We, here at Wee Walking Tours, absolutely love this time of the year in Edinburgh. Yes, the nights are longer, and the days are shorter. However, to compensate, the city absolutely comes to life with twinkling lights, decorations, and fun events throughout the holiday season. Our blog article this week mostly features photos highlighting Christmas throughout our lovely capital city. So, put on your Santa hat, turn up the Christmas music, and let’s set out on our Edinburgh Christmas adventure…
One benefit of running a family-run walking tours business is that we have plenty of fantastic chances to thoroughly explore the city. Of course, this is achieved daily on our Wee Golden Walks with Sawyer, our Golden Retriever tour guide, who accompanies Sami (our human tour guide). However, we also make sure to spend time as a family exploring the landscape. Therefore, it is delightful how business and pleasure blend together seamlessly. Yes, it is hard work and can be exhausting, but it is worth it because we truly love what we do.
Now, I know I sound like I’m waxing poetic, but that is what Edinburgh does to you. It draws you in with its beauty, history, and joy. And no time does that siren call sound more clearly than during the holiday season. Christmas decorations and lights are currently in grand form throughout the city. Let’s start at the most obvious and perhaps best-known draw for visitors and locals alike- the Edinburgh Christmas Market. Just as we did last year, we took our research for this post quite seriously and have visited the Christmas Market several times. I mean, we must provide thorough reporting, right? In fact, Sawyer, was quite happy to head to the Market as much as he could before and after tours; I think his joy is quite apparent in the picture below.
Edinburgh’s Christmas Market provides a wonderful array of opportunities to enjoy food, shopping, and rides. The lights and Christmas music found throughout the Market really help attendees to celebrate the holiday season. The fantastic food smells also contribute to the seasonal atmosphere. The food choices are plentiful and wide-ranging. So, if you attend, my recommendation is that you do a walkthrough of the Market first to get a good overview of what they have on offer. I can confirm that the French raclette is utterly delicious (you really can’t go wrong with sausage and melted cheese). The Christmas Market is part of Edinburgh’s Christmas and you can check out their website for more planning and visiting information.
There are so many fun events that take place in Edinburgh during the holiday season to help combat the darkness that pervades the long winter months. The fun at Edinburgh Castle doesn’t end when the sun goes down. In fact, it comes to life at night during their ‘Castle of Light’ spectacular. This is the first year they have done this, and we were thrilled to attend. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out article to learn more about this stunning show. This is the last weekend for the Castle of Light (check their website for more information). However, considering how popular the show has been we are crossing our fingers that they have it again next year.
The Edinburgh Zoo also has a night-time show, Giant Lanterns: Lost Worlds. This is quite a popular show each year, and this year’s theme is dinosaurs. To avoid any spoilers, the photo below was taken at sunset, but shows just how beautiful the giant lanterns are even during the day. Lost Worlds is running on select dates throughout the rest of December and January. Be sure to check the Zoo’s website for more planning and booking information.
Coming across holiday decorations around the city is quite fun and they really are delightful surprises sprinkled throughout. Here are some of our favourites:
Hopefully this brief post brought you a little bit of the merriness of the Edinburgh holiday season wherever you may be in the world. We love Scotland and Edinburgh and our goal is to share that with others. Whether you can come here in person and go on one of our walking tours or simply read our blog and follow us on social media- we hope that our genuine feelings come through.
One fun surprise I am happy to announce is that in the next few days I will be publishing an article on the magnificent light show at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh: Christmas at the Botanics. We recently went to that fantastic event, and, let me tell you, it was exquisite! So be sure to follow us on our Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook channels so that you will know exactly when we post that special holiday post.
Until next time- Explore & Discover!
