O/T Edinburgh

Hi, thinking on going to Edinburgh next year for a mini break by train.
Has anyone on here been there by train.
Can they recommend any hotels, getting around, sites to see and eating out?
Many thanks in advance.

I go there quite a lot on business. I stay at the Apex which is pretty nice and 5 mins from the main station (Waverley). Edinburgh is pretty compact and you can walk to most of the attractions.

AmexRuislip said:

Hi, thinking on going to Edinburgh next year for a mini break by train.
Has anyone on here been there by train.
Can they recommend any hotels, getting around, sites to see and eating out?
Many thanks in advance.

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Can you go for festival month or are you thinking later in the year?

If you start at Waverley, the Fruitmarket Gallery and Coburn Street are always nice.

I've been by train. Once you get to Newcastle and beyond the views from the train are outstanding especially around Berwick. If you can book up earlier enough I would go first class as they look after you well. The one downside is the length of the journey and the last hour seems to drag.

Getting around is easy as the Castle and other must see are all in walking distance. If the weather is good a walk to Arthur's seat is worthwhile although unless you are a mountain goat I would take the longer more gentle route.

As with most large cities there is a tourist bus. If you want to take one of these I would skip the city centre ones, and take the one, which includes a boat trip onto the river where you go under the bridges and see marine life on the small islands.

For eating and drinking, virtually any where.

Stay fairly central if you can, as then so much of the City is within walking distance. Huge choice of hotels from Travelodge to 5*, mostly down to your budget. If you prefer a serviced apartment, the Knight Residences are excellent.

I'd echo the above - Arthurs Seat, boat trip under the Forth Bridge, the Castle, Loch Ness, the excellent Zoo....plenty to occupy you for a few days.

Public transport is very good - loads of buses and the new tram.

Not done the trip by train but hear good things about it (not including getting out of Sussex on SASTA obviously)

I visit a lot (most months) and daughter is at Uni there.

dazzer6666 said:

Loch Ness.

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Loch Ness is about 150 miles from Edinburgh !

happypig said:

Loch Ness is about 150 miles from Edinburgh !

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Oops. Dunce 'experience'...

Went to Edinburgh on a long weekend for the Scottish real ales festival last July. Brilliant city, outstanding architecture and setting and lovely people. Great pubs and bars, of which more later. Only downside is it's so touristy it's getting almost as pricy as London.

Stayed at the Haymarket Hotel, which is an OK budget hotel made out of terraced townhouses only a block away from Haymarket station (the second Edinburgh station which is west of the City Centre). . Not much phone reception in the basement rooms. Went up by train and back by Easyjet to Gatwick. If you book up early, Virgin East Coast do some very cheap advance tickets on weekdays, mine was £25 from Kings Cross to Haymarket.
[MENTION=1793]studio160[/MENTION] is dead right about the views from the train, they are stunning where the train hugs the coast from past Morpeth to some miles beyond Berwick. Try to get window seats on the right hand side of the train northbound / left hand side southbound. After that, there is lots of forest and valleys until Dunbar and the Edinburgh suburbs. The southern part of the route, by contrast is fairly uneventful until you get to York station. The vale of York with its white horse is very nice. Further highlights are Durham old town and cathedral as seen from the Durham viaduct and the Tyne bridges and Newcastle station. The trains themselves are all rather old now but still comfortable enough for a four hour journey. If the train continues north of Edinburgh it will be a diesel HST (and will call at both Waverley and Haymarket), if it terminates at Edinburgh Waverley it will be a 1990's electric. New trains have been ordered to replace both of these but still won't be ready next year. The fastest trains all leave Kings Cross on the hour, don't bother with the ones which leave at half past.


Whether you ascend Arthur's seat or not, a short steep walk up to the top of Calton Hill - at the east end of Princes Street - and the Nelson Monument is highly recommended for stunning views all across the city and out to Fife.

There are loads of restaurants to choose from, although they don't seem to stay open as late as in Brighton or London. If you like Thai, I can recommend the Passorn Thai Brasserie on Hanover Street, in the New Town towards Queen Street Gardens. We went there two nights out of three, because it was so good on the first night. For very good pub food as well as great beers and whiskies our other evening meal was at the Abbotsford in Rose Lane, just west of St Andrew's Square. In the same area and very close to Waverley station a couple of must-visit historic pubs are the Guildford Arms, West Register Street and just behind it is the Café Royal. The Guildford Arms has the best ales and is less pricy, but the Café Royal has to be visited for its stunning stained glass windows and Victorian plasterwork.

