As the world’s biggest performing arts festival returns to Edinburgh, expect the streets to come alive this month with vibrant scenes and entertainment around every corner.
Edinburgh is a city filled with wonder. From mooching the indie boutiques and bakeries off its cobbled streets, to embracing a quiet trip to the cinema, or tucking into hearty feasts in candle-lit dining rooms. And if you’re headed north for the festival this August, here’s how to make the most of your summer sojourn in the Scottish capital.
Stay
The Witchery by the Castle
From Edinburgh’s most storied address, The Witchery by the Castle has become something of an institution. Arguably the city’s most atmospheric and prolific stay, this 5-star hotel houses up to eight lavishly appointed suites across a collection of historic buildings dating back to 1595. The result, a deeply romantic setting in a gothic staple during the height of summer.
We spent a night in The Old Rectory, one of their luxuriant gothic chambers, reached via a winding turnpike stairway guarded by a mounted stag’s head. Beyond the brass-knockered door, the chamber features a magnificent bed crafted from antique pulpits, adorned with gilded pinnacles at its centre. Sumptuous furnishings with beaded tapestries complete the room, while the windows overlook the busy Castle Hill and coastal views out toward Fife.
The space is filled with curiosities, from old framed sepia photographs and ornaments, to volumes on Scotland’s ancient clans, including my own Farquharson lineage. And hidden behind a heavy door, the bathroom is a study in decadent drama, with its red leather and gilt accents, a polished silver bateau bathtub, and a marble shower room. Accompanied by Penhaligon’s toiletries and fluffy white robes. If you’re headed downstairs, The Secret Garden restaurant sets the scene for conspiratorial, candle-lit suppers. Letting you feast on Cumbrae oysters, hand-dived Isle of Skye scallops and Balmoral Estate red deer before lingering over a post-prandial dram chosen from a list of more than fifty single malts. At every turn, this address revels in unapologetic opulence.
Prestonfield House
Make the most of your weekend with a twin stay at sister property Prestonfield House. Set in the shadow of Arthur’s Seat, the Michelin Key hotel occupies one of Edinburgh’s finest historic residences, dating all the way back to the 17th century. Just five minutes from the city centre, yet blissfully removed from its bustle, the hotel sits amid 20 acres of landscaped gardens. Offering the privacy of a country estate in the heart of the city.
Inside these walls, each of the 18 luxurious bedrooms and five romantic suites is individually dressed with unique antique furniture, including statement beds, and softly glowing lamplights, layered with decorative ceramics and thoughtful touches. Guests are welcome with homemade shortbread and the dulcet tones of Classic FM, an invitation, perhaps, to slow down and settle in.
This is the kind of hotel that feels like a home from home, the kind that invites one to linger, curl up with a board game in front of the roaring log fire in The Tapestry Room. Or perhaps indulge your grandest Monarch of the Glen fantasies in The Whisky Room, where the rare collection of antique equestrian portraits and exquisite antler furniture create an accent of Highland drama. At Rhubarb restaurant, the kitchen celebrates Scottish ingredients, with a menu showcasing some of the freshest produce sourced locally from small artisan suppliers. Dishes include Peterhead-landed halibut with trompettes, salsify and smoked Shetland mussels, alongside Perthshire beef cheek with whipped marrow crumpet, Jacob’s ladder, pickled carrots and stout malt vinegar hollandaise.
EAT + DRINK
Timberyard
This family-run restaurant has proudly retained its Michelin star since it was first awarded in 2024. With championing ingredient-led cooking that showcases produce sourced from local artisan suppliers. These dishes artfully combine New Nordic techniques, such as pickling and fermenting, with the richness of the Scottish larder. Featuring everything from pheasant and locally caught seafood to pepper dulse, pink fir potatoes and wild ramson.
The Palmerston
Serving a daily changing menu, The Palmerston promises a unique experience with every visit. With an in-house butchery that both minimises waste and celebrates lesser-known cuts, the kitchen takes a thoughtful, nose-to-tail approach to its cooking. Dishes may include fried pig’s head with mustard mayonnaise, endive and cornichons, or Berkshire pig skin ragù, served alongside fried polenta and parmesan. It’s robust, unfussy cooking rooted in classical technique, where careful sourcing and craftsmanship take centre stage.
Patatino
Located at The Hoxton in Edinburgh, Patatino (Italian for ‘little potato’) brings an Amalfi Coast-inspired menu to the heart of the city. Featured as a modern trattoria, inspired by Sorrento lemon groves and long lazy summer meals. The wide variety of choices on the menu includes Italian classics with a Scottish twist, such as linguine with Monkfish ragu and Scottish mussels with parsley. While the brunch menu introduces the ultimate Scot-talian hybrid: a breakfast pizza with haggis, bacon, brown sauce sugo, egg, and fior di latte.
DO
Edinburgh Castle
Resplendent above the city, Edinburgh Castle has crowned this volcanic rock since the 11th century. Once a royal residence until 1633, it has since served as an arsenal, garrison, treasury, national archive, mint, prison, and military fortress. Today, the castle safeguards the Scottish Crown Jewels, the oldest in Britain, and offers some of the finest views across the city.
A Stockbridge Bakery Tour
A short walk north of the city centre, the charming cobbled enclave of Stockbridge is home to independent shops, coffee spots, delis and some of the best bakeries in town; an area made for unhurried mooching. Arrive with an empty stomach, and you’ll be richly rewarded. Lannan Bakery has achieved near-legendary status; its bergamot and salted macadamia palet Breton is worth the queue alone, while even the plain croissant is elevated with malt and cultured butter. Or if you’re looking for a Scandinavian touch, Söderberg is a must for its cardamom buns, whilst Twelve Triangles draws crowds for its kimchi-and-cheddar swirl and indulgent baklava buns.
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Nothing lifts the spirits quite like a garden in full bloom. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh was founded as a physic garden in 1670 and today spans 70 acres just beyond the city centre. Wander through its glasshouses and carefully curated landscapes to discover everything from towering palms to rare alpine species, plus a new herbology exhibition that explores the use of plants in medicine, delving into the enduring healing and cultural power of herbs.
Royal Scottish Academy
Opening on 9th May, the Annual Exhibition of the Royal Scottish Academy brings the best of Scottish art to the capital. It’s been at the heart of the Academy’s activity since its founding in 1826 and is the largest and longest-running exhibition of contemporary art in Scotland. This year marks the 200th edition and will show a melting pot of contemporary art in the Academy’s grand Neoclassical galleries.
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