How much can you see in Edinburgh, Scotland in 48 hours?

The real answer is never enough, but we can give you some ideas on how to see as much as you can in both 24 and 48 hours.

We've now made two trips to the capital of Scotland.  Both trips were incredible adventures.  The first trip, we spent 24 hours in Edinburgh, taking in as much as we could as quickly as we could.  We had taken an early flight from Ireland and we were on a train the next morning to Inverness.  Our second trip, we flew directly into the city and spent two days before heading to the Highlands.

The must see attraction in Edinburgh in the castle.  Edinburgh Castle sits as the base of the town.  The original walls and close's make up the central portion of Old Town, with the Castle at the height of it all.  A few notes about visiting the castle:

• Book ahead of time.  You cannot book day of, as you are not likely to get a ticket
• You can use the Scottish Heritage Pass when booking ahead of time.
• If you plan to go prior to 1 PM, you can witness the firing of the cannon at 1.  The cannon set the clocks for merchants on the sea.

The castle will take you a few hours to go through, depending on much you enjoy reading and diving into history.  If you'd like to start at the far end of the Royal Mile and make your way towards the castle in the morning, prior to going, You can stop at a few museums on your way.  The Museum of Edinburgh, The People's Museum and the Writer's Museum are all along the way as you walk up the Royal Mile to the Castle, or walk down the Royal Mile towards the water.  Each of these provides unique perspectives of the history of Edinburgh and the people that have lived there, both common and famous.

If only doing 24 hours, one plan we recommend is to start your day at Calton Hill in the morning, and spend some time taking in the sites of the city.  From there, head to the Castle (booked ahead) and then down the mile to stop at the museums as well as The Real Mary King's Close (a must do!)  (Also, book tickets ahead of time.)  By the time you've taken in these sites, and eaten a few meals, you'll be near the end of the day at Greyfriars Kirk.  Greyfriars Kirk is a great spot to see as the end of the day if you are into the haunting side of Edinburgh.  If you aren't, simply flip the day.  Calton Hill is highly recommended to see at sunset as well!

If you want to spend two days in Edinburgh, immediately split the difference between Greyfriars Kirk and Calton Hill, plan to end each of your nights there.  (If you go in August, the Royal Military Tattoo is work seeing.  We did Calton Hill at sunset and then walked to the Tattoo.)  For your second day in city, take some time to stroll the Prince's Street Gardens and visit the Scott Memorial.  You can move one of the museums into the second day, or visit the National Museum of Scotland.  Head over to Dean's Village and hike along the river to take in some beautiful scenery and sites within the city limits.  Interested in the darker history?  Head over to the Edinburgh Dungeon's and become part of the interactive retelling of the stories that haunt Edinburgh.

There's never enough time to truly see everything in a city.  Edinburgh's diversity truly has something for everyone, and each time you go can be a truly different experience.  Spend some time focusing on the things you love to do the most, and Edinburgh will provide you your adventure. 

Read About Our First Trip Here