The document is a comprehensive guide to Edinburgh, detailing its historical charm, cultural offerings, and vibrant dining scene. It highlights key attractions such as the Old Town, New Town, various monuments, and events like the Edinburgh Art Festival, advocating for exploring on foot. Practical advice for visiting, including transport options and accommodation resources, is also provided to help travelers navigate the city.

1. “Edinburgh isn’t so much a city,
more a way of life… I doubt I’ll
ever tire of exploring Edinburgh,
on foot or in print.”
Ian Rankin
This quote from the best-selling author Ian
Rankin, creator of the “Inspector Rebus”
novels, pretty much sums up, “the most
beautiful city of all the capitals in Europe”,
as Sir John Betjeman claimed it to be. After
spending three weeks here, our team can
happily back both of them up: we’ve met
many wonderful people and visited incred-
ible places that are all reachable by foot.
In this guide, we’ve tried to present you a
selection of the best ones.
Torn apart into the medieval Old Town and
the Georgian New Town, Edinburgh is a very
hilly, historical city that will enchant the
lovers of history. If you’re willing to pay the
price, an even wider range of monuments
will be available to you, be it the famous
King’s Castle or the Scott Monument. Enjoy
the stunning views from Arthur’s Seat,
get fresh air in the beautiful Royal Botanic
garden, clear your mind at the splendid
Portobello beach or enjoy a nice walk along
the Water of Leith.
For hungry hearts, sweet bakeries and
affordable dining establishments will make
your heart melt. Treat yourself to a Scot-
tish fudge and traditional shortbread! Don’t
miss the chance to experience the Ceilidh
dance, enjoy funny one-man shows at the
Stand Comedy Club or taste haggis, Scot-
land’s national dish.
Culture buffs aren’t left out as Edinburgh
has numerous renowned art galleries and
museums as well as libraries all across
the city. Edinburgh was, after all, the first
UNESCO city of literature and is a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. For shopping lovers,
Princes Street among other streets is a
perfect place to stroll around. The many
independent coffee shops and tea rooms
will offer an ideal break. Don’t let rainy
days get you down, visit the small inde-
pendent bookshops or enjoy an alternative
movie at the cutest cinema venues. If you
dare, get on a Ghost Tour and learn about
Edinburgh’s haunted past. A drink at Edin-
burgh’s oldest pub located at Grassmarket,
surrounded by friendly Scots, should cheer
you up again. If it doesn’t, pay a visit to one
of the many bustling venues that offers
live folk music and let yourself go with the
flow!
Elise Gueilan Wolff
2
Travel like an Edinburgher
EDINBURGH
CITY GUIDE

2. Introduction
INTRODUCTION
“Edinburgh isn’t so much a city,
more a way of life… I doubt I’ll
ever tire of exploring Edinburgh,
on foot or in print.”
Ian Rankin
This quote from the best-selling author Ian
Rankin, creator of the “Inspector Rebus”
novels, pretty much sums up, “the most
beautiful city of all the capitals in Europe”,
as Sir John Betjeman claimed it to be. After
spending three weeks here, our team can
happily back both of them up: we’ve met
many wonderful people and visited incred-
ible places that are all reachable by foot.
In this guide, we’ve tried to present you a
selection of the best ones.
Torn apart into the medieval Old Town and
the Georgian New Town, Edinburgh is a very
hilly, historical city that will enchant the
lovers of history. If you’re willing to pay the
price, an even wider range of monuments
will be available to you, be it the famous
King’s Castle or the Scott Monument. Enjoy
the stunning views from Arthur’s Seat,
get fresh air in the beautiful Royal Botanic
garden, clear your mind at the splendid
Portobello beach or enjoy a nice walk along
the Water of Leith.
For hungry hearts, sweet bakeries and
affordable dining establishments will make
your heart melt. Treat yourself to a Scot-
tish fudge and traditional shortbread! Don’t
miss the chance to experience the Ceilidh
dance, enjoy funny one-man shows at the
Stand Comedy Club or taste haggis, Scot-
land’s national dish.
Culture buffs aren’t left out as Edinburgh
has numerous renowned art galleries and
museums as well as libraries all across
the city. Edinburgh was, after all, the first
UNESCO city of literature and is a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. For shopping lovers,
Princes Street among other streets is a
perfect place to stroll around. The many
independent coffee shops and tea rooms
will offer an ideal break. Don’t let rainy
days get you down, visit the small inde-
pendent bookshops or enjoy an alternative
movie at the cutest cinema venues. If you
dare, get on a Ghost Tour and learn about
Edinburgh’s haunted past. A drink at Edin-
burgh’s oldest pub located at Grassmarket,
surrounded by friendly Scots, should cheer
you up again. If it doesn’t, pay a visit to one
of the many bustling venues that offers
live folk music and let yourself go with the
flow!
Elise Gueilan Wolff
Princes Street Gardens
Princes Street

