WEDDING

Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh is a city that is easy to fall in love with (and easy to fall in love in!)

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City highlights

 

• 'Old Town' including

  • Edinburgh castle which dominates Scotland's capital city from its great rock

  • The Royal Mile: a lively cobbled street running from the Castle down past the Scottish Parliament (finished in 2004) to Holyrood Palace (the Queen's Edinburgh residence)

  • Grey Friar's bobby and George IV Bridge: This statue of a famous dog (story here) on is another historic road called George IV Bridge. Here you'll also find lots of restaurants, Edinburgh's chicest hotel (Missoni), as well as "The Elephant House " – a cafe JK Rowling used when writing Harry Potter

  • Grassmarket: On this historic market squareyou'll find some quirky shops, old pubs and a cluster of student nightlife. For more quirky shops, check out Victoria Street, which connects Grassmarket and George IV bridge

• Princes' street: Edinburgh's main shopping street which has some fantastic views of the castle especially from the Western end

• 'New Town' including

  • George Street, which runs parallel to Princes Street, and offers more upmarket shopping. Between Princes and George Street runs a small street called Rose Street with lots of good pubs

  • Royal Botanic Gardens: a lovely public garden/park, great for a picnic on a sunny day - we shot our save-the-date video here. Its Victorian glasshouse is worth checking out too.

• New Arthur's Seat: this hill has fantastic views and is a great and easy way to escape the hustle-and-bustle of the city

• Edinburgh has several great museums. All public museums and galleries are free in Scotland, except for special exhibitions. We'd especially recommend: 

  • The National Museum of Scotland which has recently been refurbished and is lovely – do have a wander in to see the beautiful main hall, even if you just spend 10 minutes there.

  • The Scottish National Gallery

  • The National Gallery of Modern Art

 

 

Eat and be merry!

 

High end - if you are looking to splash out on great food, try one of these:

• The Witchery, near the castle. Very atmospheric, one of Edinburgh's best restaurants

• The Tower Restaurant – this is above the National Museum of Scotland. Great views, and delicious, modern food

• Cafe St Honore, in New Town. A small but charming French restaurant 

• The Kitchin. This is Tom Kitchin's flagship restaurant. It's located at "commercial quay" i.e. near the estuary, past Leith / further out from the centre than the other restaurants mentioned. It's got an amazing reputation (and a michelin star)

 

Mid-price:

• Scran and Sallie: This fantastic gastro-pub by Tom Kitchin in Stockbridge (New Town) comes highly recommended - we love it!

• Miro's Cantina: Decent tex mex on Rose Street. Have the black bean soup if it's on the menu.

• The Grain Store: On Victoria Street, this well-reputed restaurant focuses on showcasing Scottish produce. Prices on the higher end of mid-range

 

Cheap eats

• La Favorita: Said to make Edinburgh's best pizza

• The Mosque Kitchen: When we lived in Edinburgh, this place was actually in the mosque. It has now moved to separate premises, but still serves good curries at very affordable prices

• The Elephant House: On George the IV Bridge, this cafe does good lunch food (sandwiches, quiches, soups etc). It also has a small sister bagel place nearby called Elephants and Bagel - try the chocolate fudge cake if you go there!

• The Piemaker: A great selection of tasty and cheap pies to takeaway, including vegetarian and vegan options

• Palmyra: Not exactly culinary heaven, but if you've been out late, this is your best bet for a kebab, falafel sandwich, or more!

 

Events

 

"The Festival":  Edinburgh famously hosts the world's largest arts festival in August. This attracts thousands of acts, from the big name ballet and theatre troupes, to original newcomers. It is particularly well known for comedy and theatre. "The Festival" is actually a series of festivals including: The Fringe, The International Festival and the Comedy Festival. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and Edinburgh Book Festival also happen in this period.

 

Note: The Festival will kick off 1 week after our wedding, so if you plan to explore Scotland the week after the wedding, do finish in Edinburgh! If you are not staying until then, some of the performers may be doing preview shows the week right after the wedding.

 

There are several other smaller festivals in Edinburgh over the summer; including the Edinburgh Jazz Festival 18-27 July, which coincides with the wedding.