Edinburgh, on foot
Date Ideas in Edinburgh: One Walk, Many Views
One walking route through the Old Town and up Calton Hill, with the last trams and NightBus for the way home.
For a first date in Edinburgh that isn’t dinner, walk Princes Street Gardens, the Grassmarket and the National Museum of Scotland (no entry fee), then finish on Calton Hill at dusk. The last tram towards the airport passes Princes Street at 00:19, and NightBus runs from midnight.
Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, and the route below runs through both. Because it is a chain of stops rather than one long sit-down, every stop is also an exit. The date ideas hub has the other cities.
One route, five stops
A walk from the gardens to the hill
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Princes Street Gardens
Start in two adjacent public parks in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, created in the 1820s after the Nor Loch was drained. The Scott Monument, a Neo-Gothic spire from 1844, stands beside them.
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The Grassmarket
Cross into the Old Town and drop down to the Grassmarket, a historic market place at the south-west foot of Castle Rock, now a street and event space.
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The National Museum of Scotland
On Chambers Street, with no entry fee (some special exhibitions charge) and open daily from 10 to 5. Dolly the sheep is inside, and the roof garden has panoramic views of the city.
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The Royal Mile to Holyrood Park
Walk downhill to Holyrood Park, where Arthur’s Seat, an ancient extinct volcano 250.5 metres high, is the main peak of a group of hills. Wikipedia calls it relatively easy to climb, but go up in daylight.
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Calton Hill
Finish at dusk on a hill 103 metres high that is part of the World Heritage Site. The National Monument, the Nelson Monument and the City Observatory stand on it, and views of and from the hill often appear in photographs and paintings of the city.
Quick facts
Another walk for the second date
- Water of Leith Walkway12 miles, Balerno to Leith
- Dean VillageOnce had 11 working mills
- LeithMouth of the Water of Leith
- PortobelloSandy beach, 3 miles east
The way home
Getting home after dark
- Last tram to NewhavenPrinces Street, 23:24
- Last tram to the airportPrinces Street, 00:19
- Evening tramsFrom every 10 minutes
- NightBusMidnight to 4.30am
These are Scottish arrangements. Edinburgh Trams and Lothian Buses are both owned and operated by Transport for Edinburgh, and Lothian runs the N-numbered NightBus routes. Its page doesn’t say which nights each route runs, so check yours. ScotRail runs the trains, and its last services are worth checking separately.
For taxis, a City of Edinburgh Council report explains that under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 a taxi may pick up passengers in a public place without a booking, while a private hire car must be pre-booked.
Before you set off
Meeting someone from Forget Dinner
Forget Dinner has members in Edinburgh. Begin at the gardens or the museum, where plenty of other people are about, and agree the rest of the route only once you have seen how the first hour feels.
Wikipedia calls Edinburgh “the windy city” and says easterly winds can bring haar, a persistent coastal fog, so check the forecast and read what to wear on a first date. Keep early messages in the site’s chat, let a friend know your plan and arrange how you’ll get back. The safety page lists the site’s tools, and singles near you lists who is around.
Members are adults aged 18 and over. About six in ten across the UK are between 35 and 54, and the age mix below shows the full spread.
Members in the UK by age, as shares of everyone listed.
Edinburgh date questions
What can we do in Edinburgh when it rains?
The National Museum of Scotland has no entry fee and is open daily from 10 to 5. Its Grand Gallery holds a display rising through four storeys, about 20 metres, and Dolly the sheep is on show, so there is plenty to talk about while the weather sorts itself out.
Is Arthur’s Seat a good first-date climb?
Only if you both fancy it. It is an ancient extinct volcano 250.5 metres high, and Wikipedia calls the terrain relatively easy to climb, but it is still a hill. Wear proper shoes, go in daylight and tell a friend your plan.
How late do trams and buses run in Edinburgh?
The last tram towards Newhaven passes Princes Street at 23:24, and the last towards the airport at 00:19. Lothian’s NightBus services run from midnight until 4.30am, but which nights each route runs isn’t published on its page.
Where in Edinburgh should I meet someone from Forget Dinner?
Somewhere public and busy, such as the entrance to the National Museum of Scotland or Princes Street Gardens in daylight. Travel there under your own steam and keep the first meeting short enough to leave easily.
Someone to share the view with
Tell people what you’re after, see who’s nearby and say hello.
Say hello