Travel Diaries: A weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland

February 27, 2018

Travel Diaries: A weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland

The first week of December I traveled to Edinburgh for the Christmas market, to meet friends, and for some chilly Scotland weather! It was the first time I traveled with the tour company I was with (it was arranged by the Exchange Student Network) and boy was it an experience! I was with a few of my favorite Aussie travel buddies who I’d traveled with before, and a bus full of other international students who were studying at various schools in the U.K. It was definitely an interesting experience being cooped up in the bus for an entire night (and getting sporadic sleep).

We were set to be in Edinburgh for the entire day on Friday and Saturday and a bit of Sunday morning. Not a whole lot of time for such an incredible city but I had no problem seeing all that I wanted after the two days in each city I’d done over reading week! The main things on my to-do list were Edinburgh Castle, Arthur’s Seat, Colton Hill, Edinburgh Christmas Market, and wandering the streets to see what else there was to discover.

I’m an introvert so after the 11 hours in close proximity with everyone on the bus I needed some alone time. So I did the whole weekend as much on my own as possible, meeting up with friends for meals and a nice hike. The Edinburgh Castle tour was a highlight of the trip for a history nerd like myself. You get such incredible views of the city and learn so much about the history of Scotland.

One of my favorite things ever is being able to get out of a city and go on a bit of a nature walk. In Edinburgh you don’t even have to get out of the city! Arthur’s Seat is a nice little nature walk in he city and can be made longer (by getting lost multiple times like we did) or shorter so it suits anyone. Colton Hill is also a lovely place to explore and get great views of the city and is even closer than Arthur’s Seat (and a lot less walking). The Christmas market is one of the best in Europe and you can see why! So many rides, shops, and plenty of food, a must do if in Edinburgh during the holiday season.

It’s no wonder why Edinburgh is at the top of so many must do travel destination lists. I would highly recommend it, I even have a short trip back planned for the spring! Stay tuned to see what I get up to next time I’m in Scotland.