A Perfect Rainy Day in Edinburgh: A Trail of Books, Whisky & Warmth

Start the Day with a Spiced Breakfast at Dishoom

View Photos

PreviousNext

There’s something steadying about stepping into Dishoom on a wet Edinburgh morning. Tucked behind the trees at St Andrew Square, it’s a generous, softly lit space, with tiled floors, high ceilings, and just enough buzz to feel alive without rushing you through the door.

The menu leans away from the expected. There’s no porridge here, no full Scottish. Instead, there’s the bacon naan—hot and crisp from the tandoor—layered with chilli jam and cream cheese. Akuri arrives softly scrambled, laced with spice. House chai is poured into short, comforting glasses that invite refills.

Dishoom draws from the old Irani cafés of Bombay, but its place in Edinburgh feels deliberate. The building once housed a bank, though you’d never guess it now. Tables stretch across three floors, and in the morning it’s calm enough to settle in and start slow.

If you’ve been to the city before and want something that feels new without losing the grounding of a warm breakfast and hot drink, this is the place. Most people linger. Half an hour, maybe more. Long enough to dry off, read the menu a second time, and feel that first bit of rain-sharp chill fall away.

From here, it’s only a short walk to the next stop. Turn right out the door, and Queen Street runs straight ahead. The red sandstone of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery waits at the top—solid, weathered, and glowing faintly in the mist.

Explore the Scottish National Portrait Gallery

View Photos

PreviousNext

Just a few minutes’ walk from Dishoom, the red sandstone spires of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery rise above Queen Street with quiet certainty. Inside, it’s dry, hushed, and unexpectedly vast. The Great Hall sets the tone—a soaring space lined with painted figures of Scottish history, watched over by stained glass and vaulted ceilings. It’s one of those rooms where you catch yourself looking up more than ahead.

But this isn’t just a gallery of oil paintings and old faces. The collection here spans centuries and mediums—photography, sculpture, contemporary portraiture—balanced against kings, scientists, poets, and the occasional footballer. You’ll see Mary, Queen of Scots across from Tilda Swinton, and think twice about what a portrait is meant to hold.

The lighting is low but not gloomy, with enough shadow to make you linger. It’s the kind of place that makes sense in bad weather. You can take your time, wander between rooms without a fixed path, and leave whenever it suits you. If you want detail, there’s plenty. If you just want quiet, there’s that too.

Downstairs there’s a café and shop, but most visitors drift through slowly, returning to one or two favourites before heading back out. On a rainy day, you may not want to leave at all. But when you do, the city opens back out again—this time toward Princes Street and the more modern lines of the Johnnie Walker building just ahead.

Johnnie Walker Experience

View Photos

PreviousNext

Head west along Princes Street and the tone shifts. The sandstone fades to glass and gloss, shopfronts stretch taller, and traffic hums a little louder. Then comes the Johnnie Walker building—bold, angular, and deliberately unlike anything else on the street.

This isn’t a museum. It’s a blend of retail, bar, and storytelling space, spread across eight levels. The ground floor is free to explore and worth a stop even without a tour. The whisky shop is polished but welcoming, offering limited-edition bottles and personalised labels, alongside knowledgeable staff who don’t push for a sale.

Upstairs, the building becomes more immersive. If you’ve booked a guided tour, expect a sensory, theatre-like experience. If not, the rooftop bar is open to all and deserves attention in any weather. From here, you get a surprisingly clear view over the rooftops toward the castle—misted or sunlit, depending on the hour. The space is warm, with polished brass and dark woods, and the drinks menu stretches from classic highballs to bold, smoky cocktails.

What sets this stop apart is its atmosphere. Unlike traditional whisky venues, Johnnie Walker here feels modern without being cold. You’re not expected to know tasting notes or regional differences. You can just sit down, order a dram, and watch the rain bead down the windows as the city moves below.

