I’m really excited to interview Josh Stine of Seat Insiders about Edinburgh, Scotland. Josh’s tips for the best things to do in Edinburgh are awesome because he lived there for over a year while his girlfriend completed her Master’s degree at the University of Edinburgh. During their year in Edinburgh, they fell in love with the city, and Josh is excited to share his tips with my listeners.
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Photo courtesy of Thomas H on Pixabay
Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh is a compact, hilly city located on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city has two major historical sections with a medieval old town and an elegant Georgian New Town filled with beautiful gardens and neoclassical buildings. As Scotland’s capital since at least the 15th century, it is the seat of the Scottish Government, Parliament, and its supreme courts. The official residence of the monarch of Scotland is the city’s Palace of Holyroodhouse. While the city’s historical buildings make it the U.K.’s second-most visited city, the city is modern enough to be the U.K.’s second-largest financial center (after London).
Scotland is known for being rainy, but the wind is more of a problem than the rain. Josh says that the best time of year to visit is in August for the Fringe Festival. During this time, Edinburgh transforms into the largest arts festival in the world with more than 3 million visitors. For more cultural and traditional experiences, September through December are the best times to visit. There are fewer crowds and very little rain, so you can experience more of the city.
Whisky is Scotland’s national drink and its biggest export. No visit to Edinburgh would be complete without visiting some of the local distilleries to see how it is made and sample some of the fine spirits. There are over 100 active distilleries in Scotland, with each offering unique flavors and experiences as you visit the distillery.
We share a lot of resources and local suggestions in today’s podcast, but you should also check out Edinburgh iCentre, the local convention and visitor’s bureau. They are a wealth of information and can help you plan an itinerary based on your time, budget, and interests.
If you’d like to learn how to travel for free using airline miles and hotel points, check out my free 7-day email course.
Take a hike up to Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano
Getting around Edinburgh
The local airport is Edinburgh Airport (EDI), which is about 30 minutes by car to the city of Edinburgh. Use our Expedia tool below to find flight, hotel, and rental car options.
Josh says that, if you’re staying downtown, there’s no need to rent a car. Uber and Lyft are excellent ways to get around. And I’ve personally found the downtown area very walkable.
If you need to rent a car, click here for the best offers from Avis, Budget, or Hertz.
If you only need a car for a couple of hours, you can rent by the hour with Zipcar. Join now to get $25 loaded into your account.
Explore the cobblestone streets of Edinburgh. Photo courtesy of Peter H from Pixabay
Places we talked about on the podcast
Here is a map of all of the places we talked about on the podcast episode with Josh Stine about Edinburgh, Scotland. You can zoom into the map and click on each dot to explore the city.
- Red dots = best places to eat in Edinburgh, Scotland
- Green dots = best things to do in Edinburgh, Scotland
- Yellow dots = best places to stay in Edinburgh, Scotland
Who is Josh Stine?
Josh Stine Josh is a leader in the live entertainment ticket industry. He’s the CEO of Seat Insiders, a concierge ticketing firm that works one-on-one with clients to help them create memorable experiences that last a lifetime. Prior to founding Seat Insiders, Josh served as the COO of Happy Valley Tickets LLC.
He is also a financial coach at Organized by Josh, where he helps people find financial freedom and achieve their financial goals through personalized one-on-one coaching.
You can learn more about Josh below:
- How a Side Gig Helped This New Grad Pay Off His $23,000 Student Loan Debt in Ten Months
- Episode 88: How event ticketing can create amazing customer experiences – with Josh Stine
- Josh Stine, founder of Seat Insiders
You can connect with Josh on his website and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Click here to download our one-page guide of Josh’s tips for Edinburgh.
Big thanks to today’s affiliate partner – AwardWallet
This episode is brought to you, in part, by AwardWallet. Using airline miles and hotel points makes travel affordable, but keeping track of all of those loyalty programs can be a challenge.
That’s why I use AwardWallet to track my miles and points balances, reservations, and special goodies like free hotel night certifications and airline companion passes.
Having everything in one easy-to-use dashboard helps ensure I don’t let any rewards expire and makes logging into my accounts super easy. Go to WeTravelThere.com/awardwallet to start your free account.
Fringe Festival
Stay tuned for our next episode
Shannyn having fun at Fiesta
Listen to the next episode when Shannyn Allan of The Wonder Luster shares the best things to do in San Antonio, Texas. Shannyn and I talk about having mimosas at the Boiler House, watching the Battle of the Flowers parade, and eating a 3-pound cinnamon roll at Lulu’s Bakery. We hope you’ll join us when We Travel There.
What’s your favorite part of Edinburgh? Send us a Tweet, let us know in the comment section below, or continue the discussion in our Facebook group!
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Related episodes
To learn more about Ireland and other cities in the U.K., please listen to our other episodes:
