At first glance Edinburgh may appear a gloomy looking city with characteristic grey stone buildings to match its notoriously grey skies, but it is in fact one of the most colourful and lively cities in the UK. Thanks to its rich history, revolving around Scotland’s royal family, the city is filled with iconic buildings and monuments like the Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, and Palace of Holyroodhouse. Today, Edinburgh has become a thriving student city with a booming arts scene, meaning there’s cool bars and cafes on every corner, and exciting events happening every week. The biggest event is The Edinburgh Festival Fringe – the largest arts festival in the world. Throughout August, the city hosts over 3,500 arts shows in more than 300 venues across the city.
Edinburgh Airport (EDI) is located 10 km west of the city centre and schedules regular direct flights from destinations around Europe, the USA, and the UAE, meaning it’s relatively easy to travel there. From the airport, it’s a 30 minute drive to reach the city centre. Alternatively, take the Airlink 100 train from the airport to Edinburgh’s Haymarket Station, and then transfer to the Scotrail service to reach Edinburgh Waverley. The journey will take around 35 minutes in total.
Edinburgh is usually mild in July, with highs of 17°C and an average temperature of 14°C. The climate tends to be wet, with an average 71% chance of rain each day.