I’ve always enjoyed a tipple of Scotch whisky and wanted to visit the region where its made. This is where Edinburgh, Scotland came into mind. The city is close to the Highlands and Speyside which have dozens of distilleries which make Scotch whisky. By no means was this to be an alcohol focused trip as we also wanted to learn about the history and culture of the city too. I made this trip with my wife and parents, flying directly from London Heathrow straight to Edinburgh Airport (EDI).

I had a trip to visit home in London for 7 days, so I figured for a couple days we could visit Scotland. This was only going to be a short trip for 2 days to Edinburgh, therefore I needed to plan a robust itinerary to explore as much as possible.

Booking Flight

After researching the flights for departure and arrival times we wanted, it was over $350 in economy and $600 in business each on British Airways. Very ridiculous pricing for such a short trip, but I like to stay loyal and receive the perks of being an elite member with BA. I thought I would look at redeeming the flights through avois points. Fortunately there was tickets available on the flights we wanted and I redeemed 4 tickets in club Europe (business) round trip for 120k Avois points. Therefore getting a redemption of 2 cents for 1 point ($2400/120000 points), which is decent not the best.

Normally I don’t really ever look for business class or upgrades on short internal flights as flying economy is fine. But as I was treating the parents, and needed to use the points for a trip sooner or later it made sense to use them now.

Booking Tip – The rule of thumb is a bare minimum of 1 cent per point, so if you can redeem for 1.5 cents or more, I think it is a fair deal.

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Airport + Lounge

For this 2 day itinerary we took an early flight with a 2 night stay; this way we were able to maximize the time in the city and also explore a little bit of whisky country! We flew out from Terminal 5 in London Heathrow, and check in was simple as we accessed the business class line. The flight was at 6am, so we arrived at the terminal by 4.30am which in a quiet calm state. We quickly checked 2x bag (So we could bring back some whisky bottles), and after this passed through priority security a perk we received since we booked in club Europe.

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After security we went to the business class lounge, which had a lot of space and seats due to the earlybird flight. There are 2x BA business class lounges in the main terminal, one at the north end and one at the south end. The spread at the lounge is always nice, with a full English breakfast buffet including eggs, bacon, sausage, beans with all the trimmings from mushroom, tomatoes, coffee, toast and pastries. I always find the BA lounges to be clean, with an understated luxury and sophisticated British feel.

Nowadays when you eat something in an airport it has become extremely expensive. Breakfast plus drinks can easily be over $40/$50 each. So it is nice to get a decent breakfast before boarding a flight, but of course this is included in the price of your plane ticket.

Side Note – On the way back from EDI, we also went to the BA lounge there, much smaller with a nice selection of sandwiches and pies for an afternoon flight

In the Air

Boarding was straight forward, heading down to the gate 35 mins before take off and boarding with group 1. One annoying aspect with British Airways especially on some of these short haul flights is that they board groups 1, 2 and 3 together, so literally no point having priority boarding. When flying American Airlines (AA) in USA they at least differentiate the groups, something I’m used to.

Anyhow we boarded and took our seats, and placed our hand luggage in the overhead bins. One major positive for BA is that even though this is a 50 min flight we were offered a hot meal and drink, whereas on AA you would be offered a drink but never a hot meal. There was a slight delay for take off as the captain announced they were loading the bags. After a few extra minutes we took off and headed towards Scotland!

Touchdown with an issue

After landing in EDI and enjoying another full English breakfast with orange juice we headed to baggage claim. Only to find out they didn’t load the bags! The staff said the next flight would have the bags but it was arriving in 2 hours. We already preplanned a tour after arriving so we provided our hotel address, and the attendant said it would be delivered later in the day. This was a disappointing way to start the trip, but you have to make the most of it. Luckily the bag was delivered later in the evening, but only after making a few calls and letting the carrier know we were leaving the next day so they needed to expedite it.  

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We left the airport with our hand luggage, and luckily we did have some backup clothes in case. We took a taxi, but you can take the tram and bus to the city too, plenty of options. We stayed at the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa. It’s a nice hotel which is centrally located and a very close walk to many attractions in the city. The staff were friendly and especially helpful in trying to track down our missing bags. The rooms were clean with a nice open entrance to greet you. Since I had status on Marriott Bonvoy we had access to the lounge onsite, which included breakfast each morning. It was a lovely spread and had everything you would imagine and the highlight was the orange juicer which had actual oranges being pressed to get freshly squeezed juice!

2 Day itinerary in edinburgh

The first tour we had planned was Edinburgh Castle. We were able to walk there from the hotel, and we booked a group tour to learn the full history of the castle. It was a beautiful castle, and famous for overlooking the city with great views. One of the highlight was to see the crown jewels and diamonds, however the day before there was some trouble as someone vandalized the sacred room and the police had to intervene and stop the protests. That meant the room was closed to the public when we visited. Viewing all the buildings on the grounds, including a war memorial, church and prison was very interesting to learn the history.

