As per title really, will be arriving in Edinburgh at 8am next Friday and will spend a few hours there. First required recommendation is somewhere nice to go for breakfast, please!

Thanks all.

My usual advice is to stay away from the touristy thinks and do what the locals do.
I fear that going to an internet cafe to bang on a keyboard all day isn’t going to be a satisfactory day out. 😉

Go and see TJ’s Troll Museum.

😉

Depends what interests you…wander round the Royal Mile/old town can be cool, Castle is overpriced IMO but good views from by the entrance, there are a few good art galleries & museums (refurbed museum near RM) , Calton Hill for good views

Go and see TJ’s Troll Museum.

The national musuem or the various galleries are a good shout actually, if you’re into that sort of thing.

How(ie where) are your arriving? Will affect breakfast recommendations…

The tourist bus tour is suprisingly good and useful as you can get on and off in differnt places. There is a posh cafe on princes street that has fantastic views and I can’t remember what its called? anyone?

Flying up then getting the bus in from the airport. Looking at the bus route, I presume we should get off at West End, but I’m not exactly sure where that is.

helmet shopping with TJ, surely.

Get the bus right to waverly where it stops – or st andrews square if it stops there. dunno what the state of the traffic is at the momnet.

walter scott tea room on princes street is the one I was thinking of IIRC

Great, thanks. I like galleries and museums, especially if they are free!

No shortage of galleries and museums within walking distance of where the bus stops

Looking at the bus route, I presume we should get off at West End, but I’m not exactly sure where that is.

The West End is just after Haymarket. You’ll be after the #100 bus. Keep your eyes peeled for Haymarket station on the right. You’ll get to enjoy the daily clusterfu.ck at rush hour [bear this in mind when heading back to the Airport]. It’s not unusual to be sat stationary at Haymarket for 40mins.

Why not head to Edinburgh Uni The University of Edinburgh for a game of spot the toff?

Or, if you fancy a walk and it’s not blowing a gale and/or pishing doon, go for a wander up Arthur’s Seat.

Princes St is best avoided though, on one side the gardens and Castle are beautiful. The other side is full of tatty or empty shops.

Isn’t there that “camera obscura” thingy still there, up near the gates of the castle (dunno the street, hazzard a quess at castle street, hehee)
Whiskey museum I seem to remember is up there too.
And a few nice “old” pubs along some cobbled streets in and around the castle..

Bare in mind it’s been best part of 18 yrs since I’ve been there though yeah. 😛

Pubic Triangle?

There is a posh cafe on princes street that has fantastic views

Starbucks?

Is it possibly worth getting off the bus at haymarket then?

Around Haymarket will be fine on the bus coming into town from the airport. If you get off there you will only have to walk 10-15 mins to somewhere around Waverley anyway. Sit tight til after haymarket

With the tram works, the bus won’t go down Princes St but the parallel George St. Get off anywhere on G St or at its end: St Andrew’s Sq, which is just round the corner from Waverley

EDIT: go up the Walter Scott monument for great views of the city. Only £3

wallop – Member

Is it possibly worth getting off the bus at haymarket then?

Not in my view – you would be better to wait until st andrews square.

Or wait until the trams finished eh..

See how many laps of Arthur’s Seat you can do?

Go and see the Panda.

See how many laps of Arthur’s Seat you can do?

See if you can beat the 2m40s record:
http://www.arthursseatchallenge.co.uk/

You can easily spend a whole day in the National Museum of Scotland – and its free, there are lots of buttons to press. Walk there from Waverley.

wallop – Member
Is it possibly worth getting off the bus at haymarket then?

To get to the Modern Art Galleries and a lovely wander to Stockbridge along the Water of Leith for a nice lunch/touch of designer & charity shopping, yes, otherwise no.

the camera obscura thing is great, recommended. What’s that thing down by Arthur’s seat?

Go down to Ocean Terminal, hire a BMX and play in the park for a few hours.

Go down to Ocean Terminal, hire a BMX and play in the park for a few hours.

only if you pefer to get a bus to Peffermill from Leith than town 😀 Transgression Park

Breakfast at Valvona and Crolla:

http://www.valvonacrolla.co.uk/index.html

Lunch at The Dogs:

http://www.thedogsonline.co.uk/

Catch a movie at the Filmhouse if the weather’s gash:

http://www.filmhousecinema.com/

You’ll get to enjoy the daily clusterfu.ck at rush hour [bear this in mind when heading back to the Airport]. It’s not unusual to be sat stationary at Haymarket for 40mins.

S’awright, just jump on the trams, they’re scheduled to be finished by now so-ffffffuuu…

samuri – Member

the camera obscura thing is great, recommended. What’s that thing down by Arthur’s seat?

Dynamic earth?

Go and see the Panda.

Well, that’s settled it then! You must go and see this mysterious Panda!

Dynamic earth?

Yeah, that’s it. Or homebase.

Has the one at Ocean Terminal closed or have Transgression opened another?

Bit of shooting?

Ocean Terminal has closed. I don’t know the story but I got the feeling that they got the bootbut I could be doing someone a diservice there and have the completly wrong end of the stick – it may have been a choice due to space constraints.

Ocean Terminal closed before they built the new site [/quote]The entire park at Ocean Terminal has now been dismantled and all the reusable wood has been moved to the new unit

Breakfast at the basement cafe under the National Gallery, access from Princes Street Gardens. (Best black pudding ever.) Stroll up The Mound and have a mooch along the Royal Mile and the closes off, then up to the National Museum for a look around and elevenses. Down to the Grassmarket for a lunchtime pint.

Arthur’s seat

Scott monument.

Love Edinburgh! Such a beautiful city. Personally I enjoyed just walking around and taking it all in.
Arthurs seat and the Scraggs are great walks. Take the longer options from dynamic earth.

wonderland lothian road.

Great stuff, thanks everyone!