Edinburgh, Scotland — Activities
Edinburgh Culture
Edinburgh is right at the heart of world culture during the annual Edinburgh International Festival and the flurry of festivals that surround it.
Tickets to these and many other cultural events throughout the year are available from The Hub, Castlehill (tel: (0131) 473 2000; www.hubtickets.co.uk). The Fringe box office is at 180 High Street (tel: (0131) 226 0026; www.edfringe.com), while the Military Tattoo has its own ticket office at 32 Market Street (tel: (0131) 225 1188; www.edintattoo.co.uk).
A good general online source of information (www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk) also provides information on cultural events in the city.
Music
The Usher Hall
The Usher Hall has at last reopened, after major redevelopment which –much to the relief of the Edinburgh bourgeoisie – has left intact the concert hall's glorious acoustic. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra are now playing there regularly again.
Lothian Road
Tel: (0131) 228 1155.
Website: www.usherhall.co.uk
Edinburgh Festival Theater
Scottish Opera productions are staged in the Edinburgh Festival Theater, also the venue for contemporary dance productions.
13/29 Nicolson Street
Tel: (0131) 529 6000.
Website: www.fctt.org.uk/festival_theater
The Queen's Hall
Is Edinburgh's main chamber music venue and also hosts many world and folk music events.
85-89 Clerk Street
Tel: (0131) 668 3456.
Website: www.thequeenshall.net
Theater
The King's Theater
This is an elegant Edwardian theater presenting quality drama as well as the city's annual pantomime.
2 Leven Street
Tel: (0131) 529 6000.
Website: www.eft.co.uk
The Traverse Theater
Specialises in exciting and original contemporary plays by Scottish and international writers.
10 Cambridge Street
Tel: (0131) 228 1404.
Website: www.traverse.co.uk
The Royal Lyceum Theater
Stages work by contemporary playwrights as well as more traditional work.
30B Grindlay Street
Tel: (0131) 248 4800.
Website: www.lyceum.org.uk
Edinburgh Tours
Walking tours
The Cadies & Witchery Tours organizes walking tours of the Old Town, mixing history with humor and ghosts with gore. The ticket price includes a book of tales from Edinburgh's gory history, such as that of the body-snatchers Burke and Hare. The tours leave from outside the Witchery restaurant, near the castle, and last 75-90 minutes. Mercat Walking Tours operates ghost and history tours daily. Tours last 75-90 minutes and leave from the Mercat Cross on the High St.
Cadies & Witchery Tours
Tel: (0131) 225 6745.
Website: www.witcherytours.com
Mercat Walking Tours
Tel: (0131) 225 5445.
Website: www.mercattours.com
Pub tours
The Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour is a promenade performance around four historic pubs with links to four famous Scottish poets and novelists. Tours leave from the Beehive Inn, in the Grassmarket, every evening from May to September; less frequently in March, April and October; weekly in winter.
Tel: 0800 169 7410.
Website: www.edinburghliterarypubtour.co.uk
Bus tours
Edinburgh Bus Tours offers four different tours of the city, all on partially open-topped buses, plus a combined bus and boat tour. Each bus tour takes about one hour to complete its circuit, but passengers may alight at any stop and rejoin the tour at any time within 24 hours. Tours depart every 30 minutes (more often in summer) from Waverley Bridge. The 'City Sightseeing' tour has a recorded commentary in eight languages, plus a special commentary for children; the historic 'Edinburgh Tour' and the vintage bus 'City Tour' have live guides.
Tel: (0131) 220 0770.
Website: www.edinburghtour.com
Boat tours
From April to October, several companies such as Maid of the Forth and Forth Belle operate sightseeing trips around the Firth of Forth. Some trips include time ashore on Inchcolm Island, where passengers can visit the historic abbey. Most leave from Hawes Pier, South Queensferry, just below the southern landfall of the magnificent Forth Rail Bridge. Hawes Pier can be reached by train from Waverley or Haymarket stations to Dalmeny, followed by a short walk, or by First bus 43 from Waterloo Place, at the east end of Princes St.
Maid of the Forth
Tel: (0131) 331 5000.
Website: www.maidoftheforth.co.uk
Forth Belle
Tel: 0870 118 1866.
