It's the nicely landscaped square and garden in the heart of New Town. We just happened to see it…read moreafter having lunch at Bread Street Kitchen & Bar. There are many nice restaurants and shops all over this area. It's most definitely the ritziest part of town with all the designer shops such as Louis Vuitton & Gucci across from the square. There's also a Costa Coffee shop at the very corner of it. It's all very convenient. We walked around the garden. It wasn't as beautiful as it normally would be in the spring or summer. The trees were displaying their fall colors, and there wasn't much in the way of flowering plants. The Melville Monument, Lion of Scotland statue, and Paddington Bear are all great photo opportunities here. Everyone was taking pictures with Paddington Bear on the bench eating a marmalade sandwich. I just happened to snap a picture in between the selfies. I actually found this sculpture to be the most interesting one of them all. St. Andrew Square Garden is a nice little stop if you just happened to be in the area. It's a great place to relax after a day of touring, eating, drinking, or shopping.

St. Andrew Square Garden is a small park worth visiting if you're in the area. It features a tall…read moremonument, the Melville Monument Column, which is quite noticeable. The park has plenty of green space, and Paddington Bear is sitting on a bench, so you can take a photo with him. While I wouldn't go out of my way to visit it, I recommend staying here for a bit and enjoying the green space.

Holyrood Park is a large park home to a number of historic sites and landmarks accessible via a…read moretrail system, including Arthur's Seat, Hunter's Bog, Dunsapie Crag, St Anthony's Chapel, Duddingston Loch, and The Radical Road. I approached on foot the morning of Friday 19 July 2019, reaching a sign of the park and its trail system at approximately 9:31 a.m. There were a number of cars coming and going already. It was my first visit to the park, so I opted to walk and skip any hassle I might encounter with parking. I was happy with that decision as it was a quick look at the map to get my bearings and I was on my way without needing to find parking. For my final destination in the park for the visit, I chose to hike to the top of Arthur's Seat - remains of a volcano that was active over 300 million years ago. The trails were well maintained and well designed for handling a large number of hikers.

This hike was perfect!! Beautiful weather in June, over looked the city, not crowded at all, and…read moreeasy for a family to tackle together (just keep small ones away from the edges as some areas are steep drop offs abruptly).

This place was a perfect end to our trip through Europe! So good that I ended up booking a second…read moreday of Escape at One the following day. The spa was not busy/overwhelming at all. A substantial amount of thermal/water amenities, all of which feel very sanitary/maintained. I wish I was able to schedule a massage - however, it is completely understandable I couldn't squeeze in an appointment the day of. I felt completely relaxed after my appointment! My only note is that the aroma mist in the salt room did not seem to work (this may have been user error). Additionally one of the showers in the locker room was not in service. Definitely recommend booking here if you are looking for a relaxing day!

The fact that this spa is roof top just says luxury to me!…read more It puts the spa into Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa, and just off Lothian Road. Mind you they can be quite pricey, but this has all got to do with the image their trying to project, as well as the various treatments they offer. As usual I haven't heard of most of them, but was particularly curious about the rainforest shower. Thankfully, I have a friend who has actually been to the Amazon (they come in REALLY handy!) and basically it's a room with showerheads all over the ceiling, so it seems as though it's raining in the room. Ofcourse if you'd rather just have a facial and a massage, they do that as well. They've got two pools, one of which is thermal, and a gym for those who'd rather "feel the burn" than relax, though I'd rather get in the sauna when there's that alternative.

It's a hidden pocket garden with a gated entryway. I don't think a whole lot of tourists pass…read morethrough here unless on a tour. It's kind of obscure, and looks like someone's private garden. I love that it's maintained very well. You can thank the Mushroom Trust for that. On a cool November day, it was a nice little retreat from the Royal Mile. It's very quiet in there, and maybe due to the high walls of Canongate Kirk. It's a nice pass thru for locals walking through from neighboring businesses. It's lovely to pass by the manicured shrubs and to see falling autumn leaves. I think I saw an herb garden as well. The Canongate Mercat Cross is also there as you walk further into the garden. I'd be here daily if I lived or worked nearby. It's just one of those hidden gems that deserves a visit when on Canongate.

