Travelling to Scotland and looking for an Edinburgh itinerary? This post details a 4-day itinerary perfect for first-time or repeat visitors.
As the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh is the second most visited city in the United Kingdom after London. For good reason – it truly is a magical city filled with beautiful architecture, amazing restaurants, and a rich history and culture.
Scotland was the first destination I travelled to as a solo female traveller years ago. It will always hold a special place in my heart and I’m thankful to be able to return, this time with my partner.
This four-day itinerary follows along our recent trip to Edinburgh and a day trip to Loch Ness and the Highlands. It outlines what we were able to pack into our short time in Edinburgh without going into too much detail of each activity. It includes most of the usual touristy things to do and is perfect for both first-time and repeat visitors.
Day 1 Edinburgh Itinerary
ARRIVAL
From London, Edinburgh is only a 60-90 minute flight or a 4.5 hour train ride away. My partner and I chose the latter route and booked a Lumo train from King’s Cross station in Central London. The scenery along the way was beautiful, especially along the coast as we got closer to Scotland. It was an easy and convenient way to travel since Edinburgh Waverley station is located right in the city centre.
If you want to fit in more activities on this day, I suggest arriving in Edinburgh earlier in the day and leaving your luggage at your hotel or at a luggage storage place by the train station.
walk along the royal mile
The Royal Mile is essentially the stretch of road in the Old Town connecting Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyrood House.
There are so many things to do along the Royal Mile depending on your interests and how much time you want to spend.
- Edinburgh Castle – is a must see for history buffs. You need to dedicate at least a couple of hours to explore the castle and its grounds though so we opted not to go inside
- The Scotch Whisky Experience – for whisky tasting and learning about its history
- Camera Obscura & World of Illusions – has interactive exhibits and is perfect for families
- St. Giles’ Cathedral – if you like gothic architecture and learning about religion
- Souvenir Shops – the Royal Mile is littered with souvenir shops catered to tourists. You can find anything from cheap magnets to pricey cashmere tartan scarves
- Museums – from the John Knox House to the Museum of Edinburgh, there is something for everyone if you like learning about history
- Cafes, Restaurants and Pubs – there are endless options of where to eat along the Royal Mile
- Closes – exploring the small alleyways will often lead to hidden gems such as a garden or courtyard
- Scottish Parliament Building – for those who love modern architecture
- The Queen’s Gallery and Palace of Holyrood House – if you are a fan of the Royal Family, this official residence of the Queen in Edinburgh is a must see
check out the views at calton hill
Calton Hill is a prominent hill in Edinburgh and has a spectacular panoramic view of the city. You can see all the major landmarks including Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile in the Old Town, Princes Street and the New Town, Arthur’s Seat and the Crags, Leith and the Firth of Forth.
Calton Hill is also known for its landmarks such as the telescope-shaped Nelson Monument and the Parthenon-inspired National Monument of Scotland.
This is the perfect spot to relax after a day of exploring and watch the sun set over the city.
enjoy live music and dinner at a local pub
For dinner, check out one of the local pubs to get a feel for the local culture. I recommend The Piper’s Rest, located right off the Royal Mile High Street. They have amazing local delicacies such as Cullen Skink and Haggis. To top it off, they have live folk music nightly. For more information, check out my post on amazing must try places to eat in Edinburgh.
Day 2 Edinburgh Itinerary
BREAKFAST and a bus tour
Enjoy a traditional Scottish breakfast at affordable prices from Snax Cafe. They are currently still only doing take outs so head over to nearby St. Andrew Square and sit at one of the benches.
St. Andrew Square is a spacious and centrally located park at the east end of George Street in the New Town. In its centre sits the Melville Monument. It also happens to be the meeting spot for the Hop-on Hop-off busses.
Hop-on Hop-off bus tours are the perfect way to get acquainted with a new location. You get an overview of the city and an introduction to all the major sites. It includes unlimited rides for the day (or two if you go with a 48 hour package tour like we did) and you can choose which stops to get on and off.
There are four different bus tour routes and we went with the green Edinburgh tour because they had a live guided tour in English. This is usually much more educational and entertaining than the usual audio guide commentary on board. Scots are such natural born story tellers and our guide, Mike, was hilarious! We learned so much history and anecdotes about the city during our 60 minute tour.
visit the national scottish portrait gallery
The National Scottish Portrait Gallery was our first destination after the bus tour and isn’t too far from St. Andrew Square.
