Edinburgh City Guide

Georgian grandeur meets proper hospitality in this city centre outpost of the Gleneagles name. There’s a rooftop bar for good views and better cocktails, a spa for slowing down, and a restaurant and bar downstairs worth booking in for even if you’re not staying.

The Scott is on Edinburgh University's Pollock Estate, slightly south of the Old Town. The city centre can be reached in 15 minutes, and you’re a short stroll from Holyrood Park, home to Arthur’s Seat.

Directly opposite Edinburgh Castle, 100 Princes Street is steeped in the adventurous spirit of Scottish explorers. Occupying the former Royal Overseas League building, the hotel looks like a Victorian gallivant’s home, with bespoke tartans and Caledonian colour schemes offset by worldly antiques and botanical motifs. The decadent bar and restaurant command covetable views of Castle Rock, and cultural immersion comes in the form of whisky tastings and tartan workshops.

One Michelin star and a menu built on what Scotland does best. Line caught fish and shellfish sourced straight from the islands, with close ties to the foragers and growers behind every plate. No fuss required.

Set inside a converted bank, with all the grand bones you’d expect. The kitchen keeps things seasonal and produce led, and the menu shifts often enough to keep regulars coming back. Good bread too, which always says a lot.

A proper Stockbridge local with none of the airs. Come for a full Scottish breakfast or settle in for a Sunday roast, either way you’ll leave happy. No pretension, just a good pub doing what good pubs do.

The queue starts before the doors open, which tells you most of what you need to know. Since opening in 2023, Lannan has become Edinburgh’s greatest bakery obsession. Impossibly crisp pastry layers, loaves worth wrapping up and carrying home in your suitcase. Some places are all hype; this isn’t one of them.

Italian delicatessen that’s been on Elm Row since 1934. The shelves stock proper cured meats, aged cheeses, and wines sourced directly from producers they’ve known for years. There’s pasta from small Italian makers and things you won’t find elsewhere in the city. It’s the kind of place that makes you want to cook.

Luxury leather handbags designed in Edinburgh by Guy and Leeanne Hundleby, handcrafted by artisans in the mountains of Andalucia in Spain. Each bag takes up to twenty hours to make with over two thousand stitches and eighty pieces of leather. They’re built to last decades. Showrooms on Victoria Street and Multrees Walk.

Started from market stalls in the eighties, Herman Brown built Edinburgh’s vintage scene from there. Located on West Port near the art college, they stock everything from 1930s to 80s pieces with a strong collection of jewellery and accessories. You might find a seventies coat that fits better than anything made last year, or a dress that’s only become more interesting with time.

Small secondhand shop on William Street where things are chosen because they’re genuinely good. Curated pieces without the trend chasing, the sort of place worth giving yourself time to browse properly.

Scottish eyewear brand with a showroom on the third floor of St James Quarter. All the standard frames are £85 with lenses included, with a carefully edited collection of colourful options. Good for that much-needed pair of prescription sunglasses.

Three floors of books in a Georgian townhouse on West Port that feels like it was built for browsing. You go in for one thing and leave with five, which is exactly how it should be. Staff recommendations scattered throughout remind you why independent book shops still matter.

Contemporary art gallery in a building that started as a fruit and vegetable market in 1938. Free entry, world-class exhibitions from Scottish and international artists. Reopened in 2021 with expanded space and a new warehouse door for more unexpected work. There’s a good cafe and an excellent bookshop for arts and culture.

Edinburgh's most photographed street, for good reason. Tucked just off Circus Place, there are mews houses in every shade which line the street with ivy creeping up brick and doors painted every colour going. Get there early before the tripods do.

Sculpture park set on twenty-five acres, with large-scale pieces positioned throughout woodland and open ground. Some you’ll stumble on by accident and others you know are coming. It’s worth the time when the weather’s on your side.

August descends and the city becomes something else entirely. Thousands of performers, shows, experiments happening all at once. Some will be brilliant, some won’t, but that’s rather the point. Book early or you’ll miss the things worth seeing.