20 Fun Things to Do in Edinburgh in 3 Days

When traveling to Scotland, it is a must to include Edinburgh on the itinerary.  However, we wanted to explore more of Scotland, especially the beautiful Highlands, rather than spending our entire vacation in the city.  Luckily, even though there are many things to do in Edinburgh, Scotland’s Old Town is compact so travelers can easily see much of Edinburgh in three days or less. 

Tour a Medieval Castle

The Old Town of Edinburgh stretches along approximately one mile; to be specific, the Royal Mile.  At the west end of the Royal Mile is Edinburgh Castle.  A ticket includes the option of joining a 30-minute guided tour of Edinburgh Castle, which we found was the best way to learn about the castle’s history.  After the tour, we were free to explore the various rooms and sights at the castle.

Robert the Bruce captured Edinburgh Castle in 1314 when 30 Scots overpowered the castle guard in the middle of the night.  Since he wouldn’t be inhabiting the castle and wouldn’t be able to protect it from being taken back by the English, he made sure no one else could have it by burning it down.  The only original building that survived is St. Margaret’s Chapel.  St. Margaret’s Chapel was built in the 12th century and is also the oldest building in all of Edinburgh.

One of the highlights of Edinburgh Castle is the Scottish Crown Jewels.  The Crown Jewels were hidden in Dunnotour Castle to save them from Oliver Cromwell.  They were rediscovered in 1818 by a group of people including Sir Walter Scott.  During World War II, the Crown of Scotland was hidden again, this time in a latrine closet in David’s Tower.  It is now on display in the building that also holds the Royal Palace, where visitors can visit the room where Mary, Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI.  The crown jewels date back to 1540 and are the oldest set of crown jewels in Great Britain.  Charles II was the last to be crowned King of Scotland in 1651 with this crown before Scotland became part of the United Kingdom.  Included in the display of the crown jewels is the Stone of Scone, which was originally at Scone Abbey and was the stone on which both Scottish and English kings were crowned for over 1,000 years.

In the same square as the Royal Palace is another highlight, the Scottish National War Memorial, which honors all Scots lost in wars through the present day.  Look closely at the stained glass windows which contain scenes of war like tanks and troops.  Across from the War Memorial is the Great Hall, which has a roof made with the hull of a ship.  The roof is the only original piece remaining, as the rest of the Great Hall is from the 1800s.

Pretend to be Royalty at the Queen’s House

The Palace of Holyroodhouse is home to the royal family when they are in Scotland.  The palace was originally an abbey built in 1128 by King David I.  It was converted into a palace by James IV.  The palace’s present form was rebuilt by Charles II in the 1670s.

Included with admission is an audio guide that explains the history of the palace and talks about each of the state apartments.  The self-guided tour passes through rooms like the Throne Room, drawing rooms, and the Great Gallery.  In addition to the state apartments are the older apartments of Mary, Queen of Scots.  This is where she lived after returning from France and where her secretary, David Rizzio, was murdered by her husband.

The palace also shows special exhibits.  During our visit, the special exhibit celebrated the Queen’s 90th birthday with an exhibition of the largest collection of her clothing to ever be shown in Scotland. 

Behind the palace are remains of the abbey as well as the palace gardens.

Hike in the City

We were surprised to learn that we could actually take a hike in the middle of the city.  Thanks to a local couple we met during our St. Giles’ Cathedral rooftop tour, we learned about this great hike.  They had lived in Edinburgh for decades and had never climbed up to St. Giles’ rooftop before but had always wanted to.  Also on their Edinburgh bucket list is hiking in Holyrood Park.  I took their suggestion while Romeo golfed Musselburgh Links.  Holyrood Park is directly behind the Palace of Holyroodhouse and offers miles of hiking along with views of Edinburgh.  

Holyrood Park started as a royal hunting ground in the 1100s.  There are a number of interesting archaeological and geological features in the park.  The land upon which Edinburgh seats is the result of a volcano.  Hikers can hike Arthurs’s Seat, the remains of Edinburgh’s volcano.  Edinburgh Castle is built on a vent of the same volcano.

Another site in Holyrood Park is St. Anthony’s Chapel, a chapel built in the medieval times.  The chapel and well used to be a place of pilgrimage for individuals with skin problems.  Hunter’s Bog, nestled between Arthur’s Seat, Salisbury Crags, and Whinny Hill, is a haven for wildlife and rare plants, and is also a favorite for dogs and their owners.

