Come travel with me to the wonderful capital city of Scotland…Edinburgh. See how I spent 48 hours in Edinburgh, exploring the castle, streets and museum.

Just after the new year, I was finally able to do a bit of travelling, and visit another country. Yes, I know it is still part of the UK, but it is another country nonetheless. Edinburgh!

Edinburgh has been on the list of places to visit for a while, and we were finally able to visit just after the new year to celebrate my brother’s birthday. Let me tell you, it was a great time to visit, as the city was not as busy as it usually is. I think it is a mix between the then Covid restrictions as well as it is straight after the new year that made it feel a bit emptier.

Now, we travelled on a Friday evening, arriving in Edinburgh at about half-past 8, returning home Sunday afternoon. Therefore, I am classing the trip as 48 hours, although we only had one full day in Edinburgh to try and do a bit of exploring. So, I thought I would break down where we stayed and what we did in the short amount of time in the Scottish capital.
There is also a video vlog at the end of the post too!

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48 hours in Edinburgh – Train Journey

We travelled to Edinburgh by train and my lovely sister-in-law managed to get us a great deal on the train fares. Starting our journey in Leeds, we hopped on a train to York and then caught another train from York straight to Edinburgh. On the return journey we had a slightly different route; Edinburgh to Manchester Piccadilly and then another train to Leeds. This was the cheaper option than going direct from Leeds to Edinburgh; costing £80 each for both legs of the trip. We booked our tickets through Trainline.

The key is the more changes /splits of the tickets you have the lower the price you get. The only concern is if you miss your connection due to delays. The train companies are usually pretty good at helping you if this happens though.

The experience on the trains was fantastic too. Most of the trains were fairly empty, and even though we had reservations, you would have had a pick of the seats if not. Now, this could have been down to the time of year we travelled, or because of the current pandemic situations. The only train that was the busiest was the Manchester to Leeds train, but even then it didn’t feel too overwhelming. All in all a great experience travelling to and from our destination.

Where we Stayed:

We were lucky enough to secure a great deal on a central hotel. The hotel of choice, Ibis Centre Royal Mile, Hunter Square*. This hotel is a perfect location for exploring the city and is just off the Royal Mile.

I couldn’t fault the hotel one bit. The rooms are of a decent size, with all the basic amenities that you may need, including, hot drink making facilities, towels and even a hairdryer. The double bed was super comfortable, and the small shower room was just the right size for a freshen up. We paid £80 each per room for the weekend, with us having booked two double rooms and a family room. I don’t think you can quibble at that price, especially for a central location in a capital city.

The staff are so friendly and willing to help with whatever you need. We arrived after 8 p.m, and they were expecting us as we were the last of the guests to check-in. Everything was ready and waiting for us. The hotel also had an eating area and separate bar, where you could have a drink after a day of exploring. We didn’t try any food in the hotel as we opted to eat out, so I can’t comment on the food. Prices at the bar were what you expect for a hotel and a capital city, so not the cheapest, but not unexpected.

If like us, you need to check out before your actual leaving time, they have a left luggage service, so you can check out but continue exploring without needing to cart all your luggage with you. This is a free service too.

48 Hours in Edinburgh – Exploring the City

As I have said we didn’t have long really to explore and let me tell you 48 hours in Edinburgh is not nearly enough time to explore and do all that you want, well at least for us it wasn’t. However, the city isn’t huge, so you can get to most attractions on foot which is a bonus. There are so many different attractions and places to see and if you want to appreciate them, you need to take your time.

We had hoped to explore the underground streets, visit Arthur’s Seat and do a bit of whiskey tasting; however, we just ran out of time. We also had my 7-year-old niece with us, so we needed to make sure she was entertained too. Edinburgh is a great city to explore with children though, and there are lots to keep them occupied.

During our trip, we were able to explore the streets, eat great food, visit the famous castle and the National Museum of Scotland. Therefore, I will give an overview of these in this post, and hopefully one day we can return to check off the rest of the list. So here is what we did without 48 hours in Edinburgh…

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh castle* is just a must when visiting the city, isn’t it? Now this attraction can take up a few hours of your day as there is the castle to explore as well as a few museums within the ground. We spent a lot of Saturday exploring the castle.

It is advisable to book your tickets online. With this, you will get a time slot of time in which you should arrive to enter the castle. Once you are inside, you can spend as much time as you like, as long as it is within the opening times of the castle. Tickets cost £15.50 each, with children’s prices at £9.30.

Not only do you have the rich history of the castles, but there is also lots of information and recognition of the military too. There is a war memorial part, where photography is prohibited, as well as a vast museum of military history. It is very fascinating and I would advise not skipping this part of the attraction.
One of the best parts of Edinburgh castle is the vast views of Edinburgh and belong. Parts of the castle overlook the famous Princes Street, with other parts looking out over the opposite side of Edinburgh. It is a great way to see how the city is laid out and plan where you want to explore next.

Here are a few of my captures from around the castle to give you a little insight.

National Museum of Scotland

We visited the National Museum of Scotland* on our final day of the trip. Because of this, we had limited time so couldn’t view all of the exhibits within. I guess that gives us another reason to return to Edinburgh!

