Jordan & Sean
Things To Do
Edinburgh Castle
Nestled atop the Royal Mile is the historic Edinburgh Castle. Used continuously for 1100 years, it has seen legendary figures like Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots, and the soon to be Mrs. McKay pass through its portcullis gate. If you want to visit the castle, we recommend buying tickets ahead of time. It opens to guests at 9:30am everyday. There are multiple museums, chapels, and historic tours to take part in during your visist. https://www.edinburghcastle.scot/
Edinburgh Christmas Market
What's better than a Christmas market? Two Christmas Markets! One of the coolest thing about the UK and EU are their lively and free to enter annual Christmas Markets. Located on Princes Street with stunning views of the Scott Monument and Edinburgh Castle are two markets. East Princes Street has around 70 staffs featuring hand-made gifts, drinks, food, and carnival rides. West Princes Street is a family fun zone. Additionally, Old Town's Saint Andrew's Square and George Street West host festive activities like an ice rink, food stalls, carnival rides, carousel, and artisanal Christmas Market.
Royal Mile
The Royal Mile connects Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse (the King's residence in Edinburgh). Today, this mile consists of numerous shops, bars, restaurants, and museums. Until the 1700's it was where a majority of Edinburgh's residents lived peaking at around 80,000 people. There is lots of fascinating and frankly gross history surrounding what is now an absolutely lovely historic landmark. It is a must see.
The Real Mary King's Close
As previously mentioned, the history on the Royal Mile is fascinating, but also gross. If you want to get a real look into the nitty gritty history of this ancient city, we highly recommend this experience. Mary King's Close allows guests to walk through a recently excavated portion of a 17th century close, it's also the only close in the city named after a woman. Closes are the narrow alleys that branch off of Old Town's main streets. These pathways are less than two people wide and up to five stories high and tell the story of what it was like to be a resident, rich or poor, of Edinburgh's past.
National Museum of Scotland
Open daily 10am-5pm, this superb museum tells the story of Scotland's heritage. You enter into the lofty Victorian Grand Gallery, where the millennium clock chimes on the hour. Exhibition halls cover Scottish and world history and culture, science, technology, art and design, and natural history. Dolly the sheep, the 12th-century Lewis chess pieces, and dinosaurs are some of the highlights. NMS also run the War Museum in the castle, the Museum of Flight near Gullane, and the Museum of Rural Life in East Kilbride. Entry is free.
The Johnnie Walker Experience
A famous Scottish proverb says, "Today's rain is tomorrow's whiskey." As of the day I'm writing this, there is a 90% chance of rain in Edinburgh, so we really can't let all the whiskey go to waste. This location offers tons of different whiskey tasting experiences. We recommended checking out their website and booking ahead of time if their offerings interest you. That being said, this is Scotland so there are whiskey tastings everywhere. If this particular location doesn't appeal to you feel free to look around elsewhere.
Calton Hill
We know you didn't come all the way to Scotland to leave without getting amazing pictures. If the weather holds up, we highly recommended checking out this stunning UNESCO world heritage site. There are several neo-classical monuments to view along with a museum and incredible views of the city. It is a hill, so please wear appropriate footwear and be prepared to go uphill. There is a trail that leads up to the top of the hill that takes about 19 minutes to complete. It is 1.3km long (for our American guests that's .8 miles).
Jolly Judge
One of the things that made Sean fall in love with Edinburgh were the pubs. Jordan loved the history and the heaters. Edinburgh has lots of very, very cool historic pubs, but this one is special. Slightly off the beaten path, down one of Old Town's many closes lies the Jolly Judge. It has low beamed ceilings, dim lighting, a fireplace, a wide range of malt whiskey, and a silly little drunk judge mascot.
Rose Street
Right next to our wedding venue is Rose Street. For about three blocks, this lovely street is lined with lots of fun bars and restaurants for you to hop around.