2024 - UK Tour (Edinburgh, Scotland and London, England)

We have been wanting to visit Edinburgh, Scotland for quite a long time.  Originally we had planned it as a part of the UK trip in 2020, it was cancelled due to Covid. Finally, we got this chance to travel to Edinburgh in 2024.  

We planned to visit Edinburgh from Oct 13 to Oct 19, 2024 with a day trip to see the Scottish Highland, however the Scottish Highland day trip was cancelled by tour operator due to lacking of sufficient attendees.  In addition to Edinburgh, we planned to visit London from Oct 19 to Oct 23 with 2 day trips. The first one is to Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Bath. And the second one is to Oxford and Cotswolds Villages.  

Our self touring itinerary was altered due to the weather (raining in UK), however, we were able to cover every attractions we planned to visit.

The modified itinerary in Edinburgh was the following:

Oct 13, 2024 - Arrive Edinburgh in the afternoon, stroll in Princes Street Garden and walk along the Princes Street.

Oct 14, 2024 - Edinburgh Castle, then Arthur’s Seat in the afternoon.

Oct 15, 2024 - Calton Hill, Dean Village and National Galleries of Scotland.

Oct 16, 2024 - National Museum of Scotland 

Oct 17, 2024 - Palace of Holyroodhouse, Scottish Parliament, Writers’ Museum, Grassmarket

Oct 18, 2024 - Royal Yacht Britannia, Scottish National Galleries of Modern Art : Modern One and Two.

Oct 19, 2024 - Royal Botanic Garden

The modified itinerary in London was as the following:

Oct 20, 2024 - Breakfast at Sky Garden, Tower Bridge, Tate Modem Museum,  Bridges over the Thames, Borough Market

Oct 21, 2024 - Day trip to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Bath

Oct 22, 2024 - Day Trip to Oxford and Cotswolds Villages

Oct 23, 2024 - Churchill War Museum, St Paul Cathedral, National Gallery, Harrods.

We took Tram once and bus once in Edinburgh, and we took Underground Tube for all our self touring and to/from airport in London.  The only one itinerary item we did not make was the National Gallery.  We had pre-booked tickets and we also tried it twice, we still had to give up due to a long waiting line.

Overall, it was a successful trip.  

Oct 12 -13, 2024 - Travel from Houston to Edinburgh

Our international flights were to/from London Heathrow airport.  It is a big airport and it took us time and effort to get from Terminal 2 to Terminal 5 for domestic flight from LHR to Edinburgh.  We were early at the airport and were able to use the Chase Sapphire Reserve supported VIP clubs for resting.  

We planned to take the Airlink 100 airport express to our hotel (Princes Street Suites).  Based on Google Map, we need to walk a little bit at both ends. It turned out after we got out of the Edinburgh Airport, the shuttle stop is just outside the gate.  The 6 minutes walk after we got into town center of Edinburgh was very easy too.  In addition, there were a lot of tourists did the same walking with luggages just like us. 

After we checked in, we found a huge suite with living room and kitchen with full kitchen equipments.  We were truly impressed.  After shower and a short nap, we went out and walking along Princes Street to the Princes Street Garden. Immediately, we saw the beautiful fall foliage in the garden.  More impressive to us was the backdrop which includes old town buildings and the Edinburgh Castle.  We also saw the Scottish National Gallery on the west side of the garden.

Then, we walked to the street level to see the Johnny Waker Experience shop.  We went in for just looking and checking on this famous store.

Then, we went to the Dome restaurant for dinner.  Unfortunately, it was fully booked and we had to book a table for dinner two days later.

On the way, we just got fast food at Gregg’s and brought it back to hotel for dinner.

Oct 14, 2024 - Edinburgh Castle and Arthur’s Seat

We had booked an early entry ticket for Edinburgh Castle at 9:30am, therefore we got up early and walked along Royal Mile to reach the gate of Edinburgh Castle.  There was a long line already, however, it did not take long for us to get into the castle.  There were a lot of people, so we just following the map they provided and the visual media guide we purchased to stop by every attractions and enjoy it.   

