Edinburgh - Top Tips - What to Do For Free in Bad Weather
Edinburgh is a great place to go on holiday.
There is stunning scenery, some of the most interesting history and architecture there is, as well as the biggest arts festival in the world.
The weather is unpredictable, to put it kindly.
On the positive side, being on the East Coast, it is one of the driest cities in the UK, but it can be windy, cold, and whilst drier than many parts of the UK, it does still rain and on occasion snow! If you are really unlucky, you may get to experience the horrible Edinburgh haw, a cold, damp sea fog that can affect Edinburgh when the rest of Scotland can be having a lovely day.
Another Edinburgh characteristic that may surprise visitors is just how early it goes dark in the winter months.
In December, sunset is soon after 3:30pm and with an average of only one hour of sunshine, it is a good job there are lots of interesting, and free, things you can do indoors.
This article gives you some of my favourite things to do for free indoors in Edinburgh as well as tips on how to be prepared for bad weather and short days.
Tip 1:Get the right accommodation.
Edinburgh has a good range of hotels, guest houses, bed and breakfast establishments, hostels and self-catering accommodation.
My personal preference is for self-catering accommodation because you get more living space with less restrictions and generally better facilities than the other options.
Facilities that are particularly useful in bad weather in Edinburgh are some living space where you can watch TV without sitting on the bed! The freedom to eat what and when you want, and importantly in bad weather you often get a washing machine and dryer.
Tip 2: Take the right clothes.
Edinburgh is a small, but hilly city.
The best way to get round the city, even in bad weather, is to walk.
Take comfortable, waterproof shoes or boots.
Layers are the key to dealing with the Edinburgh weather.
Have warm, waterproof and windproof layers that can be put on and removed as the weather changes and you go in and out doors.
Umbrellas are not a great option, as it can be windy enough to just damage the umbrella.
Hoods and hats are the way to go.
Do have scarves and gloves with you in winter.
You can get very good cashmere and tweed clothing in Edinburgh, so if shopping, these are worth considering.
Tip 3: Brush up on your History.
The history of Edinburgh is fascinating.
It is long, varied and very visible around the city.
Not many places can claim a heritage as diverse as that of Edinburgh.
There are ancient battles, great thinkers such as David Hume and Adam Smith, wicked criminals that gave raise to fiction such as Jekyll and Hyde and Sherlock Holmes, brilliant inventions like anaesthesia, fabulous engineering like the bridges across the Forth, and nowadays we talk about the rise and fall of the banking sector.
Did you know the overdraft was invented in Edinburgh? Go and see the Museum on the Mound in the old Bank of Scotland headquarters There are lots of free specialist museums in Edinburgh such as the Writers Museum on Lady Stairs Close and the Police Museum, which has some rather grisly exhibits, on the Royal Mile.
The Royal Mile has several other interesting and free museums like the Peoples Story, the Museum of Childhood and the Brass Rubbing Centre.
A little further out, near the Forth Bridges, is the Queensferry museum.
Not free, but only a small charge, will get you into the Surgeons Hall Museum.
As well as these specialist museums, Edinburgh has grand museums that have a vast range of exhibits in the National Museum of Scotland and the Royal Museum on Chamber Street.
Tip 4: Take in some Art.
Edinburgh is endowed with a great range of Art Galleries.
You have the rather grand and traditional National Gallery and Royal Scottish Academy Galleries on the Mound with their lovely position butting into Princes St Gardens.
The National Portrait Gallery on Queen St is a wonderful building as well as having great exhibits.
Modern Art is shown off in beautiful grounds at the Modern Art Gallery and the Dean Gallery which are just across the road from each other on Belford Road at the West side if the city.
Edinburgh also has a good range of smaller private galleries that are well worth a look.
They include the Fruitmarket Gallery near Waverley Station and just across the road on Market Street there is the City Art Gallery.
For private galleries take a walk down Dundas St.
There are several all clustered together here.
Tip 5: Enjoy the Architecture: In bad weather, see it from the inside! There are several buildings that you can walk inside and see the some wonderful architecture.
I have already mentioned the museums.
Try the Royal Bank of Scotland branch at 36 St Andrews Square.
Simply walking get through the entrance, which is pretty good, go through to the banking hall and just look up at a fantastic ceiling.
Other great banking halls are now bars and restaurants, go and look at the Dome and Centotre, which are both on George St.
Jenners is a long established Edinburgh Department Store, now owned by House of Fraser.
Wander in and enjoy the amazing woodwork.
If you are there in December, the Christmas tree is a wonderful sight.
As in many cities there are wonderful churches to see.
St Giles on the Royal Mile is impossible to miss and incredibly beautiful inside.
Tip 6: Get Political: It is free to go into the Scottish Parliament.
As you would expect in these days of heightened security concerns, you have to have your bags checked as you go in.
The parliament building generated lots of controversy for the design and for the vast overspend on the budget.
Now it is a working parliament, you can enter and form your own opinion.
