Edinburgh Guide Heads Up

Edinburgh Festivals!
Did you hear Edinburgh has some festivals? No? Well. In July-August, the city plays host to a frankly ridiculous number of major international festivals – six at official count (unless you count the Tattoo, which we do not). Take your pick from: Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival (15-24 Jul), Edinburgh Art Festival (28 Jul-28 Aug), Edinburgh International Festival (5-28 Aug), Edinburgh Festival Fringe (5-29 Aug), Edinburgh International Film Festival (12-20 Aug) and Edinburgh International Book Festival (13-29 Aug).

Collective
Located in a former observatory perched atop Calton Hill, Collective gallery is surely one of the most scenic art spaces in the world. The surrounding views are some of the city’s finest, and the spaces within have been adapted to present a visionary programme mixing international talent with a mission to foster emergent local art practices.

Water of Leith
Starting from the leafy haven of Colinton Dell, follow the Water of Leith path all the way to The Shore. The route allows you to see Edinburgh in its many forms, often far removed from the tourist trail. On the way you may spot kingfishers, herons, submerged shopping trolleys, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, allotments and a series of Antony Gormley sculptures.

Street Food
For al fresco dining choices and impressively decorated vehicles, visit one of Edinburgh’s street food markets. Leith Arches have a range of options just off Leith Walk, and the Neighbourgood Market in Stockbridge fills the local rugby ground with a huge selection of vans (until 17 Jul). Top pick from us is The Pitt; head to the legendary warehouse and yard in Leith before it closes on 28 August.

Markets
Edinburgh’s weekend markets are great for browsing, picking up some special ingredients for the week ahead, or simply grabbing a Scotch egg the size of your head. Head to Grassmarket and Leith on Saturday, or the full-to-bursting Stockbridge on Sunday. There’s also the Edinburgh Farmer’s Market at Castle Terrace on a Saturday morning for fans of fancy meats and cheeses.

Portobello
Not content with a castle and a mountain in the centre of town, Edinburgh also has a beach within walking distance. Along Portobello Promenade you’ll find an old-school arcade, Victorian-era Turkish Baths, and plenty of places to eat and drink, including delicious pizza at Civerinos Slice. You’ll see locals taking a dip, even into the coldest months, so bring your swimming cossie.

The Shore
When The Proclaimers came up with the lyrics to Sunshine on Leith, they were surely having a pint down by Leith’s historic port. On any sunny day in Edinburgh (and some of the dreich ones too), you’ll find people on The Shore, sitting on the banks of the Water of Leith, their feet dangling, or spilling out of the many restaurants and bars that line this cobbled waterfront.

Fireworks
Every. Single. Night. During the Edinburgh Tattoo (5-27 Aug) (which we will say no more about) there’s a nightly firework display signalling the end of its military festivities. Pretty spectacular for a visitor, pretty annoying if you live here and are, for example, just trying to get a child to go to sleep. The best view is probably from Princes St or Calton Hill, with enhanced displays taking place at the 9pm Friday and 9:30pm Saturday performances.

Charity and Vintage shop crawl
What better way to kill the fast fashion industry dead than with some secondhand gems? Edinburgh has some excellent pre-loved clothing shops: vintage enthusiasts should head to institution Armstrongs (there are four different branches scattered through the Old Town and Southside). For complete steals, meanwhile, hit up the charity shops: there are beautiful pieces to be found especially along Nicolson Street (thanks students!) and Stockbridge (thanks rich people!).

Ice cream with a castle backdrop
Mary’s Milk Bar on the Grassmarket serves up some of the best ice cream you’ll ever eat – step inside and you’ll find an incredible selection of flavours, all made on the premises. Outside there's an iconic view of Edinburgh Castle against which to photograph your scoop. Top tip: the Grassmarket is a main road, for the love of God look both ways as you cross the street.

Distilleries and Breweries
Edinburgh is packed with innovative breweries and distilleries, so get acquainted. Pilot's shop hatch sells beer direct from the Leith brewery, while Campervan and Bellfield offer on-site taprooms. Edinburgh Gin runs tours of their West End distillery, Pickering’s Gin will show you around their distillery at Summerhall, and Vault City's taproom in the West End literally has more beers on tap than chairs to sit on.

National Museum of Scotland 
Located on Chambers Street, the free-to-enter National Museum of Scotland is both a treasure trove of historical artefacts and a singular architectural gem. Notable spaces include the vast, Victorian-era, glass-roofed main hall, and the 1990s extension which draws on Scottish medieval architecture. There’s also a life size cast of a T-Rex skeleton and did we mention it’s free?

The Seven Hills of Edinburgh
Edinburgh claims to have been built on seven hills, much like other great world cities such as Rome, Jerusalem and eh... Seven Hills, Australia. We would mildly query this, however you’ll have great fun scaling first Arthur’s Seat, then Calton Hill, heading up Blackford Hill for the best view in the city, then maybe having a think about the rest.

4am Storries pie
Wander down Leith Walk past closing time and you’ll see a golden light from a lone storefront. Follow that light, for there is much sustenance at the end of it in the form of Storries (279 Leith Walk), an all-night bakery that’s been keeping late-night revellers well-fed for decades. Mince and macaroni pies are the mainstays, but if you’re feeling adventurous, try the lasagne pie.

Jupiter Artland
It would be easy to leave Edinburgh having only visited the city’s quaint, historic corners. For something more avant-garde, however, take a 45-minute bus to Jupiter Artland, a sculpture park and exhibition ground located in West Lothian. There’s an outdoor art trail featuring pieces by Tracey Emin, Anish Kapoor and Rachel Maclean, wonderland-like sculpted gardens, and strange, quirky art exploding out of unexpected corners.

Ghost Tours
The area around Edinburgh has been inhabited for probably thousands of years, and that area has seen atrocities including but not limited to: hundreds of years of witch persecution; various plagues; the people of the city dealing with said plagues by bricking people into vaults; innumerable medieval battles and a weird period of corpse robbery. Edinburgh is really really spooky – why not take a tour and be terrified?