July 2023 - The Zinn Diaries

Road-Tripping Scotland: 3 Exciting Things to Do in Edinburgh

We only spent one day in Edinburgh, but it was a great big-city Scotland experience! Edinburgh is the country’s capital and a tourism hotspot with countless shops, restaurants, and parks filled with people having picnics. Since we only had one day, I wasn’t sure what things to do in Edinburgh, but our British friends had some fun plans for us. Here are some highlights and suggestions for planning your own visit to Edinburgh, Scotland!

Let’s start with the best spot first: The Alchemist!

With multiple UK locations and two Edinburgh locations, this next-level mixology bar should be on your bucket list. We went to their new location on George Street on their opening weekend for brunch and had fantastic service. We got one breakfast dish and three magical cocktails for £30 each (about $40). The food portions were generous, and we tried the entire brunch drink menu between the four of us!

Delicious drinks at The Alchemist in Edinburgh

My favorites: the “Color-Changing One” with Ketel One vodka and the “Pop Notch” made with cherry gin and topped with a bubble for you to pop! Check out my Instagram post to see videos of our drinks. Reservations are highly recommended. Again, this was one of our favorite things to do in Edinburgh, and we hope to go to another one of their locations eventually!

Next up on things to do: Victoria Street in Old Town!

Go to Victoria Street for fun shops galore! We walked uphill for about 10 minutes to get here, which is right outside Edinburgh Castle. J.K. Rowling wrote part of the Harry Potter series in Edinburgh, and Diagon Alley is said to have been inspired by this street! There are a multitude of Harry Potter souvenir stores here, along with other witchy and artistic stores, such as Museum Context (pictured).

Victoria Street was completed in 1834, so be aware that the road is cobblestone and might be a deciding factor if you have a stroller, wheelchair, etc. It’s a bit of a trek, but it’s worth it if you’re going to Edinburgh Castle already. There are a LOT of things to do here!

Spinning in Victoria Street in Edinburgh, Scotland

Dinner suggestion in Edinburgh:

For dinner, my lovely friend Tim made our reservations at The Dome, a gorgeous restaurant on George Street. Complete with MULTIPLE chandeliers and professional sommeliers, the atmosphere was elegant, and the waitstaff gracefully whisked around the ballroom serving patrons. Reservations are highly recommended. I enjoyed pesto pappardelle, buttered bread, and a Chardonnay glass! Their dessert menu looked tasty, but we were too full after our entrees to try any. The Dome is a bit pricey, but it’s definitely worth going for dinner if you have it in the budget.

The Dome, one of the best things to do in Edinburgh

Other locations that we enjoyed: LUSH (chain store and spa, amazing bath bombs) and Princes Street Gardens (in front of Edinburgh Castle, has a pretty fountain and was filled with picnics, children playing, birds, and flowers). For more details on planning a trip to Edinburgh, hop over to another great blog Everything Edinburgh! If you’re deciding on ideas for Edinburgh, this blog is the place to go.

Thanks for catching up! Next stop: Loch Ness and Drumnadrochit 🙂

If you missed the last stop in Crieff, click here!

Road-Tripping Scotland: The Little Town of Crieff

After months of planning, Jordan and I have finally made it to Scotland! We are road-tripping the Scottish Highlands for two weeks and hope to experience genuine Scottish culture. We had a lot of questions when we first started planning: Where do you stay in Scotland? How can we get around to multiple locations? Do we have to rent a car and drive on the opposite side of the road? What is summer weather like in Scotland? Where can we find food that we will both eat?

Lucky for us (and you!), we found all those answers and more. This Scotland series will answer all your questions about traveling to Scotland, and I’m excited to share what we’re learning about Scottish culture! Without further ado: The Little Town of Crieff!

We flew from Chicago to Glasgow via Icelandair Airlines with a brief layover in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. The first leg was six hours long, and the second leg only took about two hours! We left Chicago at 10:30 pm, slept on the planes as best we could, and were ready to rock & roll by the time we arrived in Glasgow around 1 pm. Our bags arrived as expected (thank goodness), and we caught a taxi to Enterprise down the road.

Tip #1: Don’t expect to Uber out of Glasgow Airport!

Glasgow and Edinburgh, the two largest Scottish cities, have Uber, but none were available when we were there. We waited for about 20 minutes watching the Uber app spin before we realized that taxis were lined up along a designated lane at the airport! The taxi driver popped our luggage into the back, cheerfully greeted us in a lovely Scottish accent, and dropped us off down the road at Enterprise for only £10.

learning to drive in Scotland, ready for scottish culture

Tip #2: Don’t book a rental car at the Enterprise at the airport!

Enterprise conveniently has another location just three minutes down the road, which is where we picked ours up. We saved 15% on our overall cost just by switching locations!

Everyone at the Enterprise spoke English, and they accepted our U.S. driving licenses with no issues. Some countries require you to get an International Driving Permit before you drive in their country, but since the primary purpose is to translate your license into English, an American license works perfectly fine! Enterprise offers roadside assistance and coverage on tires and glass. Not so fun fact: If someone else hits you here, you’re still liable for the damages up to a certain percentage. We haven’t hit anything yet, so fingers crossed!

UK cars have steering wheels on the right side of the car, and you drive on the left side of the road. Driving as an American is exactly as weird as you’d think! It was nerve-wracking for the first hour or so that we each drove, but we got it down quickly.

Now for the best stuff: Comelybank Guesthouse! We drove one hour north from Glasgow to Crieff, a lovely market town with winding roads and picturesque views. We stayed at Comelybank Bed & Breakfast, which was suggested to us by our British friends Tim and Jack, who we met by chance at Mardi Gras in New Orleans! The men met us for the weekend and introduced us to Tim’s family, who run the B&B during the summer months.

This was such a great stay! It was affordable, beautifully quaint, and centrally located in Crieff. Marion and Ron were gracious hosts, included us as a family since we were with the men as guests, and gave fantastic recommendations for excursions into the town.

Comelybank Guesthouse in Crieff, Scotland

Tip #3: If you stay here, try the pub directly next door!

We went each night for hours, drinking and chatting and enjoying the local Scottish culture. Fun fact: During the summertime, the sun doesn’t go down until after 10 pm and rises by 4 am. So strange!

In Crieff, my favorite place that we visited was Drummond Castle Gardens. Turns out, Ron used to be the custodian there before he retired! The castle itself is not open for visitors, but the gardens are gorgeous. This is a great place for outdoor photos. The paths through the gardens are stroller and kid-friendly, and there is a small cash-only snack/coffee trailer that is adorable! Plenty of benches and tables are nearby for a spontaneous picnic in the sunshine. Peacocks also call the grounds home, although they aren’t very interested in people. They were beautiful to look at and happy to freely wander the gardens! Tickets to Drummond Castle Gardens cost £10 for adults, £4 for children 5-16 years old, and £22 for a family (not sure what the qualifications are for family status). I would suggest planning 1-2 hours for this stop.

Our first two days in Crieff were relaxing, and I feel like we got a genuine experience of Scottish culture. Luckily, we still have 12 more days of road-tripping the Scottish Highlands! Onward we go!

Next stop….Road-Tripping Scotland: 3 Exciting Things to Do in Edinburgh!