Edinburgh: A City of Charm and Culture
Edinburgh is hands down my favorite destination. Whether it’s for a quick 24-hour visit or an entire month during the Fringe, you’ll leave feeling refreshed, fed, rested, and stimulated in equal measure. The city offers the perfect setting for a long, lazy, romantic weekend, with cozy breakfast noons and basement-level speakeasies on every corner. Alternatively, George Street, Lothian Road, and Cowgate have enough old-school rave spots and karaoke bars to make you wonder why you waste time queuing to get into any overrated place anywhere else.
If you take the train into Edinburgh Waverley, every exit takes you right onto Princes Street, with the castle behind you and bagpipers within earshot. Everything is a maximum 20-minute walk away, or a five-minute tram, through the cobbled winding streets where people smile and compliment each other.
A Recent Visit and a Special Collaboration
I was lucky enough to be the face of the brand spanking new Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY x Johnnie Walker Experience collaboration, which we shot in December and we just celebrated the launch. All the merch is available to buy on Princes Street exclusively.
Places to Stay in Edinburgh
I have soft spots for every neighborhood. Bruntsfield was my first and second year of university, a lazy but vibey student hub, where newbies can find their feet. New Town was my third year, for newly streetwise social butterflies, directly down the cobbled hill from Princes Street. Finally, Stockbridge was my dissertation year, the most beautiful and bustling neighborhood, only a 15-minute walk from Princes Street. Art suppliers, independent bagel and sushi places, vintage pop-ups — you’ll bump into every person you know in Stockbridge on a Sunday morning. During the summer months, the open-air Neighbourgood Market springs out of nowhere by Inverleith Park, with food stalls and live music seven days a week. When I visit now, I stay with my pal in the West End on her sofa, slap bang in the triangle of my favorite areas.
Favorite Meals and Restaurants
My favorite meal is always Rendezvous. The only Chinese that matters. Though I cannot account for anything else on the menu other than the crispy chilli chicken, egg fried rice, and a Diet Coke.
As for top restaurants, there are too many to list, but I don’t gatekeep. Nok’s Kitchen and Kenji Sushi, both in Stockbridge, Ting Thai Caravan (Teviot Place better than Lothian Road, no shade), The Pantry in Stockbridge for brunch, and finally Little White Pig on Dublin Street — I worked midday till close there for two years, so it holds a special place in my heart.
A 24-Hour Itinerary
If I only had 24 hours in Edinburgh, I’d get off at Waverley at 11am, then head straight to Wellington Coffee for an oat flat white to go. Walk down the hill to The Pantry in Stockbridge via Circus Lane for full Scottish with extra hash browns. Then walk over the bridge and turn right by Franco Manca along the Water of Leith to Inverleith Park to watch student doctors play football — and sausage dogs frolic. By 2pm, pop into The Johnnie Walker Experience and pick up my favorite pieces of their Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY collab. At 4pm, wander to Candlemaker Row to touch Greyfriars Bobby’s nose for luck, then nosy in Pieute, the best skate shop in Scotland. On to a lazy 6pm dinner at Ting Thai Caravan at Teviot Place (chicken pad Thai, roti on the side with extra dip) then drinks on Cowgate at Sneaky Pete’s. I’d end the night at The Three Sisters and round it all off by walking home in the rain, stopping off at that kebab place on Chambers Street, bed, then do it all again the next day!
Unmissable Experiences
The one unmissable thing I recommend doing is a ghost tour in the Old Town. They take you along the Royal Mile, where (until fairly recently) they tried women for witchcraft by rolling them down the hill in burning barrels. A proper blood-chilling taste of Scottish folklore.
Who to Call for a Good Time
My best pal and flatmate from university, who let me copy her homework for four years, is now doing a masters in occupational therapy. She’s a riot and drops everything to book a wholesome dinner somewhere intimate and underground, such as Kenji Sushi, or The Witchery if we’re feeling swanky.
Favorite Shops
Female-owned Rare Birds Books on Raeburn Place for a good murder mystery, Paper Tiger on Lothian Road for thoughtful birthday gifts and cards, and Pieute on Candlemaker Row for independent Scottish skatewear.
Souvenirs and Beauty Spots
The one thing I would bring home as a souvenir is a bottle of fresh, crisp, tap water. Pieute sells a cute stainless steel bottle with “Scottish Tap Water” written on the side. I brought back three last time.
My favorite beauty spot is Dean Village in the summer. The Water of Leith that runs through Stockbridge turns to rapids here, running under little stone bridges among the flats built into green riverbanks. It’s like something out of a fairytale.
Packing Essentials and Music
My packing essential is lip balm. I can borrow or replace almost anything else, but if you have a good lip balm, you’re ready for anything.
The song that reminds me of the place is someone great like LCD Soundsystem.
Dress Code and Living Spaces
My dress code for the destination is the Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY x The Johnnie Walker Experience capsule collection T-shirt worn with a LOVERBOY mini kilt, their cute banana shoes, and one of his lobster bags.
If I could live in any building, it would be one with the huge domed roofs and big windows in Dean Village. You’re right on the waterfalls!
Wellness Tips and Travel Habits
My top wellness tip for the area is to check out Tribe studios. They have spots all over the region, and I’m addicted to spin.
Do I exercise when traveling? No need, the excitement burns the calories.
