Edinburgh Scotland

I find Edinburgh easily walkable, but it does have some hills. If you start by visiting the castle, then make your way down the hill and visit Hollyrood house then walk up Calton Hill for the view you would use up about half a day or more (depending how long you stay at each location. Many other main sights are right downtown within a few blocks of the main square near the art gallery and the base of the castle. I was there for six days and never use the hop on/hop off bus. I did use the public bus once to get to one sight, but that was it.

The HOHO buses do offer a great insight into the city but I think with only 2 days you are probably better off just doing your own thing,easy to walk to the Castle/RoyalMile from George street

I've never found that I needed one. For 4£ you can get a day pass for the public bus. You can then take it up to The Royal Mile and walk down it. The bus system is very good. You may find that you don't need the bus at all. But I usually bought a day ticket. That way when my feet got tired I could easily hop on a bus.

I had dinner at the George a few years ago and it was wonderful. Decades ago my parents honeymooned there. :)

Edinburgh, at least the popular tourist sites, is pretty walkable and compact.

If you need to get farther out, just take a local bus:
http://transportforedinburgh.com/

Hi. Was just in Edinburgh in July for 5 nights. First thing I did was the HOHO bus. A bit costly considering I rode it only for one complete loop (90 minutes?), but that's how I like to start...to get a sense of the city, and I enjoy the information of the commentary, compared to simply riding the public bus. Check me out on TA (I'm "nagled") for restaurant/pub reviews...I also stayed in the New City. Enjoy.

I do understand that HOHO busses can help orient you to a city, but I would say that Edinburgh is unique in that it has places like the castle and Calton Hill where you can get a really good view of the city and get a wonderful orientation. And today, there are some wonderful podcasts and audio tours that you can download and listen to at your own pace. Rick's is of the Royal Mile. Here're some from the University of Edinburgh and the BBC. These look interesting from a tour bus company. And you can pay for some if you want.

If anyone has listened to any of these it would be really helpful. I may try to catch some of them in the next few weeks.

Pam

If you want a bird's eye orientation of Edinburgh, walk up to the top of the Scott Monument on Prince Street at St. David.
http://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venues/scott-monument

...287 steps to the top of the Scott Monument, from where you can
enjoy breathtaking views of Edinburgh and the surrounding
countryside.

I like HOHO buses to orient myself to a city and I did do the one in Edinburgh. But I agree it is a very walkable city. The only place on the route that was a little far out was the Brittania but that is served by local buses too.

Last May in Edinburgh, we actually rode all four hop on/off route - one ticket - cause it was raining - between light and hard - all day. Made it very convenient to see a lot of the city and to hit a lot a sites without a lot of exposure. I would be inclined to call Edinburgh more than a little hilly. Has some steep long stairways. However, new town is pretty flat.

Wonderful info! Thanks much to all you seasoned travelers!

I just returned from Edinburgh and did the HOHO bus the first day. Like ngnagle4 I always do that when I arrive in a city and have found it very helpful. The great thing is that it is only about 90 minutes (maybe a bit less) if you ride the complete circuit. Since you have limited time, it will give you an idea of the layout, what you might want to see and how far it is. The ticket is good for 24 hours, so you could potentially use it for 2 days, depending when you start the process. It is a nice option for getting around, even after the first loop, just in case it is raining or you are tired (lots of city stairs).

A word of advice. Some of the buses have live guides giving commentary in English, and other buses have recorded info in many different languages. If you have the opportunity, wait for a bus with a live guide. They are almost always fun and glad to answer questions, something you don't get with the recording. You get the accent as an added bonus :)

There are different colored busses, and I don't think they all go to the same places, but I am not sure. We took the green one and it was good.