Edinburgh may be home to the world’s largest arts festival, but there’s tons to do all year round. Pack your gloves and discover the hilly city on foot – from where to eat and drink and art galleries to the best shops in the city, here’s how best to spend a weekend in Edinburgh
You’ll find doormen wearing kilts, designed by Scotland’s designer of the year, Judy R Clark, waiting to greet you at this prime-spot hotel on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh’s Old Town. Clark has played a part in the bedrooms too, along with some of the country’s coolest creatives: artist Christine Clark, design duo Timorous Beasties, artist and textile designer Hatti Pattisson and furniture designer Holster. Expect bright colours, shaggy rugs and thick velvet curtains, plus views of the castle. The Garden Paradise suite has some of the best views, with bursts of floral patterns as well as Pattisson’s cushions, paintings and fabrics.
Book ahead to try the Cooking Catalonia menu at the Six by Nico. Lots of the menu here Six by Nico will be home to a series of carefully curated and constantly evolving restaurant concepts.
Each six weeks, Nico and his team will serve a brand new six-course tasting menu – each one themed upon a different place or memory.
This no-frills pub has 220 Scotch malt whiskies on display in a huge mahogany case behind the bar. There’s also a wide range of real ales, but ask the bartender to introduce you to a wee dram.
Address: The Bow Bar, 80 West Bow, Edinburgh EH1 2HH
Telephone: +44 131 226 7667
Website: thebowbar.co.uk
Wake up and head down to breakfast at Radisson Collection Hotel Royal Mile Edinburgh. There’s a delicious, fresh spread of fruit, pains au chocolat and croissants, which are best paired with the hotel’s own honey – made by the bees kept on the rooftop. There are also eggs made to order.
From cashmere and tartan wool to Scandi-style homewares, the Scottish capital is packed with shopping opportunities. For cashmere, go to Hawico, where you can create your own bespoke jumper from a palette of 49 different shades. Department store Jenners, now owned by House of Fraser, opened in 1838 and is also worth a visit for the sculpted exterior. Harvey Nichols, too, though much newer, has a carefully created edit. Design store Spektakulär, full of rainbow-coloured cushions, candles and crockery, is good for gifts. Homer, set in a Georgian townhouse in the New Town district, has five themed rooms packed with smart furniture and ceramics. Life Story has a nice range of Scandinavian design pieces too, including interesting prints and the best bits from Danish brand HAY.
If you need another hit of caffeine, Artisan Roast (with three spots – in the Old Town, in Stockbridge, and on Broughton Street) makes some of the best coffee in the city. The doorstep-slice sandwiches are pretty good too. And if you’ve got room, so are the still-warm home-baked scones.
Address: Stockbridge; Broughton Street; Bruntsfield Place
Website: artisanroast.co.uk
After lunch, stretch your legs on route up to the old (and thankfully extinct) volcano for the best views in town at Arthur’s Seat. Despite a steep climb, it’s only a short walk and so makes for an easy hike.
There are leather-backed stools at the marble top bar and a monochrome houndstooth floor at the Epicurean bar inside this Radisson Collection hotel. Relax after a busy day shopping with cocktails inspired by the Scottish Colourists school of painting, and made with hydroponically-grown flowers and herbs. The Miel Royal is made with gin, honey from the rooftop bees, rhubarb and Champagne. The bar is fun, and there’s also a decked terrace with views of the Old Town. Feeling peckish? Order a haggis scotch egg with chilli jam from Cucina, the hotel’s Italian restaurant.
One of the best-known restaurants in the city, Gardener’s Cottage can be found in a building that was indeed, once a gardener’s shed. Out front are well-tended vegetable patches, and inside there are communal tables for 10 (while commonplace in London, this is unusual for the Scottish capital). The food is fresh and British, with just a touch of French technique: rabbit prune and pistachio terrine, lobster ravioli, poached partridge followed by apple and thyme tarte tatin with a dollop of salted caramel ice cream.
Address: Gardener’s Cottage, 1 Royal Terrace Gardens, London Road, Edinburgh EH7 5DX
Telephone: +44 131 677 0244
Website: thegardenerscottage.co
Start the day with a stroll along the Water of Leith from Stockbridge, along to Leith and the Firth of Forth – an estuary where seven Scottish rivers meet. It takes just over an hour, and when you get there you can treat yourself to brunch at The Ship on Shore – a great pub with a good fish menu. The Arbroath smokies, or smoked haddock, comes with herb butter, poached eggs and spinach. Or go for the classic Scottish smoked salmon with scrambled eggs.
The castle dominates the city’s skyline, with its St Margaret's Chapel dating back to the 12th century. Tag along on a free guided tour to make sense of Edinburgh’s turbulent history. For more culture in the city, art lovers should take a turn around The National Art Gallery of Scotland on Princes Street, or the Gallery of Modern Art, home to a large collection of surrealist art.
Skirting the walls of the castle, this 19th-century warehouse hides a Noma-inspired restaurant. The design is beautiful: white-washed stone walls and bespoke carved wooden furniture. And the menu matches the chic rustic interiors, with its clear farm-to-table ethos. There’s also an in-house butchery and smokehouse, plus herbs and edible flowers grown on a raised bed out back.
Address: Timberyard, 10 Lady Lawson Street, Edinburgh EH3 9DS
Telephone: +44 131 554 8628
Website: timberyard.co