Travel Answers

Edinburgh

I have been reading a little that there is evidence of un Underground City in Edinburgh. Then the second question is i believe there are companies that do tours - many of them looking for ghosts. I am not interested if a place is haunted etc - but would like a tour that focuses more on the history of the Underground City. Which company(ies) are the best for this. ALSO - any VTer's out there with great local knowledge who may be interested to take me (or more if us around Edinburgh to learn about the history - and would be exciting if they know the presence of any underground passages. IE ) Possible for a great VT meet in Edinburgh. Underground passages, Whiskey, Haggis or other Great Scottish food. What more could one want - oh - perhaps the Pipes

What is the best way to "do" the Edinburgh Festival (or perhaps more the Fringe Festival)(or perhaps a bit of both) in the most relaxing way. PS - How early is it that info becomes available for the Events that are happening - and how does one filter through all the information and decide what one wants to do. Is it best to stay in one geographical area? or Is it best to stick to one theme - ie Comedy - or film? I believe THE FESTIVAL is a mixture of many different festivals happening at the same time.

Hi im not sure if anybody can help me but im staying with my girlfriend in edinburgh from saturday the 29th of october to the 2nd of November and was looking to book a hotel/apartment/guesthouse in the city center or reasonably close as we will have no access to a car. We would hope to spend in the region of €300/£260 on accommodation. We are first time visitors to Edinburgh so any tips on where to go and what to see would also be great and much appreciated aswell. Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Sean.

Is there a £3 fee for purchasing a 7-day ridacard @ £16?

Hi VTers, Does anyone know a restaurant in the Edinburgh area that serves kippers? A few years I had smoked kippers (for breakfast) in Southwest England but thought they are more popular in Scotland. Our hotel gives us breakfast so we really don't want them then but would love to have kippers later in the day. Help is appreciated. Thanks. Losham

Hello again VTers :-) During our 3-day stay in Edinburgh I'd like to take our friends and family for a nice meal (not too pretentious) with great Scottish cuisine and local produce. After dinner we have an underground tour booked that starts from the Royal Mile, so preferably the restaurant wouldn't be more than 15-20min walking distance away. I've heard Stac Polly is good...and Dubh Prais. Would anyone have some good suggestions?

Hi VTers! I'll be in Edinburgh this year from 3-5 October with some friends and family, and I was wondering where the Sherlock Holmes statue that used to stand in Picardy Place is now located? I had heard that they'd moved it for the tram construction, but not sure where it is located now? Can any of the locals help? Also, which of the underground tours would you recommend? We'd like to have some fun, but more than just actors scaring the beejeezus out of us, we'd also like to hear about the true history of the old city, etc. Thanks in advance!

Hello, VTs! My airplane lands at 8 a.m o'clock at the LHR and I want at once to head for Edinburgh. There I am staying at Mardale Guest House(11 Harington Place).So I wonder as follows: - What is a railway station I need to take a train to Edinburgh? -How much time does it take to change an airplane and a train? I'd like to book a ticket for my train trip. And so I must know what time will be I'll be able on the necessary railway station. -And one more thing is what is my finish station I need to get off in Edinburgh? I am travelling along so worried about my route:) Thanks in advance. Sveta

Hello VTs, Has anyone rented a car from Honk car rental in Edinburgh? we are trying to rent a car from them would like to hear about their service. I haven't heard about them earlier so thought of checking with the VT members.. Thanks in advance

Hello, does anybody know about good happy hours in the centre of Edinburgh? Or other good value deals? We are on a budget and would still like to go out and have some drinks on a Monday night. Thank you so much and greetings!

Hello, we would like to visit a distillery as an alternative to "The Scotch Whisky Experience". We have a Lothian Dayticket so it would be great if we could reach it by bus. But we would not mind a short train ride as well as long it is easy to get there and back. Thank you and greetings!

Hi, we will be arriving to Edinburgh on a Monday at lunch time and now I am looking for a place were we could have lunch on a budget. Maybe no chinese/indian/italian all-you-can-eat as I have had these quite too often... Does anybody know about really good lunchtime deals? We will take bus no. 35 from the airport and could get off the bus along the route. Thank you so much and greetings!

Anybody stayed in this property? Planning to book from here.Seems to be located well:) stay with my wife so will book ensuite double bed. İ have chance to select the room number 2-3-4-6-7-8-9-10 Which is the best:)

Hi VTers I will be in Edinburgh for a few days in mid September and am looking for a pub (or any place) where I an hear traditional music. I'm not interested in a TRADITIONAL PUB that plays any type of music, poetry reading etc--but what I want is a pub/place where I can hear TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH MUSIC. And if it has food that's an OK plus. Thanks for helping. Losham

Hi virtuals Me and my wife will be in London between 6-21 August.We want to see also around like Edinburgh.it is a bit expensive and hard to find a place to stay and also find the tickets to travel during the festival time in edinburg.Does it worth to be there during the festival time? also any experience about where to stay is wellcome:) free to all ideas to arrange our travel to london. have fun

