Walking Edinburgh
Originally published in Greek on 12 May 2025 – you can find the original version here.
This is the English translation (13/8/2025), adapted for an international audience.
Edinburgh is not just the castle or the medieval aura of the city adorned with Gothic touches.
It’s the castle standing tall on a volcanic hill, with the city sprawling down.
It’s the way the castle seems to play hide and seek while walking, as if it’s watching you.
It’s the history you feel, the legends that are told, the bagpipes you hear, the people, the air you breathe.
Scottish air, a bit dark, a bit imposing, a bit haunted. Sometimes, the air carries the scent of ale, sometimes the smell of fish and chips.
Edinburgh is its stories
Some are real, some are imaginary, some are for tourists. Altogether, they create a fairy-tale, magical atmosphere. And it was magical long before it was associated with Harry Potter.
It’s the nature of Edinburgh itself.
Scotland’s national animal is a mythical creature, the unicorn, and its national flower is the humble thistle. They say water fairies live in its waters, the kelpies, spirits that take the form of horses. They’ve even made statues of them in the Falkirk area: Two massive horse heads rising up beside the water.
The first time I set foot in the city, I found myself on Princes Street, the main road. The first feeling I had was a mix of serenity and awe. That’s why next time, I think we should start the Edinburgh tour from there.
But before we start walking, we need to cover some basics so that you can orient yourself, choose where to stay, and figure out which parts of the city you want to explore, depending on how many days you have.
Edinburgh’s Morphology
The city center is divided into the Old Town and the New Town. The Old Town has winding alleyways, bridges, stairways, and inclines. Because of this, some places might appear next to each other on a map, but in reality, due to uneven terrain, one could be higher up and the other below. Don’t be surprised if your GPS routes you in a circle.
The New Town, on the other hand, is a well-laid-out grid. The terrain has a slight curvature as well, but is gentler. After the inclines of the Old Town, the hill of Calton Hill, and Arthur’s Seat, everything else will feel quite flat.
Take a look at the braille raised-relief map, located on Princes Street, and you’ll notice the slopes and bridges of the Old Town, as well as the flat squares of the New Town.
The weather in Edinburgh
The Manderley Press has chosen to reissue a very old book about Edinburgh. The book is called “Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes” and was written by Robert Louis Stevenson.
The book’s cover perfectly combines the key characteristics of the city’s center, with grey clouds and wind blowing from the side.
Although the text was written in 1878, reading it a century and a half later, the descriptions of the Old Town, the emotions evoked by Edinburgh, and the weather conditions still resonate. It seems that, despite climate change, Edinburgh’s weather still retains some of its harsh traits.
Beaten upon by all the winds that blow, to be drenched with rain, to be buried in cold sea fogs out of the east, and powdered with the snow as it comes flying southward from the Highland hills.
To this day, that biting wind still blows, and you might wake up in a thick fog. Edinburgh is located at a latitude slightly above Moscow and just below St. Petersburg and Stockholm. While the sea and the Gulf Stream make the climate milder, it’s still cold.
Be prepared. Don’t just check the temperature. Pay attention to how much the temperature drops at night and if there’s wind. That wind is the only wind that almost lifted me once. If that cold wind blows, a hat covering your ears will keep your head warm and safe.
Warning: Don’t be misled by the locals who might be walking around in short sleeves.
As R.L. Stevenson said in his book about the city, “The delicate die early.” I can confirm this because I lived in Edinburgh once and I was constantly sick with a runny nose… ‘I am a survivor too’, as he says in the book.
Old Town
Although the area has been inhabited for a long time, the city emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th century. The heart of the Old Town is the Royal Mile, the main street. It’s the backbone that starts from the castle and leads to the Holyrood Palace.
