We’ve visited so many incredible cities, walked so many old cobbled streets, but Edinburgh will always remain one of our favourites. We don’t know what it is about the city. It just has a special feeling that makes us want to never leave.

Cost: Free

Edinburgh is split into new town and old town, with the divider being Princes Street and the Edinburgh train station. It’s easy to see as you’ll be walking along a normal shopping street browsing an H&M, and the next second you’ll cross a bridge and you’ll suddenly be in a beautiful old street surrounded by vintage store and cute cafes. It’s amazing.

The best place to walk is the Royal Mile and we’d recommend walking down the whole thing. This takes about half an hour each way and there’s so many cool shops, pubs and restaurants along the way. At the very top is of course the amazing Edinburgh Castle, which has an incredible view over the city.

While walking along the Mile make sure to check out the Tron Kirk Market that’s in an old church. It’s one of the coolest little markets and has about 20 stalls from artists that have come from all over Scotland. You’ll find everything from handmade gifts and cards, to household pieces, to bits for pets.

Along the Royal Mile there is also St Giles’ Cathedral, heaps of historical statues, and beautiful architecture all around. Every single time we’ve visited, there’s been a bagpipe busker which really enhances the Scottish vibe.

Beyond the Royal Mile there are many other streets worth walking down such as Cockburn Street and Victoria Street. You can also visit Elephant House, the cafe that the first Harry Potter was written in. While we don’t support the author, we grew up loving the books. The Elephant House was damaged in a fire in 2021, but is set to reopen in the summer of 2024.

Just behind Elephant House is Greyfriars Kirkyard Edinburgh which is a beautiful graveyard. JK Rowling used the graveyard as inspiration while working on the books, and you will even find a gravestone of Tom Riddle, however the real Tom obviously has no relation to the books. From there it’s easy to work your way around the back of Edinburgh Castle and back to Princes Street.

If you get bored while walking around the old town, there are so many museums that you can visit.

• The People’s Story Museum showcases what city life would have been like in the 1700s
• The Museum of Childhood has toys, books, clothes and games from as far back as the 1800s.
• The Museum of Edinburgh takes you on a tour of Edinburgh’s history in some incredible 16th century buildings
• The Writers’ Museum has books, portraits and other personal effects from three famous Scottish writers: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson
• The Museum on the Mound is a museum following the history of money that also showcases Scotland’s oldest bank note.
• If you’re looking for a bigger museum, The National Museum of Scotland is free admission and had lots of exhibits on various histories of Scotland, and a natural history section too

• Back up near Edinburgh Castle there is the famous Camera Obscura & World of Illusions Museum that has 5 floors of fun optical Illusions. This museum costs £22.95 per adult.
• If Whisky is more your thing, just across from Camera Obscura is The Scotch Whisky Experience. Here you can learn the history of Scotland’s national drink, how it’s made and of course try lots of samples. Tickets cost anywhere between £23 to £96 depending on how much you’d like to try and what kind of experience you’d like to have.
• And lastly, there is the unique Museum of Magic, Fortune-telling & Witchcraft which has artefacts from the 17th century, with pshyic readings every day, and tickets are £7.50 per adult.

No matter what you’re into and what your budget is, there are lots of museums to keep you entertained.

Cost: £19.50 but free to see the views!

Obviously one of the most popular things to do in Edinburgh is to visit the castle. It overlooks a lot of the city and can be seen from most places but also has an interesting history that makes it worth a visit.

Since it was built in the 11th century it has been a royal residence, a military garrison, a prison and a fortress, and is one of the oldest fortified places in Europe. It houses the Scottish National War Museum, the Museum of The Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Regimental Museum.

It is also where the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo takes place during the annual Edinburgh Festival, so really is an important place in Edinburgh. Entry tickets must be booked for a timed entry and can be booked on their website for £19.50 per adult.

Even if you decide not to go as its not super budget friendly, it’s definitely worth heading up there for the amazing views over the city!

Cost: Free

If you’ve read any of our other travel guides, you’ll know that we love a garden, especially if it’s free. So of course one of our recommendations is the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens.

It is a 25 minute walk from Princes Street or a 15 minute bus, so super easy to get to. Inside there’s lots of cute little things to see such as a rock garden, an Arboretum, a Queens memorial garden, a pond, and a great little cafe. There’s a free art gallery in the middle of the garden which holds art exhibitions every now and then too.

There is also a hill which offers great views back to the city, including Edinburgh castle which is very cool. It’s such a nice place to spend time walking around and would also be a great place for a picnic!

Cost: Free

If you want a nice view of the city without too much hiking, the place to go is Calton Hill. Just a 6 minute walk from Edinburgh train station, and less than 10 minutes to the top, it has a 360 degree view of the city, the hills around it, and the sea.

On top there is the Dugald Stewart Monument which was built in 1831 and is in most Calton Hill photos. There is also lots of other things including the Nelson Monument and the National Monument of Scotland. As well as the Monument to the Scottish Parliament, an art gallery and even a fancy restaurant.

There’s also lots of different viewpoints to see the view from so this hill is definitely worth a visit.

Cost: Free

Another place to see an incredible view, with a bit more hiking than Calton Hill, is Arthur’s Seat. Arthur’s Seat, along with the hill on which Edinburgh castle sits, are remnants of Scotlands volcanic past. Both hills are volcanic rock, and you can see when you’re at the top of Arthur’s Seat that the rocks are cooled lava. They also both jut out quite dramatically from the surrounding landscape.

This is a really lovely walk that doesn’t take too long and has an even better view from the top. It’s a super popular walk so there will always be people around and you can walk to the start from the Royal Mile.

Walk all the way down Canongate road to the Scottish Parliament Building, turn right and walk until you reach the hill. Once there, turn left and walk along the hill until you come to the Holyrood Car Park. This is where the walk begins. There are many ways to climb Arthur’s Seat but leaving from there is the easiest way.

The walk itself is on a dirt path and is relatively steep, however there are lots of spots to sit and take a break along the way. One of those spots is the St Anthony’s Chapel Ruins which is towards the start of the hike. It is a small detour off the Arthur’s Seat trail but is a very interesting place to stop.

It took us only half an hour to get to the top and once there you will have sweeping views from 251 meters above sea level! There’s nothing much up the top, just some monuments and rocks to sit on while you rest from the climb. You can head down the way you came or try another way. There’s not really trees on the hill and you’ll see many paths down so its unlikely you’d end up lost.

You won’t need any special clothing, as long as you’ve got shoes with some grip. It gets quite rocky towards the top and can get slippery especially if it’s been raining. Also keep in mind that the weather up the top can be quite windy so it’d be best to do it on as calm a day as possible.

This really is a great thing to do in Edinburgh if you have more than one day in the city, and is such a great way to see the city from such a cool viewpoint.

The one down side to Edinburgh is that it is quite an expensive place to visit. Luckily while we were there we found a great little pizza shop for a quick and easy lunch called £2 pizza slice.

It’s located just off High Street in the old town and slices really are only £2, with the more extravagant ones being £3. They heat your slices up for you and it’s simple, filling and delicious. You can eat in and we never needed more than 2 slices each so is definitely one of the cheapest options for lunch in the city!

We visited Edinburgh on two separate occasions, and if you’d like to see everything we got up to, check out our travel vlogs:

Hopefully these tips have given you some ideas to see Edinburgh on a budget. It really is one of the most gorgeous places we’ve visited and we hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

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