The Edinburgh Pass may be the best way to see this inspiring capital if you have a lot of sight seeing planned. It offers you entry to over 30 attractions including the zoo, camera obscura, butterfly & insect world, the Edinburgh Dungeon. Also free return Airlink and city region bus transport. Exclusive offers in shops, restaurants & tours and child discounts at attractions. If you're visiting the castle then the Edinburgh Explorer pass issued by Historic Scotland may be best.
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Activities And Things To Do.
A Guide For In And Around Edinburgh
Entrance Fee
The Palace of Holyrood House official residence to the Queen.
Open daily.
The Whisky Heritage Next to Edinburgh Castle. Closed Christmas Day only. A 5 star whisky visitor attraction. Printable Discount coupons often available!
Georgian House, 7 Charlotte square. Fine Georgian Architecture and 3 floors of period decorated rooms. Learn about the Edinburgh New Towns history and tour the restored kitchen and wine cellars.
Rosslyn Chapel - We highly recommend! A 15th century medieval Church located in Roslin in the outskirts of Edinburgh. Early stone carvings of Old Testament characters, mystery, intrigue and recently used in 'The Da Vinci Code' movie with Tom Hanks all make this Chapel a must see. Drive or take the #15 Lothian Bus. Children are free with paying adult. Follow the path through the graveyard and you'll reach the ruins of Rosslyn Castle.
Cairnpapple Hill - An important prehistoric site near Edinburgh dating back to 3,000 BC. Car required.
Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre - Located on the Royal Mile. Visit their website for a free malt whisky voucher
Camera Obscura - World of Illusions on the Royal Mile
'The Falkirk Wheel Is infact the worlds first and only rotating boat lift. Very interesting and fun place to visit for all ages! To quote their website "The Falkirk Wheel is the spectacular centrepiece of the £84.5 million ‘Millennium Link', the UK’s largest canal restoration project, developed by British Waterways to reconnect the Union Canal with the Forth & Clyde Canal, re-establishing east to west coast access for boats.Apart from being an engineering and design wonder, The Falkirk Wheel is a great day out. From the stunning Visitor Centre and basin, set at the heart of a natural amphitheatre of landscaped grounds, you can view the revolution of The Wheel or go for a stroll to see it from all angles." It's about a 1hr drive from our Edinburgh vacation rental.
Hopetoun House - Described as 'Scotland's Finest Stately Home', and only 12 miles from Edinburgh. 300yr old grand house available for touring. Situated on 150 Acres of wood and parkland with walking trails. Open from Easter - September. Tearoom.
Maid Of The Forth - Boat trips from south Queensferry. Enjoy a day trip to Inchcolm Island with its sandy beach, Abbey and picnic spots or take an evening jazz/BBQ cruise.
Re-Union Canal Boats - Day trips from Edinburgh Quay to Ratho and back on the Union Canal. The canal now forms a unique wildlife corridor connecting the city of Edinburgh with the surrounding rural countryside and country parks of Mid Lothian and West Lothian. Prices from £180 for the boat and 3 crew members.
What we recommend!
Edinburgh Self Catering Victorian Villa
Charming city centre house with garden for holiday rentals
Admission Free
Museum Of Childhood on the Royal Mile. Specialising in the history of Childhood. Fabulous display of old toys, dolls and teddy bears.
Royal Museum & Museum of Scotland free guided tours included.
The Writers Museum dedicated to 3 Scottish writers Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. Located just off the Royal Mile in Lawnmarket.
City Art Centre Located in the heart of Edinburgh, with six exhibition galleries, the City Art Centre is Scotland's emporium of the visual arts. Home of the City's collection of Scottish Art, and one of the UK's leading temporary exhibition spaces. Market Street.
Greyfriars Presbyterian Kirk (Church) & Kirkyard The first church built in Edinburgh after the Reformation and opened in 1620. The only weekly Gaelic worship in southeast Scotland with Gaelic services held at 12.30 pm on Sundays.
High Kirk of St. Giles (St. Giles Cathedral) huge historic city church on the Royal Mile. Open to visitors year round Mon-Sun. Guided tours on request.
Holyrood Park a 650 acre city centre park owned by the monarch and originally a hunting estate. Almost always open to the public, and offering cultural heritage, walks, wildlife, volcanic geology and unparalleled vistas of the city from many vantage points.
