The Perfect Weekend in Edinburgh with @edienthusiast

Ildi is the avid explorer and shutterbug behind the popular Instagram account @edienthusiast. She’s passionate about posting weekly Edinburgh weekend guides and has been doing so for over two years. Therefore, there’s no better person to sit down and have a chat about how to spend a perfect weekend in Edinburgh. But first, let’s get to know a little bit about her before we get stuck into the Edinburgh Weekend Guide.

Hello Ildi, would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself and how you started @edienthusiast?

Hi Shawna, thanks for inviting me to share my favourite spots with the Dickins readers. I’m originally from Hungary – I moved to Edinburgh and started exploring the Scottish capital about 6 years ago. I have always loved taking photos and sharing pictures from my wanders through Instagram. It’s a great way to connect with fellow enthusiasts. While living abroad in other countries, I noticed locals often take their home city for granted and do not really go out to explore it. This is why I started my blog of weekend guides which also helps me keep up-to-date with what’s on in the ‘burgh.

The Perfect Weekend in Edinburgh

Saturday

Morning
Early morning is the best time to walk through the Royal Mile, after grabbing a quick breakfast from Hula Juice Bar at the Grassmarket. Our favourite streets and closes along the route include the picturesque Victoria Street, the secret garden of Dunbar’s Close, Chessels Court with the ivy heart, and White Horse Close. Also, did you know that you can visit the Scottish Parliament for free? We highly recommend the tour of the building and learning about all the symbols hidden in the architectural details.

Afternoon

In the Old Town area, our favourite lunch stop is the New Waverley Arches: these are a row of newly renovated Victorian arches on East Market Street. Gannet & Guga serve tasty soups, salads, and sandwiches. For dessert, Baba Budan does delicious doughnuts and great coffee. Then you can walk off all those extra calories by climbing Calton Hill and watching the sunset from there. For a 360 degree view of Edinburgh, I also recommend visiting the Nelson Monument.

Evening
I often go out on Saturdays to have a date night with Mr Enthusiast and try some new restaurants in town. One of our firm favourites is Edinburgh Food Studio at Dalkeith Road, with its buzzing atmosphere and inspiring food. If we don’t want to go too far away from home, we visit Locanda de Gusti or their sister restaurant Pizzeria 1926 near Haymarket.

Sunday

Morning
Breakfast at Stockbridge Market is our perfect start to a Sunday morning – perhaps not the most typical breakfast item, but Harajuku Kitchen’s pop-up does the best gyozas in town! We love speciality coffee and also pop in regularly to get our ‘Sunday roast’ from Mr. Eion coffee roaster. Post breakfast and shopping, a stroll down the Instagram-famous Circus Lane and a walk along the Water of Leith towards Dean Village follows. If you are into architecture, Cobble Tales runs excellent archi-tours of the area.

Afternoon
Assuming you’ve had a hearty breakfast, you might just fancy a cake for lunch: visit Lovecrumbs at St Stephen Street or The Pastry Section. If you are after something more filling, Cowan & Sons serves delicious brunches. After lunch (and weather permitting) you can continue your walk to the Royal Botanic Garden or stay indoors to enjoy the art at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. While there, be sure to visit the Paolozzi Studio and observe the Charles Jencks created land forms in the garden.

Evening
After a busy Sunday, it is nice to have a relaxing evening with a glass of wine at Smith & Gertrude in Stockbridge. It is one of the few wine bars in Edinburgh which serves Hungarian wine by the glass, not to mention their amazing cheese tasting platters.

I hope you enjoyed this weekend guide created for Dickins. Have a lovely weekend!

We think that sounds like the most perfect weekend in Edinburgh and if you’d like to visit Edinburgh we have an array of beautiful homes in various fabulous locations.

Featured Home: Bell Place

Bell Place is a little haven in the city located in the Stockbridge colonies on the northern edge of the Georgian New Town. Stockbridge is a few minutes walk away and the city centre is minutes away by bus.

See more of our lovely homes here…