5 Things to Do If You’re Visiting Edinburgh on a Budget*

As I’ve mentioned many times before, Edinburgh is one of my absolute favourite cities in the country, actually in the world and I’m so lucky that it’s my nearest city. It’s the one I go to when I need to go clothes shopping, or to the cinema. It’s popular for nights out, special weekends away and if you want to enjoy anything remotely historical or involving the arts. I also like because it’s not a huge city. You can explore it all as a tourist within a couple of days and feel like you’d seen enough to get a good taste.

I was asked by Megabus to share some of my favourite things to do in Edinburgh on a budget, and lets face it, when am I not on a budget?

We’ll start with something on the more expensive side;

Take in ALL the Sites on a Bus Tour
Even if you’re visiting on a budget, I 100% taking a bus tour around the city. There are so many hop on, hop off tours that you can join from Waverley Bridge, which is perfect if you’re arriving by train. These hop on, hop off tours where you buy one day ticket to explore the city are great value especially if you don’t want to do all the walking. Not only do they stop so you can get off and explore, while you’re on the bus you can listen to an audible guide that will really enhance your tour and give you the inside scoop on the city. I’ve actually done these sorts of tours twice and I still haven’t been to all the stops on the route!

Enjoy the Culture & Museums
The selection of museums in Edinburgh is boundless! If you’re like me and enjoy a quiet wander around a museum and a little bit of education to keep the brain fresh, you’ll love what Edinburgh has on offer.. my personal favourite, unsurprisingly is The Museum of Childhood. Free to get in, a great gift shop (come on, we all know that’s the most important bit) and a huge selection of toys from throughout the ages. I love it all except the room with all the creepy dolls! Then there is the Museum of Scotland, again free to get in and there is also Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art & National Gallery (another of my favourites, especially the Lowery pieces although I haven’t been in a while so they might not be there any more). And my dad would kick me if I didn’t mention the Scotch Whiskey Experience, definitely something for the lads, although I hear it can be fun for the lasses too. This one isn’t free but they have plenty of tours to fit different budgets.

Explore Grass Market
Moving on from the museums, just incase I’ve put you all asleep. My favourite place to stay, eat and more importantly shop in Edinburgh is the Grassmarket. Just off the Royal Mile this place is brimming with fantastic little independent shops.. Firstly you MUST visit Armstrongs Vintage Emporium. It’s my new life ambition to go in there and do a “montage” like in The Sweetest Thing because they have some AWESOME stuff. So far I’ve only been brave enough to try on the hats but the best way to describe it is THE CAVE OF WONDERS of vintage shopping. The Grass Market is also home to some fantastic Harry Potter shops, it’s free to look, right? And finally, lets not forget the wonderful little cafes like Mary’s Milk Bar! I could spend hours wandering around.

Visit the Elephant House
Fan of Harry Potter? Well The Elephant House boasts to be the “Birth Place of Harry Potter.” Why? Because JK Rowling did frequent the little quaint coffee shop during the early years of her writing. Of course that is the main reason I love it, that and the fact fans have COMPLETELY grafettied the loos (myself included) It’s a wonder to behold.. but because despite it’s fame, it’s still very reasonably priced and although the queue is often out the door, the staff are efficient and accommodating, even for someone pushing a pram around! I have never waited more than 5 minutes for a seat. The lattes are perfect and I really recommend the sandwiches. The atmosphere makes me think of the wizarding world, it’s simply magic.

Experience the Fringe Festival
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the largest arts festival in the WORLD! For someone who has a passion for theatre, like myself, you MUST MUST MUST take some time to go one summer. There is everything from comedy (of all kinds might I add, from improve to stand up), musicals (my personal theatre), drama (again of all genres, some classical and some modern and a LOT written by up and coming writers), dance and even children’s theatre. The atmosphere on the Royal Mile is awesome, I can spend hours walking up and down watching street performances and talking to people flyering for shows. There are pop up bars if drinking is more your thing, and we can’t forget about the Lady Boys of Bangkok who are there every year without fail. There is constant entertainment from first thing in the morning until late at night. Everyone really takes on the festival spirit and Edinburgh is definitely at it’s most alive during this time of year. If you’re visiting on a budget you’ll find a lot of FREE, yes FREE shows. Who can say no to free entertainment? You may even find a real hidden gem.