For places in the Old Town, to the south of the station there is a steep set of steps leading up out of the valley. Halfway up these is the Halfway House, an amazing little tiny bar with lots of character, so you can slake your thirst on the way up to the Royal Mile. Also does traditional food. Once you've seen the Castle and all the other touristy buildings, more sustenance is close at hand with the Bow Bar in Victoria St or descend to the underbelly of the city in Cowgate for Brewdog. For better craft beer than Brewdog, head west through Grassmarket and West Port to the Hanging Bat in Lothian Road. Along this walk there are some excellent, if fleeting, views of the less seen rear side of the Castle Rock, which is impressively vertiginous. A bit further west in Morrison street is Thompsons, a great traditional pub with excellent whisky selection. To get back to the centre, the tram from Haymarket to st Andrews Square is very good and you can get a cheap all day ticket for buses and trams if you don't want to walk everywhere. The tram is also the best way to reach Murrayfield or the Airport.

I go there quite a bit.

Two hotels I can recommend are the Channing's Hotel and this place http://www.24royalterrace.co.uk

I'd advise staying in hotels away from the Royal Mile. Better value for money and everything is walkable.

Visit the Royal Yacht Britannia as well.

And if you like food - I mean really like food - then restaurant 21212 is expensive, but the full Michelin star experience.


Sent from my iPhone in a non-Calde world :-(

Fancy the festival next year, is it worth it or full of too many trendy liberals?

One of the most beautiful cities in the world; however. Edinburgh folk are up their own arse. Read the advertised book below before you go if you want to see what I mean and what to expect.

http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/see-you-bobby-fur-coat-nae-knickers-1-894816

The Royal Yacht Britannia is moored at Leith.
Greyfriars Bobby is also worth a visit.

If you yearn to experience deep fried pizza it is the World Capital - followed by a deep fried Mars Bar of course...

jakarta said:

If you yearn to experience deep fried pizza it is the World Capital - followed by a deep fried Mars Bar of course...

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Can't say I have ever come across either in my visits. Are you not thinking of Glasgow?

Driver8 said:

Can't say I have ever come across either in my visits. Are you not thinking of Glasgow?

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Correct

dazzer6666 said:

Correct

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Incorrect unless things have changed since the 1990's - I remember both being offered in the Chippy I went into in 1992.

I remember wondering to myself if there was any conceivable foodstuff that sweaties wouldn't throw into a Deep Fat Frier.

jakarta said:

Incorrect unless things have changed since the 1990's - I remember both being offered in the Chippy I went into in 1992.

I remember wondering to myself if there was any conceivable foodstuff that sweaties wouldn't throw into a Deep Fat Frier.

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Definitely more of a Glasgow thing than Edinburgh.......and no, there isn't. I've seen more than one chippy in Glasgow that offers a 'you bring it, we'll fry it' service and talked to locals about, for example, creme eggs, curly wurlies, pizza and, amazingly, cheeseburgers (yes, including the bun)

Can't comment on the train as we drove.

We booked our hotel through lastminute.com's top secret hotels. They don't tell you the name of the hotel until you actually pay for it. Ended up in The Hilton in Princes Street at a great discount, They don't tell you the name but the location and numbers of stars has to be correct.

http://www.lastminute.com/hotels/top-secret.html?intcmp=roomkey_offers_2_TSH_merch

There is so much to do in Edinburgh, I want to go back.

Enjoy.

Definitely go first xlass

dazzer6666 said:

Definitely more of a Glasgow thing than Edinburgh.......and no, there isn't. I've seen more than one chippy in Glasgow that offers a 'you bring it, we'll fry it' service and talked to locals about, for example, creme eggs, curly wurlies, pizza and, amazingly, cheeseburgers (yes, including the bun)

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I sure you are right but I really don't know Glasgow anywhere near as well as Edinburgh. I worked for a Consultancy that did a fair bit of work for RBS (building surveys and other environmental work) and of course that is where their HQ is so on the whole that's where I went.

The few times I went to Glasgow it seemed very grim by comparison. And don't get me onto Aberdeen!