3 Days in Edinburgh, Scotland | Best Restaurants, Things to Do & A Sleeper Train

If I were to live anywhere outside of London it would be Edinburgh. A city where history is quite literally laid into the architecture where the service and hospitality are second to none and a place that truly punches well above its weight when it comes to food. This was actually my third trip to Edinburgh in recent years but my first time filming it so I wanted to bring you a 72 hour guide filled with the places I would revisit over and over again. A few off the beaten path experiences that you might not find at the top of Google and quite honestly some of the best restaurants I have visited this year alongside a little bit of a surprise method of transport at the end of the video which might just make the perfect addition to your Scotland trip. Here is exactly how to spend three surprisingly sunny, delicious, dreamy days in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is our first morning in Edinburgh and I am so excited to be back in one of my favourite cities so of course we are kicking off the morning with one of my favourite activities which is going to try a bakery that has been on my list for such a long time. It comes highly recommended by almost everyone I've spoken to including the guy who checked us in at the hotel actually so let's go and see what it's about. Honestly a little bit impossible to narrow down what to choose there but we've ended up with three pastries. We went for this gorgeous like sticky date and butterscotch bun. We also had to grab a custard slice because that is very nostalgic of New Zealand bakeries but I think the unsung hero of this group is the savoury pastry. It's like a gorgeously flaky ham hock and piccoli number, so good. So if you're visiting Lenan, good luck choosing but definitely recommend grabbing at least one of the savoury pastries. We're now off for a lovely little wonder around Stockbridge which is just one of my favourite areas for a slow morning pottering around in Edinburgh and then we are on to our main activity of the day that I cannot wait to show you. It's going to be one delicious and two very fun so let's get going. After a peaceful morning in Stockbridge we made our way over to the Scottish Design Exchange, a sprawling shop filled with more than 300 Scottish artists and creatives to shop from. Now one thing that has to be on every Edinburgh itinerary is a Scotch whisky tasting so we have come to the iconic Johnny Walker Experience here on Princes Street for exactly that but it's not just any whisky tasting, it is a luxury chocolate and whisky pairing which sounds right up my alley so let's go check it out. Now this tasting is quite special because you're taken up to a beautiful room at the top of the building with sweeping views over Edinburgh. Here our expert Zach guided us through the delicious whiskies we'd be trying from the Johnny Walker Blue Label through to my personal favourite, a very unique and exclusive umami blend. Along the way he shared stories of the history of Johnny Walker which dates back to the 1800s and how it grew from a small grocer's shop into one of the most iconic whisky brands in the world. Each dram is paired with handcrafted Scottish chocolates made by an award-winning chocolatier based in the tiny town of Pitlockery north of Edinburgh. After this we were more than ready for a savoury snack so we headed across to the rooftop bar also home to these incredible panoramic views across the city's skyline. We ordered up a plate of Scottish cheeses and a cocktail which was such a good way to make the most of a rare sunny day in Scotland and if you know me you know I can't resist a spot of shopping so on the way out we stopped to pick up something special, an engraved bottle of the Black Label edition. Such a lovely memento from this experience. A big thank you to Johnny Walker for having us and sponsoring this segment of the video. For our first dinner we caught the tram down the road to Eleanor and honestly no footage can quite convey just how special this place is. Home to just a handful of tables this tiny family-run restaurant is all about unfussy seasonal dishes done to an exceptionally high standard. The menu changes regularly but I loved adding on the Orkney scallop and the white fish was equally memorable both doused in some sort of magically Moorish sauce. Another gorgeous morning in Edinburgh we started the day actually back in the same area we went for dinner last night at Antae which is kind of like a coffee shop, bakery, breakfast spot. Had the most gorgeous pastries, actually some of my favourite I've had in a long time. We had this like bacon and egg danish, really beautiful but my favourite was the barley pastry. Not too sweet but yeah highly recommend to kick off the day and then we wandered down the road to Toffingen Companies, one of my favourite bookshops in the spot and I really liked this one because there's all these little hidden rooms just stacked high with books you could easily spend quite a few hours there and we've just come up the road for a nice little walk in the sunshine to Carlton Hill which is home to all these monuments to