Christmas is my favourite time of year and it's officially nearly arrived. What better way to spend 3 spectacular days in the city centre of Edinburgh surrounded by festive entertainment and winter celebrations? The historic Scottish capital really does has Christmas all wrapped up.
Edinburgh is around a 3 hour train journey from where I live, so its quite a convenient place to visit when I want to get away. I love being able to get away and clear my head from everything work and stress related.
We decided to stay in an air B'n'B for our trip. I've personally never used air B'n'B before, but I'll definitely be using it in the future. We stayed in a beautiful town house with 3 beautiful bedrooms and reasonable walking distance from the new town. I honestly couldn't fault the place we stayed, it was perfect.
On the first day we explored the christmas market that ran on East Princes Street Garden which is definitely not one to miss! We spent quite a bit of time exploring this area. There's a whole array of tailored items for all your christmassy needs. There was even a bar to enjoy all your festive beverages - my choice was a Baileys hot chocolate - with a balcony that over looked the whole market. At night this looked particularly spectacular when it was all lit up.
On the second day we woke up bright and early, after a tiring day of travelling, we packed into as much in the day as possible, and we really did get up to a lot! Our second day was for sure a shopping day, ooopss.
Georges Street is where we spent most of the day. We started at Harvey Nichols, one of the largest department stores with a mass of designer brands from food, clothes and make-up. Working our way down the street was an array of beautiful stores. From independent stores, to unique chain stores (such as Anthropology and The White Company) and quaint cafes.
While wondering down Georges Street, we stumbled across Ice Adventure: A Journey Through Frozen Scotland. We soon got used to the -10 degrees home to magical ice and snow sculptures.
I found myself wanting to take a picture of every single sculpture, it was that breathtaking!
Inside was even Edinburgh's only ice bar where the drinks were served in ice cups and there was even a photo opportunity on ice chairs.
Every city home to a Hard Rock cafe, I always jump to the opportunity to visit and this is where we decided to have lunch. I love the idea of visiting every restaurant located in the world. I always buy myself a t-shirt and usually opt for the hickory smoked ribs that are the size of my arm, but I never seem to learn that I can't finish the plate! I never visit without enjoying one of their AMAZING cocktails which I highly recommend to those who love cocktails as much as me.
As an adrenaline junkie, we spontaneously decided to take a ride on the Star Flyer. A seated ride located in the Princes Street christmas market, elevated 60m into the air, and rotates. The view from this ride was absolutely breathtaking. Once the initial fear and adrenaline had passed, we could truly take in the view of this amazing city! I seriously recommend this if you're feeling brave enough to appreciate everything Edinburgh has to offer.
Given that Edinburgh is one of the largest cities in Scotland, and visiting during the busiest, it never felt too overwhelming. If you're a resident of Edinburgh, you have a beautiful city. It was so breathtakingly beautiful and it completely captured my heart.
