We were wrapping up a two-plus-day visit, just strolling through Edinburgh's lovely Princess Street Gardens, looking up at "Old Town" on its high ridge,
dramatically profiled against a blue sky with puffy white clouds, when Gail blurted out, "They just don't make them like this anymore!" And right she was!
Edinburgh (pronounced Edin-burra, in case you're not sure) is a city that's both grand and intimate, imbued with tons of history and culture, ancient yet
young in spirit, and a very walkable and welcoming town. It had long been on my "To-Visit List," but somehow in 50-plus years of travel, I hadn't made it
there--until this past spring. And it was worth the wait.
The few days we had in Edinburgh were barely enough to make a dent in its attractions, but we did our usual whirlwind effort. We started, as we often do in
cities that are new to us, with a hop-on hop-off bus tour. In Edinburgh, this service is operated by the Lothian Bus Company (Edinburghtour.com), which
offers a variety of tours and attraction passes, including several hop-on hop-off options. One of those includes a human guide (green buses), and we
thought the personal touch would be best. Having lived in Northern Ireland and just coming from a week in the Highlands, I thought my ears were tuned to
the Scottish accent. Not in this case! The tour gave us some perspective and humor, but not much insight, because most of what he said about the city was
lost in translation. The company, however, was very gracious and exchanged our ticket for a red bus, with canned narration in a variety of languages, and
that made all the difference.
The city of Edinburgh is neatly divided into two sections, the Old Town on a volcanic ridge that, from ancient times, was easy to wall in and fortify, and
the elegant New Town with its largely Georgian architecture, sitting on a plain below. The New Town really isn't so very new, as it dates to the city's
active expansion during the 18th century. Dividing them is the beautiful broad swath of the Princess Street Gardens. Once a lake, it was
drained, filled, and turned into a lovely greenway. Whether Old or New Town, Edinburgh is graced by beautiful architecture, lots of green space, elegant
squares and avenues, and spectacular monuments.
Old Town, whose skyline dominates the city, is home to Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyrood, and the "Royal Mile" with its shops, pubs, restaurants,
and magnificent St. Giles Cathedral that connects them all. This is "sightseeing central" for most visitors.
Fit for a Queen
Holyrood Palace
You easily could spend most of a day at Edinburgh Castle. This dramatic symbol of the city was its first settlement and is a virtual city in itself. Our
entry included a succinct guided tour that covered the basics with lots of wry Scottish humor tossed in. After that, we could wander around on our own,
with or without a rental audio guide, to ogle over the opulent crown jewels and check out Mary Queen of Scots' apartments and the Great Hall, where, if you
time it right, you might hear a yarn spun by an actress in period costume. The Scottish National War Museum, paying tribute to all the brave Scotsmen who
gave their lives in wars around the world, is a majestic and solemn memorial. From the castle's ramparts, you get a fantastic view over the city and the
Firth of Forth, all the way to Leith, Edinburgh's thriving port district. We, however, particularly liked seeing the corner of the castle devoted to a
doggie graveyard for soldiers' best friends.
It's best to visit the castle early in the day, since it gets rather crowded by early afternoon. Lots of people arrive for the ceremonial firing of the
cannon at 1 p.m., which historically was meant to give mariners in the distant port a means of setting their clocks. Why 1 p.m. and not noon? We were told
it's because of the Scots' frugal nature--saves eleven cannon rounds!
At the bottom end of Royal Mile is Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the Queen when in Scotland. Built in 1671--but updated since, of course--it
has seen a lot of history. And a truly grand palace it is, surrounded by gardens as luxuriant and historic as the palace itself. The Queen and members of
the royal family spend a week here every summer attending to Scottish business, conducting official ceremonies, and entertaining. Except during that time,
most of Holyrood is open to the public. An excellent audio guide (even one angled toward kids) will give you the story of the place, its past royal
connections, and insight into the current royal family's use of the home.
Edinburgh's Spirits, Past & Present
When you've had your fill of palaces and castles, the Royal Mile delivers up some other interesting perspectives on life in Edinburgh.
