How to Make the Most Out of Six Hours in Edinburgh
One of the most important lessons that I’ve learned in my years of international travel is the value of gaining the best possible cultural experiences I can for time and money spent while planning out a complicated itinerary. This lesson was most clearly shown when I was organizing a trip to Copenhagen in mid-August 2024 to attend a week-long physics conference, while also wanting to meet important personal objectives along the way, specifically in London and Newcastle. However, for budgetary reasons I needed to keep the number of flights I took to a bare minimum, while simultaneously maximizing the quality time available to spend with friends before my eventual arrival to Copenhagen and the return journey home. Since I didn’t have much time available to spend on these side trips, I needed to be as time-efficient and cost-effective as possible to get the most value I could.
While searching for a solution to this challenge, an unexpected opportunity appeared when I discovered that Air Canada offers direct flights from Toronto to Edinburgh during the summer months for a reasonable cost at my desired time of travel. Normally, I would fly to London as my first European destination because it’s an international hub to easily connect to all other destinations worldwide.
However, the idea of flying to Edinburgh intrigued me for more personal reasons because, while I had visited the city one time before on a weekend road trip with friends in 2002 when I lived in Lancaster, England, I never got to see it properly from being miserably sick with the flu. The idea of making amends for that bad experience well over 20 years ago was very attractive to me, even when I didn’t have the time available to stay there overnight. Therefore, with only one 90-minute train ride to Newcastle from Edinburgh instead of travelling by train from London for three hours each way, it simply made logistical sense to arrive in Edinburgh, get myself settled from the effects of jet lag, and then spend six hours on a self-guided walking tour of the city before continuing on to Newcastle for my personal overnight visit, followed by London and Copenhagen thereafter.
Arrival at Edinburgh Airport and Waverley Train Station
One of the secrets of international travel that’s not often appreciated by North American travellers to Europe is the importance of utilizing the smaller regional airports to reach the continent whenever possible. While it often makes sense to travel first to London whenever visiting the United Kingdom, it can be a troublesome experience dealing with the inevitable congestion that comes from having so much air traffic concentrated there. In contrast, my arrival at Edinburgh Airport in the early morning, with minimal time I spent from when we landed to clearing the passport control station, was simply a breeze when compared to going through an equivalent experience at London Heathrow Airport. While there are either direct or one-stop flights available from Edinburgh to Canada, United States, China, and parts of Africa and the Middle East, the overwhelming majority of its destinations are large and mid-size cities within Europe, with service to smaller cities within the United Kingdom and Ireland.
While I can’t comment about all of the amenities offered by Edinburgh Airport, what I can mention is the fact that there are several viable options available to reach the city centre from the airport, depending on what level of convenience is required by the traveller. For myself, since I had six hours of time between my arrival and the departure time for my train to Newcastle, I was content to take either an express bus or the tram to reach the Edinburgh Waverley train station in the city centre between Princes St. and Market St. I decided to take the tram for the simple benefit of having the experience of sampling the light rail service in Edinburgh, after which I got off at the stop closest to Waverley Station.
Once I reached the waiting area of the train station and called my friend in Newcastle after I was finally settled, I decided to place my carry-on in temporary luggage storage before proceeding with my walking tour of Edinburgh. While I did some brief research beforehand on what I might want to see with the limited time available, I wasn’t quite sure of the best course of action. That’s why I was very grateful to the man at the luggage storage building who gave me excellent advice on how best to proceed. The following is what I was able to see from a distance and up close for the remaining six hours I had in Edinburgh, and in this specific order.
Edinburgh Castle
Just south of Waverley Train Station, the first destination on my list was to visit Edinburgh Castle, found high above train level at The Esplanade, Edinburgh, UK EH1 2NG and is open daily from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm or 6:00 pm, depending on the time of year. I was instructed to follow along Market St. from the train station towards the castle and eventually reach the main entrance. The fortress castle is located on the summit of an extinct volcano known as Castle Rock. This region of Scotland revealed archeological evidence of human settlement since the early Iron Age (1200 - 500 BC) and has been widely recognized ever since for its strategic military value. When it eventually became a functioning castle since the 11th century AD, it served as the official residence for Scottish royalty for centuries.
Since I clearly had no time available to even consider taking in a tour of Edinburgh Castle, the best I could do was take some exterior photos from the entrance and speak briefly with the ticket agents about their experiences working there. While Edinburgh Castle is no longer used as an official Royal Residence, one of the interesting facts I learned from talking with the staff is that it still functions as an active military base with a garrison of troops stationed there—albeit for mostly ceremonial and administrative purposes only, while also serving as Scotland’s most popular tourist attraction.
The Royal Mile
Another feature of note is that the entrance to Edinburgh Castle is the topmost endpoint of the so-called Royal Mile, a long stretch of road roughly one mile long that is the main thoroughfare through Old Town Edinburgh, whose endpoint at bottom is the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Unfortunately, given the variety of other attractions to view with limited time available, I was unable to commit to walking the full length of the Royal Mile, but made the most of what I could see with the time left over. The people from Edinburgh Castle were very helpful to give me further suggestions on where to go from here, and so I decided to follow their advice and proceed accordingly.
