Things to do in Edinburgh, splurging
Calton Hill to Stockbridge, lunch at The Witchery, dinner at Skua, cocktails at Panda & Sons.
This is Edinburgh for people who eat well, drink properly and want the city's most considered rooms and shops alongside it. The plan moves between New Town's polished grid, the medieval drama of the Old Town and the easy neighbourhood pace of Stockbridge, with acclaimed meals and destination cocktail bars anchoring each evening. You will need a reservation or two in advance and a willingness to walk.
Day 1: New Town and Calton Hill
The day opens with Edinburgh's best espresso and a climb to Calton Hill, then settles into an acclaimed lunch at Eleanore, contemporary art at the Fruitmarket and a New Town evening that ends with wine at L'Escargot Bleu.
- 9:30 AM
Ante
A small New Town café for a proper flat white and breakfast before the climb up Calton Hill.
Map - 10:30 AM
Calton Hill
Calton Hill for sweeping views over the city, monuments, the Firth of Forth, a proper Edinburgh morning.
Map - 12:30 PM
Eleanore
From the Little Chartroom couple: seasonal small plates and natural wine on Leith Walk. Book ahead.
Map - 2:30 PM
Fruitmarket
Free contemporary art shows in an old fruit market behind Waverley, with a very good art bookshop.
Map - 7:30 PM
Dishoom Edinburgh
Bombay café cooking on St Andrew Square; order the house black daal and the chicken ruby.
Map - 9:30 PM
L'Escargot Bleu Restaurant and Wine Bar
French bistro with a wine bar on Broughton Street; a glass and a cheese plate to finish. Open Wed to Sat.
Map
Day 2: Old Town from top to bottom
Coffee in the neighbourhood, a free morning at the National Museum, a candlelit lunch at The Witchery and the full length of the Royal Mile before Yamato and a closing round at The Devil's Advocate, the city's best cocktail room in a Victorian pump house.
- 9:30 AM
Margot
A Bruntsfield neighbourhood café for coffee and a pastry, then a walk across the Meadows to the museum.
Map - 10:30 AM
National Museum of Scotland
Free and huge: Dolly the sheep, the Lewis Chessmen and a roof terrace looking across to the castle.
Map - 12:30 PM
The Witchery by the Castle
Lunch in a candlelit 16th-century house by the castle gates; the set lunch is the smart order.
Map - 2:30 PM
Royal Mile
Walk it downhill from the castle towards Holyrood, ducking into the closes as you go.
Map - 7:30 PM
Yamato
A calm Japanese room in Tollcross for sushi and set dinners, a short walk from the Old Town.
Map - 9:30 PM
The Devil's Advocate
Whisky-heavy cocktail bar in a Victorian pump house down Advocate's Close; ask for a dram flight.
Map
Day 3: Stockbridge and the Water of Leith
Lannan Bakery and Golden Hare Books set the tone before an acclaimed Italian lunch at Little Capo, a stroll to St Bernard's Well and an evening that runs from Skua's great-value pick cooking to the speakeasy energy of Panda and Sons.
- 9:30 AM
Lannan Bakery
Queue early for the laminated pastries; the croissants and seasonal buns sell out by late morning.
Map - 10:15 AM
Golden Hare Books
A small, carefully stocked bookshop on St Stephen Street with a strong fiction and Scottish shelf.
Map - 12:30 PM
Little Capo
A small Italian room on Howe Street; fresh pasta and a short wine list make it a long lunch.
Map - 2:30 PM
St Bernard's Well
Walk the Water of Leith to this 1789 temple to Hygieia, built over an old mineral spring.
Map - 7:30 PM
- 9:30 PM
Panda & Sons
A speakeasy behind a barbershop front on Queen Street; the house cocktails change with the seasons.
Map
Where to stay
Gleneagles Townhouse
Gleneagles Townhouse puts serious design, a proper bar and a Gleneagles-level service culture right in the heart of New Town, which is exactly where this plan lives.
W Edinburgh
The spiral-topped W at St James Quarter, a short walk to Dishoom, Calton Hill and the New Town.
Make Edinburgh your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Edinburgh Castle: weeks ahead
- The Scotch Whisky Experience: a few days ahead
- Johnnie Walker Princes Street: a few days ahead
- The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo: months ahead
- Muirfield: months ahead
- Rosslyn Chapel: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Eating and shopping on the Royal Mile itself, which charges a location premium for worse product.
- The 12 plus hour Loch Ness coach day, mostly motorway for a photo stop.
- Harry Potter merch shops and generic ghost tours, use Mary King's Close for underground Edinburgh.
- Royal Mile tartan shops selling mass produced imports at heritage prices. Look for a mill label or buy in a specialist kiltmaker.
The full Edinburgh travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around