We will be spending four days in Edinburgh. I have reviewed the existing threads on Edinburgh. We do not plan to travel to the countryside. We will be going to Holyrood house and the Tattoo. Any other sightseeing suggestions in the city? Restaurants? Distilleries? Thank you.
Raeburns wine merchant
Maybe best to send the family off to another attraction, as you might want to spend some time here.
We were in Edinburgh for about 6 days last March.
additional sightseeing: Explore closes off the royal mile; there are 30-40 of them and a few access courtyards or gardens; check for guides online of best ones to visit. John Knox house and Georgian House are both interesting. Castle and crown jewels (go early in the day!).
restaurants: We quite liked Mirin (asian fusion, bacon monkfish excellent), Lyla (Michelin star, welcome drink and starting bites upstairs, then transition to dinner downstairs, top notch service throughout tasting menu and every dish was interesting; wine pairings and non-alcoholic pairings both interesting), and SEN (Vietnamese; intimate and chef-centric). We didnât have time but I thought it would have been fun to do Japanese breakfast at Nishiki.
cocktails: Cocktails at Panda & Sons were fun. There are at least half a dozen other high-end cocktail bars mostly located in new town.
coffee: Best serious coffee and beans are at The Source â which has an avid following in UK. Origin and Cult are also both great and both have pastries and are more typical coffee shops than The Source. There are another 50 coffee shops in Edinburgh; I have a long list.
distillery: The main gin produced by Edinburgh gin is supposed to be good (see theginisin.com) but their other flavors donât earn as high marks. I have not visited their distillery, but I thought it useful to point out as a non-scotch distillery.
WOW. Thank you. Very helpful. 
Steve Pepe
805-735-7867
Walk the Royal Mile from the Castle to Holyrood House. Find a map that has the highlights, including the Childrenâs Museum. A very nice way to spend a morning or afternoon.
If the weather permits, walk to Arthurâs Seat. Incredible views of the city.
Do a Rose Street Crawl. There are 14-ish pubs between the Cafe Royal and the west end of Rose St. Stop by all and have a pint. Or a pint and a nip. Or a half and a nip for the teetotalers. Donât be concerned, when I was a student there were 26 pubs.
Regardless, go to the Cafe Royal for a drink.
The advice to explore the closes is right on.
I would put this near the top of the list.
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Thank you again. Most kind. I have small Edinburgh Guide book that includes the maps you mentioned.
Steve Pepe
805-735-7867
Thank you. Most kind. 
You need to go to Cadenheads while youâre there. Best prices on very limited run whiskeys. Absolutely worth the visit while on the royal mile. We stayed 10 nights right on the royal mile 2 years ago and that is a must stop.
Thank you. Most kind.
Steve Pepe
805-735-7867
The response, as is often the case is âwhat do you like doingââŚ. Itâs a small city but also a âproper capitalâ.
I guess it will be festival timeâŚ
It appears you may have children in tow. Even if not, I would suggest the Hop On/Hop Off Bus tour. It will give you the lay of the land and allow you not to have to listen to endless âIâm tiredâ. From there, you can easily revisit what has been of interest on another day, perhaps by yourself. The whisky bar at the Balmoral hotel has a very nice selection if that is of any interest.
I absolutely agree with taking a hop on hop off bus around town your first day, not only to figure the lay of the land, but also to help formulate which areas you want to return and explore when you recover from any travel fatigue. Iâve discovered many things in many cities by taking random busses and getting off to look around.
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I WHOLEHEARTEDLY recommend strolling over to the Stockbridge area (locally called âStockeryâ) - my daughter and I were absolutely smitten with that particular residential area. Just simple and delightful, and I legitimately looked at housing prices on Circus Lane when we were there.
2nd for panda and sons
The Kitchin in Leith for lunch or dinner and the drinks at Teuchters Landing next door. In fact there are three or four really good restaurants right in that neighborhood. Itâs only a few quid to get on the light rail out to that part of town. The Port of Leith Distillery is a great tour.
PS: Visit Glasgow. Itâs 45 minutes on the direct train from Waverly. Go have a few pies and drams at The Pot Still.
I like Edinburgh but I love Glasgow!
Mon the Hoops! Glasgow is green and white!
Thank you. I have been to Glasgow. My late wifeâs great great grandfather, a Mac Master, left there in the Victorian age went to Canada and ended up in California. He had some relationship with the Glasgow Geological Society. Unfortunately the day we were there we were unable to find out what it was. They gave him a massive Empire style stone clock that weighs at least 40 pounds. It is sitting on a shelf as I write this. 
Steve Pepe
805-735-7867
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If itâs still going Bennettâs Bar next to the Kings Theatre has a wide (and tall!) whisky selection. They claimed to have every (legal) whisky made. Nice bar, eclectic clentele.
The good thing about Edinburgh is itâs quite compact, you can walk everywhere (if itâs not raining),
If youâre into Art and Turner specifically the Scottish National Gallery has a good collection of water colours.
The New Town is worth a wander for its Georgian architecture.
Canât comment on restaurants itâs decades since I was there, but others seem to be covering it well.
June best month for weather.
Edinburgh is great, I spent five happy years there, gap year then University. Some would say itâs an attenuated or effete version of a Scottish city but just accept it for what it is. During the academic year itâs rife with students , three universities, teacher training college, film academy etc and in the summer itâs rife with tourists.
If you have a car you should try to get further afield. .
The Kitchin while great food was the longest dinner weâve ever had. 5+ hours and it felt like the staff continuously forgot about us the entire meal. Over 30 mins in between each course and never saw the same waiter twice at our table. Everyone else around us came and went before we were even halfway through the meal. We asked several times what was taking so long and if we could speed up the pace. Overall wonât go back there again, far too many options for other great food in the area.
WOW! That floors me! Iâve been twice and both time Tom was in the kitchen and on the floor. The service was spot on both times and the food was spectacular. That said, I donât blame you and there are great restaurants all over that area.
As for that kind of experience, I hate it also. We had the same issue in Nice a few months back. Dinner was right at 5+ hours and I walked out of on last dessert course because I was about to go crazy. Will never go back.