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If you’re looking for the perfect, laid-back, castle filled trip to Edinburgh, I’ve got the best itinerary for you!
We spent three days soaking up the beauty of Edinburgh, and found the best day trip from the city to experience the slower pace that the countryside had to offer.
From $0 hotel rooms covered with points, to castles and turrets, we’re covering it all so you can replicate a trip like this too! 🏰✈️
Planes, trains, and automobiles
We started this trip in London, so we booked a long haul train ride up to Edinburgh to start our journey.
🚊I like to book our train tickets through trainline.com where I can compare routes and times for our chosen day. Quick tip: the first class seats are well worth the extra cash! More leg room, tables at every seat, and a pretty impressive dining service!
🚗 Once we arrived in Edinburgh, we were able to rent our car right at the Edinburgh Waverly train station. beep, beep!
A night away from the city
Let me say....this was my favorite day of our trip. 😍We wanted to spend a night outside the city, and we looked for a destination that was an easy drive from Edinburgh, and we stumbled upon Gullane.
A quick (and goooorgeous) 45 minute drive to this quaint little town, and we were instantly in love. Situated along the coast, and it happens to also be the destination of the Scottish Open! ⛳️
Our cozy pub stay
I don’t think I could go all the way to Scotland without finding an adorable pub to stay in…and The Bonnie Badger delivered.
I was able to book this Small Luxury Hotel through Hyatt and paid with 32,500 Hyatt points and $0 out of pocket.
After checking into the hotel, we set off for our first castle of the trip: Dirleton Castle! It was only 5 minutes down the road from the hotel, so it was a great afternoon stop! We purchased tickets when we got there and it took a little over an hour to explore the castle and grounds.
After touring the castle, we headed back to The Bonnie Badger for an EXCELLENT meal (seriously, the BEST meal we had our entire trip!!). We were so full after eating eeevvveerry bite, so it was the perfect time for a walk to the shore! It was about a 15 minute walk through the little town to get down to the water. Successful end to the day. 👌🏼
A castle roadtrip!
As per my husband’s request…we saw a LOT of castles on this trip. 🙃
Before we set out for the day, we had a delicious breakfast at The Bonnie Badger (included with our stay 🍳👏🏻).
Stop 1: Stirling CastleWe started out our roadtrip and headed to Stirling Castle. This castle that dates back to the 12th century offered some fantastic views, historic rooms, and beautiful grounds to explore. It was absolutely worth a visit, and we could purchase tickets when we arrived, so it was a convenient, flexible plan for our roadtrip day!
Stop 2: William Wallace Monument🗡️Just a 10 minute drive from the castle was our next stop; the monument to honor William Wallace, and this is where his sword is kept!
Stirling Castle grounds
Stirling Castle
The sword of William Wallace
Stop 3: Linlithgow PalaceLast sightseeing stop of our day was at the Linlithgow Palace: the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots! We purchased tickets online on our drive over, and we spent a little over an hour exploring the castle remains.
Linlithgow Palace
Overlooking the grounds
IRN-BRU for the road!
Edinburgh, here we come!
I've been dreaming of visiting Edinburgh for so long, and it did not disappoint. After our first couple days, we came back to the city to spend two nights and see all that could!
The hotel
We booked two nights at The Caledonian for 110,000 Hilton points per night and $0 out of pocket (my favorite price 😉). This luxurious Hilton property was in a super convenient location in the city: walking distance to lots of sights and transportation. 10/10 recommend
Lace up those walking shoes!
We had one full day in Edinburgh, and it was going to be PACKED. After a quick breakfast at the hotel (it was free, and just fine), we set off early to beat the tourist crowds! 🚶🏼🚶🏻♀️
For this day, we walked and bussed everywhere. The public transit system was easy to navigate and we used our Apple Maps to pull up routes and bus schedules.
Dean VillageThe first stop of the day was the idyllic little nook of Edinburgh: Dean Village. We went here first so we could enjoy the peaceful area without the crowds. Highly recommend doing the same if you visit!
Harry Potter sights in Edinburgh (that anyone will love!)
A dream for Harry Potter fans. 🤩 There are a few can’t miss spots throughout the city, and we made sure to hit them all!
Victoria Street: a popular and picturesque street in the heart of the city, and said to be the inspiration behind Diagon Alley. Fair warning: it gets crowded, so the earlier, the better!
The Elephant House: this is such a cool stop! This coffee house is where JK Rowling wrote much of the first Harry Potter book. ✍🏼The original location suffered a fire a couple years ago, and a temporary location was opened up on Victoria Street. The original location (right around the corner!) is opened back up now, and I can honestly say that both locations are worth a visit!
The original The Elephant House
The second location opened up on Victoria Street
One of the original tables JK Rowling sat at that is now insured and preserved! They had a table like this at each location
Greyfriars Kirkyard: this graveyard is over 450 years old and houses some amazing pieces of history! And if you’re a Harry Potter fan, make sure to head toward the back of the cemetery to find the gravestone that inspired Tom Riddle! 🪦🪄 Don’t forget to say “hi” to Greyfriar Bobby: one of the most popular graves for a loyal pup who didn’t want to leave their owner and spent years guarding their gravesite.
The grave of Thomas Riddle
Greyfriar Bobby monument outside the kirkyard
Edinburgh CastleA trip to Edinburgh wouldn’t be complete without visiting Edinburgh Castle! This is one that I recommend booking tickets at least a few weeks in advance if you can (time slots and days sell out). We spent a good chunk of our day here, so plan for at least 2-3 hours to explore all the buildings, grounds, and historic rooms.
Holyrood PalaceOur very tired foot took us to one last stop of the day! the Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official residence of The King in Scotland. They had some very interesting history of the royal family, and the Duke of Edinburgh was actually visiting at the same time so we got to see how the palace operated when royalty was there!
Dinner in Edinburgh
100/10 recommend visiting a pub while in Scotland, and we picked one of the oldest (and most well reviewed ⭐️⭐️) in the city. Dirty Dick’s had an awesome vibe, plentiful beer menu, and truly delicious food. Even some good vegetarian options! We each tried one of their pies and fries and were very happy with our choices!
Should you go too?
Yes, yes, yes!
We felt like three days was a great amount of time to see a lot of what the area had to offer, but we could easily add on one more day to take a bit more time to see the historic sites and venture out more.
I truly think that there is so much for everyone in Edinburgh, especially for my fellow history lovers. Castles, delicious food, Harry Potter sites, nature, and everything in between. 🩵🏰🍻
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EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