Hi VTers Does anyone know if there is an AIRPORT SHUTTLE (Van type-shared ride) that will take you from the terminal to a Hotel in the city? We are staying near Waverly Station but would prefer the Van that goes door to door and not have to walk 10 minutes with our luggage to the hotel. Thanks for your help. Losham

Hi all, going thru a crisis here, i have a car booked to see the fringe festival and part of the Edinburgh festival in August, however.....i cannot find accommodation that i can afford. Are the backpackers really up to 83GBP per night. I don't care if i am 25 miles out of the city, but there must be some way of getting something cheaper????? I have trawled the Travelodge sites - no go HHHEEELLLPPP

Hi, I will be visiting Edinburgh for 3 days starting 6th June. I have done some work to figure out sight seeing spots in Edinburgh. But I wish to know what are the night spots/clubs that solo travelers can visit. I plan to stay on Princess street (Ramada Mount Royal). Any other recommendations would be beneficial. Thanks in advance

The Gay metropolitan cathedral service on Sunday's versus the church of scotlands congregations backing affirmation scotlands services in Edinburgh. Which service is going to be the most inspiring ? Any one been to both ? www.affirmationscotland.org.uk or www.mccedinburgh.org I have gay friends visiting Edinburgh and want the best for them.

One more questions on Edinburgh: when I was there once during the festival season, there were so many pubs with live music. My question now is, was this only during the festival season, or are there pubs with decent live music all year round. And if so, could anyone please make some recommendations. Many, many thanks in advance!

I have been to Edinburgh once but this stay was 22 years ago. Surely, a lot has changed. Does anybody have some useful tips what to see or what to do in Edinburgh (apart from Royal Mile, Whiskey museum and suchlike)

Hi, I am really interested to see the underground vaults in Edinburgh, but the tours I found on the Internet all seem to have some supernatural spin. Being exceptionally chicken about ghosts and stuff, can you recommend a tour that goes through the underground vaults but just talk about the history of the place? Or are the vaults just inherently scary? ;) I have been to some catacombs in Peru and aslo visited the Sedlec Ossuary in Prague, and wasn't really bothered, so I think it is more the ghost stories that cause my overactive imagination to run wild. Thanks.

Hi! I will be in Edinburgh May 31th to June 2nd. My friend and I want to plan a day trip from the city to the Highlands. Does anybody know a reliable company for that kind of tours? I've checked on the internet and have a couple of ideas but I want to hear from people who did it! We are not very interested in Loch Ness, but we would LOVE to see green mountains, Highland cows, beautiful landscapes, castles.... Also: should we book in advance? Thanks!

we will be on an Insight Tour and attend the Military Tattoo which will be fabulous BUT our ancestors came from Tranent and the wife would also love to see the Rosslyn Church because she loved the Dan Brown story. problem is we arrive on 12 August and go to the Tattoo - we tour on the morning of the 13th - afternoon free and depart 14th for the Highlands. We have never been to Scotland before and at 72 cannot expect many more chances so what do you suggest - is it possible and if so how much might a taxi cost to do the round trip. Seems to me that each spot is 10 miles from town but each in a different direction. In between time need to Visit Waters Street Leith because my mother in law was born there. would really appreciate your opinions as to how to manage this kind regards peter

Hi All, I will be going to Edinburgh on my brothers stag on the 27th - 29th May. I've been tasked with finding a hotel that has a bar and will serve late into the night to its residents. I would be looking for some where central(ish)within walking distance of the centre of Edinburgh. Given that the sevens are on that weekend I understand that alot of accommodation will be booked already but any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks, Kieran

Hello, October 2011 will see us in Paris for a week then up to do 2 weeks self drive in Scotland. We will be travelling on Eurostar from Paris to London St Pancras Stn on a Sunday leaving about midday, then hope to get a direct train to Edinburgh that same day, from Kings Cross Stn Would this be a tiring trip for 2 middle aged people? i am worried that all those hours in the train along with the change of station in London with our luggage etc would be all too much in one day. we have thought that perhaps we could stop half way at york or somewhere similar, stay the night there and then hire the car the next day and drive up to Edinburgh on the monday. we do not want to stay overnight in London and do not want to hire a car from London to drive North. Does anyone have an opinion on this? also considered the Caledonian Sleeper but one of us wasn't that keen on that idea!! appreciate any thoughts, also any info on accommodation in the city of Edinburgh if we take the train all the way there. cheers Jenni

Hello Folks,I'm planning an Edinburgh city trip on the 16 & 17th of May 2011 and this for two persons. I've heard that the hotels are rather expensive, so i'm looking for some cheaper alternatives. Can anyone give me some tips or adresses of these kind of "cheaper accomodations" like p.e. B&B, Youth Hotel, Pub's, Private Rooms, ... Yours sincerely

Hi All How or which is the cheapest way to get from Edinburgh airport to Rosyth docks please to catch a cruise ship. Thanks in advance

Hello We will be in Edinburgh late September and would like recommendations for hotels (moderate priced are best) near Waverly Station. Thanks for your help. Losham

Hello everybody thank you for all the information. If I am landing in Glasgow airport, where do i get from there to the train station to get to Edinburgh? can i book it on the day i arrive? or is it better to take the coach? How do i get to the coach station from the glasgow airport? thanks again