Summertime in Edinburgh: Explore Our Top Neighbourhoods

Summertime in Edinburgh: Explore Our Top Neighbourhoods

Summer in Edinburgh is a wonderful season to explore every corner of the city. With long Summer days, take your time to wander and rediscover favourite neighbourhoods. It’s also the perfect time to head for the city’s hills, riversides and parks. You can enjoy views for miles and re-energise. In this, the second in our mini series of what to do in the capital over Summertime, we’ll share more of our insider tips. Read about our top neighbourhoods to explore as well as the best places to enjoy the Great Outdoors on foot, by bike or even by paddleboard. And of course, no blog would be complete without some of our local knowledge on where to eat, drink and shop!

The Shore

Explore

Is there any better Summer past-time than wandering around some of your favourite neighbourhoods, cafe-hopping and discovering your favourite new vintage shop? Here are just a few of our top neighbourhoods to rediscover where you’ll find vibrancy, character and a real buzz. Each one is the perfect place for a wander with an iced latte or gelato!

The Shore

Jump on the tram and head down to the vibrant port area of The Shore in Leith. Lying at the mouth of the Water of Leith, it feels like you’re in a different city. With its own distinct character and architecture, it has a lively and creative vibe with a thriving indie food & drink scene. Packed with waterfront restaurants, traditional pubs, bars and coffee shops, it has such a great vibe. Start your day in Custom Lane with a coffee and view of the port at Williams and Johnson Coffee Co, brunch from Toast and for lunch we love a big bowl of mussels and chips, sitting in the lively bar area at Fishers. You can read more of our tips in our blog about Leith here.

The Shore (Photo: @thisedinburghcitygirl)

Victoria Street & Victoria Terrace

Take a wander along the gently curving sweep of Victoria Terrace and discover a great example of Edinburgh’s fascinating layers of architecture. From here you can look down onto iconic Victoria Street in all its glory-the colourful shops, the Flemish-inspired architecture, the gorgeous curve of the cobbled, medieval street. It’s full of independent eateries, pubs, a gallery, bookshop and eclectic stores. Grab an energising smoothie from Hula, a matcha from Blank Street or lunch at Howies.

Stockbridge

This village is a little gem within the city, just perfect for a Summer wander. Discover the charms of St Stephen Street with its indie bookstores, interiors shops and artisan eateries. Take a stroll along one of Edinburgh’s prettiest streets, the cobbled, winding Circus Lane. While here, admire the tiny, nature-filled Potted Garden, elegant Ann Street and take a walk along the river to picturesque Dean Village. Take a wander down eclectic St Stephen Street and pop into Golden Hare Books. And don’t miss Stockbridge’s newest curated vintage store Skout. Get up early to beat the queue and grab a breakfast pastry from Darcie Maher’s now famous Lannan Bakery and enjoy lunch or dinner at The Stockbridge Eating House or Sotto.

Stockbridge

South Queensferry

Always a good idea on a sunny day, take a trip out to the charming coastal village of South Queensferry. Explore the cobbled streets, admire the pastel houses & the iconic Forth Rail Bridge. The perfect day would include pastries and coffee from the outstanding Dune, ice cream from The Little Parlour & lunch overlooking the bridges at Scotts. It’s also a great place to start a coastal walk by joining the John Muir Way and following it through Dalmeny Estate, towards Cramond Village.

Portobello

Another gem of a place to visit over Summer is the seaside neighbourhood of Portobello with its Victorian houses overlooking the stretch of sand. It’s a 20-30 minute bus ride from the centre of Edinburgh. Take a  dip in the sea; grab a delicious Civerinos pizza on the promendade or grab an amazing lobster roll from our favourite streetfood shack, Shrimpwreck. We love the vibe of Portobello, with its lovely high street, full of independents. Grab a pastry from Twelve Triangles and a drink at The Espy.

Portobello (Photo: Shrimpwreck)

The Great Outdoors

Edinburgh is famed for its spectacular architecture, and rightly so, but we’re also blessed with being the UK’s greenest city with close to 50% of the city comprising of green space. With warm weather and longer days, we have a few ideas for how you can enjoy our great outdoors over the summer.

Wanders

Take a wander around Princes Street Gardens and visit the Ross Fountain. Take a riverside stroll along the Water of Leith from Stockbridge to picturesque and historic Dean Village. In the past the village housed various mills. The iconic Well’s Court, which used to house the mill workers is located here. Follow the walkway along the Water of Leith to reach impressive Dean Bridge. The Gallery of Modern Art is just a short walk from the village.

Dean Village

Hiking

Hike up Arthur’s Seat, an ancient, extinct volcano for panoramic views of Edinburgh and beyond. If you follow the main path, the hike will take just over 30 minutes to the top. The total hike is under 4km and can be completed in under two hours. There’s also a  lovely route along the Southern edge of Holyrood Park, along Duddingston Low Road. This leads to picturesque Duddingston Village where you can get a drink in the courtyard of Edinburgh’s oldest pub, The Sheep’s Heid. Alternatively, if you’re feeling more energetic, take a hike up the Pentland Hills where you can get some serious training in! Or take the short and easy walk up Calton Hill for spectacular sunsets and star gazing- it’s also a brilliant spot for watching the Festival fireworks over the Castle.

Arthur’s Seat at sunset (Photo: @thisedinburghcitygirl)

Cycling

Cycle along the Union Canal. This is such a picturesque, peaceful and traffic-free route as you’re cycling along the towpath. You can stop en route to access or exit at various points but our favourite route is from Fountainbridge to Ratho. The route starts at ‘Edinburgh Quay’ canal basin, very close to the city centre. At Ratho you can hop off and spend a leisurely couple of hours at the charming Bridge Inn, a picturesque pub with a great beer garden overlooking the canal. The return journey is 16 miles and it is flat the entire way. Or if you want to get onto the water, you can paddle board along this route instead!

Picnics

Gather with friends and family for a picnic or BBQ in the Meadows. During July and August you can pick up some street food from the food stalls in Bristo Square and George Square Gardens or a delicious fresh, sourdough sandwich from Soderberg. Arthur’s Seat is another place we love to head to for a picnic, but with less choice of nearby eateries you’ll need to pack your hamper before you leave. We have a blog dedicated to Edinburgh’s best picnic spots and where to get your food here if you’d like to get a few more ideas.

Escape

If you’re a local or just need to find space to breathe and lose the crowds:

Head to the Botanics, it’s a  wonderful place to find your perfect tree to sit under and read. Don’t miss the magnificent Victorian Glasshoses! Or visit the hidden gem of Dr Neil’s Garden in the beautiful small village of Duddingston, in the shadow of Arthur’s Seat, which looks out onto Duddingston Loch. It’s a very special, tranquil place.

Dr Neil’s Garden

We hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this blog about our top Edinburgh neighbourhoods to explore in the Summertime and will be inspired to get out to enjoy some of them this Summer. Let us know if we’ve missed any of your favourites. We’d love to hear from you if you have any comments!