On some maps, you won’t see it written as “Royal Mile” because in reality, this street has four different names along its length:
1.◈ Castlehill
2. ◈ Lawnmarket
3. ◈ High Street
4. ◈ Canongate
Back then, the city of Edinburgh consisted of the castle, only a part of the Royal Mile up to High Street, and the narrow streets around it. It was surrounded by walls, separating it from the neighboring areas. This protected it but also limited it. And as the population grew, the city became more and more packed within the walls.
At the end of the Royal Mile is the Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the British royal family in Scotland. Behind the palace rises a hill, Arthur’s Seat. It’s uncertain where it got its name from, but just the thought of it being connected to King Arthur of Camelot gives it a chivalrous air (most likely not related to the King, even though it brings him to mind).
New Town
The New Town began to be built in the 18th and 19th centuries, during the time of the American Revolution.
Princes Street is the road that separates it from the medieval city. It starts at the West End and stretches to Calton Hill (east).
The New Town was designed in rectangular sections. The design stretched between two squares: Charlotte Square at the West End and St. Andrews Square in the east.
At the intersections of the streets, statues have been placed.
Princes Street
Princes Street is bordered by two historic hotels: the Caledonian Hilton to the west and the Balmoral to the east. Be careful, though—the Balmoral Castle, where Queen Elizabeth II passed away, is not the same as the Balmoral Hotel.
Leith Port
Across from the Balmoral Hotel, Leith Walk starts, a road leading to the port. A tram ride, which crosses the entire street, shows you other less touristy neighborhoods of the city.
Water of Leith
Edinburgh also has a river, the Water of Leith.
Although cities usually develop around their rivers (like London), Edinburgh, as you can clearly see, developed around the castle. The river was used for industrial work.
The river begins just outside the city. It flows from Pentland Hills, crosses Balerno and Currie, where Heriot-Watt University is located and passes just below the city center.
After the creation of the New Town, Edinburgh expanded to the north and eventually reached the river. There, it merged with villages like Dean Village and Stockbridge. Theoretically (and I say theoretically because I haven’t done it), if you follow the river, you reach its mouth at the Leith Port.
Arriving in Edinburgh
To be reading this article, it’s most likely that you’re coming to Edinburgh from Greece, arriving either by airplane or by train.
At the airport, you’ll find a control tower with a distinctive architectural design.
Some say it resembles an hourglass, while others think it looks like a pepper mill. While you wait for your luggage, you can stare at it on the airport’s logo and decide for yourself what it reminds you of.
Upon exiting, you’ll be at the starting point for the tram and Airlink 100 buses, both of which go to the city center and pass through Princes Street.
Don’t hurry when you see them, they run frequently.
Busses run every 10 minutes during the day and every 20 minutes at night. You can buy tickets when you get on (as of April 2025).
The tram stops running at night, and you must purchase your ticket before getting on. Ticket machines are available at the stops.
If you arrive by train, you’ll exit at Waverley Station, and suddenly you’ll find yourself in the heart of the city, standing between the Old Town, the New Town, and the road to the port.
I hope the walk to your room or hotel doesn’t involve too many steep inclines over cobblestone streets. I also hope the building you chose has an elevator, since many of Edinburgh’s old buildings don’t have one.
Our Tour Plan
Now that we’ve gone over the essentials that make up the city, next time we can start our walk.
The tour schedule in the posts that follow will include:
◈ Princes Street
◈ Edinburgh Castle
◈ Old Town of Edinburgh
◈ Stories & People of Scotland
◈ New Town of Edinburgh
◈ Water of Leith
These are the main sites for first-time visitors.
These are the places I’d show you if we were walking together, and as we wandered, I’d whisper darker and brighter tales.
Next time see you on Princes Street.
P.S. For your second visit to Edinburgh, or if you have more days, there’s so much more to do.
Take a walk in Meadows Park, visit Portobello Beach, see the Forth Bridge, take the train to Glasgow, go on a Highlands tour, visit St Andrews or Stirling. If you’re a fan of Outlander, do a tour and see Lallybroch and Fort William. If you are a fan of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, visit Rosslyn Chapel and search for the Holy Grail.
