Edinburgh in winter is a city that uses its indoor infrastructure better than almost anywhere in Britain. The whisky bars, the Old Town pubs, the galleries, and the specific kind of cosy that comes from being inside a Victorian building while the wind does what Edinburgh wind does – these are the things that make December through February in Edinburgh a season to engage with rather than endure.
The Scottish National Gallery
The gallery on the Mound is free, warm, and contains one of the finest collections of Scottish and European painting in existence. The winter programme typically includes a major loan exhibition alongside the permanent collection. The café underneath the main building is one of the better gallery cafés in Scotland. A wet January afternoon at the Scottish National Gallery – starting in the early masters rooms and working through to the Scottish collection – is a complete afternoon without spending anything.
Christmas Shopping: George Street and Multrees Walk
George Street is Edinburgh’s best Christmas shopping street – the combination of the Georgian architecture, the festival lighting, and the mix of independent and premium retail gives it a character that the standard high street format lacks. Harvey Nichols at St Andrew Square handles the upper end of the shopping; the independent shops on Thistle Street and William Street provide the actual interesting gifts. Multrees Walk alongside St Andrew Square is the compact luxury retail option.
Balmoral Afternoon Tea
The Number One restaurant at The Balmoral on Princes Street runs afternoon tea that is among the best in Scotland. The service, the quality of the pastries, the Edinburgh blend teas, and the setting in a Victorian railway hotel at one end of the most famous street in Scotland make it an appropriate winter occasion. Pre-booking is required across December. Worth the price for a proper occasion afternoon.
Whisky Bars
The Scotch Whisky Experience on the Royal Mile provides the tourist introduction; the serious whisky bars are elsewhere. The Devil’s Advocate on Advocates Close, The Bow Bar on Victoria Street, and Usquabae on Holyrood Road all have ranges that reward spending an evening properly rather than just ordering the familiar labels. Usquabae specifically focuses on the independent bottlers and the smaller distilleries that the tourist bars do not stock.
Old Town Pubs
Deacon Brodie’s on the Royal Mile and The Last Drop on Grassmarket both have winter fireplace settings that do what Edinburgh winter pubs should do. Greyfriars Bobby’s Bar, despite the tourist name, is a proper pub with a proper beer range and a proper atmosphere on a quiet winter weekday. The Grassmarket as a whole is better in winter than in summer – less crowded, more itself, the castle above looking more dramatic in the low winter light.
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