Edinburgh Scotland is the capital of Scotland and has been since the 14th century. Located in the Lothian region on the shore of the Firth of Forth, Edinburgh has a population over 553,000 which makes it the second most populous city in Scotland, after Glasgow, and the 7th in the United Kingdom, with almost 20% of its population is in their 20’s.
The Norwegian Star dropped anchored off the coast of Edinburgh on June 2, 2023. Weather forecast for the day was cloudy with a high of 57 degrees. The ship was cleared by local authorities by 8am and as this was a tender port, I found myself stepping onto the tender at 8:20am.
My goal for the day was a visit to Edinburgh Castle, Scotland’s most iconic fortress. The castle opens at 9:30am daily so I had plenty of time to get there using the local bus system.
Buses in Edinburgh are operated by the Lothian Bus Company.
Use this link for network maps and schedules.
The tenders drop passengers at the Ocean Terminal. From here it's a very short walk to the bus stop.
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| Ocean Terminal |
I boarded bus #11 from the Ocean Terminal stop and got off at the Lothian Street stop.
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| Line forming to board the bus |
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| Schedule posted at Ocean Terminal bus stop |
The walk from the Lothian bus stop to the castle entrance is uphill with stairs the final assent to the entrance.
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| Walking route from Lothian Bus Stop to castle entrance |
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| Walking to the castle |
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| Walking to the castle |
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| Walking to the castle |
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| Walking to the castle |
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| Final assent to the entrance |
There are many ways to experience Edinburgh Castle. Go straight to a certain part, follow an itinerary, or allow an audio guide to show you around.
You can hire an audio guide device from the ticket office and audio booth, or pre-book online when you buy your tickets.
Audio guides are available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, Polish, Portugese (Brazilian), Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian. Large Print also available.
You can also use one of their printed guides with your own mobile phone or tablet, instead of a headset. You'll need to bring your own fully charged mobile phone or tablet with internet.
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| Audio guides available at main entrance |
Anyone planning a visit to Edinburgh Castle should allow anywhere from 1-4 hours. On the day of my visit tickets were sold out for the day so be sure you have pre-purchased tickets as the castle only accommodates 10,000 visitors daily.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CASTLE
Scottish National War Memorial
You can also checkout this fantastic 3D model to help you plan your day.
Here are a few of my favorite photos from the day.
By the end of the day my step meter reflected a total of 10,617 steps or 4.5 miles. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes.
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