Edinburgh is one of those cities that just works with children. We’d visited before kids and loved it — the pubs, the late nights during Festival season, the moody Gothic architecture. But taking the children? Somehow even better. The place is built on stories. Castles and volcanoes and underground streets and cannons. Our two were hooked before we’d even left the train station.
It’s compact, it’s walkable (if you don’t mind hills — more on that later), and there’s a genuinely brilliant mix of free and paid things to do. We spent four days and could have filled a fifth without trying. Here’s what we’d recommend.
Getting There
You’ve got two decent options from down south. Flying takes about an hour from most London airports, and you’ll find cheap fares if you book early. Edinburgh Airport is a short tram ride into the city centre. Straightforward.
But the train is better. We’ll say it outright. Four and a half hours from King’s Cross sounds like a lot with kids, but factor in the airport rigmarole — arriving two hours early, security, delays, baggage — and the time difference shrinks. The train has tables for colouring, a café car for snacks, and no seatbelt sign. Our lot watched films, ate sandwiches, and played cards. Nobody cried. The last stretch hugs the Northumberland and Scottish coast, and on a clear day the views are properly stunning. Even the kids looked up from their screens.
If you’re coming from further afield, the flight makes more sense. But London to Edinburgh? Train every time for us.
Edinburgh Castle
You can’t miss it. Literally. It sits on a massive volcanic rock right in the middle of the city, visible from practically everywhere. The kids spotted it from the train window and that was the first thing they wanted to do.
It’s £19.50 for adults and £12.50 for children aged 5 to 15. Under fives go free. Book online in advance — the skip-the-line tickets save a genuine chunk of time, especially in summer and during the Festival. We turned up at half nine on a Wednesday and the queue was already impressive.
Inside, there’s plenty to keep children interested. Mons Meg is a massive medieval cannon that our son talked about for days. The Scottish Crown Jewels are in a dark, atmospheric vault. The views from the battlements stretch right across the city to the Firth of Forth. Allow two to three hours, maybe more if your lot are into history. There’s a café inside too, which is handy when everyone’s legs give out halfway round.
One gripe: the cobblestones and slopes inside are tough going with a pushchair. If you’ve got a toddler, a carrier is much easier.
The Royal Mile
This is the main drag — a straight(ish) road running downhill from the Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It’s touristy, no question. Tartan tat shops, shortbread tins, stuffed Nessies. But it’s also genuinely atmospheric, especially on a misty morning before the crowds thicken.
During Festival season in August, the Royal Mile turns into something else entirely. Street performers on every corner, flyers being handed out for comedy shows, fire eaters, musicians, living statues. Older kids find it thrilling. Toddlers find it loud.
For a proper highlight, try Real Mary King’s Close — a guided tour through the old streets buried beneath the city. It’s strange and fascinating and a bit spooky. Tickets are £17.50 for adults, £10.75 for children aged 10 and over. It’s not really suitable for younger ones, partly because of the content and partly because there are a lot of stairs.
The fudge shops along the Mile are worth a stop. The kids were in heaven. Our bank balance less so.
Arthur’s Seat
Right in the middle of Edinburgh, there’s an actual extinct volcano you can climb. Arthur’s Seat sits in Holyrood Park at the bottom of the Royal Mile, and on a decent day the hike to the summit is one of the best things you can do in the city. Free, obviously.
The full climb takes about an hour from the bottom. It’s steep in parts and rocky near the top, but nothing dangerous if you’re sensible. Children aged six and up should manage it fine with a bit of encouragement and some bribery snacks. The views from the top are extraordinary — the whole city spread out below, the castle in the distance, the sea beyond. Worth every huff and puff.
If your children are younger or you’d rather not attempt the full scramble, there are shorter walks around Dunsapie Loch and along the lower paths. Still gorgeous. Still worth doing. Just less dramatic at the top.
Wear decent shoes. The paths are uneven and it gets muddy after rain. Which, this being Edinburgh, is most days.
National Museum of Scotland
Free. Massive. Brilliant. If your family does one indoor thing in Edinburgh, make it this.
The National Museum of Scotland is on Chambers Street, a short walk from the Royal Mile, and it’s one of those places where you walk in thinking you’ll spend an hour and emerge blinking three hours later wondering where the time went. The science and technology galleries are fantastic — interactive stuff, buttons to press, things that move. The natural world section has a full-size whale hanging from the ceiling. There’s a rooftop terrace with panoramic views that most travelers don’t seem to know about.
We could have spent a full day here. Half a day is realistic if you’re trying to fit other things in. There’s a café on the ground floor and another on the roof, both decent.
It gets busy on rainy days. Which, again. Edinburgh.
Dynamic Earth
This is Edinburgh’s interactive science centre, down near the bottom of the Royal Mile in a building that looks a bit like a tent. It takes you on a journey through Earth’s history — volcanoes, glaciers, oceans, space — with lots of hands-on exhibits, films, and immersive rooms.
Tickets are £17.50 for adults and £11.50 for children. Best for ages five to twelve, roughly. Our nine-year-old thought it was brilliant. Our five-year-old enjoyed parts but lost interest in the more information-heavy sections. There’s a soft play area for younger ones, which helps.
It’s not as big as you’d expect from the outside, but the quality is high. Allow about ninety minutes to two hours.
