How We Spent 3 Days in Edinburgh

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“Three pounds for the poster, two for ice cream”, Ibrahim said looking at his £5 note before handing over exactly what he had decided the poster was worth to him. £5 well spent, as we carried on towards the castle, with a fair amount of uphill walking still ahead of us.

Towards the end of April we spent three full days exploring Edinburgh as a family of five. We were fortunate enough to stay with my brother and his wife, who live quite centrally near Picardy Place, which meant no accommodation costs at all. An Airbnb in that area similar to my brother’s place would have cost around £220 to £250 per night, so staying with family made a real difference to the overall cost of the trip.

Here is how the three days went, what was worth it, and what we would do again.

Day 1: Old Town and Edinburgh Castle

We left my brother’s place around 11:30am and took the tram from Picardy Place to Princes Street (a single ticket is £2.40 per adult, and under 5s go free).

First stop was the Waterstones café and children’s book section, to ease into our day with a slow start. We had two mochas, a slice of fudge cake, and three baby chinos for £11.90. From there we walked through to Princes Street Gardens. What I didn’t realise until my brother told me is that this used to be a man-made lake, created centuries ago as part of the defences for Edinburgh Castle, before it was drained and turned into parkland about 200 years ago. Knowing that bit of history made the walk through feel a lot more interesting.

Into the Old Town

We headed toward Waverley Station and then up to Cockburn Street to start working our way through the Old Town. By this point Yousef had fallen asleep in the pram, but Ibrahim and Leyla still had plenty of energy for the cobbled, steep streets. As we made our way toward the Royal Mile, we were treated to the classic Edinburgh experience of a Scotsman playing bagpipes in full dress. The kids were very intrigued.

We took a small detour down Victoria Street, partly for the famous curved, colourful shopfronts, and partly because it’s home to the Elephant House café, where J.K. Rowling wrote part of the early Harry Potter books. If you’re a fan (or have young readers in the family), it’s a fun five-minute stop, even if you don’t go in. On the street you’ll notice someone in Harry Potter costume behind a stand offering custom “wanted” posters, printed with an aged, parchment-style look, on a pay-what-you-want basis. This is where Ibrahim’s fiver came in. He handed over three pounds and kept two back for ice cream. This turned into a pretty good lesson in money for a six-year-old.

Edinburgh Castle: Was It Worth It?

By the time we reached the Royal Mile and headed toward the castle gates, it was around 2:45pm, everyone was getting hungry, and Yousef had woken back up. We stopped for a flask lunch of pasta for the kids and shared a margherita pizza from Civerinos on the Royal Mile which cost about £11. We got the vegan option because of the kids’ diary allergies).

We went into the castle at around 3:20pm. Tickets were £20 per adult. We didn’t have to pay for any of the kids, as none of them were 7 yet. The kids were fascinated by the cannons, and we then worked our way up through the war memorial, the Crown Jewels, the military museum, and the Prisoner of War exhibition.

About two hours was plenty, and visiting outside school holidays meant queues were minimal, which made a real difference. If you’re short on time or budget, you can get a lot of the atmosphere just from walking up to the gates and along the esplanade for free. I would say children from about age 4 to 5 are able to enjoy most of what’s on offer around the castle. Overall, for us as a family, it felt like a worthwhile one-time visit but not somewhere we would feel the need to return to.

Ending Our First Day

We got back to my brother’s place around 6:30pm, having done about 15,000 steps, and rounded off the day with fish and chips for everyone. I got three large portions for my family. It cost me £45 from a place called The Chippy by Spencer. It’s highly rated by locals, though I noticed our fish was a little overcooked.

The temperature that day hovered around 10°C. When walking in direct sun it was noticeably warmer, at maybe 14 to 15°C, but the moment we stepped into shade, especially with any wind it felt like 5°C. Jumpers and proper coats were essential for most of the day, though on the steeper, sun-exposed stretches we took of our coats.

Looking back, day one set the tone for the whole trip with a good mix of slow moments (the café, the gardens) and bigger sights (the castle), with enough walking that everyone slept well that night.

Day 2: Science, Skylines, and a Steep Climb to Carlton Hill

We left around 11:15am and walked to the Science Centre and Planetarium, arriving about 11:50am. Standard pricing is £15 for children aged 4 to 15 and £23 for adults.

