Minimum time needed for Edinburgh?

Not sure what sites are included in your “most sights,” but 3-4 days should suffice. If you decide to visit Rosslyn chapel and Craigmiller castle, those take more time because of the bus ride to reach them.

We've been to Edinburgh a few times and would normally stay for 4-5 nights. I still feel we have much more to see...

You need a minimum of three nights to see the top sights.

Have you drwan up a list of places to visit/things to see? That will help decided how long you need.

I don't disagree with the earlier responses, but what do you mean by "most sights"? In addition to the two out-of-town locations mentioned by jaimeelsabio, there's the Royal Yacht Brittania up in Leith, which would probably be a half-day experience. And the city has a lot of museums.

Rick lists his top sightseeing suggestions for major destinations on this website.

Edinburgh sightseeing list from RS << Click on At a Glance.

In 2019 I spent 6 or 7 days in Edinburgh and didn't do a lot of the things on Rick's list. My travel mate had only about 4 days in the city and was unhappy about what she missed. However, travel nearly always involves hard choices. It's a shame to go to Scotland and not spend time in the lovely countryside, and York is also very interesting. Keep in mind, though, that you can reach York from London in less than 2 hours by train, so it's fairly easy to visit York on a later trip to England.

It depends on what you want to see. I spent 5 days in Edinburgh in August and didn’t get to see nearly as much as was on my list. I prioritized attending Festival events over sightseeing, figuring I can always come back to see museums.

What I saw:
National Gallery - one afternoon, saw everything
National Museum - several hours, got the highlights but missed most of it. Needs a day
Edinburgh Castle - 4 hours, audio tour, saw everything including the one o’clock gun
Royal Yacht - one morning with travel and audio tour
Gladstone’s Land - 1-2 hours
Giles Cathedral - attended a free concert. 1 hour

Things I didn’t get to see: Holyrood Palace, Rosslyn Chapel, Calton Hill, Arthur’s Seat, Georgian House, National Portrait Gallery

The Castle is not to be missed. Be sure to wander through the Royal Mile. Everything else depends on your interests.

I spent a great deal of time (big chunks of two days, I think) walking the Royal Mile. I'm not a shopper, but I walked into every close with an open door.

As others have mentioned, it is going to depend on your personal preferences, and how you like to travel. I love castles, so I spent about half a day at the castle, then the rest of the day wandering down the royal mile and visiting Holyrood at the bottom. Those were my big three. Then, since I also love to take photos, I spent a day just wandering around the area of the castle, walked up Calton Hill, climbed up the Scott monument, and just generally got lost. On a third day I visited the Britanica, and also toured Victoria House. On another day I did a day trip to Rosslyn Chapel. So, my minimum would be four days, but there were some places I didn’t get to so you might add another day or two.

Three days maybe.

Day One: start with a visit to Edinburgh Castle, then walk down the Royal Mile towards Holyrood House. Things you might want to see en route - Gladstone’s Land, St Giles Cathedral, various closes and wynds.

Day Two: Holyrood House if no time yesterday. Museum of Scotland, Greyfriars Bobby and Kirk, maybe the National Gallery. Climb Calton Hill in evening for the classic view.

Day Three: a New Town and/or Leith day - the Britannia if desired (I was lucky enough to go for a private dinner/tour when it was still in service, and it’s very modest indeed, although maybe that’s the charm.) Bus back to the New Town, stroll the streets and maybe a detour to the Water of Leith, or maybe the Portrait Gallery.

A fourth day would be lovely of course. As would a whole month, but needs must.

I agree with Wasleys. Make a list of the things you want to see and figure out how much time that will take. Also, make a list of the things you want to see in York to help balance the time. The only "must sees" are the things that YOU must see. Do your research and plan accordingly, leaving some wiggle room if possible.

Another in agreement with Wasleys and G3rryCee. Make that list of the things that YOU are interested in seeing, to understand the number of days you need. We were there last month with 3 days in both Edinburgh and York and felt we needed an extra day in both to really see what we wanted.

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies. The RS forum community is just great! I completely forgot about the late Queen’s yacht. Thanks for reminding me! I would love to see it. I have decided to spend 5 nights in Edinburgh and use the remaining three days for York. I do wish I had an extra day for York though. Next time!

Yes the Royal Yacht. Is not to be missed. Have been there twice and could go back again I think that is so worth it. I also went to Mary Kings Close twice. I don't know why I keep doing some things twice but I seem to enjoy everything the second time around almost more so than the first! Enjoy your trip. In York we really enjoyed the Railroad museum. It was nicely done and we had a good cup of soup and tea there as well.

Edinburgh might be my favorite city in the world. For me personally, ten days there this summer was barely enough to do and see what I thought was necessary. But I thought a full day plus half another was necessary on the Water of Leith Walk, and I took two day trips to play golf (Gullane and Elie, for those who are interested). And one day in the National Museum is not enough ... for me. I plan to return every summer if I'm able to.

The only reason I say all this is that everyone's travel priorities and desires are different. So everyone needs to define for themselves which sights are "can't miss" and how long to spend in each.

The Water of Leith Walk was amazing!!! When you're out in Leith to see the Britannia, hang around awhile and get a meal. Lots of excellent food out that way, and a lovely place to walk around and see the combination of new and old. Just a great part of the city.

I guess I’m kind of an outlier, but I would much rather spend a shorter amount of time in a big city and instead spend most of my time in the countryside and smaller towns. I have a large extended family in Scotland so I’ve been fortunate to have been there many times throughout my life. Edinburgh is great. And I’ve grown fond of Glasgow as well. But if I had a choice I’d high tail it out of those and try to see other parts of the country too.