Edinburgh has a lot to see, but it’s also a very manageable, compact city. Here are the keys to visiting Edinburgh in three days.
Adapt the indoor visits to the time you have. Book timed tickets for the Castle and the Palace, and leave time for lunch. If you add a tour, cut back on other stops: the summary gathers options for planning your days, not a list of places you have to go inside.
The table below summarises what you’ll see on our three-day Edinburgh itinerary.
The days are interchangeable, and you can change the order to suit you and the weather. Just check the opening hours of some of the places and activities we suggest.
Click on any of them for a more detailed guide with everything you need to know.
Itinerary at a glance
Day 1
Old Town
Start with an introduction to the city on our Free Walking Tour of Edinburgh, where a local guide will take you through the Old Town’s most important places. Choose a morning departure and check the available times when you book.
On the tour, you’ll walk through the historic Greyfriars Kirkyard, famous, among many other things, as the resting place of Greyfriars Bobby.
Edinburgh Castle
Book a time slot for Edinburgh Castle and allow about two hours to see it. The One O’Clock Gun is not fired on Sundays, Good Friday or Christmas Day.
At the Castle you can see the Scottish Crown Jewels and discover the history of the fortress. Note that the Stone of Destiny has been on display at Perth Museum since 2024. For the best experience, join our Castle tour with an expert guide.
After the Castle, it’s time for lunch. Many restaurants offer great set lunch menus: we recommend some in our guide to the best set lunch menus in Edinburgh.
St Giles’ Cathedral
After lunch, it’s a good time to visit St Giles’ Cathedral, right on the Royal Mile. It was the heart of the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century and has been the country’s most important church ever since. With luck, you might catch one of its famous free concerts; check the programme on its website.
National Museum of Scotland
Time to slow down a bit, and what better way than a museum? Edinburgh has several you shouldn’t miss. One is the National Museum of Scotland, on Chambers Street, where you can travel through Scotland’s history in a fun and interactive way, from its geological origins to the present day.
Scottish National Gallery
Another option for art lovers is the Scottish National Gallery, next to Princes Street, with Scotland’s largest art collection, from the Renaissance to the early 20th century, including Velázquez’s An Old Woman Cooking Eggs. In Scotland, most major museums are free.
Calton Hill
A great way to end the day is to climb Calton Hill to watch the sun set over Edinburgh’s Old Town, one of the city’s iconic views and a place you can’t miss. At the top stands the National Monument, an unfinished replica of the Parthenon in Athens.
Pub Crawl
If you don’t feel like heading home after dinner and want to discover some of Edinburgh’s best bars, join the Edinburgh Pub Crawl. You’ll go out with people from all over the world and a professional guide who will make sure the night is a success.
Day 2
Canongate
Start the day walking down the Royal Mile towards Holyrood. On the way, visit Canongate Kirk, probably one of the most representative Presbyterian churches in Scotland, remarkable for its simplicity.
Next to the church is Canongate Kirkyard, one of Edinburgh’s historic graveyards, where you’ll find the grave of Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations.
Palace of Holyroodhouse
Next, visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British royal family in Edinburgh. Highlights include the State Apartments, the Throne Room and Mary Queen of Scots’ chambers.
Your visit includes the impressive ruins of Holyrood Abbey, one of the most important in medieval Scotland.
Opposite the Palace is the modern Scottish Parliament building, designed by the Catalan architect Enric Miralles. It was controversial in Scotland, especially because of its cost overruns, but it has won many architecture awards, in the UK and internationally.
Holyrood Park
If the weather allows, it’s a good time to climb Arthur’s Seat, the highest point in Holyrood Park, and enjoy a walk in nature without leaving the centre of Edinburgh.
It’s quite a climb to the top and the ground is uneven. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water, as there are no fountains along the way. Always bring a warm layer, as it’s often very windy at the top.
If the weather isn’t good or you don’t feel up to the climb, take a walk through the park instead, with some of the most typical Scottish scenery, such as St Margaret’s Loch.
Princes Street Gardens
If you’ve climbed Arthur’s Seat, you’ll come down hungry. Have lunch and then take a stroll through Princes Street Gardens, a beautiful park between the medieval and the neoclassical parts of Edinburgh.
Relax on a bench or a terrace and enjoy the exceptional views of the Old Town, or catch one of the many events held throughout the year.
The huge Gothic tower at one end of the park, which you can climb, is the Scott Monument, dedicated to Sir Walter Scott, one of Scotland’s best-loved writers.
New Town
Take a walk around the New Town, part of Edinburgh’s UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995 and the heart of the Scottish Enlightenment, one of history’s great cultural flowerings. Enjoy its neoclassical architecture, its shops and its restaurants. To learn more about this special neighbourhood, join our Free Dean Village & New Town Tour.
Royal Yacht Britannia
The Royal Yacht Britannia is in Leith, within Edinburgh. Queen Elizabeth II used it for official and private trips, and today you can explore its decks, lounges and cabins, and discover what life on board was like, both for the royal family and for the crew.
If you want to go on board, plan this visit before last entry. You can shorten your walk around the New Town or spend the afternoon in Leith; don’t leave the visit until after dinner.
Leith
End the day with dinner on The Shore, in Leith. To get back to the centre, take the tram, a bus or a taxi depending on the time and where you’re staying.
Day 3
Dean Village
After a couple of days exploring the historic centre, we suggest a much more relaxed plan to escape the busy streets.
Start the day with breakfast and a walk through the West End to Dean Village, an old mill village in the heart of Edinburgh, now a residential area that keeps all its charm.
The best thing to do in Dean Village is to stroll, take some photos and enjoy the peace of this lovely corner, where time seems to have stood still.
Water of Leith
The river is the Water of Leith, and a path for walkers and cyclists runs alongside it across the city. Follow it to Stockbridge, one of Edinburgh’s most attractive neighbourhoods.
On the way you’ll pass St Bernard’s Well, an old spring whose water was believed to have healing properties.
Stockbridge
Stockbridge has an elegant bohemian feel, with lots of shops, jewellers, antique shops and art galleries.
On Sunday mornings there’s also a great market where you can buy produce directly from the people who make it.
Royal Botanic Garden
North of Stockbridge, in Inverleith, the Royal Botanic Garden offers gardens, plant collections and a rock garden. Allow time for a walk before heading back towards the New Town.
The outdoor garden is free. The Palm Houses reopened on 2 October 2026 and have their own ticket with timed entry, while the other glasshouses remain closed for the Edinburgh Biomes project.
Have lunch in Stockbridge and walk back to the centre through the New Town.
On the way, stop at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, on Queen Street, with hundreds of paintings and sculptures of Scottish figures by artists from all over the world.
Camera Obscura
In the afternoon, enjoy a fun, relaxed visit that will captivate all ages, especially the curious and, of course, children: Camera Obscura, an incredible world of optical illusions next to Edinburgh Castle.
The original camera obscura is a system of mirrors that projects images of the city outside, something truly amazing when it was created.
Today the visit also includes five floors of visual games and optical illusions, such as holograms, trick mirrors and all kinds of distortions of reality that will test your senses. Fun guaranteed.
Free Ghost Tour
To end the day, sit back and discover the stories, characters and darkest corners of Edinburgh’s past on our Free Ghost Tour.
In an hour and a half, you’ll visit some of the historic graveyards and most iconic closes of the Old Town, with a guide who will take you back to another era of the city.
Short of time? See our 2-day and 1-day Edinburgh itineraries.