My Edinburgh in a day hopeful itinerary doable?

[happy_travellers]

Hi,  we will be arriving at the Newhaven tender port , with port time 7am-6pm NCL STAR. Hoping to take a taxi if possible or bus think its 16 or tram which ever is suggested.

We are avid photographers so have tailored our day for that.

Calton Hill for views  , then

Palace of Holyrood just to see not tour

Royal Mile -Cockburn ST for the curved st shots = The Milkman Cafe

St Giles Church

Victoria St for the curved street shots

Candelmaker Row- Greyfriar Bobby Bar,Bobby statue and Kirkyard

The Vennel- Flodden Wall, Castle Terrace

Edinburgh Castle around 1 oclock for Gun , maybe see pipers

Princess Gardens for ROSS Fountain with Castle in Background , maybe the floral garden and stairs

Dean Village, Leith Walkway to

(maybe Circus Lane if viable?)

Botanical garden- catch bus or taxi back to dock

 

Does this  seem doable, anything to add or subtract?  We will be back in 2025 for 3 weeks in Scotland where we will spend time in musuems etc.

Thank you so much.

 

[fruitmachine]

16 minutes ago, happy_travellers said:

Hi,  we will be arriving at the Newhaven tender port , with port time 7am-6pm NCL STAR. Hoping to take a taxi if possible or bus think its 16 or tram which ever is suggested.

We are avid photographers so have tailored our day for that.

Calton Hill for views  , then

Palace of Holyrood just to see not tour

Royal Mile -Cockburn ST for the curved st shots = The Milkman Cafe

St Giles Church

Victoria St for the curved street shots

Candelmaker Row- Greyfriar Bobby Bar,Bobby statue and Kirkyard

The Vennel- Flodden Wall, Castle Terrace

Edinburgh Castle around 1 oclock for Gun , maybe see pipers

Princess Gardens for ROSS Fountain with Castle in Background , maybe the floral garden and stairs

Dean Village, Leith Walkway to

(maybe Circus Lane if viable?)

Botanical garden- catch bus or taxi back to dock

 

Does this  seem doable, anything to add or subtract?  We will be back in 2025 for 3 weeks in Scotland where we will spend time in musuems etc.

Thank you so much.

 

Yes, doable and you've either hit all the classic locations or will walk through others of interest.

 

Taxis are usually pretty scarce first thing.  If there's a queue of more than a couple of other groups of passengers, go straight for the bus or tram option.

 

Take the number 11 bus though at the start.  It's quicker than the 16.  The tram's a little faster still, but it's a five minute walk away, so works out near identical.  On the bus, get off at the first Princes Street stop and double-back for a shot of the Scott Monument (if the tram, St Andrew Square stop) then walk to Calton Hill.

 

If you are starting with the tram, buy a £5.00 DAYticket from the machine on the platform.  That gets you on every bus and the tram all day.  If using just buses, tap a contactless debit/credit card each.  You are charged £2.00 per journey, but it caps-out at a maximum of £4.80 for the day.  You can also ask the driver for a DAYticket, paying for multiple tickets with a single card (just don't tap until they tell you to).

 

All the routes are here: https://www.lothianbuses.com/maps-and-times/network-maps/

 

As you're probably going to take multiple buses over the day, it's worth downloading their app: https://tfeapp.com/  Google maps is pretty good, but this adds details on what and when the next buses are at your stop.

[happy_travellers]

If I take out Holyrood Palace where do I rejoin the Royal Mile from Calton Hill? Thank you.

 

[d9704011]

28 minutes ago, happy_travellers said:

If I take out Holyrood Palace where do I rejoin the Royal Mile from Calton Hill? Thank you.

 

There are steps up/down between Calton Hill and Regent Road.  To get from Calton Hill, tke Regent Road west; it turns into Waterloo Place.  Turn left (south) on North Bridge and follow it up the gentle rise to High Street (the official name for Royal Mile).

 

BTW... you may find it quite difficult to get a decent photo of Holyrood Palace unless you pay entry fee and go through the gates.

Edited April 7 by d9704011

[fruitmachine]

23 minutes ago, happy_travellers said:

If I take out Holyrood Palace where do I rejoin the Royal Mile from Calton Hill? Thank you.

 

Come off Calton Hill on the footpath heading west, cross the road and continue west.  Turn left onto North Bridge and the next road you come to is the Royal Mile (specifically the High Street).

 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/xn8twPMBzecYkiyR8

[happy_travellers]

53 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

There are steps up/down between Calton Hill and Regent Road.  To get from Calton Hill, tke Regent Road west; it turns into Waterloo Place.  Turn left (south) on North Bridge and follow it up the gentle rise to High Street (the official name for Royal Mile).

 

BTW... you may find it quite difficult to get a decent photo of Holyrood Palace unless you pay entry fee and go through the gates.

Thats why I thought to take it out. Thanks for confirming that for me.

[Simon-t]

20 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

 

Taxis are usually pretty scarce first thing. 

 

We found Uber coverage pretty good when we were in Edinburgh last year if there were no taxis around.

[edinburgher]

23 hours ago, happy_travellers said:

Calton Hill for views

Unless it is a clear bright day, no point in climbing up if the views are obscured by clouds or rain as it is the 360 degree views which people go up there for.

 

23 hours ago, happy_travellers said:

Edinburgh Castle around 1 oclock for Gun , maybe see pipers

 

You don't say when you will visit, but it is generally adviseable to pre-book your entry time to Edinburgh Castle to avoid a potentially long wait. No need to worry about finding pipers.  LOL You will see --and hear --bagpipers throughout the city centre and Old Town.

 

maybe the floral garden and stairs

 

Almost but not quite. It is not a floral "garden" but a rather beautiful floral clock which has a different theme each year. As it is seasonal,  on your date it may or may not be on view.

 

Apologies for some muddled quotes/spacing below.

 

 

23 hours ago, happy_travellers said:

Dean Village, Leith Walkway to (maybe Circus Lane if viable?)

Botanical garden-

 

Dean Village offers several excellent photo ops, with probably one of the best known  being from the little pedestrian bridge next to Well Court. You can certainly walk the section of the water of Leith to Stockbridge, a few minutes walk from Circus Lane, but I question whether you will have time enough for that as it is in neither the Old nor New Town areas where it appears you will spend most of your time.

 

The Royal Botanical Garden is a bus or taxi  ride away and found on the north side in the  Inverleith area.  It covers a large area of approx 75 acres (and magnificent Victorian glass houses) and it would be very easy to spend an entire day there.  I honestly think this should not be attempted within such a short timeframe when you already have other plans.

 

You should be able to find many photo spots during your time here, andf you enjoy your few hours in the city, perhaps consider returning for several days on a land trip as know that  the city offers more than can be squeezed into a few short hours.😀.

 

 

 

23 hours ago, happy_travellers said:

 

 

Edited April 8 by edinburgher

[Scottishclover]

You may want to rethink the order of your day. The last few times I have been on Victoria Street, it has been jam packed with tourists. Shoulder to shoulder and I had to weave in and out to get down to the Grassmarket. I couldn’t imagine being able to take a decent photo without someone else in it. You might want to think about going there really early on to avoid the crowds and get the best photos. Same goes for Royal Mile.  Calton Hill is a large area so crowds would not impact your views there so perhaps that might be the last stop of your day? I am not a photographer so I’m not sure if afternoon sun would impact your photos. Of course, it’s Edinburgh so afternoon sun is definitely not a given😂