Two years ago today, I was traveling with Tyler and his parents to Edinburgh. We were stoked to be spending our holidays in Scotland, after spending the Christmas before in Belgium. We arrived at Gatwick early in the morning on December 22 and had brunch at Giraffe before getting on the train to Edinburgh…
Loch Ness 
Deanston Distillery 
Loch Ness
Day 1: Edinburgh Waverly
We arrived at Edinburgh Waverly and walked to our Airbnb. Once we’d dropped off our bags, we got dinner at The City Cafe, a cool bar that felt like an American diner. We then swung by Sainsbury’s to grab snacks and drinks for the apartment before calling it a night. We had to get up early the next day!
Day 2: Loch Ness
We met up with our Hairy Coo tour outside Deacon’s House Cafe first thing in the morning. My in-laws are not “tour people,” but after my success with Paddywagon tours in Ireland, I felt confident in the Hairy Coo for our day trip to Loch Ness. Highlights of our tour include:
- Deanston Distillery, a Single Malt Scotch whiskey distillery in Doune – who doesn’t want Scotch for breakfast?
- The “Three Sisters” (also known as Bidean nam Bian Mountain) in Glencoe offered great views of the Scottish highlands
- Spirit of Loch Ness took us around the most famous loch – and even offered us a glimpse of Nessie
Once we got back to Edinburgh, we obviously had to hit up the Christmas market. We ended up getting our “chocolate kisses” from a Texan cashier, as well as drinks from Edinburgh’s Christmas bar and snacks from the Sausage Shack. We routed through the Waverly Mall on our way home.
Edinburgh Castle 
Brasserie Prince 
Royal Mile
Day 3: The Royal Mile
It was Christmas Eve, and we learned quickly that we should have made reservations for places to eat – most restaurants were either closed or packed! We tried a few spots for brunch, including The Elephant House (packed), before settling in at Vittoria on the Bridge, just in time for lunch.
We then really had a chance to explore. We went to the National Museum of Scotland and Edinburgh Castle before making our way down the Royal Mile. While en route to the Christmas market, we stopped to take pictures with a beautiful owl, courtesy of Falconry Borders. After scooping up more treats, as well as another stop at Sainsbury’s, we settled back in at the Airbnb before meeting up with my in-laws for our evening out.
We got drinks at Brass Monkey and popped into the Hilton Edinburgh to take a photo with their gorgeous Christmas tree as we tried to find a place to eat. We finally found seats at The Balmorals Brasserie Prince by Alain Roux, which was actually the perfect spot to eat. We also had an awesome waiter, Shamick. We filled up on delicious food and drinks before making our way back to the Airbnb.
Day 4: Calton Hill
Talk about a merry Christmas! We had breakfast at the apartment before heading out. We walked Princes Street and through Dean Village before arriving at Calton Hill. Megan had called this out as a key place for a photo opp, and she was absolutely right. We soaked in all the views (and took a lot of pictures) before heading back to the Airbnb for lunch and a movie.
Our evening was pretty low-key, since a lot was closed for Christmas. We picked up dinner at Burrito ‘n’ Shake and packed up our bags, as we were heading out the next morning for our train to Glasgow – which, despite us having pre-booked tickets, we soon found didn’t exist…
Calton Hill 
Calton Hill 
Calton Hill