St. Giles’ Cathedral
Not too far away from Edinburgh Castle along the Royal Mile is St. Giles’ Cathedral, a medieval parish church associated with the Church of Scotland and founded in 1124 by King David I. It has remained a working church for close to 900 years that currently functions with donations from the public, and is open to all from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm most days. Unfortunately, I arrived there too early for me to enter and I didn’t have the time to wait until it could open, so again the best that I could do under the circumstances was to take some exterior photos and walk along the Royal Mile until I made a right turn on South Bridge that would lead me to the National Museum of Scotland as a suggested place to visit by the Edinburgh Castle staff.
National Museum of Scotland
The National Museum of Scotland on Chambers St. Edinburgh EH1 1JF is regarded as a premiere exhibition of all things to do with Scotland from the prehistoric to the present, ranging from its geological structure, to matters of science and technology, to its coverage of ancient, medieval, and contemporary historical perspectives. In addition, this museum has exhibits from outside of Scotland, along with galleries showcasing art, design, and fashion for viewers to enjoy. It’s open most days from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and is free of charge. On again, however, I wasn’t able to go inside because I arrived there much too early and couldn’t spare the time to wait, so like Edinburgh Castle and St. Giles’ Cathedral, I’ll have to make another trip in order to explore in more depth what the National Museum of Scotland has to offer its visitors.
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Making my way back towards Waverley train station with still a few hours to spare before boarding my train for Newcastle, I decided to head along the north side and wander briefly through the streets of Edinburgh to get a sense of its contemporary way of life. Eventually, I arrived at the only museum in which I was able to spare any quality time visiting inside, that being the National Galleries of Scotland: Portrait on 1 Queen St. Edinburgh EH2 1JD.
Open daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and with free admission, this is a portrait and art museum dedicated to displaying Scotland’s rich heritage of both old and new visual art exhibits for the public to enjoy. Housed in an impressive red sandstone building designed by Scottish Victorian architect Robert Rowand Anderson in the Gothic revival tradition, this museum has been in operation since 1889. It’s home to over 3000 paintings and sculptures, along with 25,000 prints, and 38,000 photographs. As such, it’s possible to spend several hours marveling at all of what it has to offer the public.
Even with the time I had left, I still couldn’t spare much to look at everything in detail. However, I did manage to get a solid impression of a Scottish cultural experience that made the effort worthwhile. When I did finish viewing as many of the exhibits as I could, I decided to have a light lunch at its restaurant called Café Portrait, which is open daily from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. It’s a popular venue with local residents during the lunch hour that prides itself in preparing everything from scratch. For myself, it was a perfectly fine low-key dining experience after spending most of my morning on the streets of Edinburgh soaking in its architecture and street life, quietly contemplating the overall experience before I finally headed back to the train station and on to Newcastle for the rest of my day.
Other Options to Consider
Given my lost opportunity to see Edinburgh properly over 20 years ago before because of illness, the six hours I did have on this very brief side trip certainly made up for what I missed. Nonetheless, Edinburgh deserves to be given its due by at least spending a full night or two as a destination for international travel. Besides the venues noted above that I would like to visit properly, here’s a small sample list of other options to gain a more meaningful experience in Edinburgh than what’s possible in only six hours.
Palace of Holyroodhouse
Located at Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8DX on the opposite end of the Royal Mile is the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which is also the official Scottish residence for the British Royal Family. It’s also the home to over 900 years of Scottish royal history. In exchange for an entrance fee, people are free to take a walking tour of the residence, plus view all of the interesting rooms and displays available to the public. It also has a restaurant on site called Café at the Palace, which offers a variety of meals made with locally sourced ingredients, along with a Palace Shop to buy any number of gifts and souvenirs to give away.
Royal Yacht Britannia
The Royal Yacht Britannia, located on Ocean Dr., Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ served as the British Royal Family’s official residence overseas for over 40 years, having travelled over one million nautical miles for close to 1000 state visits worldwide. Originally launched in 1953 from the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland, it’s open for both regular visits and private events with advanced booking. In addition, the Royal Yacht Britannia operates as a luxury floating hotel for people who want to have an extra special accommodation experience while in Edinburgh.
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, located further north of Waverley train station within the city centre at EH3 5NZ, was created by Robert Sibbard and Andrew Balfour in 1670 and is 72 acres in size. It’s free admission and open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm most days of the year. This is home to close to 273,000 individual plants, representing over 13,000 species found all over the world, and offers beautiful panoramic views of the Edinburgh city skyline including Edinburgh Castle.
Camera Obscura & World of Illusions
Finally, for a radically different experience to be gained in Edinburgh that’s fun for the whole family, there’s Camera Obscura & World of Illusions at 549 Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2ND. As the name suggests, this museum is dedicated to immersing people in all manner of optical illusions that plays games with your senses and is guaranteed to make everyone happy with the overall experience, including people with physical disabilities. A visit to the museum also includes the opportunity to have an expansive view of the city from its rooftop tower.
Concluding Remarks
While it’s certainly not ideal to have only a few hours to visit a major historic city like Edinburgh while en route to a different destination, what this travel experience has shown me is that it’s still possible to get some meaningful value from exploring as much as is available with whatever time is available. All that’s required is the motivation to make it happen, some advance planning before arrival, and the willingness to take suggestions from local people who know very well what’s worth exploring when under some time pressure.
Although I know that I’ll need to make return visit to Edinburgh sometime in the future and stay for at least one night while there, at least I got the best possible value that I could with only six hours to spare.
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