Absolute gem that we encountered by accident after tea at Clarindas. Definitely worth a stroll…read morethrough these beautifully manicured gardens. Great photo ops as well- and it's free! Felt like we were in the countryside in the middle of Old Edinburgh

Discovered Pedalhouse while in Edinburgh for a conference. Fantastic indoor cycling experience…read more Nice people, nice facility. Highly recommended. One note for Americans: this is indoor cycling -- intense, aerobic training on a spinning bike. Don't expect bike dancing like Soulcycle, etc.

From the owner: Edinburgh's coolest spinning studio. Great music, inspiring and motivational instructors and a fun…read moreand high energy workout for all levels.

Swimming lessons are great but gives young children and parents a false sense of safety. The kids…read moreare not thought ISR skills which can be life saving...my wee one is completely use to having the arm bands which floats her body in a vertical way not possible to do it without them https://www.parentspreventingchildhooddrowning.com/post/the-hidden-dangers-of-childhood-swimming. Where can I get ISR lessons instead in Edinburgh ?

I really, really, REALLY like the new Victoria Baths. I like it's old retro poolside wooden…read morechanging rooms and old school tiles and viewing gallery. For some reason it's always relatively quiet and if it's not there's the odd kid and parent combo but purely learning the basics of swimming with arm bands, apart from that there's a couple of old women in the slow lane and basically the rest is all yours. Private showers are a rarity, especially if you've just learned it's not ok to have "proper" showers when you're at swimming and shaving your arm pits is pretty much frowned upon... Unless you have your own private shower that is!

The Burlesque scene is thriving in Edinburgh, and every year the club scene moves to the gardens…read morefor a few nights (usually July) and the place is thronging with followers of the Burlesque phenomena. There are marquees set up where you can buy a drink, some must have gear, ( you must dress to suit the occasion) and the main tent houses the music and dance, with DJ Frankie Sumatra giving it his best to entertain a very wide spectrum of ages. The whole scene would not be complete however without the Burlesque dancers, with Scotand's top Burlesque Queen - Missy Malone the big favourite. Normally the show would be held in Club Noir or the Voodoo Rooms, but no matter where, it is a sell out - so be fast or you'll be last!.

Lovely park, right opposite all the shops so nice to wander through away from the crowds - such a…read morecontrast. Lots of ice cream stalls and coffee bars dotted along to help with the experience, nice in all seasons, wrap up warm in winter and sunbathe in summer! Keep an eye out for performers to keep you entertained

Top notch place! I'm not from around here, but the staff…read morehere made me feel very welcome. The routes are awesome and there are many different walls to choose from with a very diverse set of problems for all skill levels. Definitely coming back here!

Wanted to love... but didn't. First, the service was extremely slow and we spent 15 minutes waiting…read morefor the only server to explain the directions to 4 other tables before coming to us saying she didn't notice us. The drinks then also got backed up because 4-5 tables were ordering at a time. We also saw many people get turned away because they didn't have a reservation, but there were several empty tables the entire time we were there. This place is definitely just full of dry ice and gimmicks that just miss the bar. For the Magic Potions Tavern, you can book a Magic Potion and Shot experience where you can choose from around 8 different "potions" (drink) options and a few shots. Then, you receive laminated potion directions and essentially mix your own drink and watch as it smokes with dry ice (which is essentially the only cool part about it.) The drinks ended up being *not great*--and super basic. The Herbology 101 was pretty much just muddled raspberries, vodka and lemon juice with bits of flower candy that tasted like chalk, and the Potion No. 9 was basically just purple sparkly gin. The shots tasted god awful. As someone who loves a gimmick, this is great for a day of Harry Potter exploration if you want something cool to post on your Instagram story. If you're looking for great drinks and service, go literally anywhere else. :/

We were 3 couples and we enjoyed our experiences with the potions and shots that we drank, 90…read moreminutes go by fast we only had three rounds of drinks but Kate, Lauren, River and Stevie did a great job on storytelling of the drinks and making our potions! Atmosphere of the dark bar was great , definitely would try it again

There are 2 instructors at The Pilates Place, Ellie and Linda, and I take a class with Ellie every…read moreweek. I have been going for 6 months, and during that time the classes have been excellent. The class is small and Ellie always takes time to ensure each member is doing things correctly in a gentle and helpful manner. I have some health problems and Ellie can always find the time to make sure the exercises are suitable for me. She takes a genuine interest in each person and always keeps the classes relaxed. They are very accommodating if you miss a class, and more importantly NEVER make you feel bad about missing a class! I think everyone in the class has recommended the Pilates Place to friends!