Edinburgh - it Stinks

Advantages: Lots to see and do, the city contains some stunning buildings
Disadvantages: The roadworks, the tramworks, the bagpipes!

...transplanted here from the west coast of Scotland, like myself!) to downright hostile. Edinburgh folk are renowned for not being particularly warm and I have struggled in the five years I have been here to make any friends. My husband managed to pick up a few from work, but interestingly only one was actually from the city. Even when I lived in London I would get into conversations with people at bus stops, but it seems beneath the Edinburgh resident to do this. I would also warn against engaging in conversation with some of the locals in less salubrious parts of town. Whilst Edinburgh is the most expensive place to buy a property in Scotland, there are some areas that are, quite frankly, dumps. Whilst parts of Leith have been gentrified, one only has to take a wrong turn to end up at the infamous "Bananae Flats", immortalised in...

rosebud2001 28.07.2009 (29.07.2009) · Read review
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Review of Edinburgh (Scotland)

A (two) DAY TRIPPER'S GUIDE TO EDINBURGH

Advantages: So Much to See and Do. Something for everyone.
Disadvantages: It took me six months to write about it! Not a cheap family destination.

...renowned city, such as Edinburgh, London or any of the other European capitals. They are simply too big and complex a subject to cover in one ?General? review, neither was this a proper holiday, spent over a week or two, in which we could really get under the skin of the place. It would therefore be insulting to the many of you who actually live there, or nearabouts, for me to attempt to write any kind of authoritative review on Scotland?s capital. There is an additional twist to this particular review in that we were invited to stay by, and shared all of the following experiences with, two fellow Ciao members ? one who could be best described as dormant, the other probably rather well known to the majority of you. The ?twist? is that this review has to separate their wonderful and extraordinarily generous hospitality from our actual...

RICHADA 09.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Edinburgh (Scotland)

Stockbridge, the best Edinburgh detour

Advantages: Great atmosphere, shops, bars, restaurants
Disadvantages: Visitors often overlook it

...The population of Edinburgh swells this time of year as the multitudes descend upon the city to enjoy the wealth of art, music and theatre on offer. Sadly, a great many people never manage to get past George Street in their travels, thus missing out on one of the best neighborhoods in town. I have lived in Stockbridge for over three years, and my affection for the place increases every day. If you're in Edinburgh for any length of time, whether for the Festival or simply on a weekend visit, a trip down the hill to Stockbridge is something you won't regret. There are great restaurants, funky shops, cosy cafes and a wonderful neighborhood atmosphere, all within close proximity to the delightful Botanic Gardens and Inverleith Park. On the map, Stockbridge is marked as lying in an area north of Princes Street and south of Trinity...

tartantribe 08.08.2001 · Read review
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Review of Edinburgh (Scotland)

EDINBURGH ROCKS

Advantages: Wonderful city, steeped in history.
Disadvantages: not wheelchair friendly

...While we were staying in Ayr, there was a day trip out to Edinburgh, and we decided to have a view at the capital city of Scotland. Edinburgh became Scotland’s capital city following the d eath of James I, king of Scotland, at Perth (the former capital). The city is twinned with eight other cities including: Dunedin, Florence, Kiev, and Nice. The north of the district is known as ‘the new town’. The new town brags the largest Georgian architecture in Europe and possibly the world. Prince’s street gardens separate the new and old town. The gardens themselves occupy, a site that was once a loch, which got drained in the early 19th century! Edinburgh is the second most populous in Scotland-following Glasgow. Edinburgh id basically built on a group of hills, so not very wheelchair friendly in that sense –...

dabmim 15.08.2001 · Read review
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Review of Edinburgh (Scotland)

Edinburgh: Shopper's Delight

Advantages: You can reach any corner of Edinburgh within half hour of bus ride.
Disadvantages: Roads are not as buggy friendly as in London

.... Where to stay: Edinburgh is an expensive city, so prices are quite high. Some of the areas outside the City Centre such as Newington, Morningside, Tolcross, Stockbridge or Haymarket are a tourist's dream in terms of choice. It takes 10 minutes by bus to reach Edinburgh's centre. The city has very good public transport system so it is better to compromise on accommodation. What to do: Edinburgh Festival, which is a collection of many arts festivals and Hogmanay celebrations are kind of mascots of Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Festival has its base in Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) which was established in 1947 to heal the wounds of the war. The Edinburgh Festival is actually a number of events which take place in July and September every year. Hogmanay is the New Year in Scotland. In Edinburgh, Hogmanay spans into four days...

ananya123 17.09.2007 · Read review
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Review of Edinburgh (Scotland)

