Edinburgh Winter Wonderland
Perhaps you are beginning to feel slightly lethargic as Semester One in the Bubble draws to a close, or maybe even your flight home has been cancelled due to snow storms for the third successive morning (heaven forbid!) and that holiday mood is just not upon you yet. However, a trip to Scotland’s capital would banish even Scrooge’s blues.
Edinburgh at Christmas time is like a winter wonderland, with a month long programme crammed as full as your bedside stocking with a delightful mix of local and continental treats.
The Gardens are an excellent start to the day. Beginning with a few laps of one of Europe’s largest ice rink (adult tickets £8.50-£9.50, book early to avoid disappointment), which is situated under the city’s breath-taking skyline, cannot help but place you right amidst the best of festive moods. It also ensures that you avoid the lengthy queues of the mid-afternoon rush and having to enter the rink laden with your day’s purchases – skating with 17 shopping bags is not as easy as it looks, and walking around soggy for the rest of the day can rather put a downer on your festive fun.
The German market is the next stop of your day (admission free). Walk around and enjoy soaking up the vibrant atmosphere amongst the quaint wooden stalls which are full to the brim with hand-made crafts and other quirky gift ideas. Presents of all shapes, sizes and prices can be found here, and will add that little bit of originality to your present for a loved one. The food stalls are not to be missed; mulled wine and continental fruit cakes are a must as they embody the taste of Christmas itself, and you need not doubt their authenticity as you walk amid the welcoming choruses of several distant languages (and, if you’re lucky, a rather lovely Christmas choir).
To refuel, stop by The Dome on George Street to marvel at the technologically-aided snow fall outside, and to indulge in a delicious mid-afternoon tea and cake (afternoon tea for two – £23). The building, built in 1775 by New Town favourite James Craig, is one of imposing grandeur, and the annual decorations never fail to impress. The Corinthian portico exterior is lavishly decorated with lush twirling wreaths, and positioned underneath the interior dome is a spectacular live Christmas tree, intoxicatingly decorated from top to bottom.
For a more contemporary twist to seasonal decoration, opt to wander through the department store Harvey Nichols, which always excites with its extravagant store-wide, winter displays. Treat yourself to a festive cocktail in the Fourth Floor Bar and take in the views of the city after a hard day’s shopping.
Sprinkle a dusting of Christmas shopping along Princes and George Street to your afternoon, and then finish your exhausting day with a well-earned sit down as the evening draws in. Grab a hot drink and hop onto the Edinburgh wheel for spellbinding views over the city and its castle (open until 10pm most nights, tickets £4), as the town sparkles under a mass of fairy lights. Wrap up warm for this one though, it can get bitterly cold!