The gallery displays different aspects of Scottish history told through imagery such as portraits and photographs. It is also home to The Great Hall, a stunning space featuring elaborate details and murals of who’s who in Scotland’s history.
take instagram photos at circus lane AND STOCKBRIDGE
From the gallery, it’s about a 12 minute walk to the famous Instagram spot, Circus Lane. It’s a quaint little street which attracts tourists as a popular destination for taking photos. Check out my post on the perfect Instagram photo spots in Edinburgh for more details.
One street over from Circus Lane is St. Stephen Street. Here you can find some shops and cafes, including Bross Bagels. We got a quick snack here and ordered their Lickin Chicken bagel sandwich.
We passed through the beautiful Stockbridge Market arch and made our way to the Leith Walkway.
walk along the water of leith walkway and explore dean village
The Water of Leith Walkway is a lovely route that runs alongside the river Leith through Edinburgh. It is perfect for walking or cycling and passes through the picturesque Dean Village.
Dean Village is another hidden gem in the city which has become a popular spot for tourists. Its quaint charm and serene surroundings make it the perfect setting for taking photos.
check out the shops of new town
From Dean Village, it takes about 15 minutes to reach Princes Street. Along with George Street and Queen Street, this part of the New Town is full of shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants.
Here you also find chain stores such as Primark and Marks & Spencer, along with chain restaurants like Starbucks and McDonald’s.
One store that stood out in particular was the Scottish Design Exchange on George Street. It’s a shop filled with work of local artists and designers so it’s perfect place to shop if you’re searching for unique gifts or souvenirs.
wander along victoria street and grassmarket
After a quick rest (and dropping off all the shopping bags!) back at the hotel, it’s time for dinner.
If you are craving for delicious authentic Thai food, then check out Nok’s Kitchen on the Castle. It’s located on Johnston Terrace. Otherwise, there are many more restaurant options along the iconic Victoria Street and the lively Grassmarket.
take photo at the vennel and admire george heriot’s school
The Vennel Steps has one of the best vantage points of Edinburgh Castle. It’s another perfect Instragrammable spot in the city.
Continuing up the steps, you will pass by a section of the original Flodden Wall, which was erected to protect the city from the English back in the 16th century. At the top of the pathway, you will emerge right by George Heriot’s School. It’s a beautiful building and was supposedly where J.K. Rowling got the inspiration for Hogwarts from.
Learn about greyfriars bobby and navigate through graves at greyfriars kirkyard
As it gets darker, check out the statue of Greyfriars Bobby at the intersection of Candlemaker Row and George IV Bridge. Greyfriars Bobby’s Bar is a pub dedicated to the beloved Skye Terrier and is located right by the entrance to Greyfriar’s Kirkyard. Stop by for a pint especially if you need a bit of extra courage before heading in to the graveyard.
Greyfriars Kirkyard is probably one of the most famous graveyards in the world. This is partly due to it being another inspiration for the Harry Potter books. J.K. Rowling supposedly used some names from the headstones to name her characters.
Day 3 Edinburgh Itinerary
city bus tour (part 2), the Royal YAcht Brittania and Leith
For the second day of the hop-on hop-off bus tour, we went with the blue Majestic Tour. This route brought us out of the main city centre. The tour passed by some more residential areas, the Royal Botanic Garden and the Goldenacre Playing Fields. If you love gardens and spending some time outside in nature, a visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens will be worthwhile.
For fans of the Royal Family, a visit to the Royal Yacht Brittania is a must. My partner and I ended up hopping off here and walking around the Ocean Terminal mall. There wasn’t much there but we wanted to explore the area and walk towards Leith for our lunch reservation.
This turned out to be an interesting experience since there were so many road and path closures due to construction. We had to take detour after detour to get to the main road in Leith. Luckily, we had lots of time to kill before our lunch reservation.
have lunch at a michelin star restaurant
Booking a lunch reservation at The Kitchin was one of the first things I did once we confirmed our trip to Edinburgh. It had been on my bucket list ever since seeing it featured on the tv show Men in Kilts.