Camera Obscura and World of Illusions
Right at the top of the Royal Mile, practically next door to the castle. This place is a favourite with kids and we can see why. Five floors of optical illusions, trick photography, mirror mazes, holograms, and the original camera obscura on the top floor — a Victorian device that projects a live image of the city onto a table. Sounds underwhelming, is actually fascinating.
Tickets are £20 for adults, £15 for children. Not cheap, but our two spent a good ninety minutes here and complained when we said it was time to leave. The rooftop viewing terrace has some of the best views in Edinburgh, too.
Fair warning: it gets crowded. Weekday mornings are your best bet.
Edinburgh Zoo
About thirty minutes by bus from the city centre. Edinburgh Zoo is set on a hillside — because of course it is, nothing in this city is flat — which means it’s a proper workout pushing a buggy around. But the animals are well kept and the enclosures are decent.
Tickets are £22 for adults, £17 for children. The pandas have gone now, which was the big draw for years, but the penguin parade is still going strong. Every day at a set time, the penguins waddle out of their enclosure and along the path while everyone watches. Genuinely charming. Our two were delighted.
It’s a solid half-day out. Not the best zoo we’ve ever visited, but a good one, and the bus ride there is easy enough.
Calton Hill
If Arthur’s Seat sounds like too much effort, Calton Hill is the gentler alternative. It’s at the east end of Princes Street — a short, easy walk up some steps, and you’re rewarded with panoramic views across the city, the castle, Arthur’s Seat, and the sea.
There’s a collection of monuments at the top, including the National Monument, which looks like someone started building a Greek temple and gave up partway through. That’s essentially what happened. The kids found this hilarious. Free, obviously, and you can be up and down in twenty minutes.
Sunset from Calton Hill is particularly good, if you can keep the children up that late.
Where to Stay
Three areas worth considering, depending on what suits your family.
Old Town puts you right in the thick of it. The Royal Mile, the Castle, the museum — all on your doorstep. It’s atmospheric and walkable. The trade-off is that it’s hilly, cobbled, and busy, especially in summer. If you’ve got a pushchair, you’ll feel it in your arms by day two.
New Town is the Georgian bit — wide streets, elegant buildings, Princes Street shops. It’s flatter than the Old Town, which matters more than you’d think after a full day of sightseeing. Good restaurants, easy access to everything, and a slightly calmer feel in the evenings.
Stockbridge is our pick if you want something quieter. It’s a ten-minute walk from the centre but feels like a village. Independent shops, excellent cafés, a weekend market, and a more residential vibe. Good if you want to feel like you’re actually living somewhere rather than staying in a tourist zone.
Where to Eat
Edinburgh has a proper food scene these days, but eating out with children can get pricey fast, especially during Festival season when everything costs more.
For a quick, cheap, and genuinely delicious lunch, find Oink on Victoria Street. They do slow-roasted hog roast stuffed into a roll for about £5 to £6. The kids demolished theirs. One of those meals that sticks in your memory despite being eaten standing on a pavement.
For fish and chips, head to Newhaven — the old harbour area north of the centre. There are a couple of good chippies there and you can eat looking out at the water. Feels like a proper seaside treat without leaving the city.
Beyond that, Edinburgh has everything from Michelin-starred restaurants to excellent Indian and Chinese food, pizza places, and burger joints. You won’t struggle to feed anyone. Just be prepared for August prices if you’re visiting during the Festival — menus seem to gain an extra £3 to £5 per dish from nowhere.
Festival Season
August. The Edinburgh Fringe. The world’s biggest arts festival. Three solid weeks of comedy, theatre, music, dance, spoken word, and general controlled chaos. The city triples in population and buzzes with an energy that’s hard to describe unless you’ve been.
With older kids — say eight and up — it’s brilliant. There are dedicated children’s shows, outdoor performances, free stuff on the Meadows, street performers everywhere. The whole city becomes a stage. Our nine-year-old was transfixed.
With toddlers or very young children? Honestly, it can be overwhelming. The crowds are intense. The noise is relentless. Everything costs more. Accommodation needs to be booked months in advance, and prices triple — we’re not exaggerating. A perfectly normal flat that goes for £100 a night in June will cost £300 in August.
If you do go during the Fringe, embrace the chaos. Book a couple of shows, leave big gaps in your schedule, and accept that getting anywhere will take twice as long because someone will be doing street theatre in your path.
If you’d rather avoid the madness, September is lovely. The crowds thin out, the weather is often still decent, and the city feels like it’s exhaling.
Practical Bits
Edinburgh is hilly. Not just a bit hilly — properly, dramatically, thigh-burningly hilly. The Old Town is essentially built on a ridge, and getting from one area to another often involves steep climbs or long flights of steps. Good shoes matter. A carrier is better than a pushchair for younger children, at least in the Old Town.
The cobblestones are charming and also annoying. Pushchair wheels get stuck. Small children trip. Accept this.
Rain is common. Not constant, but common enough that you should pack waterproofs regardless of the forecast. We had sunshine and downpours on the same day more than once. Layers are your friend.
Despite the hills and the weather, the city is very walkable. Most of the main sights are within twenty minutes of each other on foot. Buses fill the gaps and are cheap and reliable.
One last thing: Edinburgh is a city that rewards wandering. Some of our best moments weren’t at any attraction. They were finding a hidden close off the Royal Mile, stumbling across a view we hadn’t expected, or watching the kids chase pigeons in a park while we drank coffee and did absolutely nothing. Build in time for that. The city earns it.