2 days in Edinburgh

Day by day

1. Day 1: Edinburgh Castle and The Royal Mile

   Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile, St Giles' Cathedral and National Museum of Scotland, then Victoria Street and the Grassmarket in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Edinburgh Castle

      The One O'Clock Gun is fired from the Mill's Mount battery on most days.

   2. Late morning

      The Royal Mile

      Narrow closes such as Advocate's Close and Lady Stair's Close lead off it, and in August its central stretch becomes an open-air stage for Fringe performers.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Haggis, neeps and tatties

      Traditional pubs and Scottish restaurants across the Old Town; also as part of a cooked breakfast.

   4. Afternoon

      St Giles' Cathedral

      Its highlights are the Victorian stained glass and the Thistle Chapel, built in 1911 for Scotland's Order of the Thistle, whose carved woodwork includes an angel playing the bagpipes.

   5. Late afternoon

      National Museum of Scotland

      Highlights include Dolly the sheep, several of the 12th-century Lewis chessmen and the glass-roofed Victorian Grand Gallery. Entry is free, and the roof terrace has a castle view.

   6. Evening

      Victoria Street and the Grassmarket

      Come early in the morning for photographs without crowds, then return in the evening for the Grassmarket pubs.

2. Day 2: Palace of Holyroodhouse and Dynamic Earth

   Palace of Holyroodhouse, Dynamic Earth, Calton Hill and Princes Street Gardens and the Scott Monument, then Grassmarket and Cowgate in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Palace of Holyroodhouse

      The roofless ruins of 12th-century Holyrood Abbey stand beside it.

   2. Late morning

      Dynamic Earth

      Beneath a white tented roof beside the Scottish Parliament, Dynamic Earth takes visitors through the planet's story from the Big Bang to the polar ice caps, with a simulated earthquake, a tropical rainforest room and a 360-degree dome cinema.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Cullen skink

      Pubs and Scottish restaurants, often as a starter with bread.

   4. Afternoon

      Calton Hill

      A short climb from the east end of Princes Street, Calton Hill is crowned by the unfinished National Monument, modelled on the Parthenon, the telescope-shaped Nelson Monument and the round Dugald Stewart Monument, which frames the classic view along Princes Street to the Castle.

   5. Late afternoon

      Princes Street Gardens and the Scott Monument

      The Gothic Scott Monument, a 61-metre memorial to Sir Walter Scott, has 287 steps to its top gallery, for a small fee.

   6. Evening

      Grassmarket and Cowgate

      Historic pubs with outdoor tables below the castle, and late-night clubs and student bars along the Cowgate.

Before you go

• Edinburgh Castle: Timed tickets sell out in summer and especially in August; book on the official Edinburgh Castle site.

If it rains

• Swap in Scottish National Gallery (New Town): Combine it with a walk through Princes Street Gardens; the gallery's lower level opens straight onto them.
• Swap in Royal Yacht Britannia (Leith): Take the tram to Ocean Terminal and combine the visit with lunch on the Shore.
• Swap in Camera Obscura and World of Illusions (Old Town): Time the camera obscura show for a bright day, when the projected image is sharpest.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 13–17 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 7 hours in December to 17.6 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Walking. The Castle to Holyrood is about 1.6 km downhill along the Royal Mile, and the New Town is a few minutes away across the Mound or North Bridge.

More or fewer days

• One day in Edinburgh
• 3 days in Edinburgh
• 4 days in Edinburgh
• 5 days in Edinburgh

Questions travellers ask