HEY!!
Still no plan for this weekend, but yearn for peace and calmness?
Don’t Worry!! Let’s lookup with us the best day trips from Edinburgh – a journey of the green lush valley, hazy hills, historical buildings, castles, and lakes. Here, surely you will get an idea to plan a day trip. First of all, want to give a short introduction to this beautiful city.
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and is the second-most populous city in Scotland and the Seventh populous city in the united kingdom. This magnificent city not only famous for its iconic landscapes, natural beauty, and hills but also popular for medieval castles.
It offers you lots of things to do and see for a day trip that includes exploring Castles, visiting Whisky Distilleries, Historical Monuments, Birdwatching, Attractive Locations of popular movies and TV serials i.e, Skyfall, Outlaw Kings, and harry potter films. The famous British author K. Rowling wrote some Harry Potter articles at an Edinburgh cafe (The Elephant) and took inspiration from the Edinburgh landscape for her characters and locations.
Edinburgh is an evergreen tourist place where you can visit any season or month of the year, this is the only reason Edinburgh, Scotland is always a favorite place of visitors. It always gives a unique experience on every visit. That’s all about the specialty of Edinburg, now let’s find the best day trips from Edinburgh within 4 hours by road.
Chronicle Day Trips From Edinburgh
- Camera Obscura
- Edinburgh Castle
- Loch Lomond
- The National Galleries of Scotland
- Loch Nees & the highlands
- The Museum of Childhood
- The Royal Mile
- National Museum of Scotland
Let’s move on to explore the 8 best road trips from Edinburgh.
1. Camera Obscura
It is a more interesting and entertaining way to know about Edinburgh and its history. Since 1853, this unique place attracts visitors from all over the world and became a must-visit place in Edinburgh and is located very near to Edinburgh castle. If you are looking for a family trip this weekend, then this is the best option for you.
Now, it comes to the main attraction of this place, it has mainly two attraction features- first, It has six exotic floors of optical illusions for family fun i.e, light tricks, old fashioned games, and magic displays.
Second, the most interesting attraction is the Camera Obscura on the roof itself. It is basically a very old fashioned projection system which directs visible light from the outside world over a visible surface in a darkened room and was a popular attraction from last thousands of years since victorian time.
It is also a very busy place, so try to get there in the early morning after opening for the best experience.
Address: Castlehill, Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2ND, United Kingdom.
Opening hours: 9:30 am – 7 pm (Monday to Thursday) & 9:30 am – 9 pm(Friday-Sunday).
Tickets: €16 for adults, €14 for students and senior citizens, €12 for children(5yr – 15yr), and free for children under the age 5. Visitors with disabilities are also free to visit.
2. Edinburgh Castle
This is the well-known spot in the city and is a historic fort that dominates the horizon of Edinburgh from its position on Castle Rock. This castle is known for many historical events. Nearby dwellers come often to this castle for day trips from Edinburgh.
Inside the castle, you will see lots of historical Scottish artifacts which including ancient weapons, clothes, and also the “Scottish Crown Jewel” which is popular as the honor of the Scottland.
The main center of attraction for tourists in the castle is the surviving structure of the Great wall and 12th century St. Margaret Chapel. From the terrace of the castle, you will catch a spectacular view of the city. Surely it will give you one of the best experience to explore the ancient stuff and offers you a better chance to get interact with Scottish medieval period.
Important note: As we know Edinburgh castle is the most popular place in Edinburgh, Scotland, and gets very busy all day, so try to visit here in the morning. It is recommended to book your ticket in advance to avoid waiting in the long lines for tickets.
Address: Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NG, London, United Kingdom
Opening Hours: 9:30 am – 5 pm(All weekdays).
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Tickets:
| Ticket Type | Gate Price | Online Price |
| Adults(16yr – 69yr) | € 19.50 | € 17.50 |
| Concession(60yr+ and unemployed) | € 16.00 | € 14.00 |
| Child(5yr – 15yr) | € 11.50 | € 7.50 |
3. Loch Lomond
This is a freshwater Scottish lake and is the part of the loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. It is popular for hiking, biking, camping, cruise and water sports but especially famous for hiking because it covers two famous Scotlands long-distance path i.e, the west highlands ways and The three lochs way.
It is the perfect trip destination for admiring the natural beauty and performing outdoor activities. If you have the desire to do a cruise on a day trips, it visits the sterling castle and the lake Lomond with the option of one day.
The best time to visit here is April to October because of this time, warmer weather, long daylight hours and most waterbody attractions are open.
Address: West Dunbartonshire/ Argyl and Bute / Stirling, Scotland.
