Camera Obscura
Royal Yacht
Mary Kings
Scotts Monument
Ghost Tour (including Vaults)
Cinema in the Dominion
Surgeons Hall

Coffee…
Brew Lab
Love Crumbs
Ronde

Bikes…
Ronde

Ceilidh on Friday Night at the Ghillie Dhu?

Hookers..
Leith

Rent Boys…
Calton Hill.

To quirky?

Whiski Rooms looks good.

Might give the rent boys and hookers a miss josh!

You could Pedal on Parliament

Fair enough 😀

Off the wall has got to be Camera Obscura its ace.

As is the yacht

actually I’m pretty pleased with that list.

Do it all

Arthur’s seat – where else can you get a decent walk up a proper hill in the middle of a city 🙂

Trip out to Forth bridges if you have a bit of time?

Camera Obscura is cool. Does it still have the brilliantly crap holograph exhibition?

Don’t ride your bike on wet tramlines. Just sayin.

camera obscura’s ace, so is mary kng’s close, and they’re only a couple of minutes apart. if the castle’s free ( which it is from time to time) it’s worth a visit for the views, but not worth whatever stupid amount of money they normally charge.

If its nice weather for walking make your way from the city centre into Stockbridge, find the path along the water of leith and follow it up stream through Dean Village until it gets to some steps that take you into the back garden of the the Gallery of Modern Art. If you head that way its worth noting there are actually two Galleries of Modern Art – one on either side of the road, but because they’re both in park land when you’re at one building you don’t always notice that the other one is there.

Cullen Skink at Deacon Brodie’s pub on the Royal Mile.
Bus tour – a must.
Dynamic Earth.
The Dome for lunch and cocktails.
Loads of galleries and museums.
Ghost walks (one that goes in vaults is sh*t though TBH)
Walk around with a camera – very photogenic old buildings.
Calton Hill (not for rentboys though 🙂
Pubs galore.

We did the camera obscura last time we were there, same with the ghost walk (which was shite).

Will probably go to a fair few of the galleries/museums as we haven’t been to any of them I don’t think. Not heard of dynamic earth

<runs off to google>

Looks like something the boy would enjoy but he won’t be with us.

Go for a trip on a tram!!! (well from June onwards…perhaps)

Portobello beach

Walk up Arthurs seat and Salisbury Crags

The Hanging Bat on Lothian Road is a favourite for good beers and gins.
Second a walk up Arthurs Seat if the weather is good as the views are good of the city (better than looking out from the castle in my opinion). As said above, camera obscura and Mary Kings Close, National Museum also good – I think there’s the national wildlife photographer of the year display on or something similar at the moment?

Splash some cash on dinner at The Witchery, just down from the castle. Can’t recommend it highly enough. The food is amazing but it’s the interior and the service which make it outstanding and memorable.

Take a bus to Cramond if you’ve time and have a jaunt along the foreshore, then up the River Almond. Or walk out to Cramond Island if the tide’s out.

And all of the above.

The stand comedy club is a fun way to spend a Saturday night

Not heard of dynamic earth

was a bit disapointed with it tbh

find the path along the water of leith and follow it up stream through Dean Village until it gets to some steps that take you into the back garden of the the Gallery of Modern Art.

the gallery of modern art used to do fine food as well, so good place to stop,

There’s a closure on the water of leith path down under dean village btw, and the diversion signs all seem to have vanished. Some absolutely lovely spots down there though, easy to forget how nice it is.

Beers
– Hanging Bat seconded, great place to try different beers. Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations from staff if you’re not familiar with the beers. Also excellent gins
– Bow Bar on West Bow. More traditional real ale pub
– Brewdog on Cowgate. Pub of the Aberdeenshire brewer, good own beers and decent guest ales
– Blue Blazer on Spittal Street. Another Old Man pub with well kept beers
– Ecco Vino on Cockburn Street is prob best wine bar in town and does good light bites – risottos, platters etc.

Food
– for Sat night it’s probably too late for anywhere “famous”. Try newly opened Blackfriars Restaurant (modern scottish), La Garrigue on Jeffery St for regional French, Centotre on George St for Italian; all fairly fancy places. Or pick up The List magazine, the current one has their food and drink guide.

Coffee – Lovecrumbs at the Westport is probably best bakeshop in town; Wellington on corner of George St/ Frederick St is also very good; fine scones as well

Breakfast/ Brunch – try Urban Angel, they have one on Hannover St and one at top of New Town/ Leith Walk end of town.

Walks – Calton Hill is a great viewpoint (but has a wee bit of a reputation at dusk/ night). Arthurs Seat and Salisbury Crags also good.

Tourist stuff – wouldn’t bother with the Castle really unless you’re into military history. Museums are all good, Portrait Gallery, NMS and the art gallery on the Mound. Stockbridge and Botanics worth a visit too, good pubs (Stockbridge Tap) and coffee (Ronde) and you can wander along Water of Leith from near Murrayfield.

surroundedbyhills – Member
Don’t ride your bike on wet tramlines. Just sayin.

Innit.

As a new resident this is excellent advice !
Arrive 1 July and not working until 1 Sept so if anyone wants a ride then let me know, email in profile. Living in Colinton.

Literary pub tour from beehive pub in the grassmarket. Good craic, and decent pubs on the way.

Boat trip down the forth to the islands

NZCol, you’ll be neighbours with a few of us then.

If you want a wee tour of the trails we can hook up when you get here. What part of Colinton will you be in? I am Woodhall Road.

If its nice weather for walking make your way from the city centre into Stockbridge, find the path along the water of leith and follow it up stream through Dean Village until it gets to some steps that take you into the back garden of the the Gallery of Modern Art.

This.

And don’t leave your bike outside a pub to walk a girl home. I did that and ended up with a stolen bike and a wife.

climb up sir walter scott’s monument

visit the dean village (where my grandfather was born)

play pitch n putt at princess street gardens (also can do first suggestion too)

buy a kilt 😉

Botanical gardens are really nice.
Hire a bike and cycle all the old rail lines out to Leith.
Hermitage of Braid and up to observatory is nice.
Arthers seat definitely.
Bank museum and Scottish museum are good.

get on a train and go to Glasgow lol

ojom – Spylaw Bank Rd, drop me an email – would love a guided tour and am on holiday until Sept 1st 😀