Edinburgh - accomodation, main sites

Hi everyone

We're still planning our trip to London, Ireland and Edinburgh, and I had some questions about Edinburgh.

How many days would you recommend to spend there, for someone who's never been to Edinburgh? 2-3? 5? Are there any good museums there?

Accommodation - I'm looking at apartments and hostels in Edinburgh, I was wondering, if they say "walking distance from...", is it usually really walking distance? Are the main tourist sites located in the center of town, or spread all over the city?

The Fringe festival - I have been warned that due to the festival there might not be enough accommodation within the city, are there some nearby villages or cities we can go to by train? Or is it not a good idea and we'll just waste half a day on train-ride?

I think that's all for now, I'll be happy to hear advices, suggestions etc.

Thanx!

There should be lots of places to stay in Edinburgh. Don't stay out of town and take a train. You want to stay right there. I think this site provides links to hostels. Check it out. You can also book at Hostel World. www.hostelworld.com It is safe site and I have never ever had a problem making a reservation there. Once you go onto the site and select Edinburgh you can select "Show on Map" and it will show you where all the hostels are in relation to each other and the sights. You can stay on the Royal Mile which is oldest part and it is a road leading from the Castle down to the newer Royal Residence. But you can stay anywhere in the area and it is all close. If it says walking distance it is all good as there will be things to see on the way.

There are tons of things to see and do in Edinburgh. You can spend an entire day doing the Castle and the Royal Mile or you can pass through quite quickly. Calton Hill is big hill with great views and where someone once tried to copy the Pantheon in Athens. It is worth seeing. There are all sorts of museums, art galleries and old houses that are now museums. You can also take a city bus down to Leith. It is the Port area of Edinburgh. It is sort of neat and has a Maritime feel about it. The decomissioned Royal Yacht Britannia is there and you can tour it.

You can also book some day trips from Edinburgh to St Andrews and Stirling through Grayline. Maybe youplan to tour around Scotland but sometimes these day trips to nearby towns are nice becuase you don't have to think much. Just sit back and relax.

Quoting ponchik

How many days would you recommend to spend there, for someone who's never been to Edinburgh? 2-3? 5? Are there any good museums there?

I went to Edinburgh around Christmas time for a few days and it was great. I can't help you out with accommodation tips as my friend and I stayed with one of her friends.

However.

I definitely recommend the Scottish Whiskey tour - drinker or no drinker. There's a tasting opportunity and you get a free glass at the end too. The tour only lasts about an hour so it's definitely something to consider. It wasn't very expensive and you pretty much walk past it getting to the Castle. We never went in the Castle as time was limited but you can wonder around it for free.

We went to the Edinburgh zoo but that's because I've never been to a zoo before, if you felt like it, there's loads of flyers on the buses and other usual places which give comprehensive info on getting out there. They do have a time when the penguin show is which is where they let the penguins out of their holdings and visitors can approach them - unfortunately we missed that so it's worth checking out beforehand if you're interested.