Edinburgh Castle is one of the oldest fortified places in Europe. With a long rich history as a royal residence, military garrison, prison and fortress, it is alive with many exciting tales. When you climb Castle Hill, you will walk in the footsteps of soldiers, kings and queens – and even the odd pirate or two.

The main attractions here are The One O’clock Gun, St Margaret’s Chapel, Mons Meg, The Honours of Scotland (on display is the Crown Room with the oldest Crown Jewels in Britain), The Great Hall, Scottish National War Memorial and Prisons of War.  We went to all of attractions and the only one with a long line was the Honours of Scotland for the crown jewels.

Right before 1 o’clock, we walked to the One O’clock Gun area to witness the daily 1 o’clock gun firing.  There were a lot of people waiting to see it,  It was exciting. However, it went by so fast and the excitement went away fast too.  It made us to wish that they shall do a little more firing to make it more exciting.

After that we walked along the Royal Mile and got to the Victoria Street. We witnessed a picturesque and winding cobblestone lane which is one of Edinburgh’s most iconic thoroughfares. It is named after Queen Victoria. With its colorful facades and unique shops, this street showcases Edinburgh’s architectural diversity and historical legacy.

Then, we had Fish and Chips lunch at Bertie's Restaurant & Bar as recommended by Tripadvisor.  It was a busy and pleasant place for lunch, however we were not impressed with their fish and chips due the the type of fish they used.  We had fish and chips made of cod and it was way more tasteful than this one.

After lunch, we continuously to walk along Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyrood House (closed on that day), we walked by it and started to climb to Arthur’s Seat.   It stands as the main peak within a group of hills that form Holyrood Park. Arthur's Seat offers captivating views of the city and beyond. The hike is a steady, gradual climb and not overly strenuous.  It also provides different wonderful views of the city in 360 degree all the way to the top.

At the highest point of Arthur's Seat you will find a large metal compass that shows you the directions to different hills and attractions. You will also find a white Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar.

After the climb, we took our time to come down following the same route.   We rested a little bit at hotel and then went to Howie’s for dinner. Howie’s is a typical Scottish restaurant and they serve Haggis.  Since we are in Edinburgh, we had to try it. We ordered it as an appetizer and it was good.

After dinner, we just walked across the street and got back to our hotel.

Oct 15, 2024 - Calton Hill, Dean Village and National Galleries of Scotland: National

Today’s weather forecast was cloudy but no rain, therefore, we took the opportunity to visit Calton Hill and Dean Village.

 

Calton Hill is just a short walk from our hotel.  When we got there, it was still early and had less crowd.  The top of Calton Hill is dominated by a columned structure with 12 columns, known popularly as Edinburgh's Shame, but formally called the National Monument.  It stands as a tribute to the fallen Scottish soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars. Architect Robert Mills worked on the monument without funds, he worked on the monument slowed to a halt. For more than two decades, the monument stood only partly finished, doing more to embarrass the nation than to honor its most important Founding Father.

There is Nelson Monument next to the National Monument. It was designed to resemble an upturned telescope as a tribute to Admiral Nelson, who had commanded the victorious British naval forces in the battle of Trafalgar.

The other large building on Calton Hill is the City Observatory, set up in 1776 for the study and observation of astronomy. It was used primarily by students at the university, but also held public seminars and evenings designed to educate and enlighten the masses.

Then, we walked along the Princes Street and Princes Street Gardens to Dean Village. We took more pictures of backside of the Edinburgh Castle.

It was about 20 minutes walk to the the bridge over "Water of Leith", a small waterway that snakes its way through Edinburgh.  It was Kodak moments for us.

Then, we walked along the "Water of Leith Walkway" which is a beautiful walk or cycling route along the river "Water of Leith".  We did not do the whole route, just enough to enjoy the beautiful surrounding along this walkway.  We also had opportunities to take some reflection photos.

On the way back, we got fast food and enjoyed them in the Princes Street Gardens, prior to visit the National Gallery of Scotland.  This is a huge museum which is home to world-class international and Scottish art from 1300 to 1945. You can experience paintings by internationally renowned artists such as Vermeer, Titian, Rembrandt, Velázquez and the Impressionists.