Not to be missed is a tour of the ancient underground city. Edinburgh has the reputation of being the place that invented the high-rise. Because it was a
walled city and being within the protection of its walls was critical in those dangerous times, the only direction to expand was up. Edinburgh's rabbit's
warren of 17th-century buildings sometimes reached ten stories tall, with narrow "closes" or alleys running off the "High" street as the only
access to them.
You can imagine the living conditions back then--the lack of sanitary facilities, the squalor, the filth. Beyond imagining it, you can actually tour the
underground city, because parts of it still exist under the newer buildings. The Real Mary King's Close tour company (realmarykingsclose.com) will take you
on what comes very close to a haunted house adventure through the dark labyrinths, weaving in lots of history of life in the middle ages--quite an
enlightening experience! If you're like me, you'll come away happy you've lived in the 20th and 21st centuries.
To lighten up a heavy day of castles, palaces, and history, I'd recommend a visit to The Scotch Whisky Experience (scotchwhiskyexperience.com; note,
there's only a "y" and not an "ey" in the Scotch variety). If you haven't had a good distillery tour while in Scotland and you're interested in the history
and "how-tos" of Scotch making, this is a good learning experience. Part of the tour includes a theme-park-like ride through a replica distillery with nice
audio-visuals along the way. Who knew there were some 3,500 different Scotches in the world? The distillery museum has a Scotch collection that is quite
amazing, and which they claim to be the world's largest. Best of all, the end of the tour includes a well-discussed sampling of a couple of Scotches.
After a wee taste, you're likely to want a dram or more of the traditional Scottish elixir, best accompanied by some friendly local company and humor.
There's no place like one of the city's vintage pubs for both. The Scotch Whisky Experience publishes a passport and map to guide you around Edinburgh's
"Whisky Trail." I stopped in at Deacon Brodie's Tavern, one of the more ancient pubs along the Royal Mile, and it didn't take long for a rather
professional-looking group of Scots celebrating their 25th reunion at Edinburgh College to welcome and adopt me as one of their own.
The Not-So-New Town
Edinburgh expanded across the valley from medieval Old Town during the reign of George I, so it's no wonder New Town shows the influence of that period.
Beautiful symmetric Georgian architecture prevails, and its broad streets are laid out in an organized grid pattern, bearing names that reflect the times
and royal connection: Princes Street, George Street, Queen Street. Attractive gardens, green belts, and gardened squares are dotted throughout the town.
This is where you'll find the city's more elegant shopping, as well as some impressive churches, museums, and monuments. Again, it is all very walkable,
you just need a decent amount of time to take it all in.
Where to Stay
During our visit, we stayed at the historic and elegant Balmoral Hotel, on the edge of New Town and the Princess Street Gardens, and
overlooking the Waverly Street Railroad Station. The structure, whose architecture combines Victorian with Scottish Baronial, was built in the late 1800s
as a railroad hotel. The Balmoral Hotel is a city landmark with its dramatic clock tower--the clock runs three minutes early to make sure people catch
their trains on time! The building underwent a £23 million renovation in 1991 and was officially reopened by Sean Connery as a five-star Rocco Forte
hotel.
We found the service excellent and our room small but elegant and comfortable. Make sure you request a room overlooking the gardens and the Old Town. We
especially enjoyed the hotel's quite generous breakfast spread (included) and lunch in its wonderful bistro-style restaurant, Hadrian's, which features
interesting twists on Scottish favorites and lots of local produce. The Balmoral Hotel also offers elegant dining at its Michelin-starred Number One
restaurant.
Dining Around
As a matter of fact, with 4 Michelin-starred and 55 Michelin-recommended restaurants, Edinburgh and its environs are a hotbed of grand eating.
Unfortunately, with our crazy schedule, we never had the time or inclination to sit down for a gourmet dinner. We did enjoy casual dinners at several
brasseries including The Scran & Scallie, created by Michelin-starred chefs Thomas Kitchin and Dominic Jack.
I know you've all heard of haggis--the Scottish "savory" traditionally cooked in a sheep's stomach--and probably have formed an opinion (negative!) about
it. But you really should try it. We ate haggis on several occasions during our Scotland visit and found it delightful. Another thing to note; if you're
visiting in summer, darkness comes very late in these northern latitudes and should not be used as your signal for dining. The Scots definitely do not dine
on a Spanish schedule. Twice after putting in long days enjoying the sights of Edinburgh, we found ourselves scrambling for a decent dining alternative
after 9:30 p.m. Also, you'll need reservations for any of the gourmet restaurants or high-end brasseries, as they tend to be popular.