Opening Hours: Opens 7 days in a week and main outdoor areas never close.
Tickets: Free for all the visitors.
NOTE: Loch Lomond allows you to take your pets with you.
4. The National Galleries of Scotland
It is the national art gallery of Scotland and is located in the mound of central Edinburgh, very close to prince street. This gallery house has a great collection of fine arts, spanning Scottish and international arts from the beginning of the 16 century to the present.
It offers you three major art galleries. First, the National Portrait Gallery which highlights more than 65,000 pieces of massive procession featuring some of Scotland’s most famous celebrities, including Robbie Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Sean Connery, Mary Stuart, and Bonvis Prince Charlie.
The second major art collection is the Scottish National Art Gallery which shows the biggest collection of Europian paintings and Sculptures.
The third major art collection is the Scottish National Gallery of modern art which highlights modern art by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse; Contemporary painting by Bruce Mclean, Calum Innes, and Gwen Hardy; Sculptures by Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and David Hockney.
It’s a huge collection of world-class art. Surely you will enjoy here and learn a lot about art.
Address: The Mound, Edinburgh.
Opening Hours:10 am – 5 pm(Friday to Wednesday), 10 am – 7 pm(Thursday).
Tickets: Free for all visitors.
5. Loch Nees & the highlands
This place is one of the most popular places for a day trips from Edinburgh because of this attractive natural beauty that fascinated the visitors. It is a large freshwater lake in the Scottish Highlands and the second deepest lake in Scotland. Loch Ness is known for his alleged sighting of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, and also known as “Nessie”.
There are several things which you can perform around the loch Nees like, hiking and outdoor activities but the most popular activity to take a cruise on the loch with the option of about 30 minutes to 3 hours. Surely you will enjoy here with your friends and family.
Address: Highlands, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Opening hours Loch Nees Cruise: 10 am – 4 pm, 7:45 pm – 9 pm(Monday- Sunday).
6. The Museum of Childhood
It is the collection of children’s toys and playthings, situated in Royal Mile in Edinburgh. It is not only the best place for kids but also refreshes our childhood memories and brings us a chance to go back and enjoy our childhood again.
The museum of childhood has an excellent collection of old toys that includes railroads, dolls, and games from all around the world, not only games it also exhibits the aspects of growing up like, fun looks of our school day, fashions, and trends, etc. Surely you will find your childhood here and come back with your best childhood memories.
Address: 42, High Street, Edinburgh.
Opening Hours: 10 am – 5 pm (Monday to Sunday).
Ticket: Free for all Visitors.
7. Royal Mile
The Royal mile is at the center of Edinburgh’s old town which refers to street linking from Edinburg castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It is lined with many charming buildings, churches, museums, and historic landmarks. Basically, it is famous for its historical buildings i,e, The Writer’s Museum, Mary’s King Close, John Knox house, and the Museum of Edinburgh.
There are also some of the popular attraction are at the upper end called the castle hills which includes- outlook tower and the camera obscura, The tolbooth (city’s tallest church tower), Gladstone’s lands(Six-story merchant house), and lady’s Stair Close (Writer museum). Surely, here you can get the real taste of the past.
Address: 109, Edinburgh EH1 1SG Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 1SG, United Kingdom
Opening Hours: opens 24 hours.
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8. National Museum of Scotland
It is one of the popular national museums in Scotland, with around two million visitors each year.
It contains the collections of several old museums in Edinburgh. The main attractions include the National Archaeological Collection; Medieval artifacts; and concentrates on natural history, geology, art, science, and technology.
The national museum of Scotland offers you to explore the ten amazing galleries of arts that includes, Dolly-The Sheep(World’s First Cloned Animal), Armour-plated tunic by Paco Rabbane,Formula 1 car simulator, Hamilton Place wall Panels, Gaint Energy Wheels, Cromartie ivories, In-flight aircraft Panoroma, The Triumph of Prudence tapestry, Victorian Working Models, and New mobile experiences.
Address: Chambers St, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, United Kingdom.
Opening Hours: 10 am – 5 pm (Monday to Sunday).
Tickets: Free for all visitors.
Bottom Line
As we already talk about Edinburgh is famous for its historical beauty like castles, historical buildings as well as offers you lots of natural attraction. It also gives convenience to visit, anytime in a year, that’s the only reason Edinburgh always attracts the visitors towards itself.
The above are the 8 best suggestions for day trips from Edinburgh. Hoped these suggestions will be fruitful for planning your next trip. If you are looking for family day trips, don’t miss to check these suggested places.
Wishing you a great trip ahead. GOOD LUCK!!
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