Howdy folks,
My wife and I try to plan a trip to Europe once a year, which doesn’t always work out. We think our only window this year is leaving the day after Christmas (please say yes grandparents!). Ideally 12/26/25-1/5/26, so really only 8 days. We did a similar trip 2 years ago to Prague and Vienna. We also did an extended trip in Germany during Christmas market season for our honeymoon in 2017. I know traveling this time of year isn’t always ideal… would it be worth it to do Edinburgh? Weather, things being open, towns being dead, etc is a concern. We would also want to check out at least one other city, but not London. Not a knock on London, which we love, we’ve just been there a couple of times. Maybe into Edinburgh and out of Dublin? Open for suggestions…
Thanks!!!!!
Posted by
San Diego, California
6172 posts
New Year's Eve in Edinburgh is on my bucket list, as it's said to be a spectacular party. Have a wonderful trip.
Posted by
Isle of Skye, Scotland
1390 posts
This New Year the Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh were cancelled due to weather warnings. Scotland at that time of year can be very dreary weather wise. You are unlikely to get the romantic snowy scenes of Central European towns and cities, but more likely wet and windy weather. While Edinburgh is a lovely city it wouldn’t be my choice for a winter break.
Posted by
London
267 posts
Edinburgh is a wonderful place to visit and I think you could have a good time any time of year. That said, late December in my opinion is one of the worst times to visit- there's only about seven hours of daylight per day, and it's very wet (even when it's not actually raining it's always misting, which I once heard very accurately described as the feeling of someone constantly sneezing in your face). Hogmanay as mentioned here is the big New Year's Eve street party which seems to get bigger every year. I only attended once and didn't have the best time- the crowds are really huge and it's hard to even move. However, some people enjoy being part of big events like that so it may be something you like!
In terms of things being open, most major tourist attractions in the UK stay open over the holiday period, generally with the exception of the public holidays (25 Dec, 26 Dec, 1 Jan, and, in Scotland only, 2 Jan) but if there's a specific one you're interested in I'd check the website. It won't be "dead" tho it will be less touristy than the summer which would be a plus (with the exception of Hogmanay itself). Most places in the UK and Ireland will have similar weather/lack of light that time of year so if you're interested in coming here then I would be looking for mostly indoor activities. Whatever you choose I am sure you will have a great time- good luck!