Scotland’s capital Edinburgh is well known for its festivals, castles and haunted tales. People travel from all over the world to experience the beauty and the rich culture that the capital has to offer ranging from art, history, nature to all sorts of entertainment. However, Edinburgh can be an expensive place to visit particularly in August so we have come up with a list of places that you can enjoy for free for those on a budget…
1. Climb Arthur’s Seat
If you’re the type that enjoys an outdoor hill walk and a beautiful view from the summit, then climbing Arthur’s Seat is definitely worth doing, particularly when the sun is out. Arthur’s Seat is an extinct volcano and is the main peak of a group of hills just east of the Old Town in Edinburgh. Depending on your fitness levels, the walk to the top takes from 30 minutes to approximately one hour. http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/lothian/arthurs-seat.shtml
2. Visit the Royal Botanic Garden
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is one of the finest botanic gardens in the world. It can offer pleasure for all the family as the garden offers fantastic views of the capital’s skyline, featuring Edinburgh Castle, and is located just a mile from the city centre. The history of the gardens dates back 300 years. You can walk around 70 acres of beautiful landscape, surrounded by trees, shrubs, rare plants and specialist gardens. There are guided garden walks from the John Hope Gateway and free exhibitions in 18th-century Inverleith House. If you do get peckish, you can find a tranquil spot for a picnic in the gardens or go to one of the cafes to grab a snack or a hot drink. http://www.rbge.org.uk/
3. Museum-hopping on the Royal Mile
The Royal Mile is dotted with four free museums. One of these is the Edinburgh Writers Museum (Lady Stair’s Close, off Royal Mile) that celebrates the lives of three of Scotland’s most famous writers: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Luis Stevenson. The others are the Museum of Childhood (42 High Street, Royal Mile) which was the first museum in the world to specialise in the history of childhood. The Museum of Edinburgh (142 Canongate, Royal Mile) which is a maze of historic rooms crammed full of iconic objects from the capital’s past, and The People’s Story (Canongate Tolbooth, Royal Mile) is dedicated to telling the history of Scotland’s capital, and it’s people. http://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venues/museum-of-edinburgh
4. Whistlebinkies Live Music Bar
Whistlebinkies is arguably one of the best places to catch live music of up and coming bands in Edinburgh. It is located at the junction of High Street (Royal Mile) and The Bridges. What’s great about this place is that it’s free entry, seven nights a week. From Sunday to Thursday it’s free in for the entire night, while on Fridays and Saturdays it’s free in before midnight. http://www.whistlebinkies.com/
5. Free entertainment everywhere (in August)
Although most of the shows during the Edinburgh Festival in August are ticketed events, there are many non-stop free events taking place too. Edinburgh is the official festival capital of the world and in August no fewer than six festivals take place here. These include the Military Tattoo, the Edinburgh Book Festival and the best known of all – the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the largest arts festival in the world. For more information visit the official Edinburgh festivals website as well as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival website. https://tickets.edfringe.com/