Edinburgh: What to Know Before You Go

Short answer: think of central Edinburgh in three dimensions rather than as a flat map, book your Edinburgh Castle timed ticket days in advance online, tap your contactless card on Lothian Buses and trams, and pack a windproof hooded jacket even in mid-summer.

A city built in vertical layers

Phone maps can be confusing in Edinburgh because two streets that appear to cross each other on screen often sit five storeys apart in vertical height. In the Old Town, the Royal Mile runs along the high crest of the volcanic ridge, while streets like the Cowgate and Grassmarket run along the valley floor directly underneath the arches of George IV Bridge and South Bridge. Steep stone staircases and narrow passages (called closes when they lead to a private courtyard, and wynds when they are open thoroughfares) connect the upper and lower levels like ladders. If you want to avoid climbing a hundred stone steps with a suitcase, check whether your hotel entrance is on the upper bridge level or the lower valley floor.

Advance bookings and free national museums

Edinburgh Castle operates on timed online tickets that regularly sell out completely on sunny days and throughout summer; do not walk up Castlehill hoping to buy at the gate. Similarly, if you want to tour the underground Real Mary King's Close or the Royal Yacht Britannia in Leith, book a day or two ahead. By contrast, Edinburgh's flagship museums and galleries (including the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street, the Scottish National Gallery on the Mound and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery) are completely free to enter for their permanent collections.

Scottish banknotes, cards and tipping

Scotland uses the British Pound Sterling (GBP), and three Scottish banks (Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale Bank) print their own distinctive polymer banknotes alongside Bank of England notes. Virtually every pub, coffee shop, bus, tram and market stall in Edinburgh accepts contactless Visa/Mastercard and Apple/Google Pay; if you do withdraw Scottish banknotes, spend them before travelling south to London, where smaller English shops occasionally hesitate to accept them. In sit-down restaurants, a 10 to 12.5 percent tip (or discretionary service charge on the bill) is standard; in pubs, you do not tip when ordering drinks at the bar. See our transport guide for contactless bus and tram fare caps.