I’m heading to Edinburgh for work in October and will only have two days of free time, so I likely won’t be able to leave the city much. Does anybody have any good bars, restaurants, or activity recommendations within the city? I also recently got into golf and would love to play a round while I’m there! Any thoughts?
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It completely depends which part of town you are staying in!
If you’re looking for something really Scottish then head to the Ghullie Dhu at the end of Princes Street, you can usually find a ceilidh upstairs on the weekend, and the locals are normally happy to teach you the dances.
The Edinburgh Gin Distillery is a good experience.
The Queens Arms does a good Sunday Roast!
If you’re getting into golf seriously, then you can take the train to St Andrews to see the old course. Although it’s near impossible to book a tee time, it’s still a lovely town to visit.
If you don’t fancy that, both Portobello and Craigentinny courses are pretty good for beginners
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I second the recommendation of The Queens Arms!
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hi, definitely go to Dean Village along the Water of Leith for a nice relaxing walk. Not far is also Circus Lane, a little picturesque street, with lots of beautiful street with grand buildings around.
if you have the energy, do climb up Arthur’s Seat (a dormant volcano right next to the Parliament and the city!), which offers stunning views of the city, sea and surroundings.
The Royal Mile is like the most famous street, going from the castle hill all the way down to the Parliament basically. lots of little alleyways branch off the Royal Mile, like Victoria Street with colorful houses and the Grassmarket square at the bottom (great bars there), and hidden courtyards and museums like the Writers Museum.
I have a soft spot for the Meadows park near Grassmarket as I used to live nearby. It’s a huge park surrounded by beautiful buildings, the main university campus, and lots of places for food and drink. for golf I know that the Bruntsfield Links, a smaller park next to Meadows park, is supposdely where golf originates from. you can rent clubs and golf balls from nearby pubs and literally go play in the park! just be careful cus there are people walking there
if im not mistake, all museums and galleries are free (apart from special exhibitions). Between the Old town with the Royal Mile and the New town with the Princess street (shopping mile) you have national gallery, which I can definitely recommend. Also West End has lovely buildings and areas.
If you want a small town vibe close to Edinburgh, take the bus 26 to Portobello, where you can walk along the beach (or swim if you dare! locals do swim regardless of season haha!) and browse shops along the main street.
by the way, Edinburgh does have one tram line (from the Airport to the city center), otherwise you will have to rely on buses. most are double deckers so do climb to up if you can and sit at the front - the views are sometimes amazing!
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Wow @DomiTravelini those are great insights - would you say 2 days is enough or how many days would be ideal?
hi @micatravels, two full days are pretty good, but you might fall for the city like many people do! If you do have time, there are plenty of two, or three day trips to the Highlands starting and ending in Edinburgh. You get to experience beautiful sights like Loch Lomond, Eilean Donan Castle, Loch Ness, Isle of Skye…)
Have a look: 10 Best Scotland Tours & Trips 2025/2026 - TourRadar
I have traveled with Timberbush Tours and Rabbie’s Tours, so can highly recommend those!
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