What to do with a day in Edinburgh?
July 17, 2023 12:40 PM   Subscribe

Two people, one day, Edinburgh. What to do?

I and my sister are taking a very brief, impromptu trip to Edinburgh this weekend. Excluding what we'll be there for, we'll have a whole free day on Monday, and possibly a few free hours on Sunday morning as well (for which it will be better to stay in the general area of Princes St / Queen St given unchangeable afternoon plans).

Neither of us has been to Edinburgh in more than a decade; we do like art, history and such. Assume we've seen all the various blog posts and guides that pop up when searching "what to do in Edinburgh for a day", but I figured I'd post in case there's something temporary that is not to be missed that wouldn't show up on those guides.

PS. Nothing Harry Potter related, please.
posted by sailoreagle to Travel & Transportation around City of Edinburgh, Scotland (10 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
I loved the Dean’s Village area then wandering the street to the canals by the Leith. I also quite enjoyed climbing up to Calton Hill. I didn’t have time to hike the trails up to Arthur’s Seat but you might have fun doing so. Finally, I liked spending time at Princes Gardens, and read the story of Wojtek, the polish bear.
posted by seawallrunner at 1:08 PM on July 17, 2023


I really enjoyed The Georgian House. I already like this type of museum, but it was so well managed and presented, too.
posted by mumimor at 2:30 PM on July 17, 2023 [1 favorite]


Sunday roast at Kyloe is really good. I also vote for Dean's Village and Water of Leith Walkway.
posted by neushoorn at 3:02 PM on July 17, 2023


Have an evening cocktail at The Dome on George Street. Great atmosphere and great bartenders!
posted by Don_K at 3:21 PM on July 17, 2023


If you're a science fiction and/or fantasy reader and find yourself on Candlemaker's Row in the Old Town, check out Transreal Fiction, a dedicated sf/fantasy bookstore.
posted by aught at 4:04 PM on July 17, 2023 [3 favorites]


Walk up to the castle and then wander around the main streets just below. The view from the castle is incredible, and there are lots of lovely places to eat and shops to peer into nearby.
posted by In Your Shell Like at 3:18 AM on July 18, 2023


This page will tell you what's on in Edinburgh this weekend. Apart from all the usual stuff to see there are the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival and the Edinburgh food festival - both in progress. Or you could go and catch Nile Rogers at the Usher Hall.. If you want to go and visit somewhere unique and where you won't see any other tourists: maybe the Georgian Antique centre in Leith
posted by rongorongo at 5:40 AM on July 18, 2023


We were in Edinburgh last month and I made a handbag at Islander Bags. It only took an hour (they have classes throughout the day) and I love my personally customised bag. There are lots of options for mixing and matching components, and it was so hard to choose just one colour combination that I went back the next day and made a second, smaller bag! One summery, one wintery.
If you’re not vegetarian, and you haven’t tried it before, please try haggis. I was squeamish about it, but it’s really delicious.
posted by MissyMonster at 8:50 AM on July 18, 2023


I used to live in Edinburgh and now, living in Glasgow, return every couple of months. I will usually make a point of fitting an art exhibition into my visit. There tend to be several on that I find appealing, and I'll make a choice based on what else/where else is in my plans.

Here are the things that look particularly good to me that are on this weekend:

National (Royal Scottish Academy) - in the middle of Princes Street so convenient no matter what you are doing
Grayson Perry | Smash Hits - £19-£5
This exhibition by a very well-known artist begins this very weekend, so get your slot booked if you want to see it. Plenty tickets available on Monday at time of writing though - "the biggest ever exhibition of Sir Grayson Perry's work, covering his 40-year career ... On view will be subversive pots, brilliantly intricate prints, elaborate sculptures, and huge, captivating tapestries - all imbued with Perry's sharp wit and social commentary."
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/exhibition/grayson-perry-smash-hits

Modern Two - up near the New Town and Dean Village, mentioned above, so could be combined with a walk around these areas - this would be a really lovely day out
Decades | The Art of Change 1900–1980 - FREE
"takes visitors through a series of six chapters across six rooms at Modern Two. Each chapter speaks of a particular moment from across the twentieth century, when artists rebelled against the previous generation, creating works which came to characterise a period."
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/exhibition/decades-art-change-1900%E2%80%931980

Modern One - again, New Town/Dean Village area
Alberta Whittle | create dangerously - FREE
"In her works, Alberta addresses the brutality and harm caused by colonialism, the Transatlantic trade in enslaved people, and the ongoing climate crisis."
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/exhibition/alberta-whittle-create-dangerously

Scottish National Portrait Gallery - on Queen Street, so really central as well
Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2022 - FREE
"The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize makes a welcome return to the Portrait and showcases 51 portraits from 36 artists, which includes several famous faces, including footballer and activist Marcus Rashford and Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard. The winner of this year’s Prize is Clémentine Schneidermann for the series Laundry Day. The socially distanced portraits of the series were taken during times of quarantine, self-isolation, and national lockdowns."
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/exhibition/taylor-wessing-photographic-portrait-prize-2022

City Art Centre - just behind Waverley Station (so usually convenient for fleeting visits or passing the time before a train) are three galleries in close proximity that are always worth checking out - the City Art Centre, Fruitmarket Gallery, and Stills (the last of which doesn't have an exhibition on right now)
When the Apple Ripens: Peter Howson at 65 - £8.50
"The first major retrospective of one of the UK’s leading figurative painters"
https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/whats-on/when-apple-ripens-peter-howson-65
Shifting Vistas: 250 Years of Scottish Landscape - FREE
"a selection of historic and contemporary artworks drawn from the City Art Centre’s permanent collection of fine art."
https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/whats-on/shifting-vistas-250-years-scottish-landscape

Fruitmarket Gallery - one of the galleries near the train station and with a particularly good cafe and shop
Leonor Antunes | the apparent length of a floor areaPortuguese - FREE
Berlin-based artist Leonor Antunes engages with traditions of modernist art, architecture and design through sculpture made and displayed with the specifics of a given place in mind.
https://www.fruitmarket.co.uk/event/exhibition-leonor-antunes/

posted by cincinnatus c at 4:36 AM on July 19, 2023 [2 favorites]


The Broughton is a good restaurant / pub.
posted by spilon at 1:38 PM on July 19, 2023


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