explore and some of the best views in Edinburgh. I mean I'm seeing so many things from the city that I've never seen here before so yeah let's go have a walk around. From here it's a very easy stroll down the road to Trong Perk Market, one of my favourite spots for thoughtfully crafted Scottish souvenirs. I picked up some beautiful prints here before but this time I had my eye on a narrow woolen scarf and this one made from Scottish lambs wool on the west coast felt like the perfect choice. One of my goals this year is to do more craft experiences when I travel which is why I was so excited for our next activity, making my very own customised Harris Tweed bag. One thing I didn't quite realise when booking is that you can actually change the type of bag you're making in the workshop even to something like a wash bag so I do wish I'd brought Ryan along to this as well. There were so many different colour combinations to choose from it was almost a little bit overwhelming so I opted for something more practical, a green monochrome laptop backpack. The team guide you through assembling the bag step by step all while sharing the history and origins of Harris Tweed along with stories about traditional tartan patterns. For a late lunch we made our way back to Stockbridge for the renowned £14.95 at three course menu at Stockbridge Eating House which honestly is incredible value for the quality of food that you're getting here. We had this beautiful seafood dish and added on the lamb salad which was equally excellent all in a really relaxed friendly setting, it's definitely one to book ahead. And of course the best thing to do after a lazy late lunch is wander down to the Water of Leith pathway and across to the postcard perfect Dean village. This is always the first place that comes to mind when I picture Edinburgh. Today is our last day in Edinburgh but very luckily we actually have a full day here because we are not getting back to London the usual way, we are actually getting the Caledonian Sleeper which is the sleep train that runs between Scotland and London. I'm very excited for it, I will bring you along more on that later but for now we have a beautiful day outside, a lot of cafes and restaurants to try as well as a couple of galleries and lovely streets to explore so let's get going. For breakfast we stopped by a gorgeous neighbourhood cafe called Margaux which instantly put us in a spring mood, the most decadent french toast enjoyed overlooking blue skies and daffodils. From here we wandered over to Edinburgh Printmakers, a very cool gallery space and working studio with rotating exhibitions from local printmakers and artists. The printmakers also makes for the perfect starting point to wander down towards Grassmarket, an area you will likely recognise from many of Edinburgh's most iconic photographs. On the way we popped into Armchair Books, a haven for second-hand book lovers, then it was on to the colourful and magical Victoria Street, dipping into the vintage shops along the way and definitely make time to visit Walker Slater while you're here, it is one of my absolute favourite brands to shop when I'm in Edinburgh. Keeping with the theme of set lunch menus on this trip, our final meal in Edinburgh was at the institution that is the Palmerston. Almost everyone I spoke to recommended it and at just £24 for three courses it's easily one of the best value lunches in the city. A beautiful atmosphere, brilliant staff and if you can I would highly recommend coming back in the morning for their pastries as well. Right after a full day of sun and 15,000 steps we are very sadly on our way back to London, but the Scottish atmosphere doesn't end just yet because we are about to board the Caledonian sleeper train. The sleeper has a few different routes across Scotland, so depending on which one you choose you could end up waking up to some pretty incredible views of the countryside. I think it's a brilliant option if you're short on time and want to make the most of your overnight travel or if you simply want it as part of the Scottish experience. We're in a club twin room which while very small as you can see is perfectly comfortable. You can fit all of your sort of cabin size luggage under the bed and there is an ensuite bathroom which is right behind you and you get a whole bunch of little Scottish goodies to make your evening on the train super comfortable. And we actually caught the sleeper train up to Scotland at the start of this trip and let me tell you this bedding is so so comfortable. I've heard it can be really like hit or miss on whether you can actually sleep on trains and this was my very first sleeper train and I'm actually quite surprised at like how much of a good night's sleep I got and I think it's really down to how cosy this bedding is. With this room category you also get access to the club car for dinner and breakfast where you can enjoy things like a Scottish cheese platter or a full Scottish breakfast in the morning. And that very sadly brings this Edinburgh vlog to a close. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed making this one. Thank you so much for watching and I will see you in the next video.