Website: www.forthtours.com
Helicopter tours
Lothian Helicopters runs helicopter tours over the city and its immediate surroundings, as well as a longer tour over the Forth Valley. One of the most popular options is a 20-minute tour which includes the city and the rail and road bridges spanning the Firth of Forth.
Tel: (01875) 320 032.
Website: www.lothianhelicopters.co.uk
Sports Activities
Sport
Football is Scotland's most popular game and there is a Scottish league of four divisions in which Scotland's football teams compete. The national team has failed to make it to a European Championship or World Cup since 1998 despite the fanatical and devoted support of the vociferous Tartan Army, who have themselves won more trophies than the actual team over the last decade or so. Scottish football is dominated by the two big teams from Glasgow, Celtic and Rangers, but there have been recent signs of a renaissance in the east. Heart of Midlothian ('Hearts'), based at Tynecastle Stadium (tel: (0131) 200 7200; website: www.heartsfc.co.uk) have recently been taken over by a Lithuanian businessman who appointed a big name manager and strengthened the squad in an attempt to challenge the 'Old Firm'. Hibernian ('Hibs'), based at Easter Road Stadium (tel: (0131) 661 2159; website: www.hibernianfc.co.uk), have taken a different road, choosing to bring through young players and encourage local talent, a policy which reaped benefits in the 2004-2005 season, when they made it into European competition for the first time in years as they finished third.
Rugby is also very popular and Scotland competes in the Six Nations Rugby Championship, which it has won in the past, though the national team has struggled in recent years. Murrayfield (tel: (0131) 346 5000; website: www.scottishrugby.org) is the center of the nation's rugby activities. Edinburgh's own team, the Edinburgh Gunners, also play their Celtic League and Heineken Cup matches at Murrayfield. A short distance away, Murrayfield Ice Rink has regular displays of ice-skating, curling and ice hockey. Musselburgh Racecourse, just outside the city boundaries, was established in 1816 and is one of the oldest racetracks in the country.
Tickets for sporting events can be purchased direct from the clubs and from the Murrayfield and Meadowbank stadiums, 139 London Road (tel: (0131) 661 5351; fax: (0131) 652 0927) sports centers. Tickets are also available for purchase from Ticketline (tel: 0844 888 9991; website: www.ticketline.co.uk) and Ticketmaster (tel: 0844 847 2455; website: www.scotland.ticketmaster.co.uk). Ticketmaster tickets are also often available from the Edinburgh Tourist Information center on Princes Street.
Fitness Centers: Meadowbank Sports Center, 139 London Road (tel: (0131) 661 5351; fax: (0131) 652 0927), provides facilities for many different sports. The Balmoral and Scotsman hotels (see Hotels) also all have fitness centers that take day guests.
Golf: Golfers are well catered for in Edinburgh. There are no fewer than six municipal courses and 28 private clubs, many of which welcome visitors. Braid Hills Golf Course, Braid Hills Approach Road, Braid Hills Road (tel: (0131) 447 6666), is a pay-and-play 18-hole course. Green fees are £15 per round. Kings Acre Golf Course, Lasswade (tel: (0131) 663 3456; fax: (0131) 663 7076; website: www.kings-acregolf.com), is an 18-hole pay-and-play par-70 parkland course. Green fees are £22 per round (£30 at weekends). For more information on golfing in the Edinburgh area, visit http://golf.visitscotland.com.
Skiing: Midlothian Ski Center, Hillend, near Edinburgh (tel: (0131) 445 4433; fax: (0131) 445 5549; e-mail: ski@midlothian.gov.uk), is one of Europe's longest artificial ski slopes, with a chair lift and skiing and snowboarding facilities.
Swimming: The Royal Commonwealth Pool, Dalkeith Road (tel: (0131) 667 7211; fax: (0131) 662 0265) was built for the 1970 Commonwealth Games.
Tennis: Courts are available at Craiglockhart Tennis and Sports Center, 177 Colinton Road (tel: (0131) 443 0101; fax: (0131) 455 7321).
Watersports: The Port Edgar Marina and Sailing School, Shore Road, South Queensferry (tel: (0131) 331 3330; fax: (0131) 331 4878), is Scotland's largest watersports center, with dinghies, catamarans, powerboats and canoes for hire. There are a variety of courses catering for everyone from first time paddlers through to those looking to tie-up advanced sailing certificates. Plans for a massive renovation program were unveiled in August 2005.
