48 hours in Edinburgh
Scotland's capital is a city of two halves. From the medieval tenements and narrow wynds of the Old Town to the sweeping grandeur of the Georgian New Town, Edinburgh deserves its reputation as one of Europe's most fascinating destinations. Pegged as the United Kingdom's most walkable city, you'll discover historic landmarks, secret gardens, breathtaking architecture and some of the continent's most vibrant restaurants, bars and nightlife. If you're planning a visit to Edinburgh, here are the key components to building the perfect itinerary.
Getting there
Edinburgh Airportis located approximately 7.5 miles west or 25 minutes by taxi or car from the city. To be within easy walking distance of most attractions, book your hotel in the Old Town, New Town or the West End.
When to visit
When it comes to tourists, Edinburgh is the most quiet (and coldest) in January and February. The city becomes busier from March onward with July, August and the holiday season (Christmas and New Year's) being the peak months. If you're heading for Edinburgh's Fringe Festival (August 3-27), you should expect long lines and plan to book your accommodation as far in advance as possible — the city's hotel rooms fill up fast.
Where to stay
Edinburgh is home to numerous hotels, guesthouses and apartments with options to suit all tastes and budgets. The following are just three of the many good options available and each are within minutes of the city center's main attractions. The Balmoral is a landmark luxury hotel close to Waverley train station that boasts a luxury spa and whisky bar.A handsome Georgian hotel, The Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square, overlooks a pretty private garden square and is only two minutes from shoppers' paradise, Princes Street. Another short hop from Princes Street sits Code Hostel, a hipster hostel, offering comfy beds for those on a tighter budget.
What to see
It can be hard to squeeze all there is to see into just two days, so make sure to choose your adventure carefully. We'd suggest you start your visit by walking up the Royal Mile — the collective name for the tangle of streets leading west up to Edinburgh Castle. With good reason, the Castle's historic halls, royal chambers, and dungeons are the city's busiest attraction. Perched on a volcanic rock formation, you'll also have breathtaking views of the city.
For another elevated vantage point, head to Holyrood Park, located near the bottom of the Royal Mile. From there you can clamber up Arthur's Seat, a dormant volcano that allows you to look down on both the city and across to the Kingdom of Fife. Back at ground level, explore the fascinating Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen's official residence in Edinburgh and the home of Scottish royal history.
A short walk away from Holyroodhouse, you'll find three key buildings, the Scottish Parliament Building, the Museum of Edinburgh and the National Museum of Scotland. The last is home to a world-class collection of displays that cover Scotland's history, design, and innovation, but all three are worthy of your time. For artistic inspiration, visit one or all of the city's three main galleries. The Neoclassical Scottish National Gallery is the most central, and for a small donation the Gallery Bus will take you on to the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art and the Scottish Portrait Gallery.
Next up is the beautiful Charlotte Square in the heart of New Town, home to the National Trust's Georgian House, a magnificently restored property from the era of enlightenment. Explore its rooms before heading on to Stockbridge, an architectural hot spot full of quaint shops and pretty postcard streets. If you only seek out one of the city's numerous cafes, make it Elephant House – also known as 'The birthplace of Harry Potter'. It was here that J.K. Rowling began her writing career, penning the story of a boy wizard in the back room of this rambling cafe. Refueled on caffeine or something stronger, head underground to Real Mary King's Close and you'll discover a collection of subterranean streets that run beneath the city and tell the stories of the people who lived there more than 400 years ago.
Where to eat & drink
Edinburgh is a culinary wonderland just waiting to be explored. Michelin-starred fare awaits, in addition to restaurants and cafes that won't break the bank. For breakfast, consider Edinburgh Larder or The King's Wark. For lunch, try Hendersons or The Manna House. And for afternoon tea, head for Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square, The Dome or The Palace of Holyroodhouse. And as day becomes night, try to get a table at Aizle, Outsider or The Kitchin, just three of the city's best restaurants showcasing Scotland's local produce.
You'll quickly discover that Edinburgh's bar scene extends far beyond whisky and ancient public houses, but if those two boxes need to be ticked, add The Bow Bar (with 300+ single malts available) and The Sheep Heid Inn (dating back to 1360) to your itinerary. For cocktails, head for The Voodoo Rooms and Panda & Sons, the latter a New Town speakeasy disguised as a barbershop that also serves excellent food.
If you go
United flies year-round, nonstop routes between Edinburgh and Newark International Airport. For more information and to book your next adventure to the capital of Scotland, visit United.com or download the United app.
What you see and where you go will depend on the length of your stay. A week is good, longer is better. But even a long weekend will give you a taste of 'The Six' — one of the city's many nicknames, reworked recently as 'The 6ix' by one of its most famous sons, Drake.
However long you stay, you can't hope to see it all. So, consider what follows a starting point for your first visit…
The checklist sites
No visit to The Six can be considered complete without ticking off several of Toronto's true heavyweight sights. All of the following are in or within easy reach of the city's compact, walk-able and very vibrant center.
The CN Tower is unmissable in every sense, a vast freestanding spire that looks down upon the city and takes its place as one of the 'Seven Wonders of the Modern World'. Head up for the city's best 360-degree views, or get your heart racing on the EdgeWalk — a journey around the circumference of the tower's main pod, 116 stories high and tethered by a harness.
Back on solid ground, Ripley's Aquarium is almost right next door to the CN Tower and is home to 16,000 aquatic animals and the Dangerous Lagoon. A moving sidewalk that whisks you through a long tunnel surrounded by sharks and stingrays is guaranteed to make your heart race all over again.
Also close to the CN Tower is the Rogers Center, home to Canada's only baseball team, the Toronto Blue Jays. Visit on game day for the full experience, or take the stadium tour to go behind the scenes and through closed doors.
