A Quick Trip to Edinburgh: A Day in “Old Smoky”

By Opinion Editor Baneen Talpur

Alas, Easter Break has arrived. You have two weeks off, you want to travel, but also not too far or spend too much since you are saving for summer. The itch to leave is strong, with people telling you about their upcoming adventures and you do not want to miss out. Well, look no further because boy, do I have an idea for you.

Edinburgh is a mere 55-minute flight from Cork and there are return flights between the two most days of the week. See where I am going with this? Why not take the first flight out and come back the last flight at night and make it a day trip? You would save money on accommodation, one of the largest expenses on any expedition. I recently did this myself and would highly recommend it was one of the best travel experiences that I have had so far and managed to see so much of this very accessible city. Here I will tell you all about my trip, hoping to inspire you to get outside and do the same!

Flights

My flight was at 6 am and it was a 55-minute flight. I travelled with Ryanair and my flight return cost me 55 euro, 35 to go and 15 for my return flight. I have also heard of people getting this flight for 9.99 each way so do look around for sales time as Ryanair does these regularly enough. I did have to wake up early, 3.15 and got to the airport by 4.20, but you can catch up on sleep on the plane and there is nothing that a little coffee cannot fix! You do not have to pack a bag and check in can be done online. Make sure you do it online at least 2 hours in advance in order to avoid the late check in fee of 55 euro per person so heads up there. The flight itself was so efficient with landing there by 7.15 am, plenty of time to grab breakfast before you start to explore.

Bus Tour

It was worth it to me, I got to see the majority of what the city has to offer within 90 minutes and learned so much about the history of the city. Edinburgh has such rich history, with many famous writers being inspired by its grey cobblestone streets and buildings, the creator of antiseptic was from Edinburgh, so we have not-dying from surgery to thank the city for and the discoverer of Carbon Dioxide gas, Joseph Black!

The Edinburgh Dungeon

Did you know that Edinburgh is one of the most haunted cities in Europe? It has a rich macabre history with rampant grave robbing, the plague and witch trials with thousands of women being accused of witchcraft during the medieval ages. I hate horror or anything even remotely scary, so this was something that pushed me out of my comfort zone. It ended up being one of my favourite parts of the trip, with me learning about the gory past of the city with this immersive and interactive experience. It cost me 24 pounds equalling 28 euro. It was only slightly scary in 2 parts but most of it was actually quite funny and reminded me of the world of Horrible Histories.

Edinburgh Castle

Camera Obscura

This was a unique attraction where I was immersed in the world of optical illusions. This experience harnesses the power and allure of physics playing with the world of light and sound. There are so many mirrors, mazes, and illusions here which I was mesmerised by. There is a great view of the old town from the top and a historical element to this otherwise modern looking place, discussing how one of the World’s first Camera obscura was created there. There is a projection from the camera, allowing you to see the whole city before your eyes. This cost me19.95 pounds as a student to book online, 23.28 euro.

Food

For food, I went to Laila's, a bougie brunch place which was bedazzled in pink, making me feel as if I was in Barbie. Starters and sides start from 5.50 to the most expensive main course being around 25 pounds. Food wise, there are so many options in the city from a Greggs sausage roll to a 5-star restaurant overlooking the castle, the world is your oyster. You could also bring snacks from home and munch on the way, this is a day trip after all and saves you some moola. I always had a sandwich and some fruit to nibble on if I was feeling peckish along the way.

These were all my paid attractions. The rest of what I did with my day was free. You have the option of going to the National Museum of Scotland, Museum of Childhood and the Writer’s Museum which are free or transport yourself in the world of nature by going to the Botanical Gardens or climbing Arthur’s Seat to get a full view of the city.

Roaming the Streets

Walking down from the Castle along the Royal Mile route will captivate you with its architecture and transport you back in time. This route incorporates the view of St Giles Cathedral and the Grassmarket area. For pictures, I took some here and stopped at Victoria’s Street where the official Harry Potter merchandise store is and got some taken there.

I did some window shopping at the St James’ Quarter shopping centre with its impressive hip indoor-outdoor vibe with a range of high street shops. Everywhere is easy enough to get to by foot, however parts of the city are uphill and downhill.

The National Gallery of Scotland

As a fan of art Galleries and using this to press pause, I went here. It has some great paintings from the Impressionism era, some Monet and Van Gogh paintings, paintings from the 1840s on and a huge collection of Scottish art which was nice to see.

Overall, this was probably the most efficient travel experience that I had. It sounds risky, a day trip to another country but honestly it was so much more convenient than going to Dublin. Flying from Cork and not having to take the train or bus service to Dublin which takes up hours of time was lovely. I even had time to spare in the evening since most attractions close at 5. The city centre is only 30 minutes away from the airport and with multiple efficient forms of transport to and from the city, it was very accessible. Return transfer tickets from the airport to the city centre cost 6.50 pounds around 7.60 euro.

The prices of most things were similar if not the same as Cork and probably slightly cheaper than Dublin once you exchange the rate. The total cost of my trip was roughly 150 euro but again, I did a lot of touristy things, and it could work out cheaper if you decide to go for more free things to do. You get the exhilaration of travelling without all the hassle of checking in bags and hotels and best part, you’re back to the comfort of your own bed by nightfall!