24 Hours in Edinburgh, Scotland - Best Travel Itinerary for Edinburgh

Today I want to share my travel itinerary for 24 hours in Edinburgh with you. The capital of Scotland is one of the most beautiful places in the UK, and it’s worth a special trip to get to know it.

24 Hours in Edinburgh

I was invited up to Scotland by the Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club in Edinburgh. It’s located near the city in acres of woodland and golf courses.

Where to Stay in Edinburgh

The hotel, a historic Baronial manor house, put me and my fellow travelers up in spacious rooms in the main house for our 24 hours in Edinburgh. They were all tartaned out and properly Scottish.

Despite arriving late, we were given time to settle into our rooms after a warm welcome. Mine had two large windows with views of putting greens, lakes, and Edinburgh Castle in the distance.

Inside, dark wood furniture and classic paintings surrounded a massive bed. My room at the Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club also had the largest bathroom I’ve ever seen. It even had its own fireplace.

After getting settled in, I kicked off my 24 hours in Edinburgh by meeting my group in the bar. Cozy as could be, it was filled with overstuffed chairs, wooden tables, and tartan pillows.

While we enjoyed cocktails, a bagpiper set the scene with a musical welcome to Scotland. He even piped us up the stairs to dinner, which we enjoyed in the hotel’s private dining room.

The food was excellent. Ranging from fresh, flavorful smoked salmon to perfectly cooked lamb, it was a great taste of local Scottish cuisine.

For dessert we were treated to cranachan, a traditional sweet ending made with cream, whiskey, honey, and oats.

But the Scottish culinary immersion didn’t end with dinner. Back down in the bar, we continued our 24 hours in Edinburgh with a whiskey tasting.

From single malt to cocktails and chocolate pairings, we learned a lot of the basics about the most famous Scottish drink and sampled a range of flavors.

The next morning we awoke to gloriously sunny weather, which was a welcome treat after thick fog in London the day before.

We continued our 24 hours in Edinburgh by eating a buffet breakfast in the restaurant of the Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club. It had great views across the golf course.

Spa in Edinburgh

We then headed over to the spa for treatments. It was located in a newer building attached to the main hotel.

The building housed everything from a huge pool to a spacious restaurant and large bar. The pint-size spa was quite a bit smaller than the other areas, though.

My massage was relaxing, but the table didn’t have a face cradle, so my neck was sore afterwards. Still, I couldn’t complain about an otherwise good spa experience.

Things to Do in 24 Hours in Edinburgh

The rest of our 24 hours in Edinburgh were spent in the city itself. We hopped in a taxi at the hotel and arrived 30 minutes later.

I met up with my friend Kash of BudgetTraveller fame. He gave me a tour of some of the best parts of the Royal Mile and the area around Edinburgh Castle.

Despite having been there multiple times, I saw a lot of secret Edinburgh places I hadn’t discovered before. Kash first took me to a hidden garden just off the Royal Mile that had beautiful manicured flora and great views of Calton Hill.

Near the castle, he pointed out Adam Smith’s grave, the old city walls, and the location of the historic city gates, which were marked out on the street near The World’s End pub.

Farther up, he showed me a stone heart inlaid in the sidewalk that locals spit on as they pass (and we got a very timely example of it as one man walked up, stopped, dropped some saliva, and moved on).

After admiring the castle, which I toured when I spent 1 day in Edinburgh on my last trip, we walked down a set of steep steps to Grassmarket, a large square where public hangings used to take place on a round stone.

The square is now known for its nightlife, where people can have a pint at the Last Drop, a pub where the condemned supposedly had their final pint before being strung up.

From Grassmarket, we continued our 24 hours in Edinburgh by walking up Victoria Street, one of the prettiest shopping streets in Edinburgh.

At the top, we turned and went past The Elephant House cafe, where J.K. Rowling wrote some of the Harry Potter novels.

From there we walked over to Greyfriars Kirkyard, where a monument and grave to Greyfriars Bobby, the loyal dog who remained by his master’s grave for years after his death, were located.

Where to Eat in Edinburgh

After a stroll through the grounds, I continued my 24 hours in Edinburgh by meeting back up with my group at Spoon cafe.

It was another place that claimed to have hosted J.K. Rowling while she wrote the Harry Potter books. Spoon had a lovely vintage feel, with mismatched chairs and china teacups.

My feta-and-zucchini fritters with potato-and-pea-shoot salad and my side of chunky chips smothered in cheddar were exactly what I needed to warm up and get sustenance for the long journey home to London.