A lot of people, including us, feel a strange draw toward Scotland. Maybe it’s Harry Potter or the drafty halls of ancient castles, but that nagging longing is always there. Edinburgh encapsulates everything we imagine Scotland to be. We used it as a base to make our way into the remote Highlands, but the city is a destination in and of itself.

It’s extremely walkable and hosts a load of cultural events (especially if you can manage to get there for the annual Fringe Festival). Plus, as a university town, there’s tons to see on a budget. Check out our guide for cheap eats, free art, and some lovely walks.

Quick and Dirty

In a Phrase?

A quaint city with great access to the outdoors.

Worth it?

The perfect stopover on your way to other destinations. Cheap flights from the US too.

How long?

A day or two.

Our favorite?

The comedy.

Our least favorite?

The exchange rate on the pound sterling.

Hidden Gem?

Amazingly good value food and beer from Lidl Supermarket.

Recommended Daily Budget?

60 pounds per pair.

Location?

Southeast Scotland.

Edinburgh

WHAT TO DO

DAY ONE

12:00PM MAKE YOUR WAY FROM THE AIRPORT (9-50 POUNDS PER PAIR)

This is the UK, people. Please, please do not take a cab. Or, if you do, jump that daily budget up by 50%.

There are a few ways to get to the city from the airport. Our favorite is the Airlink 100 which isn’t too painful at 4.5 pounds per ticket. If you’re heading back to the airport, there’s a slight deal on round trip tickets.

2:00PM FIND A FRIEND (0-40 POUNDS PER NIGHT PER PAIR)

We happened to have a lovely friend living in Edinburgh who shared his tiny student apartment with us (thanks Steven!).

If you’re not so lucky, we have a suggestion. Finally try that Couchsurfing account you started years ago. It took us ages to get going, but now we’re hooked. Plus, Edinburgh is a great place to start because there are a bunch of students bopping around.

Not your thing? All good. There are some deals to be had online, but we won’t lie - it’s an expensive place. We survived most of Scotland on the wonderful cloud nine that is free wilderness camping. Check Hostelworld or Booking, which we usually prefer as it tends to be cheaper and less party oriented.

*for those uninitiated, Couchsurfing is an online community where hosts offer FREE accommodation. Yep, that’s right. They do it for various reasons, so check profiles and reviews first. But, most people just want to help out and make friends. So, if you’re into that sort of thing, Couchsurfing could be a legitimate option for you too.

4:00PM TAKE A HIKE (0 POUNDS PER PAIR)

Our favorite view of the trip came from Arthur’s Seat, a little hillock high above the diminutive Edinburgh skyline. Not only do you walk up, it’s also fully within walking distance of the town itself. It’ll just take a couple hours to get to the top before you can fully appreciate the feat.

We didn’t do it, but bringing a few cold beers could be a damn fine idea. It might help you tolerate the crowds a bit better, too. They’re not horrific, but definitely take away from some of the ambiance.

7:30 LAUGH AT SOME DRY HUMOR (0-10 POUNDS PER PAIR)

Edinburgh is known for comedy. Fringe Festival is the most famous (much to the local’s annoyance), but there’re a ton of other events going on throughout the year. We’re huge fans of free/cheap standup and improv comedy and we found a little haven of it at The Stand. Check out their site for some great value laughs.

9:00 GRAB SOME STUDENT EATS (10-20 POUNDS PER PAIR)

Thai food has by far our favorite price to quality ratio. In Scotland, though? Well, we’re not huge fans of Scottish cuisine (triple fried anyone?) and this place has been embraced by University of Edinburgh students. So, Ting Thai Caravan is good enough for us, too.

Of course, it’s much cheaper to eat at home. If you do have a kitchen and don’t mind missing the student vibes.

11:00 Embrace your youth and DRINK IN THE STREETS! (5-15 POUNDS PER PAIR)

If you do splurge on dinner, save yourself some pence and snag a six pack to drink in one of the many parks or cobbled streets.

As much as the Scotts love their pints, booze aren’t the cheapest because of a recent and gnarly alcohol tax. Hanging Bat looked like a lovely place for a cuppa, but unfortunately it was a bit out of our price range.

DAY TWO

9:00AM STOCK UP FOR THE DAY (10-30 POUNDS PER PAIR)

Finally, make a pilgrimage to Lidl, our hidden gem of Edinburgh (lol). This brother of the popular German supermarket Aldi will reward your visit with unprecedentedly low prices even by non-UK standards. Plus, they have an awesome bakery!

Stock up on enough food for the day so that you can enjoy Edinburgh’s green spaces in peace.

10:00 TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BUS PASS (8-10 POUNDS PER PAIR)

There’s no reason to buy public trans if you’re staying within Edinburgh proper. It’s perfectly reasonable to walk the whole thing.

However, if you want to dart out to the nearby beaches, or get to know the wider region, Lothian offers good value day passes for between 4 and 5 pounds (depending on exactly where you want to go). Check out the options here.

10:30 WANDER around (0 POUNDS PER PAIR)

A great option for the first route of the day is to head to King’s Knowe and take advantage of the lovely Leith Path, which will bring you back toward the city. It’ll take some hours, but you can even check out some (free!) modern art at one of the national galleries along the way back. Plus, with the bus pass, you can just hop back to town whenever you’re ready.

8:00 SEE THE BEACH AT SUNSET (0 POUNDS PER PAIR)

Milk that buss pass till it’s dry.

We didn’t have time, but Cramond Beach is within close proximity to the town. If you have time, and the weather isn’t too dreary, check it out.

DAY THREE

9:00AM GET A VERY FAMOUS COFFEE (4-10 POUNDS PER PAIR)

If you have an inclination for the nerdy like Tori, finally succumb to your Harry Potter fandom and visit The Elephant House. It’s the cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote some of the books. You could also go really crazy and visit Diagon House for overpriced souvenirs, but we wouldn’t necessarily recommend blowing your budget on butter beer and the like.

If you’re super in to Harry Potter, there are entire itineraries out there that will tailor your trip completely to the wiz kid.

10:00 GIVE IN TO THE ROYAL MILE (0 POUNDS PER PAIR)

So far, you’ve neglected a very important and very popular part of Edinburgh: the royal mile. This area of the city is ancient and has a good mix of pretty buildings and museums, most of them free. The St. Giles Cathedral, Scottish National Gallery, Scottish Portrait Gallery are some great landmarks.

12:00 eat some veg (0-20 pounds per pair)

It’ll take you to slightly over 48 hours, but if you have the time, check out the Saturday farmer’s market. We weren’t there at the right time, but we hear it’s darling.