There is something for everybody in here, from animals to different cultures, to space and even a history of fashion. Every which way you look you will find another exhibit and it can be a bit overwhelming to take it all in. At the time we visited, there were some interactive exhibits closed due to the restrictions, however as the pandemic eases, I am sure this will begin to open again.

The museum is great for both adults and children, with lots to keep the little ones busy. The great thing about the museum is that it is free to enter and look around. Optional donation boxes are around the museum should you wish to make one.

Well worth a visit, but make sure you mark out a large chunk of your day to fully explore.

Greyfriars Bobby Statue

Before setting off to Edinburgh, I was advised to check out Greyfriars Bobby statue*. The story behind Greyfriars Bobby is of a Bobby, a Skye Terrier, who spent 14 years guarding his owner’s grave with the Greyfriars Kirkyard, before sadly passing away himself. There is a commemorative statue of the dog within the graveyard, as well as one outside on the street. It is said if you rub the nose of the statue on the street, you will be given good luck. You can see where the nose has been rubbed as it is a shiny gold colour!

As well as this statue, within this graveyard, it is said that JK Rowling took inspiration from the names. We couldn’t find it, but there is a gravestone with the name ‘Tom Riddle’, who as we know as he who shall not be named! Many places in Edinburgh inspired Harry Potter.

48 Hours in Edinburgh – Places to Eat

There are so many restaurants, bars and pubs within Edinburgh that it can be quite difficult to choose where to eat. We wanted to try places that were not part of a chain and more unique to Edinburgh. However, we didn’t have a massive amount of food whilst we were there as we were exploring too much, but we did try somewhere for breakfast, lunch and evening meal (or as we in Yorkshire say tea!).

Unfortunately, I didn’t take many photos of the places where we ate so apologies!

Breakfast – The City Café

For breakfast on Saturday morning, we opted to try a place just down the street from the hotel. The City Café* is styled like a 1950’s diner, offering breakfast, brunch and main meals. The staff were super friendly and our food came fairly quickly. I opted for the Eggs Florentine, and would highly recommend them. Other food coming from the kitchen looked delicious too, and I wish I had tried the milkshakes as they sound yummy too!

Lunch – The Advocate & Café Edinburgh

So, we went to two places for ‘lunch’, the first was more of a snack and the second to fill up before our long journey home.

The first place is a Greene King pub, ‘The Advocate’*, which is practically next door to the hotel. Here we grabbed a sharing platter with some extra chips. This was just a pitstop, as it was mid-afternoon, and we were planning on going out for a meal later. The advocate is like a typical pub, but had a relaxed atmosphere and was a great place to have a rest in before heading back out into the cold.

The second place we visited was just before we needed to get our train. Our thoughts were to have something substantial to get us through the train journey home, and this place ticked all the boxes. Café Edinburgh* is a small café offering a variety of food, and specials, but specialises in all-day breakfasts. I opted for a burger, but others went for the full Scottish breakfast, Haggis included. I didn’t try the haggis but was told it has a similar taste to stuffing, but with an extra punch of spice. The staff are friendly and welcoming and the service is great. The place is also nicely decorated, with lots to look at on the walls.

Evening Meal – O’Oliviero

For the evening meal, we wanted a restaurant to celebrate my brother’s birthday, settling on Italian. Let me tell you, there are quite a few Italian restaurants around Edinburgh. Originally we looked at trying Gordon’s Trattoria*, however, this was unfortunately closed at the time. So after exploring around, we found O’Oliviero* and what a great choice it was.

O’Oliviero is with the Grassmarket Old Town area of Edinburgh. Here you can find lots of different restaurants lining the streets. The food here is delicious and offers various pasta, pizza and grilled dishes. They also have a prosecco sorbet, which is a no brainer…delicious! The staff were friendly and attentive, and we couldn’t fault our meal. The restaurant was fairly quiet, which was a running theme in most places for the weekend. Again, time of year and restrictions were a factor.

48 Hours in Edinburgh

So there is what we got up to in 48 hours in Edinburgh. Hopefully, this will give you a bit of insight into the city and what you can visit too. We would have liked to have done a bit more, but you can only do so much with the time you had. My advice would be to prioritise what you would like to see and do, factoring in how much time each attraction is. After all, you want to enjoy the city without having the time pressures of trying to cram everything in. Plus, if there are still things on your list that you didn’t get to do, that gives you an excuse to plan another visit!

Have you visited Edinburgh before? What would you spend 48 hours in Edinburgh? Let me know in the comments below!

Looking for more travel inspiration? Check out my trips; Exploring the Yorkshire Coast, North Yorkshire Dales, and London 2019. I’m hoping that as the pandemic eases and travel restrictions ease further, I will be able to do more exploring, so keep tuned to see what I get up to over the next year!

48 Hours in Edinburgh – Video

Here is a travel vlog of our weekend away in Edinburgh. Don’t forget to give the video a like if you have enjoyed it, and subscribe to my channel to keep up with my crafty makes over on YouTube too!

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