Edinburgh event weekends: what to do between sessions

Scotland's capital of castle, closes and festivals: the Fringe, the Military Tattoo, Hogmanay and Six Nations days at Murrayfield.

Events we cover in Edinburgh

Arriving

Edinburgh airport (EDI) has trams and the Airlink 100 bus to the centre in 30 minutes.

Where to stay

Three hotels we would book

• Budget: Premier Inn Edinburgh City Centre (Haymarket)
• Mid-range: Motel One Edinburgh-Royal
• Splurge: The Balmoral

Event weekends sell out early and prices rise as the date gets closer: book a cancellable room as soon as you know you are going.

Tours

Where to eat

• Oink Hog roast rolls
• The Witchery by the Castle Gothic dining room
• Mother India's Cafe Indian tapas
• Leith Shore restaurants Seafood by the water
• Ting Thai Caravan Cheap Thai street food

With kids

• Edinburgh Zoo pandas and penguins.
• Camera Obscura.
• Dynamic Earth.

Rainy-day backups

• National Museum of Scotland.
• Scottish National Gallery.
• Real Mary King's Close.

Free things to do

• Climb Arthur's Seat or Calton Hill.
• National Museum of Scotland.
• Princes Street Gardens.

Getting around

• Lothian buses and the tram take contactless.
• Murrayfield is a 25-minute walk or a short tram ride from the West End.
• Tap in with a contactless card on buses, trams and most urban trains.
• Book long-distance trains early on the operator app or Trainline: walk-up fares are expensive.
• Uber works in most UK cities; local black cabs are metered.