Back in 2019, me and my Mum took an overnight trip through to Edinburgh to get ourselves in the Christmas spirit. And we had such a great time. So on a day that we both had off, we decided to hop on the Express train from Glasgow to spend another festive day out in the Scottish capital. And we were so glad that we did.
So here's what we got up to this year;
You know how much I love Rare Birds. So any time that I'm in Edinburgh, I make a point of visiting their Stockbridge store. I actually hadn't been since they opened their non-fiction room. Which is what I was very excited to check it out. And it was just as beautiful and inspiring as I expected it would be. As per usual, I honestly could have spent hours in there.
Thankfully my mum gave me a bit of a hint as to something she might want for her Christmas. *Cough, their Ghost Story candle, cough*. And it's always nice to have proper browse and discover books that I might not have found otherwise online.
I was definitely trying to be good and not buy any new books, especially when I have the Rare Birds Advent Calendar to open every day in December. But there were so many that caught my eye. Some of which I have a feeling may or may not make an appearance behind the advent calendar doors.
And whether you can visit them in-store or not, you can pick up one of their lucky dip books. If you're stuck in a reading rut or are looking to gift a great book, then the team have got you covered. This romcom one was definitely calling my name.
We then took the scenic route back from Stockbridge into the city centre. And we stumbled across so many beautiful Christmas displays. Given that this was the last week of November, we were so happy to see the twinkly lights. As well as more Christmas trees than we could count.
The Dome was looking beautiful, as ever. Even if we did forget to return later in the evening when it was dark to see the lights in their full glory. We'll just need to make another trip back to the capital soon, I think, to do exactly that.
St James Quarter didn't even exist the last time that we visited Edinburgh at Christmas. So, of course we were sure to head there.
Much like with Rare Birds, I make it my mission to have a look around & Other Stories anytime that I'm in Edinburgh since it is their only store in Scotland. And sometimes it's nice to see some pieces that you've been coveting online in-person. They had so many stunning Christmas party options. Yes, I have nowhere to wear a fabulous ruffled red mini dress or one with a gorgeous pink bow on it. But I could certainly dream anyway.
Across from there we headed to NEOM to have more of a sniff of their festive candle range. Particularly as we adore the Cosy Nights one so much. My Mum also wanted to try a few products in Kiehl's, as they are her go-to skincare brand. And it was so nice seeing all the festive packaging.
Other shops that we are always sure to visit; Stradivarius, H Beauty, Bershka and the huge John Lewis.
We then decided to make a pitstop for lunch. And after seeing that they had launched a new festive menu, we opted for Byron on the Royal Mile. We normally go to the one on Lothian Road but this branch is much handier if you're coming from Waverley Station, or doing a spot of shopping in St James Quarter, like we just had.
I tend to have to play it rather safe when eating out. Chicken is normally a safe-ish bet with my IBS. So I tried the Classic Chicken Strips, which were nice but not as yummy as the Clucky Chicken Burger that I usually have. But my stomach was not up or down with them or some of the seasoned fries. So that was a win in my eyes.
My Mum went for the new festive meal deal, which consists of the Brie Merry Burger, which she enjoyed. However, the accompanying Roasty Tots and gravy were on a whole different level. They were that good that I couldn't help myself from stealing a few myself.
And to finish we shared the epic Gingerbread Milkshake, which also tasted incredible. Think thick vanilla ice cream, yummy salted caramel sauce, whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. Plus, how cute is the little gingerbread man? The entire festive meal is just £19.50, if you fancy giving it a try yourself.
Then it was time to walk off all that food. We actually went on Black Friday, which might have been wise or unwise depending on the way you look at it. It was also the day that the Christmas markets and rides opened in Princes Street Gardens. So, let's just say that it was very busy, with you having to queue on Waverley Bridge to even have a wander through the markets. This was something we'd never seen or experienced before. So, it might be worth bearing this in mind if you head through on a particularly busy evening.
It's safe to say, just as many people as us were obviously excited to get into the Christmas spirit as well.
And seeing so much of the city be lit up just made both of us far too happy. As I say, coming through to Edinburgh in the run up to Christmas is always just such a worthwhile trip to make.
We did actually walk up to the Mimi's Bakehouse City Art Centre branch to pick up some of their Christmas cupcakes before they closed at 5pm. But because we were still so full from lunch, we decided to put our cake box in one of our big shopping bags to take with us back down to the markets and rides.
As you can see from the photo that we eventually took, when we opened the box to have a cupcake each on the train home, the cupcakes did not fare too well at the fair. We probably should have taken a snap before we even left the cafe. But they tasted absolutely amazing. Without a doubt, Mimi's cupcakes are some of the best that I have ever tasted. And that's even when comparing them to ones that I've had in the US on my travels.
We went for two chocolate cupcakes topped with Christmas pudding-style OREO biscuits, two gingerbread cupcakes and two vanilla cupcakes, that would have resembled lush Christmas trees before they took a spin on the big wheel. And as a family we demolished them all within 24 hours. Here's to making another trip back to Edinburgh very soon to try more of their delicious sweet treats.
And the lights truly did their magical thing as it started to get dark.
PRO TIP: If you happen to be in Edinburgh this December, make sure to walk up the hill past Waverley Station to the very top to get this incredible shot. You should have seen all of us trying to get a snap of it.
So, there you have it, our festive day out in Edinburgh.
Have you ever visited Edinburgh over the festive period? Or is it on your list of places to visit one day? And what did you think of what we managed to fit into our quick day trip?
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