Climb a Hill of Monuments

Calton Hill stands out along Edinburgh’s horizon because it is a hill covered with monuments that look more like ancient ruins from a distance.  The monuments on Calton Hill include the National Monument, which looks like Athens’ Parthenon and honors soldiers that died in the Napoleonic Wars, the obelisk-like Nelson Monument which commemorates the death of Admiral Lord Nelson, and the Dugald Stewart Monument.  Calton Hill also provides spectacular views of Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and Arthur’s Seat.

Release Your Inner Taphophile

You may be a taphophile and not even know it.  If you are a tombstone tourist and cemetery enthusiast, you might be a taphophile.  There are a number of cemeteries in Edinburgh, not just Greyfriars Kirkyard.  A particularly picturesque cemetery we stumbled upon while walking to the Palace of Holyroodhouse is near the Burns Monument and contains some commonwealth war graves.

One Harry Potter inspiration is the curving and colorful Victoria Street which was the inspiration for Diagon Alley.  George Heriot’s School provided inspiration for the architecture of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Some of the names used in the Harry Potter novels were taken directly from the tombstones of Greyfriars Kirkyard.  One is the name of He Who Must Not Be Named, not Lord Voldemort, but Thomas Riddle.  We didn’t see evidence of this during our visit, but apparently fans visit the grave of Thomas Riddle and leave notes written to the fictional character.

Sights like these are included in The Reel Edinburgh Tour, a cinematic walking tour started by Mark Kydd and Laverne Edmonds, the actors who lead our literary history pub tour.

See Scotland’s Treasures

The National Museum of Scotland is a huge museum housing Scotland’s treasures as well as pieces of nature and world culture.  It would take hours to see everything in this one museum.  Since we only had three days in Edinburgh, we chose to concentrate on just a few of the museum’s highlights.  One of these highlights is the Lewis Chessmen, chessmen that were made of walrus tusk in the late 12th or early 13th century and were found in Lewis, Scotland in 1831.  Another must-see is Bonnie Prince Charlie’s silver canteen which held often needed essentials like a bone marrow scoop, nutmeg grater, and wine taster....

The Tartan Weaving Mill & Exhibition is a five story monument to tartan production.  During the week visitors can see the mill in action and kilts being made.  There are also plenty of opportunities for shopping throughout the mill.

Visit Edinburgh’s Other Monuments

There are monuments to Scotland’s important figures throughout the city.  One of the most important is the Scott Monument, the largest monument to a writer in the world.  The monument features Sir Walter Scott and his favorite deerhound Maida.  Visitors can also climb up the stairs of the monument for yet another view of the city, though we were unable to do so as the monument was being restored during our visit.  

Other monuments of Edinburgh include the Burns Monument, commemorating the Scottish poet Robert Burns, and the equestrian statue of King Charles II, which is the oldest statue in Edinburgh.

Stay in an Edinburgh Hotel on the Royal Mile

The key to seeing everything on an Edinburgh three-day itinerary is to stay in a centrally located hotel.  Our Edinburgh hotel of choice was the Radisson Blu Hotel, Edinburgh, right in the center of Edinburgh and the Royal Mile.  The location seriously doesn’t get any better than right on the Royal Mile, pretty much equidistant between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse and within walking distance of absolutely everything, including attractions, restaurants, and the train station.  In addition to the bar in the hotel, there are also two great pubs right across the street which have live music and serve Scottish ales and whiskies.   

Even though it was just the two of us traveling, the Radisson Blu Hotel, Edinburgh set us up in large corner family room.  The Radisson Blu Hotel, Edinburgh is a great Edinburgh hotel for traveling families as well as traveling couples.  The family room had a king-size bed along with two double beds, a corner couch, a desk and chair, a small coffee table and chair, plus fun toys for the kids like a road rug, train set, and chalkboard.  There were also two closets, which you can bet we took advantage of even though we weren’t the intended family of four.

Along with the corner room came beautiful views over the rooftops of Edinburgh.  With all the tiny chimnies poking out of the top of Edinburgh’s brick and stone buildings, I almost felt like I was going to witness the scene from Mary Poppins where the chimney sweeps pop out from the chimneys and start singing and dancing “Step in Time!”   Mary Poppins was coincidentally playing at the Festival Theatre a few blocks away from the hotel, also next door to a great fish and chips place.