Huntly House (The museum of Edinburgh) Canongate off The Royal Mile. Restored 16th-century mansion with period rooms and collections of fine silver, glass, Scottish pottery, long-case clocks, furniture and jewellry. Look for Greyfriars Bobby collar and feeding bowl.
The People's Story Canongate located opposite the Museum of Edinburgh. The museum is filled with sounds, sights and smells of the past including a prison cell, town crier, reform parade, cooper's workshop, fishwife, servant at work, dressmaker, 1940s kitchen, a wash-house, pub and tea room.
Royal Botanic Gardens Acres of outdoor gardens that are free to walk around. Entrance fee to enter the greenhouses which contain one of the worlds largest collections of plants.
Museum on the Mound The story of money. Open year round, located between Princes Street and The Royal Mile.
Lauriston Castle is more of a grand mansion, built in the 19th century around a 16th century tower house. The interior has been left in its Edwardian style as the Reids decorated and furnished the mansion. The 30 acres of parkland, formal gardens, Japanese garden and lawns, all with magnificent views over the Firth of Forth are free to enter. There is an admission charge to enter the castle for the tour.
This is a 10 minute drive from Edinburgh Villa or catch the No.24 bus that says Edinburgh Park. This stops at Lauriston Castle.
Tours of the Scottish Parliament building are now free and available to visitors on non-business days. Tours will operate throughout each day from 10am - 5pm on weekdays and 11am - 4.30pm on Saturdays.
Great British Heritage Pass - Visit Britain with the Great British Heritage Pass - the best of British sightseeing and historic Britain for UK visitors. Get free entry to almost 600 British heritage tourist attractions around England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Dunnolly Adventure Outdoors - Dunolly Adventures is a family run business offering many outdoor activities to families, adults, groups, and individuals. Their activities include white water rafting, kayaking, duckying, gorge ascent, archery, climbing and high ropes.
Blackness Castle, a harbour, castle and prison which was built in the 15th century and is located on the south shore of the Firth of Forth (near the bridges and a short distance from Linlithgow). It's a short drive from Edinburgh Villa or for public transport, take a bus or train to Linlithgow and catch a bus to Edinburgh or Bo'ness.
The Falkirk Wheel - The only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world
Rossyln Chapel - easy to get to by local bus or car - truly magnificent!
Royal Botanic Gardens and
the Temperate Palm House, one of the largest plant collections in the world.
The view from Salisbury Crags in Holyrood park, looking towards the castle. This viewpoint is quite an easy walk and suitable for young children too.
Tip! Join daysoutuk.com
and save £££ at Edinburgh sites
Visit the annual RHS in June for an interesting weekend! Scottish crafts, music, competitions, food and much more! The Bus by the Villa will take you there and back.
Lauriston Castle in Edinburgh has 30 acres of grounds with lovely views. Drive or bus there and take a picnic!
Edinburgh International Festival is run throughout August and we always book up very early for this!
Tip! Save ££ at the Dungeon by checking the back of your Lothian bus ticket for a 2 for 1 coupon!
You may wish to buy different passes or tickets to save money while visiting Edinburgh. Further information can be found further down the page here
Sleeps 6-7
Sleeps 4
Sleeps 2-4
Edinburghs 3rd most popular paid tourist attractions are the open top bus tours. Consider the Grand Tour Ticket promotion which offers 24hrs hopping on and off all open top tours including the city sightseeing red bus, Edinburgh tour green bus, MacTours burgundy bus and the Majestic Tours orange bus which also includes Ocean Terminal, home of the Royal Yacht Brittania. Edinburgh Bus Tours. The sightseeing bus has an Edinburgh 'Gruesome' tour option. Aimed to attract families with children who may enjoy gorey stories from Edinburghs past. The 55 minute tour from Waverley bridge includes realistic sound effects adapted from the popular Terry Deary books, famous for the 'Horrible Histories' series.
The Royal Edinburgh Bus Ticket costs £38.50 for an Adult and £18 for a child and includes admission into Edinburgh Castle, The Palace of Holyroodhouse, The Royal Yacht Britannia, and 2 Days unlimited travel on the Major Edinburgh Tour Buses.
