Recently you may have seen on the gram that my boyfriend and I took a little trip up to the beautiful city of Edinburgh. We went for a couple of nights over Valentines and after posting a few snaps on my stories I was FLOODED with requests to write about how we spent our time there, what we did and how to spend 24 hours in Edinburgh. So here we are!!
The first thing I want to talk about is the hotel… MY GOD THIS HOTEL!! We stayed in Hotel Indigo, which is right in the middle of Princes Street and was so reasonably priced! We were actually given a free upgrade when we arrived (because it was Valentines day), so we tried to act very cool in front of the conciergee then screeched the place down after being shown our room! If you are looking for a hotel to stay in Edinburgh, I would 100% recommend Hotel Indigo (btw not spon, just a fab place to stay!). The hotel was opposite the Balmoral and looked onto Princes Street Gardens and was just SO ACCOMMODATING! Lotta love for HI!
The first thing I would recommend doing when you arrive in Edinburgh is going up the Scott Monument. Situated in the middle of Princes Street Gardens (so just a two minute walk from the hotel), it gives the ultimate view of the city! Wear your walking shoes through, as there are a hell of a lot of stairs! We went up to the second highest level and even then the view is just jaw dropping! You can see the whole city, from Aurthur’s seat all the way to the Castle. It really is breath taking.
We then hopped across the road for some brunch in Jenners. There are a couple of cafes in the department store but I would recommend going to the one on the second floor as is has the best view! And I must say, their eggs are rather marvellous. If you’re up for a bit of shopping then Jenners is all you need after your lovely brunch. Fun fact- it is the oldest department store in Europe (or so I was told).
The architecture in there is just astonishing and the shopping is very luxurious- its like the Scottish Harrods! Also, you cannot miss the toy store (bottom floor), it is honestly any child (or adults) heaven!
One thing you CANNOT MISS when going to Edinburgh is the royal mile. This one mile road stretches all the way from Hollyrood Palace up to the Castle. If you are up for a bit of history, then I would definitely recommend getting tours for both the Palace and the Castle. If you are up for the walk (about a 40 minute stroll up the hill), then you cannot miss taking a wonder. The only thing I would stress is to bring very comfortable shoes- not only because you will be doing a hell of a lot of walking, but also because the cobbled streets are not very forgiving!
We spent HOURS on the Royal Mile, dipping in and out of tourist shops, whisky stores and cafes! It was such a lovely stroll and a great way to experience a bit of Scottish heritage.
After that hella long walk. we chose to head back to the glorious hotel for a nap and to get ready for our Valentines meal. If you saw my Valentines Edit, then you would have seen the outfit I had planned for the evening! I am soooo in love with the skirt and honestly want to buy so many more in that length.
Also one thing that we stumbled across was the light show in the Princes Street gardens. It had no information about it so I have no idea if it is always there, but I would definiltey head to it if you can find it!
After getting ready, we hit a few bars and headed out for our meal. The hotel we stayed at actually had a very popular bar, with people coming off the streets for a drink there! They specialise in Gin and had so many amazing cocktails to choose from. My favourite was their Valentines special- a pinky purply cocktail that just tastes so fruity!
We chose to eat at Contini, an AMAZING Italian restaurant on George street (only a ten minute walk). The atmosphere was just amazing! And the restaurant was set up so you always felt like you were almost alone. I would 100% recommend this restaurant, but I warn you not to eat much before hand- the portion sizes are huge!
After Contini we hit couple of bars such as Tonic (just around the corner) and then was told about a secret bar… you literally had to go through a Barber shop, down some stairs and open a bookcase door to get in! They did amazing cocktails (the Scottish have a thing for gin).
If you are thinking of heading to the beautiful city then I cannot recommend it enough! It is just so picturesque, so romantic and such a perfect little getaway!