After visit of the museum, we walked to the Dome for our dinner.  When we got there, we noticed that they just put up Christmas decoration and lighting.  It made this restaurant even more beautiful. 

We had a wonderful time there and the food and services were great too.  We were so happy and appreciating the review from Tripadvisor.

Oct 16, 2024 - Visited National Museum of Scotland

It supposedly to be a raining day, so we chose today to visit the National Museum of Scotland.  We heard that one can spend a whole day in this museum.   With thousands of amazing objects across multiple galleries, the Museum offers us a world of discovery all under one roof.  

When we got into the main hall, we were totally blew away by how nice it is.  For the people who designed and are managing this museum, they must be the top talent in their business.  Top attractions in this museum include:

1. The Newstead Helmet

2. Lewis Chessmen

3. Dolly the Sheep

4. Arthur's Seat Coffins

5. Muonionalusta Meteorite

6. Feast Bowl

7. The Cramond Lioness

8. Schmidt Telescope

9. Tyrannosaurus rex

10. The Millennium Clock Tower

We spend many hours in here and just amazed ourselves with all these wonderful exhibitions.

Then, we have lunch in their cafe with soup and scones.  They were delicious and just right for the rainy day.

After lunch, we went back for more exhibitions.

When we were done, it was raining and we had to get our rain gear out and did more walk along the Royal Mile.

We learned that there are a lot of famous closes along the Royal Mile and we did try to go into some of these closes for just taking a look.  When we got to Warriston’s Close, we found Warriston's Close is a narrow street leading from High Street (top) to Cockburn Street (below) in Edinburgh's Old Town. These 120 steps are representative of the steep slope of the area near Castle Hill. We just walked down the stairs and did more exploring on Cockburn Street.  As we wandered around the Cockburn Street, we finally got back to the High Street of Royal Mile.  It shows how walkable of Edinburgh is and one can just wander around and will never get lost there.

Oct 17, 2024 - Visited Palace of Holyroodhouse, Scottish Parliament, Writers’ Museum and Grassmarket

Highlight for today was to visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse which stands at the end of Edinburgh's Royal Mile. The Palace has close associations with some of Scotland’s most well-known historic figures such as Mary, Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie. It is the official residence of the Monarchy in Scotland. When Jason’s family visited Edinburgh in 2022, they ran into Queen Elisabeth when her car just drove into the palace.  Therefore, it was a must visit attraction for us.

The palace and grounds are beautiful and the audio guide was brilliant. We were able to enjoyed it in detail with audio guide explaining what were we looking at for each of the rooms. There was no photo allowed inside.

After visiting of the palace, we just walked across the street to visit the Scottish Parliament.  We were told you can witness the Parliament in session.  However, when we were there, there was no session.  We still enjoyed the Parliament setting very much.

Then, we walked along the Royal Mile to visit the Museum of Edinburgh which is not much to see comparing with other museums in Edinburgh.

Later, we went to Dishoom Indian Restaurant (recommended by Jason) for lunch.  We ordered Pau Shaji and Sally Boil which are their popular dishes.  Normally I don't care too much about Indian food, however these two dishes were very good.

Then, we walked to the Writers’ Museum which was recommended by Jason again.  It celebrates the lives of three giants of Scottish Literature authors – Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson.  It was very interesting and we also got some souvenirs in their gift shop.

Then, we walked to Grassmarket which is nestled in the heart of Edinburgh’s historic Old Town, with stunning views of Edinburgh Castle, the Grassmarket is one of the most picturesque and lively areas of the city. A paradise of independent merchants, designers and artisans, the area is home to an array of high-quality gift, clothing and homeware shops.

The most interesting part for us was the stunning views of the Edinburgh Castle from different angles.  We had some Kodak moments there.

Then, we walked to National Gallery of Scotland : Portrait.  We had only 30+ minutes there and we went through it quickly.

On our way back to hotel, we ran into St James Quarter which is a large indoor shopping center in Edinburgh.  We were able to find a nice Ramen Restaurant called Maki & Ramen with delicious ramen for dinner.  

When we finished our dinner, we found out that the other side to this shopping center is just outside our hotel.  It was too bad that we just found out this place.  Otherwise, we were have more dinner options for our stay in Edinburgh.