In a city of so many museums and galleries, the Royal Ontario Museum stands out. Not just because it's home to a world-class collection of 13 million artworks, cultural objects and natural history specimens, but as much because it hosts exciting Friday night events that include dance, drink and top DJs.
Two other must ticks include the Art Gallery of Ontario, which houses 95,000 works of art and is free for visitors under 25, and the Hockey Hall of Fame, which taps into Canada's national obsession in stunning depth.
Casa Loma is a must-visit Gothic castle in the heart of the city. North America's only castle is filled with artworks and treasures from Canada and beyond, but its big pull is the network of hidden tunnels to explore as they stretch out beneath the city.
Toronto's multi-cultural makeup is visible all across the city but reflected best in its remarkable culinary scene (see Where to eat and drink). The city's 'fresh and local' mantra is perfectly showcased at St. Lawrence Market, one of the world's greatest food experiences. Pay it a visit and grab a peameal bacon sandwich — a Canadian staple invented in Toronto and now considered the city's signature dish.
Afterwards, walk off the calories by wandering the historic cobblestone and car-free Distillery District. Once a vast whiskey distillery and an important spot during prohibition, historians mention that even Al Capone would visit the Distillery to load alcohol destined for the States[9] . This iconic landmark now distils creativity within the 19th century buildings now home to hip restaurants, bars, independent boutique stores, galleries and theaters. Visit in December for the Toronto Christmas Market.
Finally, don't even think about returning home without having had a picture taken with your head poking through an 'O' of the multicolored, 3D Toronto sign at City Hall — the most Insta-worthy location in a city of so many. You'll need to head there early in the morning to avoid the crowds.
If you stay long enough, take a ferry and hop across to Toronto Islands, a chain of 15 small islands in Lake Ontario just south of the mainland. They're home to beaches, a theme park and a breathtaking view of the city's skyline and will very happily fill a full day of your stay.
The bucket list
You absolutely cannot leave Toronto without having witnessed the power of the Niagara Falls and its hypnotic mist up close. Trying to visit the Falls from the States is a trip on its own, but it's almost non-optional when you're less than two hours away in Toronto. Take the trip, buy the T-shirt and tick off one of the world's must-see sights.
Explore like a local
Away from the sleek, gleaming towers of downtown lie many of Toronto's less obvious but no less essential attractions. West Queen West is Toronto's hippest neighborhood and artistic heart, a one-mile strip of very chic galleries, stores, restaurants and boutique hotels. Kensington Market is a fantastically chaotic neighborhood and perhaps the best example of the city's famous multiculturalism. It's not a market as the name implies, but a collection of independent shops, vintage boutiques, art spaces, cafés, bars and restaurants from every corner of the globe.
The Bata Shoe Museum is one of the city's quirkiest collections, an unexpectedly fascinating exhibit that retraces the 4,500-year history of footwear. And as you wander the city, you can't fail to notice that Toronto's walls are alive with graffiti. Take a free 90-minute walking tour through the back alleys of Queen Street West and down Graffiti Alley to gain a better understanding of the city's street art scene. If you visit during the sunnier months, escape the hustle by heading just east of the center to High Park, the green heart of the city where forests, walking trails, picnic spots and even a zoo await you. Ideal to unwind after a long day of urban adventures.
The essentials
When to go With the sun shining, May through October is a great time to visit, but the city is alive through all four seasons. The Spring and Autumn months are ideal as the humidity and visitor numbers are lighter, while Toronto comes alive through the colder months through a wide array of winter celebrations. One of the most spectacular is the Aurora Winter Festival, a six-week celebration that sees the Ontario Place, West Island transformed into four mystical worlds. Whichever season you choose, plan to stay for at least five nights to get a true flavor of the city.
Where to stay To be at the heart of most of the attractions you'll want to see, aim for downtown. One of the best options is the Marriott City Center, not only because it's located right next to the CN Tower but also because it's attached to the iconic Rogers Center where the Toronto Blue Jays play and countless concerts and popular events are held.
Opt for a Stadium room and you'll look out onto the field. If you want to experience Toronto's non-stop nightlife, the Entertainment District is the place to be. If you're looking for a luxury experience, discover Canada's first St. Regis hotel in the heart of downtown.
Where to eat and drink Nowhere is Toronto's incredible diversity more evident than in its food scene — taste Toronto and you're tasting the world. The city is brimming with restaurants and cafés serving everything from high-end fine dining to comfort food from an informal neighborhood joint — plus every option imaginable in between.
For fine dining, consider Alo, Canis and Edulis. Book a table at Canoe, Lavelle, The One Eighty or 360 at the CN Tower and you're guaranteeing a view as spectacular as the food. Or experience the city's remarkable fusion food at DaiLo (French-Cantonese), El Catrin (Mexican-French) and the unexpected mashup of Rasta Pasta (Jamaican-Italian).
The above suggestions don't even scratch the surface of a food scene to rival any city on earth, with options to suit every taste and any budget.
How to get around Toronto is perfect to explore on foot or via a growing network of cycle routes. For a quicker journey, buy a Presto card to use the TTC, Toronto's subway, streetcar and bus system.
How to get there Fly into Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) with United and you're around 15 miles west of the city center. The most comfortable route in is via the Union Pearson Express, which runs every 15 minutes and gets you downtown in 25 minutes ($13).The TTC is a cheaper option at under $5, but it can take an hour and a half and involves a number of transfers, while a taxi will take around 30 minutes and cost $45.
United flies to Toronto from numerous U.S. cities including our Hub city locations. Book your trip via united.com or by downloading the United app.