The Planetarium Show

We kicked things off with the planetarium show, which ran for about 30 minutes. Leyla and Ibrahim were amazed by the journey through the universe, flying past distant galaxies and taking in the vast scale of space. It is the the kind of show that makes you feel genuinely insignificant, watching Earth reduced to a single dot in the universe. Both of them were engaged the whole way through, with the exception of Yousef, who like most two-year-olds wanted to run off after some time.

The Science Galleries

After the show, we did a self-guided walk through the interactive science galleries, which took about 90 minutes, finishing up by around 1:45pm.

Was it worth it? All in, about two hours covered both the show and the galleries comfortably, so you don’t need to allow much more than that for your day. Overall, I felt it was similar to the castle: a worthwhile one-time visit. If we lived locally, I would happily return so the kids could attend the science club and any ongoing events.

Lunch Break

We grabbed a coffee from the planetarium café for £4.75, but the food options weren’t great for us. They just had ham and cheese sandwiches. There was also a £10 jacket potato with beans and cheese, a generous portion that could easily be shared between two people. In the end we picked up two meal deals from Tesco on the way out for £8.50. A small confession: we’ve actually been boycotting Tesco for years and somehow completely forgot in the moment! If you’ve got dietary restrictions, it’s worth packing a backup lunch or finding a local café with options that suit you in advance.

Holyrood Park and Carlton Hill

We left just before 3pm and walked to Holyrood Park. From the path up, you can see Arthur’s Seat in the distance, and my brother reckoned it would take about 40 minutes to reach the top. With young kids and tired legs, we decided against it and instead climbed a smaller hill nearby, which still gave us a nice view of the city from afar.

From there, we walked up to Carlton Hill via the main entrance which is a steep, tiring climb (especially when pushing up a pram). Once you do get to the top you get the Port-side view and then another view over the city itself.

Our take: if you’ve got energy left Carlton Hill gives you a genuinely nice view of the city. Arthur’s Seat is also great, but if you’re travelling with young children or just want a taste of the view without the full hike, the smaller hill in Holyrood Park is a good compromise.

We finished the day around 17:20, having done another 15,000 steps which concluded are second big walking day in a row, which we definitely felt by the next morning.

Day 3: The Zoo and a Slow Afternoon

By day three, the previous two days of walking had caught up with us, so we kept things simpler.

In the morning we started by prepping tuna sandwiches and pasta in a flask for the kids. Then I went to pick up our car to bring it back to my brother’s house, as the parking permit for parking in-front of my brother’s apartment was expensive (£3.50 per hour). It made more sense to park the car 10 minutes away. We got the car back and picked everyone up by around 11:40am.

Edinburgh Zoo

We arrived at the zoo around 12 noon. Entry was £30 per adult and £22.50 for children aged 3 to 15. Worth noting: a child with a Blue Peter badge can also get free entry, which Ibrahim put to good use.

By around 1:15pm we stopped for lunch and let the kids loose on the playground. The walk around the Zoo is also fairly hilly, so be ready to push that pram up a few slopes.

Was it worth it? I felt this was one of the better Zoos I’ve visited compared to others. It was large, well laid out, and the kids genuinely enjoyed seeing all the different animals. If I were local, I would probably visit again now and then for a day out, or whenever family came to visit from out of town.

We left around 5pm and, given how tired everyone was after two big days, headed straight home rather than squeezing in anything else. We did about 9,500 steps for that day.

Looking Back on the Trip

Three days, three very different paces: a full, sight-packed first day, an equally active second day split between science and skylines, and a slower, simpler third day that gave everyone a chance to recover. I personally liked the walk through the old town as you could really appreciate the history and architecture of the city. Then the second best I enjoyed was Carlton hill.

If you’re planning something similar with young children, would say: don’t be afraid to swap a “big” attraction for a smaller hill or a slower morning if energy is running low, check any under-5 entry policies before you go since they can make a real difference to cost, and pack food where you can, since café options near most attractions are limited if anyone has dietary restrictions like allergies or hallal. Staying with family rather than booking accommodation also made a far bigger difference to our budget than anything else we did. In total we spent about £435 for the whole trip. £264 was spent whilst out in Ediburgh. Then £171 was on petrol which I mention in this post about our road trip to and from Edinburgh.