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48 hours in Edinburgh

  • Writer: Daisy Shippey
    Daisy Shippey
  • Mar 8, 2023
  • 7 min read

Places to eat, places to visit and things to do when spending 48 hours in Edinburgh. Links to all places, restaurants and activities mentioned at the bottom of this post.


Upon landing in Edinburgh airport, we (being my boyfriend and myself) found our way to the Airline 100 bus very quickly. A well-signaged airport starts any trip off positively. Good. Next.


We stayed at the Leonardo Royal Haymarket hotel, which was a straight-forward 30-minute bus ride from the airport, plus about a five minute walk from the bus stop. We arrived at about 5pm on a Wednesday evening having checked-in online earlier in the day. We stayed for two nights and slept well. The beds were big and comfortable, and although the bathroom was small, the lighting was good for getting ready in the evening. We chose to get breakfast included in the price for a more cost-effective trip and streamlined mornings. The breakfast itself was your average buffet, complete with hash browns, much to my delight. However, the queue for the coffee machine and toaster (one of those mass-toasting conveyer belt from hell jobbies) meant my crispy golden potato triangles sent from heaven were almost cold by the time I sat back down. Call it bad planning from me if you must. Now you won't make the same mistake.


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Journey back with me, though, to Wednesday evening after we dropped our bags in our room, got familiar with our home for the next 48 hours (give or take) and headed out for dinner. On our short walk from the bus stop to the hotel, Alex (aforementioned boyfriend) noticed an Italian restaurant called Pomo. After correcting his blunt, Bristolian delivery of the short-hand Italian word for Tomato from "pomoh" to "pommmo *insert italian hand gesture*", we decided we were conveniently in the mood for pizza after our travels, and decided we would go there for dinner later. Being the day after Valentines day, it was a busy Wednesday night in Pomo, but luckily we were able to be seated. Table service was quick and friendly considering every table in the place was full. We both opted for signature pizzas: Alex a Pizza Pollo (tomato, mozzarella, wild mushroom, chicken, olives, basil and parmesan, hold the olives) and myself a Gustosa (tomato, mozzarella, salsiccia fresca, porcini mushrooms and parmesan). My god was there a lot of mozzarella. Highly recommend based on amount of mozzarella on pizzas alone. (Photo below courtesy of the Pomo website).


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Following dinner, we took a stroll down Morrison Street to walk it off. Lit by gentle traffic, the city is peaceful and non-problematic - nothing like the ever-buzzing London. After spontaneous turns to see where the walk took us, we ended up at arcade bar NQ64. Complete with black-lit, colourful, galaxy-inspired decor, we took a second to take in the flickering lights and the rows of classic and contemporary games calling our names. With game-inspired cocktails in one hand (myself opting for a Princess Daisy and Alex a Crash Bandicoot-inspired beverage) and tokens in the other, we played Space Invaders and Tetris to warm up, jumped on Mario Kart as soon as it became available (not before sipping our cocktails passive-aggressively close to the machine to communicate to the people currently on it that they've hogged it for long enough), had a few rounds on OutRun 2, and called it a night after I got carried away on GTA: San Andreas, constantly stealing police bikes, hijacking street-sweepers, and punching strangers. Delightful evening overall.

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Thursday was a lovely slow morning following my getting acquainted with our breakfast buffet (and deciding it would just be a fling, and I would not be staying in touch when I was no longer in the area). Alex and I began walking in the same direction as we did the previous night and found the castle (about a 20 minute walk from our hotel) perched defiantly against a cloudy sky. Using maps to decipher how to actually get into the fortress, I saw The Scotch Whiskey Experience marked on the map close by. I decided for us that we would be going there later. Giving up on finding the entrance to the castle, we walked through the city toward the Royal Mile, stopped for a (not very deserved) coffee break, and found ourselves at the entrance to the Scottish National Gallery. We giggled at some nudes, genuinely appreciated some landscapes and pretended to enjoy the modern art section, before leaving through the other side of the building, taking us onto Prince's Street.