The Kitchin is a Michelin star rated restaurant in Leith serving contemporary Scottish cuisine. For more in depth review, check out this post on the must try restaurants in Edinburgh.
shop for souvenirs along leith walk
After such a delicious and filling meal, a nice long walk is much needed. What better way to do so than by exploring the neighbourhood of Leith. It’s a cool and edgy part of Edinburgh, with its rich maritime history and its various independent cafes, restaurants and shops.
During our visit, there was major construction along the main roads due to tram work. Access to some of the shops was a bit challenging. But that didn’t deter us from going souvenir shopping!
My favourite find along Leith Walk would have to be Logan Malloch. It’s an amazing little shop full of curated local goods perfect for souvenirs. They had everything from soaps and candles, cards and artwork, books, pet accessories and of course chocolate!
check out St James Quarter Shopping Mall
As you reach the city centre, you’ll come across the new St James Quarter Shopping Mall. It’s a spacious indoor mall with a cinema so you can catch a movie if you need a break from all the touristy activities.
There are lots of options for dining here but we were craving fish and chips and decided to go for dinner at Bertie’s Proper Fish and Chips on Victoria Street instead.
Day 4 Edinburgh Itinerary
take a day bus tour to loch ness and the highlands
After three days of exploring the city, it’s nice to take a break and get back to nature. There are so many options for day tours departing from Edinburgh and exploring the Highlands, Loch Ness or other smaller towns.
We opted to go for a day tour to Loch Ness and The Highlands. There was a huge fiasco with our specific bus tour/company but I won’t be going into details. Maybe I’ll write about it in the future. But all I want to say is, whatever day tour/company you decide to go with, make sure that it’s with a local guide to ensure you have the most authentic experience. Regardless, we still had a good time seeing all the breathtaking scenery on our trip.
Kilmahog
The first stop was at the Trossachs Woolen Mill in Kilmahog, Callander. They had a cafe, shop and washrooms. The surrounding fields were full of countless sheep. We visitied in the spring and was apparently the perfect time to see all the lambs. This combined with the amazing mountain backdrop gave us a taste of what to expect for the rest of the day.
The highlight for this stop was definitely the photo op with the Highland Cows! You can even feed them by purchasing goodie bags from the shop.
Glencoe
We passed through the massive Trossachs National Park and had a couple of short stops for quick photo opportunities along the way.
The landscape became more dramatic the further we went and the closer we got to the famous Glencoe valley. We learned about the valley’s tragic history and eventually reached the viewpoint for the Three Sisters of Glencoe.
Fort Augustus and Loch Ness
The longest stop for the day was at Fort Augustus, which is a village located at the south west end of Loch Ness. It’s relies heavenly on tourism and is evident in its assortment of restaurants and shops catering to visitors.
When researching the restaurants ahead of time, nothing stood out for us. So we decided to pack our lunch (sandwiches from M&S Food) and enjoy it outside by the Caledonian canal. This turned out to be perfect since there was a boat passing through at the time and we got to see the canal in action.
There is also a boat cruise you can board from Fort Augustus which will take you on a 50 minute boat ride along Loch Ness. It’s an excellent way to enjoy the loch and the beautiful scenery surrounding it.
Pitlochry
Our last stop was at the small picturesque town of Pitlochry. Unfortunately, this was a bit later in the evening (due to our bus leaving an hour later than planned) so most of the shops were already closed. We only had 30 minutes here so it was just enough time to grab something quick for dinner. We researched where to go on our way so as soon as we arrived, we dashed over to McKay’s Fish & Chip Shop. All that rushing was definitely worth it because it was honestly the best fish and chips we had our entire trip to the UK!
After Pitlochry came the long bus ride back to Edinburgh. It was a full day of exploration so it was kind of nice to just sit back and relax on this last leg of our tour.
It was dark by the time we arrived in the city centre. If you still have energy, I would recommend going to a nearby pub to enjoy your last night in Edinburgh.
We had to catch our train back to London early the next morning so we decided to call it a night and headed back to our hotel to rest and finalize packing.
There is much more to do, see and eat in this magical city that four days would simply not be enough. This four day Edinburgh itinerary is just one example and is purely based on our recent experience.
Check out my previous posts if you would like more detailed information on some of the best places to eat and take photos in Edinburgh.
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