St Andrew's Day: 10 things to in Edinburgh to celebrate all things Scottish
Hitting the Scottish capital for St Andrew's Day? Here’s how to occupy yourself on a trip to Edinburgh
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Taste some whisky
Scotland is famous for many things, but above all its production of the amber nectar. Pop into any of Edinburgh’s many drinking establishments and you’ll find a staggering number of quality whiskies to quaff (Jack Daniels is a dirty word here) and for much cheaper than you’d find in London. Think £3 to £5 per dram, even for premium brands. To learn more about the origins of whisky and how it’s made, plus do a tasting while seeing one of the world’s biggest whisky collections, visit the Scotch Whisky Experience (scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk). This genuinely enjoyable interactive attraction costs from £15, which includes a crystal tasting glass.
Night at the museum
The National Museum of Scotland (nms.ac.uk) has an eclectic collection of remarkable treasures from around the world. From dinosaurs to design, the museum boasts hundreds of objects spanning thousands of years and originating from countries across the globe. If heading there this summer, kick your visit up a notch with the Museum After Hours: Friday Fringe Takeover sessions. Each Friday night in August, the museum will open its doors from 7.30-10.30pm, featuring handpicked performances from the Fringe taking place in various spaces. The £18 admission fee also includes entry to the museum's Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites exhibition.
Pick a season
Captivating at any time, Edinburgh is especially winsome in summer and winter. Summer brings with it the world-famous Fringe Festival (edfringe.com), with performances ranging from the mainstream to the far out. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the fringe – it’s now the single biggest celebration of arts and culture in the world. It runs from 4 to 28 August 2017.
Alternatively, choose to stay around Christmas and there’s a whole host of delights that await. During the festive season a huge German market rolls into town next to Princes Street, serving up gluhwein and crafts aplenty, while George Street plays host to the Street of Light, a free event featuring over 60,000 lights that flash in time to live music. Post-25 December the fun really begins with Hogmanay. In Edinburgh, celebrations begin on 30 December with a torchlit procession, escalate on 31 December with a citywide street party complete with DJs, live bands and midnight fireworks, and wind down with the Loony Dook on New Year’s Day – a chance for insane people to don fancy dress and jump into the freezing River Forth.
Find the best places to stay in Edinburgh
Climb Arthur’s Seat
It’s something of a rite of passage to scramble up to the highest point in Holyrood Park, known as Arthur’s Seat – it’s a short walk east of the city centre. Once at the very top (250m), visitors are rewarded with spectacular panoramic views across the city and out to the coast. It’s an energetic climb but well within the capabilities of most people (though trainers or hiking boots are recommended). There are various walking routes (geowalks.co.uk/iarthurwalks.html), with the red route being particularly fetching; it’s a circular walk from Holyrood Palace that takes around two hours to complete.
Drink at the Dome
The Dome (thedomeedinburgh.com) is an institution in Edinburgh’s New Town. Although it boasts various tea rooms and restaurants inside, the reason to go is the out-of-this-world Grill Room. The elaborate uplit domed ceiling and circular bar are legendary; tourists wander in to have a good rubber neck at the décor, buying a cocktail as something of an afterthought. Visit around Christmastime and the effect is a particularly outlandish brand of Dickensian meets Disney, with a gargantuan Christmas tree drenched head to toe in fairy lights, and gaudy, bauble-bedecked wreaths everywhere.
Eat your fill
Edinburgh has no shortage of wonderful places to eat. Locals’ favourite The Outsider (theoutsiderrestaurant.com) is the perfect place to grab a spot of lunch. Booking is highly recommended for this popular eatery, where the food is ludicrously good value and the views of Edinburgh Castle through the floor to ceiling windows unbeatable. The hand written menu changes regularly, featuring dishes such as pan fried seabass fillet with crispy red pepper polenta, wasabi crushed peas and smoked paprika syrup; a snip at £6.90.
Come dinner-time head to Gardener’s Cottage (thegardenerscottage.co) – a bijoux, rustic restaurant housed in a charming 19th century building, where guests sit on communal wooden benches and eat whatever’s put in front of them by chefs Dale Mailley and Edward Murray. This is a tasting menu-only affair, where for a flat fee of £60 you are served up nine mouth-watering courses based on seasonal ingredients sourced locally.
Get back to nature
It seems a prerequisite for a city to have a botanical garden these days, but Edinburgh’s is a cut above. The Royal Botanic Garden (rbge.org.uk) was first set up in 1670 and boasts over 70 acres of landscaped grounds to explore. There’s a huge amount to see and do – the Scottish Heath Garden is a recreation of the Scottish highlands, the Rock Garden is home to over 5,000 alpine plants and the 165m-long Herbaceous Border is backed by a century-old beech hedge. There are daily tours of the garden, plus 28 glasshouses (the oldest of which was built in 1834) that are teeming with exotic plantlife. And from 29 July to 29 October 2017 a new art exhibition, Plant Scenery of the World, brings together established and emerging artists as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival. Entry to the garden is free, glasshouse admittance costs £6.50.
Art attack
Swing by the Scottish National Gallery (nationalgalleries.org) and the Royal Scottish Academy (royalscottishacademy.org), housed in neighbouring buildings by Waverley Station. The National Gallery is home to masterpieces by Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Constable, Turner, Monet, Van Gogh and Gauguin, while the adjoining Academy features a variety of temporary exhibitions. Free admission (although there is a fee for some exhibitions).
Walk the Royal Mile
Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile refers to the collection of historic, iconic streets at the heart of the Old Town. Start at Holyrood Palace and meander your way along from east to west, taking in the Scottish Parliament building, Canongate Kirk and St Giles’ Cathedral. At the other end of the Royal Mile you’ll find the brooding form of Edinburgh Castle (edinburghcastle.gov.uk). Content yourself with taking some snaps in the large courtyard out front or stump up the £17 to go inside and explore the Great Hall and admire the Stone of Destiny and Scottish crown jewels in all their glory.
Head underground
The Real Mary King’s Close (realmarykingsclose.com) is one of Edinburgh’s odder attractions, but provides a fascinating tour around the city’s warren of old alleyways, now underground. These 17th century tunnels used to be streets where people lived, but have since been completely built over, leaving them intact – just as they were hundreds of years ago. On a one-hour tour led by an actor who stays resolutely in character as a peasant from the 1600s throughout, visitors learn about Edinburgh’s rich and varied history, with a focus on the devastation wreaked by the Black Death. Adult tour costs £14.75.
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