Edinburgh

How To Get From The Airport To The City Centre

There is actually three ways to get from the airport to the city centre and back: the tram (£ 5; single ride), the Airlink busses (£ 4.50; single ride) and the Lothian busses (£ 1.50; single ride). The two more expensive opportunities are definitely quite faster than taking the Lothian busses!

Taking busses in Edinburgh 

Unlike in Germany, bus stops are neither announced orally nor shown anywhere in the bus. Thus, as someone who does not know the city well, it is hard to know where to get off a bus. However, almost all of the busses are providing free WiFi. The best way to cope with this bus situation is to type in the location you want to get off on Google Maps and let your current position be tracked. This way you can simply get off the bus as soon as it approaches your final destination on the app.

Also, when the bus arrives, do not simply run and try to get on the bus. In the UK it is quite normal that the person who was the first one at the bus stop is also the first one to get on the bus. So if you just try to get on the bus without minding the queue, your behaviour will be considered as extremely rude.

Before leaving the bus you should always be so polite to thank the driver by saying "Cheers!" or "Thanks!".

Exploring Edinburgh

Rosslyn Chapel

Chapel Loan, Roslin 

You can get to Roslin with the Lothian bus line 37 for the regular fare of £1.50.

The admission fee for the chapel is £7 ,however, in my opinion it is not totally worth going inside. But still, Roslin and the Rosslyn Chapel are quite beautiful.

Calton Hill

Even though Calton Hill is tourist central, it is in my opinion one of the nicest places in Edinburgh.From Calton Hill you have an amazing view of Edinburgh, Arthur's Seat and the sea. Even I as one of the laziest person was willing to climb up the hill for that - so it is definitely worth the effort;)
Calton Hill can be accessed at the East end of Princes St.

Scottish National Gallery

The Mound, next to Princes St.

The Scottish National Gallery you cannot only find paintings by e.g. Van Gogh and Monet, but they also have a collection of Scottish painters.

The admission to all the museums belonging to the Scottish National Gallery - besides the special exhibitions - is free.

Scottish National Gallery Of Modern Art

75 Belford Road

The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is part of the Scottish National Gallery which mainly focuses on Modern Art. I personally prefer Modern Art and installations over portraits, so I really enjoyed being there.
Also, as a big lover of Pop Art I can recommend you their special exhibition on Roy Liechtenstein which is still on until 10th January 2016.

The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is a bit outside the city, however, a shuttle from the Scottish National Gallery is provided for only £1.

National Museum Of Scotland

Chambers St.

If you want to learn something about Scottish history, the National Museum of Scotland is the right place for you.
The admission is free for the ordinary exhibitions and - as in almost all of the other museums - you can get free WiFi as well.

Dean Village and Water of Leith

Old City

The Old City part of Edinburgh is really lovely so talking a walk is definitely worth it. In case you want to visit the castle ,you can do that first and afterwards simply walk down the Royal Mile to the Scottish Parliament.

World Press Photo Exhibition

Unfortunately, the World Press Photo Exhibition is not on in Edinburgh anymore, but I would recommend you to see it whenever you have the chance to.

Festival Season

The first time I was in Edinburgh happened to be in July. Even then I thought that city was thoroughly amazing, however, all my friends told me that August would be the best time of the year to be in Edinburgh.

So I gave the festival season a shot - and it was amazing. Besides some comedy shows and several theatre plays I even had the chance to go to an opera for the first time ( the opera was called "The Last Hotel" and even if it's kind of odd, I would totally recommend it).
The best thing about the festival is that no matter how big your budget is, there is a huge offer for everyone. There is a series called "Free Fringe" where all the shows are for free - however, you can tip the artists afterwards if you liked the show.

Food and Restaurants

The City Cafe

19 Blair St.

Pancakes with maple syrup - £5

Tea (mug) - £1.50

The City Café is does not only look like an American Diner, but also offers all the delicious food you would expect from one.
Their pancakes are amazing and since it is just in a side street of the Royal Mile, one should definitely stop by there.

Snax

118 Buccleuch St.

All day breakfast (2 link sausages, bacon, fried egg, black pudding, beans, buttered roll) - £3
Bigger breakfast (all day breakfast plus hash brown, tattie scone) - £4

Biggest breakfast ( bigger breakfast plus haggis, sliced sausage, fried tomato) - £5

Tea (mug) - £1.40

Coffe - regular £1.70, big £2.20

For genuinely Scottish breakfast, you should definitely go to Snax.
As they are serving breakfast the whole day, it is perfect for a hangover day or just for people like me who love sleeping in.

The Holyrood 9A

9A Holyrood Road

Burgers - between £8 and £13

Since I've never made a post without at least one burger recommendation, here it is;
The Holyrood 9A is a lovely pub in the centre of Edinburgh and you can have really delicious burgers there.

The Chocolate Tree

123 Bruntsfield Pl.

Hot Chocolate (Dark, Milk, White) - £2.80
Hot Chocolate with marshmallows - £3.20

Tea - £2.40

The Chocolate Tree is not only a café, but all kind of organic chocolate products are offered as well.
The café is quite small, so it might be the case that you do not get a spot to sit down there.

Olly Bongo's

1 Teviot Pl

Pita Bread with Hummus - £3.70

Meze - medium £6.50, large £9.90

Turkish coffee - ?

Tea - £1.80

If you love Middle Eastern food, Olly Bongo's is the right place for you. You can not only have Hummus, Lamb and Şiş Kebab there, but also Meze.

Even though it is not on the menu, it is possible to order Turkish coffee as well (which is according to Nicol quite good).

You should definitely try ...

Whiskey

Shortbread

(and if this is not fatty and sweet enough, try Millonaires' shortbread)

Haggis

(there is even a vegeterian version available as well)

A Deep Fried Mars Bar

Even though a deep fried Mars bar tastes delicious, it looks quite unappealing so I think it is not necessary to show a picture. Mostly you get them at Fish and Chips bistros.

Chips with Gravy

e.g. at Glamshell Royal Mile for £3.30

Afternoon Tea (and just loads of tea in general)

When ordering tea in the UK, mind that you do not only get a mug or glass of tea but a whole pot.