Once finished, exit onto the street and begin the climb to the Old Town. The Mound rises directly ahead, its steep slope pulling you from the polished New Town back into Edinburgh’s older contours. At the top, the rooftops start to lean, and the stories start to stack.

The Nation’s Treasures: National Museum of Scotland

0

PreviousNext

The entrance on Chambers Street doesn’t give much away. Heavy doors, a bit of a queue, and then suddenly you’re inside the Grand Gallery—four floors of ironwork, white light, and suspended whales. It’s one of those spaces that feels impossible to photograph properly, which is just as well. It’s better seen with your own eyes.

The National Museum of Scotland is a rare combination: architecturally impressive, genuinely educational, and somehow still calm. You don’t feel rushed here. You can walk through centuries of Scottish history—stone tools, Pictish carvings, industrial machines—and then turn a corner into Egyptian artefacts or space technology. There’s no forced path. Each level opens onto the next, with quiet corners to rest and glass cases that seem to stretch forever.

On a wet day, it’s one of the best places in the city to spend time. The variety means you can travel widely without stepping outside. Kids explore the animal displays and interactive exhibits. Adults linger by the Lewis Chessmen or Dolly the Sheep. There’s something grounding about it all—past, present, and science layered into one building.

Don’t miss the rooftop terrace. If the rain eases, or if you catch a dry spell, it’s a good place to look across the city’s patchwork. Arthur’s Seat to the east, the Castle to the west, and the steeples of the Old Town in between.

There’s a café on the ground floor if you need a short break. But the next stop is only a few streets away and offers a more refined sort of pause. Turn right out of the museum, follow the curve of George IV Bridge, and Parliament Square soon appears on your left. The Signet Library waits behind it.

Afternoon Tea in Edinburgh’s Grandest Reading Room

View Photos

PreviousNext

Just off the Royal Mile, hidden behind the classical façade of the Signet Library, The Colonnades offers something rare in Edinburgh—formality without fuss. The grand setting helps. Marble columns, polished bookshelves, and a mezzanine gallery all lend a certain quiet weight to the experience. But the atmosphere is friendly, never cold.

Afternoon tea here isn’t an afterthought. It’s the centrepiece. You’re greeted, seated, and served with precision. Sandwiches arrive first—neatly layered and seasonal. Then savouries: delicate tarts or smoked salmon blinis that change through the year. The scones are fresh and warm, with clotted cream and preserves set to the side without flourish. Desserts finish the arc, often playful, sometimes unexpected. All of it paired with a considered list of teas or, if the day allows, a glass of champagne.

What makes The Colonnades stand out is the balance. It feels luxurious, but never staged. The setting reminds you of Edinburgh’s literary past, but the food is modern and sharp. And on a rainy afternoon, few places offer more shelter or more style.

Bookings are essential—this is not a place for last-minute plans. Once you’re done, take a moment in Parliament Square. Watch the umbrellas pass over the cobbles. The Writers’ Museum is just steps away, tucked down Lady Stair’s Close. You’ll likely have it to yourself.

Discover the Writers’ Museum in Lady Stair’s Close

View Photos

PreviousNext

Just a short walk from Parliament Square, down the steep turn of Lady Stair’s Close, sits one of Edinburgh’s quieter treasures. The Writers’ Museum occupies a 17th-century house that looks out onto a small courtyard, removed just enough from the Royal Mile to feel apart from it. The building is dedicated to the lives and works of three of Scotland’s literary giants: Robert Burns, Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson.

Inside, you’ll find personal objects, early editions, portraits, and carefully written interpretation panels that give you enough to read without overwhelming. There’s Burns’ writing desk, Stevenson’s smoking jacket, and a printing press once used for Scott’s works. The museum moves between the biographical and the tactile, with small details—locks of hair, inkpots, handwritten notes—quietly anchoring these now-mythologised writers in the real.