3. History
HISTORY
Walking through the streets, gazing at the
buildings, old and new, you’d never guess
that there could’ve been a time without
it all. Without the museums, buses, pubs,
and even without the humans.
It was simply a landscape before the
humans came. The wind carried along the
salt of the sea, and the rain bathed the
grass and hills. It was peaceful, but it
could get a little lonely from time to time.
My first encounter with humans was in the
Stone Age, as people call it. They seemed
to like my hills, maybe because of the
great view over myself, and stayed for a
while on Castle Rock and Arthur’s Seat.
That was during a time when humans were
not in the mood to change anything about
me, so everything stayed the way it was.
In the first centuries AD, a nation marched
in my direction that already occupied a
rather large part of Europe, as I heard. The
Romans created straight roads to smooth-
en their path, right along the line of St.
Mary’s Street and Princes Street, and they
even led a fort at Cramond harbour. How-
ever, as all things come to an end (though
I haven’t met my ending yet), the Roman
Empire fell.
Another tribe, this time a local one, called
Gododdin settled on my beautiful hills, and
Castle Rock became their citadel. Finally I
got a name: Eidyn.
600 AD the Anglo-Saxons conquered my
lands, and they changed my name to the
one that it is today: Edinburgh. Which is
quite beautiful, I think. Some disagreed.
The Scots ruled over me around the 950s,
and they sometimes called me Dunedin.
1080 is especially important, because the
St. Margaret’s Chapel was built – today
the oldest building around. The town flour-
ished between the chapel and the abbey at
Holyrood, down the Royal Mile.
Slowly but steadily, I became a estab-
lished city, which woke the envy of Eng-
land. It lead to a rebuild in the 1360s. My
black Castle Rock got white towers on top
– never has a fortress been so stunning!
The English didn’t stop to invade, and I’m
not even mad, I was truly beautiful. But I
got furious when they burned me in 1544! I
really didn’t see that one coming…
Humankind progressed, which had certain
effects on me. In the 16th century alone,
the printing presses, law courts and the
university were established.
In 1603 King James VI of Scotland became
James I of England, however the govern-
ment remained in Scotland. The parlia-
ments merged later on – in 1707.
Royal Mile
Calton Hill

4. WHENTOVISITEDINBURGH
In total, the 16th and 17th century were
rather…unkind. The wealth of my citizens
grew, so did the population – which lead to
great poverty, people living very close in a
small space, a lot of diseases, dirt and… to
cut it short: The Old Town is built on sever-
al metres of human waste.
In the 18th century someone finally decid-
ed that the situation had become intolera-
ble, so the New Town was built, for which a
young architect named James Craig pro-
duced a street plan in 1766.
I grew a lot more in the 19th century, got
railways, factories and new tenement
blocks for the workers. My nickname was
Auld Reekie, because of my air that was
dark with smoke. There wasn’t anything I
could do about it, I swear!
Someone else did something about it. In
the 20th century tourism and culture were
on the rise, industry and pollution declined,
but my nickname stuck.
Today I remain the centre of Scotland’s
finance, legal and political system. Just
a few years ago the Scottish Parliament
building has been renewed. Now that you
know where I come from, maybe you’ll be a
part of where I’m heading.
Elena T. Gross
Scott Monument
Greyfriars Bobby
WHEN TO VISIT
SCOTLAND
Summer in Scotland peaks when two, world-re-
nowned events occur in Edinburgh in the same
month. Visitors swarm to the city, effectively
doubling its population and force up prices, so it’s
worth considering carefully when you’d like to visit
this exciting city.
The annual Edinburgh Art Festival and Fringe
occur over three weeks in August, offering a varied
programme of classical and contemporary music
and drama. If you’re planning to visit then, remem-
ber that avid festival goers have booked most of
the hotel rooms a year in advance and tickets for
popular performances can sell out within hours
of release. Cafes and shops also have extended
opening hours due to the influx of visitors. Also in
August is the Military Tattoo, showcasing inter-
national songs and dances amidst military bands’
routines.
If the performing arts aren’t something that
interest you, then April and May may be a prefer-
able time to visits due to cheaper prices, greater
choice in accommodation as well as fewer tour-
ists.
Christmas and New Year holidays again see visi-
tors flocking to Edinburgh, due to the Christmas
Market and the Hogmanay celebrations. Hogmanay
is the Scottish New Year’s celebration and the city
is packed full of events and parties. Burns Night
is celebrated on the 25th of January, commemo-
rating the poet Robert Burns’ birthday. Festivities
occur across the country and many ceilidhs are
held in his honour.
Since Edinburgh is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
the city is filled with galleries, museums and
sites of interest so that no matter what time of
year you come there will always be something to
entertain.
Natalie Forrestill
Victoria Street

