Having lived in Edinburgh for the best part of half a century, I like to think I know a thing or two about the city, so here are 12 things I think first-time visitors to ‘Auld Reekie’ need to do.
We previously took a look at the first things people discover about Edinburgh when they move here, and I’m now looking at the best tips for visitors who are experiencing the city for the first time.
There are almost too many things for visitors to enjoy in Edinburgh all year round, obviously more so during the Fringe in August, and even a week in the city isn’t enough. So I’ve listed a dozen things any first-time visitors to the Capital need to see and do before they return home.
These include catching our local football teams in action, heading to some of our most famous landmarks, trying out our array of great restaurants and pubs, and of course, trying our famous chippy brown sauce!
5. Have a drink
Edinburgh has the most pubs per head of the population in the UK, with an estimated 385 pubs and bars currently open in the Capital. Research carried our in 2022 of the cities with the most pubs in the world, placed Edinburgh fourth, and the only UK city in the top 10, with 34.29 pubs per 100,000 of the population. My pub crawl days are probably behind me now but I do remember taking on the 'Rose Street Challenge' in my younger days, having a drink at 18 pubs along the pedestrianised street between George Street and Princes Street. There are also lots of great pubs and bars elsewhere in the city centre, in particular down the Cowgate, including the iconic Three Sisters (pictured) with its large courtyard area for drinking in the rare sunshine, or the Grassmarket where you'll find my favourite Edinburgh watering hole, the cheap and cheerful Bar Salsa, always a great meeting spot before setting off to other bars in the area. | Justin Spittle Photo: JUSTIN SPITTLE
6. Go to the fitba
Seeing as us Scots gave the world modern football as we know it today, why not catch some 'fitba' action in the Capital? There are two Edinburgh teams in Scotland's top flight. You could head down to sunny Leith to see my beloved Hibs play or head to the dark side of the city in Gorgie to watch Hearts. However, you could also head down the leagues and catch League One side (soon to be League Two) Edinburgh City at Meadowbank or League Two team Spartans playing at Ainslie Park. | SNS Group Photo: SNS
7. Chippy brown sauce
One of the biggest east/ west coast splits in Scotland is over what we put on our chippy tea. While people in the west tend to have salt and vinegar on their chips and suppers, we Edinburgers prefer salt and our very own unique brown sauce, which contains vinegar, and hits the spot every time! So I call on visitors to Edinburgh to try out our chippy brown sauce and judge for themselves which is best. And, we have so many great chip shops in the Capital you are spoiled for choice, with all of them guaranteed to have our famous chippy brown sauce on offer. | Council Photo: City of Edinburgh Council
8. Delve into our darker history
In Edinburgh we are not afraid to look back at the darker parts of our past and look at the more sinister elements and characters from the city's history. Two of our tourist attractions do that in spades, Edinburgh Dungeon (right)on Market Place behind Waverley Train Station, and The Real Mary King's Close (left) situated off the Royal Mile. Edinburgh Dungeon is an underground tourist attraction which uses live actor shows and interactive rides to show various historical events from Scottish history in a scary but fun style, with audience interaction and special effects, theatrical sets and performance. While, The Real Mary King's Close is a historic close located under the Edinburgh City Chambers building, which was closed off during the plague in the 17th century, where you can learn about how Edinburgh residents continued to live and work there while being in quarantine, with homes and the close itself still preserved to this day for visitors to explore with a guide. | National World Photo: National World