The Best for Last
Our very best Edinburgh experience was actually not in the city-center itself, but rather in Leith, a short bus ride away. Leith is quite a dynamic
destination on its own, with a variety of ethnic populations and therefore a diverse dining scene. It also is home to several Michelin-starred restaurants.
That, however, was not what brought us here.
In December of 1997, after serving as the Royal Yacht since its launch in 1953, the HMY Britannia was decommissioned and put up for grabs. Bids
were sought for alternative uses for the yacht, with many proposals being private commercial ones. The district of Leith put in one of the lowest bids but
offered the most intriguing proposal--to turn the vintage ship into a public museum. And what a museum it is!
HMY Britannia
We planned to breeze through it in an hour or less and be on our way. After all, we'd "done" the Vatican in less time. Instead, we ended up spending the
entire afternoon on the ship. I came away feeling we had just stepped into a time warp and were witnesses to a lifestyle that doesn't (and can't, in fact)
exist anymore. In its heyday, the elegant ship was staffed by some 220 officers, able seamen, marine guards, and the royal household staff, all of them
overseen by an admiral. All this to attend to a royal contingent that often numbered just four to six and seldom exceeded a dozen! Even the royal family,
with its wealth, found it hard to justify the expense of maintaining the Britannia.
The museum's self-guided tour, aided by audio guides at 20-some stations, is excellent in it execution, as is the insight it provides into the operation of
the ship, the lifestyle of the royals, and that of their staff and crew. Amazingly, they found a way to make the entire ship handicap accessible, with a
tower on the adjacent dock providing elevator and ramp access to each deck of the ship. Appropriate sections, like the Queen's bedroom and that of the Duke
(yes, they slept in separate bedrooms and on single beds!) had walls cut away with Lexan viewing windows. You can see in and learn about the royal banquet
room, the officers' mess (dining room), the non-commissioned officers' pub, the crew's sleeping arrangements, even the engine room, which was clean as a
whistle! Of course, the ship carried with it the "Royal Barge," an elegant yacht in its own right, and a "garage" for the royal Rolls Royce.
Beyond the insight into the lavish and pampered lifestyle of the royals--the Queen, for example, had all staff and deck hands wear sneakers and communicate
in hand signals to avoid disturbing noises when around her--I think what was most impressive was that the ship presented a snapshot in time back to the
early 1950s. Even though it was decommissioned in the late 1990s, it did not appear to have been updated or modernized, and that went for the propulsion
method (steam), the furnishings (dowdy by modern standards), even the navigational technology. There was no GPS on the bridge, and the radar system seemed
vintage. Communications with the engine room were by voice tube and bells. The Queen's office, from which she conducted the country's business, had a
wood-encased dial phone dating back to the '50s.
No wonder this is one of Great Britain's top attractions! Having just come out of a time warp, we finished our tour as was befitting and proper, enjoying
tea and crumpets served on the upper deck with a nice view over modern Leith.
Between the beautiful antiquity of Edinburgh and our tour of the HMY Britannia, Gail's comment definitely hit the spot. They just don't make them
like this anymore!
More Hotel Reviews/Recommendations
The Balmoral
Centrally located between the Old and New Towns and adjacent to Waverly Railroad Station, the Balmoral is the grand dame of Edinburgh hotels. Its location
makes it easy to walk to many of Edinburgh's top attractions, and bus transportation is also handy. The hotel was built at the turn of the 19th
to 20th centuries, as a typical grand railroad hotel. A contest was held to design it, and the resulting architecture is a blend of Victorian
and Scottish Baronial with an ornate clock tower that is an icon of New Town.
The Balmoral was completely refurbished in 1991 by Rocco Forte Hotels to the tune of about £23 million, and was then dedicated by Sir Sean Connery.
Photos of Connery in his Bond films decorate much of the hotel. Over the years, the hotel has been the setting for various films and books. It has seen its
share of notable guests, including J.K. Rowling who wrote parts of one of her Harry Potter books here.
