Edinburgh

I visited Edinburgh in one of those beautiful situations that you do in your youth, which is a holiday only with friends, for New Year’s Eve. An hotel room, last minute ticket and three friends, so much happiness and friendship. Unfortunately we weren’t too lucky with the weather, in the sense that there was a lot of snow and wind, but isn’t it the normal weather in Edinburgh in winter, and also the beauty of this city? In any case, Edinburgh is a must-see among European capitals, with bagpipes players on the street, kilt shops and typical whisky!

1. Be confused by the optical illusions of the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions

The first thing we did once we got to Edinburgh was to go out and head to the city centre, to visit the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions. The camera Obscura is a curious system that projects the image of the city onto a large horizontal screen via a system of lenses and mirrors. The World of Illusions, in the same building, is an exhibition where you can find (and try!) optical illusions of all kinds. At the top of the building, you can access the Outlook Tower, from which you can see a great view of the city center.

2. Taste the typical scottish whisky

One of the must-see things about your trip to Edinburgh is the scotch whisky experience, with a whisky tasting experience that will continue throughout your Edinburgh holiday, in fact every type of bar or restaurant offers this typical drink and it it has a lot of varieties of all kinds and backgrounds. So, even if you’ve never come close to this type of drink, when you’re in Edinburgh get carried away by the local customs, then become a whisky tasters for a weekend!
The Scotch Whisky Experience will show you the process of producing whisky, from barley harvesting to bottling. The place is home to the largest collection of malt whiskey in the world, 3384 bottles!

3. See the cityscape from Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh with its many hills has many vantage points, from which to observe the entire city, one of them is surely Edinburgh Castle, which allows a vast panorama of the New Town. At one end of the Mills Mount battery is the famous One O’ Clock gun, a cannon capable of firing projectiles weighing 11kg.
You should be there at around 1 p.m., because every day at that hour it makes the crowd of visitors feel the deafening roar. We had the chance to happen to the castle on a snowy day, thus seeing all the views around snowy, very impressive!

4. Climb to the top of Arthur’s seat

Arthur’s seat is an inactive volcano as well as the highest point in the city. It is a short walk, but at the end of the walk you will be greatly rewarded because you will be given a beautiful panoramic view, The Holyrood Park and the city. 
Be careful to have suitable shoes if you visit it in winter, because otherwise you risk getting stuck in the mud due to the rainy climate of the city this season!

5. Walking back and forth through the Royal Mile, pausing to listen to tireless the bagpipe players

This 1.5-kilometre-long street was named “royal” in the 16th century, when the king began to use it to move between the castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It is a very typical street that hosts bars and restaurants with typical menus, breweries, souvenir shops and kilts. It can be said that it is the central street of the city. Along it all you will arrive at the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, which are almost at the end of the road. You can stop on this street to go shopping, have lunch with one of the typical dishes, sip some whiskey and of course… stop in the street to watch the tireless bagpipe players!

6. Visit the Queen’s private apartments on the Royal Yacht Britannia

The Royal Yach Britannia is the panfilo that has accompanied the royal family on its trips abroad since 1953. The ship is currently permanently moored at Ocean Terminal in Leith. It is possible to go around the various floors and rooms and read various curiosities about the tastes and customs of the Queen, for example the fact that on the occasion of each trip were boarded 45 servants of the royal house, five tons of luggage and a Rolls Royce!

7. Retracing the ghost-infested dungeons of Mary King’s Close

One of the most interesting and memorable stops of your visit to Edinburgh is the Mary Kings Close, a narrow, dark alley in the Old Town, basically where a parallel life took place at a lower level, hidden hidden by sunlight.
This alley allows to understand what everyday life was like in Edinburgh in the 17th century, at the time of the plague. The tour is guided, and the guides will also take you to a house of a undertaker who was struck by the plague. It’s really impressive to imagine how, at a lower level, there was a city in the city, and seeing all the alleys and underground houses, without even a glimmer of sunlight. 

8. Take a sunset walk in Calton Hill, to admire the city when the sun goes down and the first lights of the evening appear

Calton Hill is a small hill overlooking the city of Edinburgh, which houses some commemorative monuments dating mostly from the first half of the 19th century, such as the Burns Monument and National Monument. Calton Hill is also one of the major vantage points in the city.
We arrived at this hill at the end of our day of visit, along Princess Street, and we reached the top when the evening lights began to appear, and the view is spectacular and offers a very suggestive panorama of the city at sunset!

9. Retrace the movie scenes of the “Da Vinci Code” in the Rosslyn Chapel

Do you remember the church scenes from the movie “The Da Vinci Code”? Here, if you remember the film you will link it immediately by visiting some corners of the Rosslyn Chapel. Rosslyn Chapel is approximately 11km from the center of Edinburgh and can be easily reached by bus. According to some, it is the most enigmatic and most beautiful church in all of Scotland. The symbolic meaning of the images depicted on the walls has led some scholars to conclude that this church was a kind of secret repository of the Templars, and it is believed that the underground could hold nothing less than the Holy Grail, the head of John the Baptist or even the body of Jesus Christ! We will never know which of these legends is true, meanwhile it is definitely worth a visit for its mysterious charm.

10. Climb the 287 steps of the Scott monument, to take in a 360-degree view of the city

Walking through the Princess Street Gardens, you arrive at a certain point at a large and dark Gothic spire of the Scott Monument, in honor of the writer Walter Scott.
The exterior of the monument is adorned with 64 sculptures depicting the various characters of his novels. It is very impressive to look at this imposing monument from below, but not to be missed is the climb of the 287 steps, whose effort will however be totally rewarded by a 360 degree view of the entire city, from Calton Hill to Edinburgh Castle on the opposite side. 

When to go?

Winter

It is cold, cloudy, windy and rainy. Being far north, Edinburgh like the rest of Scotland is subject to cold waves of polar origin.

Spring

It is cold or very cool: night temperatures can drop a few degrees below zero even in April, and around zero in May. Typically, the temperature becomes milder in the second half of May.

Summer

It is cool, or at least mild: the maximum temperatures in July and August are on average 19 ° C. The Atlantic perturbations, which bring clouds and rains, pass also in this season. It is rare that the weather is hot: days with temperatures above 25 degrees are a rarity.

Autumn

Is cloudy, rainy and windy. The sun rarely appears, and it does less and less as the weeks go by. The days get shorter very quickly.

The best time to visit Edinburgh is summer, from June to August. In any case it is better to bring some slightly heavy clothes, such as an anorak, a sweatshirt or sweater, as well as a raincoat or an umbrella. I visited Edinburgh on New Year’s Eve and, despite the magic of Christmas and the snow that whitened the city were very suggestive, to visit the city was not ideal because the snow, wind and cold made it difficult to go around the city for a long time, and forced to make many stops in bars or pubs for a hot drink between tours. I definitely do not recommend winter to visit Edinburgh.

three unmissable stops

Best photos spots

I’m a photographer, so I’m always looking for the best corner in the world to make the perfect picture. Often, with great pleasure of my traveling companions, I also spend hours staring at the landscape, waiting for the perfect moment with perfect light. Therefore, when I decided to create my blog, I could not avoid to include a dedicated section to photography enthusiasts like me, always looking for the landscape that leaves you breathless. Hope you will enjoy these places where, in my opinion, you can enjoy wonderful landscapes and take the best pictures.