From Prince's Street, we noticed a monument up on the hill. This, I now know, is called Edinburgh's Acropolis. Inspired by the Parthenon in Athens, it was intended to commemorate the Scottish servicemen who died in the Napoleonic Wars, although it was never actually completed. It was worth the walk to feed Alex's curiosity about the national landmark, and the view was stunning despite it being bloody windy. Once at the top, we decided the spontaneity of adventure had worked up ample appetite in us to wonder back to The Scottish Whiskey Experience, which, Google had informed me, had a restaurant.


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We were directed to the restaurant downstairs on arrival and greeted with bright, smiley Scottish faces. Alex went for a very generously filled chicken-salad sandwich for lunch, whereas I went for the chef's selection of Scottish tapas - a decision I did not regret. We chose the peated whiskey tasting flight and were served quickly, with our waiter talking us passionately and thoroughly through each whiskey, what we should experience and how to break it down. It was a great experience and one I thoroughly recommend, not only for the service but for the delicious food. My Scottish tapas (for those of us who aren't happy with just one thing in front of us) consisted of a haggis sausage roll, smoked salmon, Scottish goats cheese, chicken liver pate, venison salami and a side salad. Every mouthful was full of fresh, traditional flavours, sent straight from heaven to melt in my mouth (my God, why can't all salmon taste like that??). The whiskey did not agree with my tastebuds in the same way, nor Alex's, but we could appreciate it for what it was. Highly recommend.


After lunch we figured out how to get into the castle. It's the huge entrance that you can't miss at the top of the Royal Mile. Unless you're happy paying £21pp to get in, I recommend you learn from our mistakes and book your tickets before you arrive. Inside, we attempted to get our money's worth, snooping in and out of every crevice, chapel and King's birthplace we could find. A must-see if you go to Edinburgh if not only to pay respect to the National Scottish War Memorial or get turned away from all the cafes (my personal highlight). Unfortunately the wind picked up on the Thursday afternoon, and, as my job as girlfriend is to not be appropriately dressed for the weather, I stole Alex's hoodie before we walked back to the hotel to warm up, rest our legs and get ready for dinner.


I was in the mood for some fresh sea-food. After a quick search for 'restaurants that serve mussels', I settled on the West End Brasserie, a smart-looking French restaurant about 25 minutes walk from the hotel. And what mussels they were! Sharing their moules frites main as a starter with Alex, they had to be the best I'd ever tasted, and I've been to some pubs in Salcombe, for crying out loud. Served with samphire, I took to eating the white wine and garlic sauce with a soup spoon; it was just too good to waste. For our main course, Alex was very satisfied with his choice of roast chicken, and I perfectly content with my mushroom bourguignon. I also ordered a glass of their New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, which paired perfectly with the mussels and was delightfully refreshing after my rich bourguignon. Service at the West End Brasserie was lovely and attentive. I would go back just for that bloody moules frites tomorrow if I could. Highly recommend.



Our last stop on Thursday night was a stroll around the corner to the fabulously art-deco-inspired Gleneagles Hotel bar and restaurant. Jaw-droppingly beautiful inside, it is a must even if just for a house-cocktail, made by their knowledgable and friendly mixologists. Not much else can be said, but the pictures certainly speak for themselves. Highly recommend.


After a good nights sleep for the second night and a breakfast that we had our war stripes on for, we checked out of the hotel, left our luggage with reception, and headed out for Alex's chosen activity: a hike to Arthur's Seat. Once again we set out from our hotel, this time without the aid of Apple Maps (we know the streets of this city off by heart now), and walked down the Royal Mile, past Scottish parliament, and up the footpath to the viewpoint called Arthur's Seat. It was well-worth the hike, despite not having brought appropriate footwear, as you are presented with a 360-degree view of this beautiful city. The wind now so strong that my heart skipped a beat when I was almost pushed over and down the hill, and again when my cap was swept clean off my head before my cat-like reflexes somehow caught it, we took some obligatory 'we-made-it-to-the-top' selfies, sun in our eyes and tears streaming down our faces.

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Once the view was fully absorbed, we took a relaxed walk back to the hotel for the last time and even stopped for an eye-catching raspberry jam 'cruffin' from Nice Times bakery, of course. We grabbed our bags, caught the bus back to the airport and flew home. And so, less than 48 hours in Edinburgh was complete.


Thanks for having us, Edinburgh, you were wonderful. Would return.


Leonardo Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket: https://www.leonardohotels.co.uk







 
 
 

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