A Scotland Road Trip: 36hrs in Edinburgh

Mar. 19 - Mar. 21, 2019

By Susan Densa

September 7^th, 2020

Kicking off one week in Scotland

Trip number two in 2019 took us to Scotland. We landed in Glasgow on March 19th and hopped in a rental car to start our adventure in historic Edinburgh. After checking into our hotel on Thistle St., we familiarized ourselves with the New Town neighborhood that we were staying in on a late evening stroll, and I ate fried Whitebait for the first and last time.

The next day can only be described as jam-packed and we tried to cram in as much sightseeing from our must-see list as we could. Needless to say, we covered a lot of ground as a sampling of what this old city has to offer and I look forward to the day where we meet again.

View of the Balmoral Clock and Scott Monument from Calton Hill

A Scotland Road Trip: 36hrs in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is really more of a royal fortress found in the middle of the city. It stands atop a plug of an extinct volcano (wild, I know) and has been around since the 11th century. The history of these massive grounds include a lot of war and centuries worth of Scottish and English royalty. Though mostly a tourist attraction at present day, parts of it are still operational for administrative and ceremonial military purposes for Prince Charles and the Royal Family.

The Writers' Museum

My favorite site from our day in Scotland —Lady Stair's House, more famously known as The Writers' Museum, — can be found tucked away down one of Edinburgh's many closes off of the Royal Mile.

Calton Hill

Some of the best views of Edinburgh are from the top of this hill. We intended to catch the sunset from this viewpoint but were met with some moody rainy clouds. No complaints here.

Memorial to the Scottish philosopher Dugald Stewart

Greyfriars Kirkyard

Dean Village

Dean village is a small neighborhood located along The Water of Leith. Once a grain milling site, it's now a very tranquil residential area with building from the 19th century. It seems like this oasis would be a far drive outside Edinburgh, but it's less than a mile from the center of the city.

A self-guided walking tour through the city

The 36 hours we spent in Edinburgh really was a total whirlwind. We saw so much of the city so quickly and I wish we had more of an opportunity to soak it in.

Food & Drink

One of my favorite things to do when traveling is experiencing the local cuisine and drink of the cities I am staying in. We did partake in eating haggis served in a variety of ways, but didn’t get to that in Edinburgh. Scotch was the bigger highlight during our short stay in this city.