10 free things to do in Edinburgh

Edinburgh, Scotland‘s beautiful capital city, has a large old town which was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995, along with its well-known district of New Town. Its charm lies in the successful combination of old and new, in a typically Scottish atmosphere. In addition to monumental buildings like the Castle, the city offers a wide range of restaurants, shops, museums and an extensive program of festivals throughout the year, so you can participate in all sorts of activities suitable for all ages and budgets.

1.Visit the City Museum where you can learn through their interesting exhibits, the history of Edinburgh, from prehistoric times to the present. It  includes some pieces and artifacts that illustrate the development of the city.

2.Climb up Arthur’s Seat, a volcanic hill from which to admire the best views of the city. There are several routes to access to Holyrood Park (where you can find the monument) of approximately one hour depending on the different levels of difficulty.

3. If you are lucky enough to visit the city in August, can not miss the Fringe, the largest arts festival in the country. It is necessary to pay for the tickets, but there are also a huge number of free performances and activities throughout the city.

4. Know the Scottish Parliament, the seat of the country’s government. Its facade imitates the Scottish fishing boats and now, you can visit its magnificent interior, in order to know the tasks of the new parliament in the visitor center, attend a session of the camera or wander the debating chamber completely free of charge.

5. The National Gallery of Scotland has one of the finest collections of European painting. Opened in 1859, it displays works from a variety of styles, from Renaissance to Post-Impressionism in which include works by Van Dyck, Rubens, Titian, Velazquez, Tintoretto, Raphael and Rembrandt among others.

This is just a small sample of all the places can be visited without spending anything, since there are many others like the Royal Mile, the most emblematic street of the city, the Princess Street gardens, the Scott Monument, the  Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art or fish in the Water of Leith, the most important river in the city from April 1 to September 30.

Another great way to save money on our trip is to book a hostel instead of a hotel room as  Brodies Hostels. Many cheap hostels in Edinburgh offer private rooms that have nothing to envy to those of standard hotels such as Adelphi Private Hotel and  Abbots House Hotel.

When choosing a cheap restaurant, it should be noted that in a large city such as Edinburgh, we can find all kinds of establishments, but we can not leave without tasting the typical dishes of the country in places like The Kings Wark or the known Howies chain.

Tags: cheap, economic, edinburg travel guide, edinburgh, free, p1785, scotland, travel guide