FonzieBone

Thinking of surprising my wife for her birthday, which happens to be in December.

How crappy will the weather be, and how much of Scotland can we reliably expect to see in 3 days? I realize that's somewhat vaguely worded - we'd fly in/out of Edinburgh, but would probably rent a car and try to hit at least one other city unless collective wisdom tends to advise otherwise.

Gagravarr

Days are short in December, which will affect some kinds of sightseeing. It can be quite cold, but equally, can make for good snuggling up in front of a fire weather!

What sort of things were you hoping to do? Shopping? Historic buildings? Galleries and museums? Seeing the highlands? Walking a little bit in the highlands? Climbing? Whisky? Golf? Pubs?

aflan85

In 3 days you can easily see the main sights of both Edinburgh and Glasgow, if you want to stick to cities. Weather-wise, you could have lovely crisp cold air and blue skies, or something more like this:



Or this:



Or somewhere in between!

If you don't fancy limiting yourself to the big cities and want to see some of Scotland's beautiful landscapes, instead of Glasgow you could head up to Stirling and the Trossach hills for a day trip or overnight stay, just an hour's drive from Edinburgh. Alternatively a drive along the Fife coast to St Andrews is another good excursion from Edinburgh - rocky coastline, lovely fishing villages and rolling countryside.

Bear in mind that the days are short at that time of year - sunrise around 9am and sunset around 3.30pm..

HIDDY

I used to go cycling, hillwalking, camping and fishing in December so the weather isn't always a problem especially if you go prepared. As stated the short days are a nuisance but as long as you don't lie in bed too long you'll still have enough daylight hours to see a lot...and the sun does shine even in December.

lwildernorva

I'd consider staying in Edinburgh the entire time for such a short trip. Between the museums, shopping, the Royal Mile, and Edinburgh Castle, more than enough to fill three days. Plenty of good restaurants and maybe some evening theater for entertainment.

If a short trip outside the city sounds interesting, I'd consider Stirling, Perth, or St. Andrews so that you can see a little of the Scottish countryside rather than hitting the motorway over to Glasgow. If this were a really special birthday and money isn't a concern, maybe even an evening at Gleneagles: http://www.gleneagles.com/.

shefgab

I agree that staying in Edinburgh for the whole time would be a good idea. There's plenty to do for a few days. Weather is variable. It'll probably rain, might snow, might be sunny, will probably be quite windy. Edinburgh is a lovely city, and the run up to the holidays is a nice time to be there.

ft101

The weather conditions may include Hurricane Bawbag, which cancelled a flight for me 4 years ago.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/sc...bawbag-1088980

The year before it was the M8 (Edinburgh to Glasgow motorway), but I got through that.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11924238

Microwave

Upside of Scotland during the winter is that there won't be any midges about, or at least not in my experience. That isn't always the case when the weather is warmer.

farci

Until recently we ran a B&B in Glasgow with many American & German visitors most of whom found our city a fascinating place. We like to think that Edinburgh is only one hour away by train from here!

Joking apart I agree with other posters that the main problem will be climate. Check out daylight times on this table and weather averages here. We are quite a lot further north than FRA.

There are great places to go in a half-day drive radius of EDI - my favourite is the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park but if the weather sucks stick to cities

ppp909

The Trossachs, Loch Lomond etc are fantastic when there's snow on the ground and even better when it's cold enough to walk out on the ice (be very cautious...)
If it rains though it's miserable, particularly in winter when it'll be dark all day on very wet days.
Like others, I'd stick to Edinburgh or include a trip to Glasgow, which is quick, cheap and easy to get to by train. Edinburgh is a dreadful city for driving in so don't waste your time.
It also has plenty of warm and cosy pubs.

DocWatson

I wouldn't make any plans until nearer the time. Early-mid December is hardly peak season in Scotland so you would probably be able to make plans nearer the time. My birthday is also in early December and in recent years I seem to remember in Glasgow:

2014 - dull, dry, temperature 4-7
2013 - bright, chilly, temperature 1-4
2012/1 - away from Scotland
2010 - feet and feet of snow, mass travel disruption, seemingly endless sub-zero temperatures (but St Andrews/Dundee were almost clear of snow)
2009 - dull, bit blustery.

If it's bright and crisp then a trip to Loch Lomond would be lovely. If it's wet and windy stay in Edinburgh unless the forecast is clear the weather is better in Glasgow (unlikely). Be prepared for temperatures anything from -10 to +10. I'll also add another vote for the East Neuk of Fife, it seems to have a microclimate and often dodges the worst of wild weather, though in a northerly/easterly wind it's bitterly cold.