The Edinburgh Christmas

Edinburgh is such an incredible city all year round and whatever time of the year you visit, there's sure to be some kind of festival or event for you to enjoy! But there really is something very magical about the city at Christmas and it's no wonder visitors from over 64 countries visited the Christmas Markets in 2017. Here's everything you need to know about Edinburgh's Christmas!

From the 16th November this year, Prince's Street Gardens in Edinburgh is transformed into a wintery wonderland. I must admit that having grown up in Austria, I had very high expectations for the Christmas market. I was definitely not disappointed. Having since visited Winter Wonderland in London I can honestly say that the Christmas market in Edinburgh is ten times better and definitely worth a visit!

I was so impressed by the authenticity of the German stalls selling sausages, Glühwein and trinkety gifts. The only thing spoiling the authentic German atmosphere would be the multitude of fairground rides that would not be found at a traditional German market.

At the Edinburgh Christmas Fairground you can enjoy a leisurely ride on the big wheel, or if you fancy something a bit more thrilling you can soar above the city on the StarFlyer, for a not too small fee of course! Of course there's always other rides on offer including a double decker carousel, train and of course the classic helter-skelter. You can buy tickets for all of these rides online via the website. This will save you so much time waiting in the queues at the markets and if you want a particular time or there's a large group of you it's definitely worth booking online. Plus if you live in Edinburgh, they offer an EH postcode discount! Simply take proof of address with you when you collect your tickets. I just used a receipt for something I ordered online with my debit card number on it (as well as my EH address!). If your drivers license has your EH address on it that's probably the best option though!

There's not just fairground rides though, if you take the short walk up to St Andrew's Square you can also have a skate around the bar. I'd say the ice rink isn't particularly big, but it's still lots of fun skating in circles and nowhere near as expensive as the ice rink in London. The atmosphere is incredibly festive with Christmas tunes playing over the loud speakers and twinkly lights strung all around. Again you can book tickets for skating online and these ones do sell out so it's worth buying these in advance. EDIT: THE ICE RINK WILL NOT BE PART OF EDINBURGH'S CHRISTMAS IN 2019 due to concerns over size of the project. This means that Edinburgh will no longer have an outdoor ice rink. Keen ice skaters will have to travel to Murrayfield where there is an all year round ice rink. This year the trees on St Andrews Square are brightly lit up with coloured lights that make for a great photo!

The food’s expensive of course but so good and definitely worth treating yourself! We had crepes for breakfast before warming up with a German sausage and Glühwein after a wander round. The bubble waffles were incredible too! I can't wait to return to try more of the food!

It’s not just Princes Street that’s filled with festive fun though, if you take the short walk up to Castle Street you’ll find a second Christmas market with more snacks, rides and activities.

In previous years George Street has been graced by some pretty impressive light displays. The whole road would be closed and market goes could enjoy walking under an igloo of lights (in 2017) or a silent disco under a tunnel of lights (in 2018). Sadly this display isn't around this year, possibly due to the fact that York Place just around the corner is already closed for road works and buses are being diverted via George Street so the additional road closures would lead to too much congestion. This being said, there is still the opportunity to join in with a silent disco! Tickets for 'Silent Adventures' can be purchased for £13 here.

Whilst the markets are open all day every day, they get incredibly busy come nightfall so if you want to have a serious look around the stalls it’s worth spending the whole day there so as not to get squished.

Note that the Christmas Markets are open 10am - 10pm daily (some exceptions, see the Edinburgh Christmas Website for details)

Best photos can be taken from the Mound or Waverly Bridge.