Advencheer!

This isn’t a guide nor a recommended itinerary for Edinburgh, but rather just the list of places I’ve personally been in the city during my 2-full-day stay in January 2022!

Day 1 | Sunday, January 16, 2022

The Royal Yacht Britannia
It’s the former yacht (or more like cruise ship?) of the British monarch family, where they used to go on holidays with and host prestigious events with notable people from all around the world. Now this yacht pretty much turned into a museum where you get to see the rooms and areas on board and have audio guides telling you the history of the fascinating British royal family. Totally recommended. I’d say this is actually my highlight in Edinburgh. If you take kids with you, you can assign them to a corgi hunt challenge – finding corgis all around the yacht!
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Edinburgh Castle
Undoubtedly the landmark and the icon of Edinburgh city right here. If you’re very much into history or such, perhaps going in and exploring the castle would be a cool thing to do. However, I didn’t go in and just enjoyed the look of the castle from the outside.
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The Royal Mile
This one’s the most famous street in Edinburgh that runs through its Old Town. You’ll find lots of shops, restaurants, and even street performances (sometimes!) in this area. I saw a place where you could take pictures wearing the Scottish national costume (the plaid and kilt) and there were also two girls offering people to take pictures with falcons – which I thought were HUGE owls (I didn’t take pictures though).
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Calton Hill
Go to Calton Hill if you want to have scenic views of Edinburgh city! It’s a super easy trekking to go up there and it really doesn’t take long at all. The best thing is that it’s in the city center as well, so it doesn’t require much planning. Some historic monuments are located on top of the hill and I’d say it’s actually quite a cool place to hang out, too. I imagine that the area would be packed in summers!
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Day 2 | Monday, January 17, 2022

Stockbridge
A district/neighborhood in the suburb of Edinburgh (but still pretty close to the city center!), Stockbridge is known for its calm ambience. I heard it’s also where you can find good-quality antique stuff or simply good places for brunch. I specifically enjoyed strolling through Circus Lane, a small road that used to be an area for horse stables.
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Dean Village
A charming little village in the heart of Stockbridge, just steps away from Stockbridge. It was also known as the Water of Leith Village, as Water of Leith (THE river in Edinburgh is flowing through the village). Back in the day, it was a grain milling area. Nowadays, it’s a peaceful and lovely residential area that’s close enough to the city center but still away from the bustle.
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Cowgate
Not much to say here. This area might look like just another street in Edinburgh, sometimes people even take this road to avoid the busy Royal Mile. However, you can actually find interesting history that goes back to centuries ago about Cowgate if you look further. There was a time where Cowgate was known for a Scottish ruler’s palace, but there was also a time where it was a notorious slum district.
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Greyfriars Kirk
It’s a church in Edinburgh Old Town, but I didn’t actually go to the church itself. I only visited the cemetery surrounding it, looking for the tomb of the real Thomas Riddle – the man whose name inspired J.K. Rowling to name You-Know-Who a.k.a. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: Tom Riddle. So the real Thomas Riddle was a respectful lawyer from the area who died in 1806 – obviously has nothing to do with Lord Voldemort, his fictional father, or his crimes in the Harry Potter universe 😀
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I stayed at Brig O’Doon Guest House while in Edinburgh. For a short review on the guest house and to see where I went for meals, check this post. See where I’ve been in Manchester here and in London right here!

Last but not least, I wanted to thank my friend, Leo BK, for telling me about all these spots in Edinburgh! Leo used to do her master studies in the University of Edinburgh, so he knows his way around.