Rail Europe

The cobblestone streets and many old beautiful buildings make Edinburgh a place where it’s easy to get lost, and while having a plan when you travel is useful, let yourself take advantage of the mostly compact nature of the city, and wander where it takes you.

Read on for suggested activities...



Morning

Start the day off from Waverly Station with a brisk walk to Arthur’s Seat, at 823 feet above sea level, to look out upon Princes Street, the Castle, the Firth of Forth. It’s situated just about a mile from Edinburgh Castle and is part of Holyrood Park.

After that climb, hop on a bus from the city center and go for a stroll in the Royal Botanic Garden, with plenty of places to stop and read and relax. There are even greenhouses, so if the weather is not so pleasant, you need not take this off your agenda.

Afternoon

Head to the top of Scotman Sir Patrick Geddes’s Outlook Tower, and look through Camera Obscura, a 150-year old lens that’s like a periscope, which gives you an image of the streets and buildings in your panaorama. The observation deck gives you a chance to look at the city through telescopes, and imagine what Geddes, a 19th century botanist-turned-urban planner, saw when he looked down at Old Town.

Overnight

Go back and order room service at your hotel, the five-star Glasshouse Hotel. Which was recently voted the sexiest hotel in Scotland thanks to its floor-to-ceiling room windows, glass bathrooms, Aveda products, and lavender-scented rooftop garden.

Details:

Arthur’s Seat
-Holyrood Park
-1 Queens Drive
-Phone: 0131/652-8150
-Hours: April 1-September 30, Monday-Saturday, 9:30am-5:30pm
-October 1-March 31, 9:30am-4:30pm; closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day

Outlook Tower and Camera Obscura
-Castlehill
-Phone: 0131/226-3709
-Hours: April-June and September-October, daily, (:30am-6pm; July-August daily 9:30am-7:30pm; November-March daily 10am-5pm
-Admission: £6.45 adults, £5.15 seniors and students; £4.15 children

Royal Botanic Garden
-Inverleith Row
-Phone: 0131/552-7171
-Hours: Open daily from 10am (closed December 25 and January 1) and closes 4pm
-November-February, 6pm March and October, and 7pm April-September

Glasshouse Hotel
-2 Greenside Place
-Phone: 0131/525-8200
-Rates: From £175-£195 (double)

Journey Time: 4hr30
Frequency: 14
Departure Station: London Kings Cross
Arrival Station: Edinburgh
Prices From: 243 (Economy) to 395 (Premier / Comfort Flexi)
(prices subject to change)

Uselful Links:

• http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
• http://www.camera-obscura.co.uk
• http://www.rbge.org.uk
• http://www.theetoncollection.com/hotels/glasshouse

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