5. survival guide
SURVIVALGUIDE
Although Edinburgh is no dangerous capital, you might need to adhere to some simple but
vital rules to survive here.
1. An umbrella or raincoat as well as warm clothes are essential to keep fit. If you come
from a non-UK country, don’t forget to change your money into British pounds!
2. Your mobile phone’s battery has run down? No problem, you can recharge it in your
accommodation – as long as you have a UK adapter with you.
3. Don’t follow Scottish pedestrians blindly when they jump a red light, especially when
you are not accustomed to left-hand traffic.
4. Finally, before crossing a street as a pedestrian, always look to the right first, and
then to the left. It usually takes some time until a streetlight turns green and when it does
you don’t have much time to get to the other side of the street.
Some useful Scottish phrases:
aye = yes
naw = no
A dinna ken. = I don`t know.
Yer bum’s oot the windae. = You’re talking rubbish.
Can ye talk mair slow? = Please speak more slowly.
Failing means you’re playing. = It’s better to be doing badly than not taking part.
Top Tips
Public Transport
To get from one point to another, it usually won’t take much time to walk. But there is, of
course, also a daily bus and tram service to spare your feet: Lothian Buses and Edinburgh
Trams Ltd.
Depending on where you want to go, you can either go by Airlink, Skylink or East Lothian buses.
The first ones commute between Edinburgh Airport and the city centre, the latter between the
East Cost and Edinburgh and Skylink between Edinburgh Airport and North Edinburgh.
Tickets are available online and directly on the bus, but be aware that you must hand over
the exact amount of money to the bus driver as they won’t be able to give you any change. In
case you would like to travel around and use the bus several times a day, a Dayticket would
be handy. Then, you have unlimited travel by bus and tram within Edinburgh for one day. Last
but not least, there is also the Night Bus from midnight to 4:30am for those of you who like to
party.
Website: https://lothianbuses.co.uk/getting-around/journey-planner
Bus prices for city zone: Tram prices for city zone:
Single Adult: £1.60 Single Adult: £1.50
Single Child: £0.80 Single Child: £0.70
Adult Day Ticket: £4.00 Adult Day Ticket: £3.50
Child Day Ticket: £2.00 Child Day Ticket: £2.00
Night Ticket: £3.00
Accommodation
Depending on how much money you would like to spend, here are some links to useful ac-
commodation in Edinburgh from up to £20 per night.
Websites:
• www.hostelworld.com/
• https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/109731?location=United%20Kingdom%2C%20
Edinburgh
• http://www.accommodationforstudents.com/Edinburgh.asp
Stefanie Kraus

6. PROFILEs
PROFILES
Sandra Bilson
Writer & Copy-editor
Juli Cheng
Writer & Layouter
Njoki Coleman
Writer & Copy-editor
Natalie Forrestill
Writer
Lillian Gössel
Writer & Layouter
Elena T. Gross
Writer
Nina Haas
Writer & Photo Manager
Karolina Heun
Writer & Photo Manager
Stefanie Kraus
Writer
Tatjana Smudzinski
Writer and Copy-editor
Olivia Wasson
Writer & Copy-editor
Elise Gueilan Wolff
Writer

7. 0
Scan the QR code to
view our website!