If parliament is sitting, you can even get free entertainment by watching the debates.
There is stunning scenery, some of the most interesting history and architecture there is, as well as the biggest arts festival in the world.
The weather is unpredictable, to put it kindly.
On the positive side, being on the East Coast, it is one of the driest cities in the UK, but it can be windy, cold, and whilst drier than many parts of the UK, it does still rain and on occasion snow! If you are really unlucky, you may get to experience the horrible Edinburgh haw, a cold, damp sea fog that can affect Edinburgh when the rest of Scotland can be having a lovely day.
Another Edinburgh characteristic that may surprise visitors is just how early it goes dark in the winter months.
In December, sunset is soon after 3:30pm and with an average of only one hour of sunshine, it is a good job there are lots of interesting, and free, things you can do indoors.
This article gives you some of my favourite things to do for free indoors in Edinburgh as well as tips on how to be prepared for bad weather and short days.
Tip 1:Get the right accommodation.
Edinburgh has a good range of hotels, guest houses, bed and breakfast establishments, hostels and self-catering accommodation.
My personal preference is for self-catering accommodation because you get more living space with less restrictions and generally better facilities than the other options.
Facilities that are particularly useful in bad weather in Edinburgh are some living space where you can watch TV without sitting on the bed! The freedom to eat what and when you want, and importantly in bad weather you often get a washing machine and dryer.
Tip 2: Take the right clothes.
Edinburgh is a small, but hilly city.
The best way to get round the city, even in bad weather, is to walk.
Take comfortable, waterproof shoes or boots.
Layers are the key to dealing with the Edinburgh weather.
Have warm, waterproof and windproof layers that can be put on and removed as the weather changes and you go in and out doors.
Umbrellas are not a great option, as it can be windy enough to just damage the umbrella.
Hoods and hats are the way to go.
Do have scarves and gloves with you in winter.
You can get very good cashmere and tweed clothing in Edinburgh, so if shopping, these are worth considering.
Tip 3: Brush up on your History.
The history of Edinburgh is fascinating.
It is long, varied and very visible around the city.
Not many places can claim a heritage as diverse as that of Edinburgh.
There are ancient battles, great thinkers such as David Hume and Adam Smith, wicked criminals that gave raise to fiction such as Jekyll and Hyde and Sherlock Holmes, brilliant inventions like anaesthesia, fabulous engineering like the bridges across the Forth, and nowadays we talk about the rise and fall of the banking sector.
Did you know the overdraft was invented in Edinburgh? Go and see the Museum on the Mound in the old Bank of Scotland headquarters There are lots of free specialist museums in Edinburgh such as the Writers Museum on Lady Stairs Close and the Police Museum, which has some rather grisly exhibits, on the Royal Mile.
The Royal Mile has several other interesting and free museums like the Peoples Story, the Museum of Childhood and the Brass Rubbing Centre.
A little further out, near the Forth Bridges, is the Queensferry museum.
Not free, but only a small charge, will get you into the Surgeons Hall Museum.
As well as these specialist museums, Edinburgh has grand museums that have a vast range of exhibits in the National Museum of Scotland and the Royal Museum on Chamber Street.
Tip 4: Take in some Art.
Edinburgh is endowed with a great range of Art Galleries.
You have the rather grand and traditional National Gallery and Royal Scottish Academy Galleries on the Mound with their lovely position butting into Princes St Gardens.
The National Portrait Gallery on Queen St is a wonderful building as well as having great exhibits.
Modern Art is shown off in beautiful grounds at the Modern Art Gallery and the Dean Gallery which are just across the road from each other on Belford Road at the West side if the city.
Edinburgh also has a good range of smaller private galleries that are well worth a look.
They include the Fruitmarket Gallery near Waverley Station and just across the road on Market Street there is the City Art Gallery.
For private galleries take a walk down Dundas St.
There are several all clustered together here.
Tip 5: Enjoy the Architecture: In bad weather, see it from the inside! There are several buildings that you can walk inside and see the some wonderful architecture.
I have already mentioned the museums.
Try the Royal Bank of Scotland branch at 36 St Andrews Square.
Simply walking get through the entrance, which is pretty good, go through to the banking hall and just look up at a fantastic ceiling.
Other great banking halls are now bars and restaurants, go and look at the Dome and Centotre, which are both on George St.
Jenners is a long established Edinburgh Department Store, now owned by House of Fraser.
Wander in and enjoy the amazing woodwork.
If you are there in December, the Christmas tree is a wonderful sight.
As in many cities there are wonderful churches to see.
St Giles on the Royal Mile is impossible to miss and incredibly beautiful inside.
Tip 6: Get Political: It is free to go into the Scottish Parliament.
As you would expect in these days of heightened security concerns, you have to have your bags checked as you go in.
The parliament building generated lots of controversy for the design and for the vast overspend on the budget.
Now it is a working parliament, you can enter and form your own opinion.
If parliament is sitting, you can even get free entertainment by watching the debates.