City Rating: Edinburgh
Population of Edinburgh: 490’000
Date of visit: March 2017
Attractions & sights: 3/5
Nightlife: 3/5
Safety: 4/5
Infrastructure: 4/5
Low budget factor: 3/5
Total: 👍👍👍/5
The city in a nutshell:
Most call Edinburgh the prettiest city in the United Kingdom. It’s certainly a unique city in UK with a very special architectural style. Edinburgh has some good sights, solid nightlife and is not a very expensive city. That makes it a great destination for a (long) weekend trip.
Where to stay:
Old Town should be the number first choice. Another option is New Town, where most of Edinburgh’s shops are.
The Good:
Edinburgh is a unique city and looks like a “haunted city” with the spooky castle, the brown buildings and the fog (during our visit). I don’t think that I’ve ever seen a city like this. There are a few things to see and do (Edinburgh Castle, Artur’s Seat etc), but my highlight of the city were these buildings.
The city also knows how to market itself. You will see shops that sell spooky souvenirs and of course you can see people wearing kilts and playing bagpipe. Speaking of kilts, you can also wear one and get a picture of it. Several shops offer this, one of them is near the entrance of the castle. Best tourist thing I’ve ever done. 🙂
Nightlife in Edinburgh is alright. There is a street in Old Town with many bars, pubs and nightclubs. It’s a bit a cheap nightlife area. If you want to have it classier, George street is the better choice.
Another plus is that the Scottish capital is rather an inexpensive city for Western European standards. Don’t expect prices like in London, as food, drinks and transport are affordable. There is no real need for transport anyway, as Edinburgh is not a big city and almost everything is within walking distance.
The Bad & The Ugly:
Obviously, the weather in Scotland isn’t the best and there is a big chance that this will affect you somehow. We didn’t see further than five metres in the castle due to the fog. Moreover, we couldn’t go to Artur’s Seat because of the rain, which is a pity.
Another minus – but this is a matter of taste – is the food. The UK isn’t famous for its delicious cuisine, and if you want to try something ugly, then go for haggis.
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