Scotland: Itinerary for 2 days in Edinburgh
UPDATED: 2/5/2023
Note: Some links throughout our site are affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission at no cost to you.
The Layout of Edinburgh and Getting Around
Edinburgh is a relatively compact city that can be toured by foot, which is what we did. Depending on the amount of time you have in the city, your interest in walking, and how much you’re trying to see, you may prefer to look into public transportation or other options as well.
The main part of the city of Edinburgh is comprised of the West End, Old Town, and New Town, descriptive in their origins. The entirety of our time was spent in New Town and Old Town.
New Town, where we stayed, is on the more northern side of town and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999. New Town was an early planned city expansion, originally suggested by King James VII and II (he was the VII in Scotland, the II in England), and built when the Old Town was at capacity. To prevent the wealthier citizens from leaving the city altogether, they decided to expand and create a new grid-designed part to the city. The first main portion of New Town was completed by 1820 so it’s also relatively old at this point.
Old Town is also exactly what it sounds like and is the original central part of Edinburgh. In Old Town, you’ll find The Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, and Victoria Street (whether you know it or not, you’ve likely seen photos of this street, thought to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter, written by local author JK Rowling).
Visitors to Edinburgh Castle definitely don’t want to miss out on the Great Hall, which houses an amazing collection of weapons and armors from the castles history.
Harry Potter fans often flock to Edinburgh, the town that helped inspire author J.K. Rowling. Victoria Street is often credited as the rea- world inspiration for Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley.
What to Do in Edinburgh
As with any decently-sized city, there are endless options for how to spend your time that are influenced by time of year, weather, and personal interests. At the start of our 10-day road trip in Scotland, we spent just about 48 hours in the city during mid-summer (which means warmer weather - warmer being a relative term in Scotland - and longer days with the northern latitude), and here are the sites we saw and would recommend arranged by location:
New town, edinburgh
- Royal Botanic Garden - Nestled within garden walls is the 70 acre garden, visitors can wander on meandering paths. A few of our favorite highlights were the alpine garden, which prepared us for much of what we’d see in the Highlands, the 110-year old and 26 foot high beech tree hedge, the Dr. Seuss looking grove of Monkey Puzzle Trees. If you’re looking for a beautiful outdoor spot away from the spots most popular with tourists, this garden is a great item to add to your itinerary. Within it are also ten large greenhouses with tropical plants, though there is an extra fee to enter the greenhouses. Read more about our visit on our blog about the first day of our 10-day trip here.
- Sir Walter Scott Memorial - If you know anything about Scottish history and culture, you likely have writer Sir Walter Scott to thank. Practically single-handedly, he pulled elements of Scottish history out of functional oblivion (think of the tartans for example) when the Scots were crushed by the British. While there are legitimate concerns regarding Scott’s motivations and approaches, there is no doubt that he made a lasting impact on and returned pride to the Scottish people. The monument to him is the largest to any writer in the world. It’s a quick stop next to a busy intersection, but you will be impressed by its sheer size and Gothic design.
old town, edinburgh
- Edinburgh Castle - Touring Edinburgh Castle is without a doubt a central stop for heaving masses of tourists but also worthwhile for a few reasons: amazing views of Edinburgh from its castle walls, St. Margaret’s chapel built in 1130, the castle prison and intricate art carved by its captives, and standing in an important spot in history that saw the final days of the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. Go early, catch a free tour inside the castle gates, and definitely buy your tickets in advance to avoid lines.
- The Royal Mile - The Royal Mile runs from Edinburgh Castle down through the central part of town until it arrives at Holyroodhouse. Named the Royal Mile since it served as the processional route taken by the royal family for hundreds of years, there are old churches and the core of the old city center along this route. We only explored portions of it - closer to either end - but this is a worthwhile area to visit. This route is popular with tourists and so can get crowded.
- Victoria Street and Grassmarket - Just down from The Royal Mile, you can walk along the colorful Victoria Street, the real-life inspiration for JK Rowling’s Diagon Alley in Harry Potter, and arrive at Grassmarket, the spot of historic public executions stationed below Edinburgh Castle’s towering mass. There are pubs and shopping in the area, both of which sound much more appealing than the odd public entertainment of an execution.
