Edinburgh July 2016

After living in England for over 20 years and having travelled to a few continents I thought it best to visit my back yard of Scotland and where else to start than Edinburgh. After hearing so many great things it was an easy decision to make. 

We took an early flight via Ryanair and arrived in the city centre at around midday. We took a bus to the city centre for about £4 single or £6 return. We made it to our hotel Apex City of Edinburgh in the Grassmarket which I would highly recommend. Great location in the heart of Edinburgh, a very sleek and modern design with comfy beds which is what's really important. After we checked in we headed to The Boozy Cow for lunch on Frederick St. It's a better version of Meat Liquor in my opinion. The burgers are average but the highlight are the sides. I'd recommend the popcorn chicken, chicken wings & sweet potato fries. They have an extensive wine and cocktail menu also. 

After lunch we headed over to the Scotch Whiskey Experience on Castlehill. There are a few different tours to choose but we got the silver tour (normal tour) for £14.50 each or £12.50 for concessions/students. 
The tour includes a very friendly welcome, a 10 minute hologram tour while seated in a moving seated area that tell you how the whiskey is made historically and in present day. 


Then there is a tasting of one or a few different scotches dependent on the package tour you bought. One Scotch with the silver package, I'd recommend you and your friends getting a different type of whiskey so you can try different types. You get an education on where whiskey is made in Scotland and how they compare. 

Lastly there is a quick tour of a whiskey conossieur's dream. A room filled with hundreds of different whiskers from years ago to the most recent blends. The tour is about an hour long and a must see in Edinburgh. 

After the tour we headed to the Scotland Dungeons which wasn't really my thing as I'm a bit of a wimp and I'd never been to the London Dungeons so didn't really know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. I would recommend buying tickets in advance online instead of queuing. Tickets start from £15.75 dependent on the time of day. The earlier you go the cheaper the ticket. It was quite interesting and fun as I didn't know the Scottish story but everyone is aware of the Jack the Ripper from London so it was an educational and fun experience which don't always go hand in hand. 


There's quite a lot of audience participation and the characters that lead you round are convincing actors. The tour is about an hour and a half long and located nearly Waverly train station on Market Street. 

Next we headed to a pub on Grassmarket as there are a few there and had a quick drink before heading back to our hotel to rest for the next day. 


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