Edinburgh - The Athens Of The North

Advantages: Beautiful and Historical City
Disadvantages: COLD and WINDY (even in Summer)

...~ ~ This honorary title has been bestowed on Edinburgh, the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Scotland, as an acknowledgement of its outstanding beauty as a city. It is a title, which is well deserved. Edinburgh is indeed an exceptionally beautiful city, situated at the mouth of the “Firth of Forth”, its city centre dominated by the huge, old Castle, sitting on the Castle Rock, and permanently looking out over the town and its inhabitants like an eternal sentry. Then there is “Arthur’s Seat”, the extinct volcano, situated right in the middle of Holyrood park, and dominating even Holyrood Palace, the present-day residence of the Royal Family when they visit Scotland, and the home of all past Kings and Queens of Scotland. ~ ~ The main street of Edinburgh is Princes Street. About a mile in length, it is...

the_mad_cabbie 06.12.2000 (02.06.2001) · Read review
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Review of Edinburgh (Scotland)

An A-Z Guide to Edinburgh

Advantages: It's beautiful. It has a castle! It's very centralised
Disadvantages: The weather (occasionally) and can be expensive

...I hate A - Z guides, don’t you? They’re so superficial and contrived. I mean, what are the chances you’re going to find exactly one entry for each letter of the alphabet? You’re bound to miss something out and what happens when you get to the entry for X? It’s always either obvious, a cheat or obscure! So, with that in mind, here’s my A to Z guide for Edinburgh! My qualifications should suffice. I was born and bred here and still work and live in Scotland’s capital city. I know that there is no way you could ever cover everything about Edinburgh (I could easily do 10,000 words, but I’ll take words off for good behaviour!), so I don’t mind missing some stuff out. This is very much a personal guide to this wonderful, cosmopolitan city of culture and commerce. A is for - ARTHUR...

Crazy-Christian 26.05.2001 (08.06.2001) · Read review
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Review of Edinburgh (Scotland)

Deconstructing Edinburgh

Advantages: Cosmopolitan atmosphere, loads of culture, loads of pubs.
Disadvantages: Not a lot of big live music venues, Prince's Street's layout can be annoying if you're in a hurry.

...This is a shoo-in, right? I mean I've been living here for almost six years, I should be able to write a fairly decent opinion on this town. But sitting down, writing this, whilst plans are in motion for me to leave this fair city (work hassles), I'm not really sure where to begin. Edinburgh is a beautiful city, so much so that if you're a resident you kinda take it for granted. Edinburgh is a city of layers, one that, as it's expanded, has carefully preserved the past alongside the present. The town itself boasts three universities, and several art galleries and theatres. This helps create a fairly cosmopolitan atmosphere, with people from all over the world coming not just to visit, but to study, and sometimes to live. Of course, during August's fringe festival, the population of the town seems to double, with performers...

DJWally 23.05.2001 · Read review
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Review of Edinburgh (Scotland)

Capital of Scotland

Advantages:
Disadvantages:

...Although not the largest city in Scotland (the largest is Glasgow), Edinburgh is the Capital city. Although quite tranquil compared to other Capital Cities, Edinburgh is a place that has a lot going for it. Tourism is a major thing in Edinburgh, a walk down Princess Street will convince you of that, the vast majority of people that you pass will have non-Edinburgh accents. The city skyline is dominated by the Castle which sits high on a hill in the Centre of town. I will not dwell on the range of attractions that are on offer since there are other areas in Ciao that will give you more details of the individual attractions. What I will say though is that Edinburgh can compete with any other city when it comes to the range of attractions. The recent opening of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh has led to a great deal of interest in...

Lad 22.07.2000 · Read review
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Review of Edinburgh (Scotland)

Livin' in the Burgh

Advantages: Lots to do, lots of places to eat, gorgeous city, love the nightlife
Disadvantages: Good old Scottish weather I suppose and I do dislike the busyness of city life

...City than Athens of the North at the moment. Numerous buildings are being built or redone, there's extensive tram works down Princes street and as I write this sentence right now in the National Library of Scotland, I can feel the vibrations of drilling from the floor below. There's no escape! Every finished project is met with a sigh of relief, bit by bit revealing a much prettier and less chaotic capital. Even so, if you can put up with a little inconvenience, Edinburgh is still architecturally gorgeous and the best sites tend to be scaffold free. I write this after spending a day waltzing around in the sunshine. I love grand architecture of the old buildings and the fact that the Old Town, particularly that surrounding the Royal Mile, retains the layout of bygone years. The Royal Mile is the prime tourist street that runs all the way up...

Renza 07.04.2009 (10.04.2009) · Read review
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Review of Edinburgh (Scotland)