Entry is free. The rooms are compact, the staircases narrow, and the lighting low. It doesn’t take long to see everything, but what stays with you is the atmosphere. It feels personal, like visiting someone’s study. The courtyard outside often has benches open, and it’s worth lingering there. In the rain, the stone glistens and the stories feel closer.

Walk Down Victoria Street – Edinburgh’s Most Photogenic Curve (and a Potter Pilgrimage)

0

PreviousNext

From Lady Stair’s Close, head for Victoria Street—one of the most distinctive streets in Edinburgh. It curves sharply downhill in a sweep of colourful façades and stacked buildings, with a second row of shops running above the street on a raised terrace. The effect is theatrical. Even on a grey day, it’s one of the city’s liveliest urban views.

This part of town is closely linked with the Harry Potter phenomenon. Many believe Victoria Street helped inspire the look and feel of Diagon Alley, with its layered architecture and crowded charm. If you’re interested in that side of the city’s lore, you might consider a short detour to The Elephant House, just a minute away on George IV Bridge. It was one of the cafés where J.K. Rowling wrote in the early days—and while it's often busy, the back room offers strong tea and a framed view of the castle if you manage to get a table.

Back on Victoria Street, the shops are an eclectic mix: cheesemongers, independent fashion, second-hand books, and old-school joke supplies. As the curve ends, you step into the Grassmarket, once the site of public executions. From there, head west into West Port. The mood changes again—less polished, more storied. You’re nearing the next chapter.

Browse the Stacks at Armchair Books

View Photos

PreviousNext

Tucked into a low shopfront on West Port, just below the Grassmarket, Armchair Books is easy to miss—but you’ll know when you’ve found it. A hand-painted sign, a cluttered display window, and the warm glow of reading lamps all hint at what’s inside. Step through the door and you're met with the comforting scent of paper and the quiet creak of floorboards beneath layered rugs.

The shelves reach high, packed to capacity, often two or three rows deep. Fiction, poetry, history, philosophy—it's all here, arranged with just enough order to be helpful and just enough chaos to invite discovery. There’s a rhythm to the space. A narrow corridor opens unexpectedly into a snug reading area; a side room spills over with children’s books and vintage oddities. You’re never quite sure what you’ll find next.

Armchair Books has been family-run for decades and holds onto that feel—unfussy, generous, and deeply committed to books as objects of both value and affection. The prices are fair, the atmosphere unhurried. If you ask for something specific, the staff might know where it is—or might tell you to have a dig and see what turns up.

It’s a place that feels unchanged by passing trends. A little dim, a little dusty, and better for it. On a grey Edinburgh afternoon, this is the kind of shop that invites you to take your time. And when you do step back out into the street, the Grassmarket is right there—one last turn on the trail before dinner.

End the Day at The White Hart Inn

View Photos

PreviousNext

At the foot of the Grassmarket, where the cobbles meet the curve of West Bow, you’ll find The White Hart Inn. There’s no need for theatrics here—the history is baked into the walls. It’s one of Edinburgh’s oldest pubs, with roots reaching back over 500 years. Look close and you’ll spot the layers: 18th-century beams, stone floors smoothed by centuries of footfall, and nods to the many characters who passed through its doors—some of them legendary, others less well behaved.

The dining area is warm and grounded. Not polished, but right for the setting. Expect classic Scottish pub food: Cullen skink, haggis with neeps and tatties, steak pie if you’re after comfort. The portions are generous. The staff tend to know what they’re doing.

The drinks list leans into whisky, as you’d hope. There’s a decent selection of single malts, including Highland and Islay staples, and enough by the glass to explore if you’re curious but undecided. You’ll find local ales too, and the kind of crowd that changes with the day—visitors, regulars, the odd busker.

It’s not pristine and doesn’t try to be. What you get is atmosphere, honest food, and the low hum of stories folded into the walls. Sit near the window if you can. Watch the last of the daylight turn the stonework gold, then grey, then gone. A good final stop, especially if the weather hasn’t let up.