By DPA
Edinburgh : Travellers to Scotland must bring a fat wallet if they want to spend the night in the Balmoral Hotel. The cheapest overnight rate in Edinburgh’s top hotel is 310 pounds ($624), breakfast not included. That’s an extra 27 pounds, but then, it’s a full British breakfast.
The Balmoral notwithstanding, Edinburgh can be explored on a smaller budget. An overnight stay in one of the many hostels costs less than the breakfast at the Balmoral. And whether it’s Old Town, New Town or Calton Hill, there are ways of looking around Edinburgh for nothing.
Visitors who decide to stay in one of the low-cost hostels, however, have to do without the five-star comfort offered at the Balmoral. The rooms are mostly dormitory in style with four, six or 12 beds, but that’s to be expected for just 20 pounds per night. On the plus side, many of Edinburgh’s hostels are centrally located.
In Castle Rock Hostel, for example, visitors who manage to get a bed on the right side of the building have a room with a view of the symbol of Edinburgh, its castle and Scotland’s number one tourist attraction. Two other hostels, Smartcity and High Street Hostel, are only a stone’s throw from the Royal Mile, the heart of Edinburgh’s tourist centre.
One of the city’s main cobblestone streets leads from the castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse where the queen stays when she visits the city. A walk along either or both sides of the Royal Mile costs nothing and is recommended for newcomers. Visitors who want to know more about the city can have a look at The People’s Story, an exhibit about the history of Edinburgh. Twelve centuries ago, buildings up to 12 stories high were constructed in the city as there was a shortage of space.
Edinburgh couldn’t grow until the completion of the North Bridge in 1772. The pedestrian bridge links the Royal Mile and Old Town, which is on a hill, to New Town. It spans the ravine where Waverly rail station is now situated. Dividing the city to the west is Princess Street Gardens, whose lawns offer a meeting place for young and old. Even though there’s not much that’s truly new in New Town, the difference between the two districts couldn’t be clearer. While Old Town has narrow passages that have existed since the late Middle Ages, New Town’s streets are nearly as straight as the squares on a chess board and are lined with 18th century Georgian-style homes.
Along the Princess Street Gardens, past the Balmoral, the street ascends to Nelson’s Monument atop Carlton Hill, dedicated to Admiral Lord Nelson who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. While the tower itself at about 30 metres high is not that spectacular, the view from the top takes in western Old Town and New Town as well as the grassy hill called Arthur’s Seat to the southeast, the mail hill in Holyrood Park. The view makes the three pounds entrance fee paid to a woman at the turnstile at the monument’s base worthwhile.
The six pounds entrance fee to Scotland’s National Museum is also worthwhile, as is a two-and-a-half pound transport day card, which can be used to take the bus to the harbour. Tourists interested in seeing several sights and attractions should consider buying an Edinburgh Pass, a single ticket that includes the cost of many attractions.
Art galleries, museums and a tour pointing out scary parts of the Old Town are also covered by the pass as is the cost of the bus transfer to and from the airport. The pass can be purchased online for 36 pounds. It does not include a visit to the castle, which costs 11 pounds. Visitors for whom that is too much should compare it with the cost of a cup of coffee and a boiled egg at the Balmoral.