Side Note – One recommendation is to visit the scotch whisky tour experience which is close to the castle. Unfortunately we didn’t have the time for this tour

Royal Mile

The city is divided into old town and new town, and we walked down the royal mile after visiting the castle. The mile long stretch goes from the castle down to Palace of Holyroodhouse. It is a lively street, with bagpipers playing in the background as you stroll down and take in the sights. The street is lined with many shops, eateries, pubs, souvenir shops and a local market. There is also a couple of museums and the St Giles Cathedral. A must see on your visit to the city.

Side Quest – Off the royal mile you will find The Chocolatarium which is a fun and tasty activity!

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Top Whisky Experience

Later in the evening we headed to Johnnie Walker Princes Street. This was my number one activity I was most looking forward to! Johnnie Walker black label is my favorite blended Scotch whisky to drink so I was eager to learn more about the history and taste any unique samples. We signed up for the explorer tour and it was really an exciting and interesting experience. Before going they send you an email so each participant can fill in a questionnaire to figure out their flavor profile. This would go on to help determine which cocktails you would prefer on the tour.

Just to note in the final room, you can try any cocktail

JW History

It was an interactive tour, with different activities in 4 or 5 separate rooms. One room was to explain the whisky making process, one room to show the different regions in Scotland to explain the different flavors, one room to show the different ingredients and a couple of tasting rooms. However the highlight was a live show, which was a one woman show acting out the origins of Johnnie Walker. Telling the story about how John Walker started off in a grocery store in Kilmarnock, and how his family continued to grow the whisky into a global brand. A must see show and activity!

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During the tour we were able to enjoy 3 different cocktails throughout and its important to remember to enjoy whiskey however you like it! This was a common theme and message throughout the visit. The tour lasted at least 45 minutes, and the last stop is the store onsite. For booking the tour each guest receives a 10% discount in the shop on your full purchase, bottles included. I was able to purchase a couple of bottles that they only sell at this location, and I was able to get 1 bottle personalized with my name!

After the tour we headed for dinner at one of the nearby Italian restaurants, ASK Italian. It had a buzzing atmosphere with excellent fresh pastas and pizzas.

Side Quest – There is also a rooftop bar onsite to enjoy cocktails with a view!

Whisky Tour – First stop Glenturret

The next day we set off on a 1/2 day whiskey tour. We booked a tour with Edinburgh black cabs and the driver picked us up the hotel at 8am. Since our time was limited we opted to do a half day tour and visit 2 distilleries outside the city. The company allows you to personalize the tour and choose which places you would like to visit. We chose Glenturret and Deanston. The driver was very knowledgeable and entertaining us throughout the drive. We visited Glenturret first and decided on the full tour, so we were able to learn and see the whole process of whisky making.

Just to note as you are booking a private car and hire it can be costly. But I really recommend this company, very easy to work with and plan

It is one of the oldest distilleries and is still operating with some equipment from several decades earlier. The tour lasts almost 1 hour and we visited many rooms, and learned about the full process of Whisky making. From picking the right barley to malting to mashing to fermentation and ultimately aging in barrels. The guide explained all processes thoroughly, and happy to answer all and any questions from the group. We were able to have a tasting of their award winning whisky at the end of the tour, and we purchased a bottle from the store.

Actually this distillery was purchased by Lalique group who helped design the new bottles which are very elegant. In fact this distillery is the only one in the country with a 1 star Michelin restaurant onsite!

Next Deanston

The next stop was Deanston, and it was a smaller tasting room but we had a personal experience with one of the staff. We tried 3 different whiskies and spent 45 minutes getting to know the history about the company. The staff were very knowledgeable and encouraging us to identify the tones in each whisky. After this tasting the driver dropped us back into town, travelling through the scenic countryside, with beautiful rolling green hills.

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Christmas Market

That evening we were lucky enough to experience the Christmas market as we were in Edinburgh at the end of November. It was actually the first day it opened for the season. It was a lively experience with lots of food stalls, hot totties, souvenir shops and fair ground rides. But definitely the highlight was the extravagant hot chocolate which came with whipped cream, chocolate flake, marshmallows and nutmeg sprinkles. A solid concoction to definitely keep you warm on a bitterly cold evening!

Other Things to do

From our hotel, we were able to walk to Victoria Street which has many local eateries and cafes. Right opposite our hotel was Nandos and I was able to get a cheeky takeaway one evening, something common back in the UK. My wife loves coffee and we visited a couple of shops, and the stand out one was The Milkman. Other things to do is hiking near the city to Arthurs seat, visiting the zoo, going to museums and even going to sports events at Murray field!

Side Quest – Try the local cuisine including haggis!

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Future Plans

I definitely want to return to the region, probably during the summer months to explore the highlands for a full on whisky tasting experience. The most famous and well recognized companies are 2 to 3 hours outside of the city and since we were limited on time, it was not possible to visit on this trip. Overall we had an excellent time in the city and highly recommend you add it to your list of future destinations.

Let me know if you have been to Edinburgh, and which activities you recommendation. Please reach out and let us know your thoughts or if you want any help with itinerary tips.

Bon Voyage, JetLad