Edinburgh
Lonely Planet Local Chitra Ramaswamy has lived in Edinburgh for more than a decade. Based in the north of the city in Leith, named one of the UK’s top hipster spots, she loves exploring the historic capital’s world famous architecture, eating out in its many excellent restaurants, sampling the city’s wealth of beautiful green spaces, and continuing on her hunt for Edinburgh’s best coffee.
From elegant fine diners to affordable eats, recent openings to established favourites, Edinburgh offers a varied and burgeoning food scene. With our guide on where to eat in the Scottish capital, venture away from tourist hotspots to discover neighbourhood venues showcasing Scotland’s best ingredients – think drool-inducing seafood, artisanal cheeses and cured meats, seasonally foraged goods and, of course, a nip or two of whisky to wash it all down.
When it comes to big, wild gatherings, Edinburgh is best known for the Fringe Festival, that month long revel dedicated to art, music and drama. There is a much older, if lesser-known, festival however, that's an equally spectacular event – the Beltane Fire Festival.
Edinburgh is one of Britain’s greenest cities. In its parks you’ll find rugged peaks, great picnic spots and botanic glasshouses. There are cutting-edge skateparks to ride, art galleries to explore and even otters to spot. Visitors may come to hilly Edinburgh for its urban charms, but it’s often in its many parks – by turns lively, bucolic and utterly epic – that the city’s life finds its greatest expression.
Edinburgh’s atmospheric natural sites and its residents’ distinctly Scottish determination for withstanding terrible weather make it a great year-round destination: Sure, it might be literally freezing, but doesn’t Arthur’s Seat look majestic covered in ice? For the less hardy amongst us, however, summer is the ideal time for visiting Scotland’s capital: not only does it get hotter (please note: we never said hot), but the city’s infamous festival season is in full force.
Cards on the table: Edinburgh isn’t a cheap place to eat, drink, or live. Second only to London as the most expensive city in the UK, and officially the most expensive place in the country to grab a pint, the Scottish capital is an easy place to bleed contactless payments if you’re not careful.