We stayed at the Balmoral and had a lovely if somewhat small room, with a good view out over the railroad station and Princess Street Gardens to Edinburgh
Castle in the distance. You definitely want to request a room on this side of the hotel. The hotel offer 188 rooms and suites, so isn't too big.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Hadrian's, their more informal brasserie, and also found their included breakfast spread--a combination of buffet and a la
carte menu items--more than generous, with everything fresh and of excellent quality. The Balmoral offers the very formal Palm Court, under a glass dome
and open all day for tea, coffee, and elevenses, and the formal-dining Number One, one of several Edinburgh Michelin-starred restaurants. To work off all
this excellent dining, the Balmoral offers a large and well-equipped fitness room and a good-sized swimming pool in a lower level. We found the service to
be excellent, especially from the concierges. Rates start at £240/night.
The Scotsman Hotel
This very traditional hotel sits at the foot of the Old Town, on the opposite side of the Waverly Station from the Balmoral and adjacent to the North
Bridge--a very convenient setting. Its offers just 69 rooms and suites, an elegant wood-paneled reception area, and a brasserie with lofted ceilings. We
found the rooms nice but a bit dated and in need of a refurb, which we understand it will be getting in the next year. Rates start at £159/night.
Radison Blu
The Radisson Blu is in a vintage, rough-hewn, stone-faced building on a corner setting along the Royal Mile, very convenient to Edinburgh's main
attractions. While the building appears ancient on the outside, on the inside this nine-year-old hotel is totally modern, except for a few architectural
features. The decor of its 238 rooms and suites is quite contemporary. The hotel incorporates a fitness room and pool area and a restaurant/bar. It struck
us as a perfectly suitable place to stay for the budget traveler who isn't into luxury or historic ambiance. Rates start at £99/night.
The Inn on the Mile
The Inn on the Mile is a rather unusual, nine-room boutique hotel with an excellent location mid-way along the Royal Mile in the Old Town. What is unusual
about it is that it is set in what appears to be a classic bank building, standing all alone with a stone column façade, yet it has no real reception
area. The ground floor is a bar and restaurant.
Setting aside this difference, its rooms are fairly spacious with high ceilings and some vintage details but otherwise very contemporary decor. Bathrooms
are elegant and spacious with rain showers. Rooms either look up and down the Royal Mile or out to the bridges between the Old and New Town. We were
intrigued by this little hotel and its blend of classic building, bar/restaurant ground floor, and elegant contemporary rooms. Being small, its services
are limited, though it does offer free Wi-Fi, iPod docking stations, and other modern amenities. And, it's a good value. Rates start at £69/night.
The Carlton Hotel
The Carlton, which has no relationship to the chain brand, is a 189-room hotel across from The Scotsman, at the foot of the Old Town. Its setting is quite
convenient. The lobby gave the impression that it sees quite a few tour groups. Overall, rooms included, it looked rather tired and in need of a refurb.
The good news is, we were told that it is, in fact, getting a refurbishment and, according to its website, it has already started and will be finished by
the end of 2016. Once finished, it should operate at the 4-star rating it claims. Rates start at £175/night.
Nira Caledonia
The Nira Caledonia is a relatively new boutique hotel at just nine years old. It's in a quieter residential area of the New Town, with 28 rooms in two
adjacent Georgian townhouses. It's located on a broad but quiet cobblestone street just down from a beautiful and typical Georgian square. This is
considered to be a hip and evolving part of town, but it certainly is not as convenient to the sights that most people come to Edinburgh to see as the
other hotels reviewed.
The buildings are three stories high and lack elevators due to historic preservation rules. They also do not have air conditioning, but that should not
generally be an issue in cool Scotland.
The hotel is part of the Small Luxury Hotels group and is quite elegant. Given that it's in a vintage building, rooms are on the small side but are still
quite lovely, and the bathrooms are totally modern. Its Blackwood's Bar & Restaurant is cozy and has a good reputation. If you like small and peace and
quiet--and proximity to major sites is not an issue--this would be a good choice for a stay in Edinburgh. Rates start at £96/night.