1 Day in Edinburgh, Scotland - Best Travel Itinerary for a Day in Edinburgh

Today I want to share my guide to spending 1 day in Edinburgh, Scotland with you. This city is one of the best places to visit in the UK, and it’s worth a visit for its cultural attractions, restaurants, shopping, and stunning hilltop castle.

1 Day in Edinburgh

If you were given a choice between Cairo, Marrakech, Bergen, Berlin, Venice, and Edinburgh, which would you choose?

That was a question I had to answer on Wednesday morning when I was invited to travel to one of those destinations to write a story about a UNESCO World Heritage Site for an airline.

Having been to all save Bergen, I initially chose the Norwegian city with the UNESCO World Heritage waterfront. However, I had a busy travel schedule later in the week and Edinburgh ended up working out better with my plans.

The itinerary for my 1 day in Edinburgh was finalized by the afternoon, and the next morning I found myself in Scotland.

Where to Stay in Edinburgh

I was staying at The George. It’s in an ideal location on George Street near St Andrew Square in the New Town.

Once I’d settled into my room, I kicked off my 1 day in Edinburgh with the most famous destination on the sightseeing trail: the castle.

Edinburgh Castle

Despite the fact that I’d visited Edinburgh Castle a number of times, I still found plenty of new things to see. The castle complex was large and there were hidden stairways all over that led to secret places every few feet.

After visiting the requisite highlights like the crown jewels and St Margaret’s chapel—which dates back to the 12th century and is the oldest building in Edinburgh—I wandered over to the less busy parts of Edinburgh Castle.

These included exhibitions about the castle prisons, in which there were re-creations of hammocks, bunks, and games tables from the 18th century.

They also included a modern prison that was used right up until the 1920s. Additionally, I explored an underground area where soldiers slept during sieges and where the Scottish crown jewels were buried during World War II.

Then there were the military museums and historic canons like the famous Mons Meg.

Back along the main Edinburgh Castle sightseeing trail, the war memorial, great hall, and state apartments of the Scottish kings and queens were all impressive in their monumental splendor.

Royal Mile

I visited the castle complex in light rain, which thankfully stopped as I exited the grounds. From there I continued my 1 day in Edinburgh by walking down the Royal Mile.

The famous street connects the castle with the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the monarch’s official residence in Scotland. It’s home to many important landmarks in the city, including the Scottish Parliament building.

As I made my way down the Royal Mile, I popped into St Giles Cathedral for a quick look around, then turned down North Bridge street towards the New Town.

Calton Hill

Crossing a bridge, I found myself looking up at the eclectic collection of monuments on Calton Hill. I decided to continue my 1 day in Edinburgh by walking up to get a closer look.

Calton Hill had everything from Greek-inspired monuments dedicated to important figures from the Scottish Enlightenment to tall cylinders that paid homage to war heroes like Lord Nelson.

Also present was an unfinished replica of the Parthenon, often referred to as Edinburgh’s Folly.

Princes Street, Edinburgh

After a pleasant walk around Calton Hill, I retraced my steps until I found myself on Princes Street, the famous shopping thoroughfare in Edinburgh.

I first passed by the large monument to Sir Walter Scott in Princes Street Gardens. Its viewing platforms are some of the best secret places in Edinburgh.

After admiring it, I continued my 1 day in Edinburgh by walking through the greenery and up the steps to the Scottish National Gallery. It’s one of the best museums in Edinburgh.

The Scottish National Gallery is full of all kinds of art by famous artists. From Renaissance painters like Raphael to Dutch Masters like Vermeer, it has an impressive collection.

But at heart it’s Scottish, from the paintings of William McTaggart right down to the tartan trousers worn by the staff.

Dinner in Edinburgh

After exploring the museum, I found myself back outside in the rain. I continued my 1 day in Edinburgh by walking down Hanover Street in the hope of finding shelter.

Suddenly I stopped short. In front of me was a yellow sign with an orange border and black lettering that read Chez Jules.

I remembered the sign from a trip my family took to Edinburgh when I was 16.

We’d enjoyed a great meal at Chez Jules all those years ago, and I was intrigued at the possibility of revisiting it to see if the food was still as good as we all remembered.

It was a bit too early for dinner at the time, so I stopped into a nearby bar that featured a big space with red velvet sofas, overstuffed green leather armchairs, and a laid-back atmosphere.

I had a glass of wine as the rain fell outside the windows, and when I was done I headed next door to have dinner.

The interior of Chez Jules was about how I remembered it. Wooden tables, some of which were covered in red-and-white checkered tablecloths, filled the low-ceilinged dining room.

On top of them sat tall candles, lending an intimate, romantic air.

But being alone, the only romance I was looking for was a love affair with my food. I ordered a goat cheese salad to start, followed by a petite filet mignon with gratin dauphinois.

The salad was good, and the steak and potatoes were outstanding. They were every bit as good as I remembered them being when I was a teenager.

After devouring the tender, juicy filet I finished the entire skillet of creamy gratin dauphinois. The entire meal came to less than 20 pounds. With wine. It was hard to believe.

Edinburgh Streets

After dinner I was in serious need of a walk to burn off some of the millions of calories I’d ingested. I continued my 1 day in Edinburgh by walking back up to the Royal Mile and down along Cockburn Street to do some more sightseeing.

All along Cockburn Street were cute boutiques, shops, and a handful of restaurants and bars. As I made my way back up the hill, I remembered another street with a similar vibe: Victoria Street.

The small, curving road was lined with multicolored facades, behind which sat everything from traditional clothing to trendy gifts to whole roasted pigs, as was the case with Oink, a sandwich shop that specializes in pork.

At the bottom of Victoria Street was Grassmarket, a large square flanked on one side by more bars and restaurants. All of them were packed for the evening with drinkers and diners.

Back up at the top of Victoria Street, I took a right down King George IV Bridge road.

After passing by the famous Elephant House cafe where the first Harry Potter novels were written, I came to what was perhaps my favorite Edinburgh attraction: Greyfriars Bobby.

The small statue of the loyal dog that remained by his master’s grave for years after his death was surrounded by road works that day, but the pup still looked regal on his pillar in the fading light of evening.

After paying homage to Greyfriars Bobby, I walked back along the street and down to The George, where I turned in for the night.