Edinburgh

The Old Town ridge, the Georgian New Town and Leith by the water

Split the city the way the glaciers left it. The Old Town runs down a ridge of volcanic debris from the Castle to Holyrood, the Georgian New Town is laid out in a grid north of Princes Street Gardens, and Leith sits by the water at the end of the tram line.

Two full days cover the first two areas. A third gives you Leith or a trip out of town, and a fourth lets you do both.

• Day one, the Royal Mile: the Castle as soon as it opens (book online in summer, when it sells out), then downhill past St Giles' Cathedral. Duck into the steep closes on either side on the way to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament. Finish on Arthur's Seat, approached from its far side where the path is gentlest.
• Day two, south side and New Town: an unhurried morning in the free National Museum of Scotland. Greyfriars Kirk is a minute away. Cross to the National Gallery on the Mound after lunch and end on Calton Hill at sunset for the view back to the Castle.
• Day three: Leith for the Royal Yacht Britannia and dinner on the waterfront. Alternatively take the train to Glasgow (50 minutes) or to Stirling, whose castle sits on a crag of its own.
• Day four: North Berwick for the sea-bird colony on the Bass Rock and the cliff-top ruin of Tantallon Castle, or South Queensferry for the Forth Bridge.

Timing decides your budget here. Wikivoyage suggests booking at least six months ahead for festival time, and the Tattoo sells out well in advance. Hogmanay and Scotland home games in the Six Nations rugby push rates up in the same way, so compare Edinburgh hotels early if your dates touch any of them.

East coast trains run from Waverley to York and London.

Wind, showers and haar sea fog in Edinburgh's mild climate

The sea keeps the city mild and moody. Summer rarely climbs past 22°C.

Locals call it the windy city with reason: south-westerlies bring showers off the Atlantic, while an easterly wind turns cold and can roll in haar, a sea fog that may hide the Castle for a whole day. Atlantic storms can hit any time between October and April. Pack a windproof layer even in June.

August belongs to the festivals. The Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe run alongside the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on the Castle esplanade. The city is crowded, loud and expensive all month. Come for the shows or stay away.

Late spring and September suit most visitors. The Beltane Fire Festival lights up Calton Hill on the evening of April 30 to mark the start of summer, drawing crowds of around 12,000.

Christmas markets fill the gardens below Princes Street, and Hogmanay is the big event: a torchlight procession with fireworks on December 30, the street party on New Year's Eve, and the brave plunging into the Forth on New Year's Day. Book rooms for that week as early as for August.

Salt'n'sauce at the chippy, fried haggis and Edinburgh's food

Start at a chippy. Edinburgh fish and chip shops ask if you want salt'n'sauce, a runny brown sauce thinned with vinegar that replaces the vinegar served elsewhere in Britain; plain vinegar is there if you ask. The same counters fry haggis, black pudding and, yes, Mars bars.

For haggis done properly, order it with neeps and tatties (mashed swede and potato) in a pub, especially around Burns Night on 25 January. Edinburgh Rock, a soft crumbly sweet sold in tartan boxes, is the classic souvenir.

Where you eat changes the bill more than what you eat. Menus on the Royal Mile between the Castle and the Tron Kirk charge for the setting. Princes Street and the Grassmarket do the same. Better value lies a street or two away: Rose Street and Thistle Street either side of George Street, Elm Row at the top of Leith Walk, Forrest Road by Greyfriars Bobby, and the cheap eateries along South Bridge near the Central Mosque, nicknamed Little Cairo. Leith's waterfront has the best seafood restaurants.

Whisky is everywhere. Skip the gimmicks and order a dram in a pub where the bartender will talk you through the shelf. The Scotch Whisky Experience at the top of the Royal Mile explains the basics, and Glenkinchie, the nearest malt distillery, lies out towards Haddington. Local gins include Pickering's and Edinburgh Gin. On tap, look for Stewart Brewing and the Caledonian Brewery. Many pubs let you taste a guest ale before you choose. Folk sessions run in pubs across the Old Town and Leith. The orange fizzy drink in every fridge is Irn-Bru, which Scots swear by after a late night. Raise a glass with slàinte (cheers in Gaelic).