- National Museum of Scotland - Whenever we travel, we try to visit country-specific museums that will help increase our knowledge and enhance our visit to the area. While the National Museum of Scotland has a diverse group of exhibits, we visited the wing dedicated entirely to the history of Scotland. Starting on the ground level, the exhibit on Scotland travels up through the ages with each climb up the building. We only had about 90 minutes to spend here before the museum closed and got through about 1 1/2 floors and wished we had more time. The exhibits were comprehensive, well done, and interesting.
- Greyfriars Kirk (church), cemetery, Greyfriars Bobby, and Flodden Wall - This church site has a number of worthwhile aspects. The Greyfriars Kirk itself played a significant role in Scottish religious history when the National Covenant was signed here in 1638, and its cemetery is old and beautiful and also the inspiration for JK Rowling’s characters with headstones for Potter, McGonagall, Moody (spelled Moodie in the cemetery), and Riddell. There is a monument to Greyfriars Bobby, a dog whose tale has taken on mythical status for his loyalty to his owner buried there. And easily overlooked - along one side of the cemetery is Flodden Wall, a wall dating to the 1400s that helped to defend the early Edinburgh and was the central point of the Battle of Flodden in 1513 where the Scottish and British fought and where James IV met his demise.
- Arthur’s Seat - You can’t miss this mesa-like hill and rocky outcrop situated over the city and walkable from Old Town. The remnants of an ancient volcano, visitors can take multiple paths to hike up to the top and take in what can only be epic vistas. We were ill-prepared to hike it based on our footwear so simply walked to and along the base of it this trip.
- Holyroodhouse - This royal residence sits at the opposite end of The Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle and portions of it date to the 16th century. Even today, it is the royal residence for the British crown when in Scotland. We were unable to tour it since the Queen was visiting and staying there during our trip. If this is a spot you want to visit, check in advance to ensure it will be open to the public.
- Holyrood Abbey - Situated near Holyroodhouse, this 12th century abbey is currently in ruins due to a 1768 roof collapse that occurred after it had fallen into disrepair. But during the 500 or so years it was in use, it served as the meeting place for Parliament including during Robert the Bruce’s reign. Even today, the beauty of the building and its archways, are evident in the stark remnants of this building.
Arthur’s Seat, the solidified volcanic neck of an extinct volcano promanently overlooks the city. There are several paths around and up this geologic wonder.
Day Trip from Edinburgh
linlithgow palace and town of linlithgow
If you are looking to get out of the city center for a short trip away from the hustle and bustle, a great option is Linlithgow Palace, located in the town of Linlithgow, about a 35-40 minute drive from the city. While we had a rental car for our trip, there are various public transportation options available to get to the site.
Linlithgow Palace was one of my absolute favorite spots during our 10 day road trip through Scotland. Perched on the banks of Linlithgow Loch (for those unfamiliar with Scots-isms, a loch is a lake) surrounded by beautiful Scottish countryside. One unique feature of Linlithgow is that it was built as an actual palace for a luxurious royal home. For fans of the show Outlander, this palace was the filming location for Wentworth Prison.
The palace is basically a giant squared building with the middle open as a courtyard. All four sides have multiple levels and rooms, and in each corner is a spiral staircase that heads up to the roof. There are also subterranean basement rooms quite a ways down. All of this is completely open to visitors to explore on their own through self-guided tours. (A few sections are closed off due to safety concerns). In a world with so many finely curated castle tours, having the run of the building was a neat experience. Because of the immense size, you could wander quite a while before even running into another person.
We spent about 90 minutes at the palace before needing to move on given the drive we had ahead of us that day, but we could have easily spent 2 hours at Linlithgow Palace. Our more detailed blog can be found here.
The town of Linlithgow is small, adorable, and walkable from the Palace. So, we headed out the main palace gate into town and grabbed a bite to eat at a pub called The Four Marys and then afternoon coffee at a small coffee house down the street.
Click image below to save this post to Pinterest!
Check out our other posts about Scotland:
Seeking Adventure?
Join us on our trek through the Scottish Highlands.