ExitRowOrElse

I'm going to the 10:30 Saturday night performance on August 4th. I currently have a hotel room reserved about 1/4 mile south of the castle.

I've never been in the city after dark. Just how is the area around the castle and just to the south after dark?

Thanks?

dcpatti

I was in Edinburgh last year for the Tattoo. The areas near the Castle are a bit quiet later in the evening but very safe. If you are on the Princes Street side of the castle you'll have more foot traffic. Grassmarket will be quite lively, not packed to the rafters but definitely the pubs doing a brisk business later into the night. Cabs may be a bit scarce but if you're only a quarter mile, it'll be no problem to walk. I do not remember there being much crime at all in the area; the block closest to the bus terminal is a bit run-down but still not "sketchy". Plus Tattoo does bring in a lot of tourists so there'll be more going on and more people out and about.

One suggestion, though: don't wait till too late in the evening to eat dinner. I was pretty surprised to see how early the restaurants close up. Tattoo or no Tattoo, they're empty and locked by 9 or thereabouts. There's a Marks and Spencer a few blocks down on Princes Street, though, so if you miss dinner you can grab something to go.

Enjoy Edinburgh. If you can spare a day, it's worth heading over to Glasgow, especially if you can make the Piping Tournament and Highland Games. I found it a bit easier to go by bus than by train, as the bus terminal was a bit closer to the places I wanted to be in both cities, but do check both. Also we really enjoyed the "Literary Pub Tour" which meets up at The Beehive on Grassmarket if memory serves me. It was about 12 pounds for the tour, plus bar purchases; we visited about 6 pubs all over the Princes Street and Castle Walk areas, and soaked up some of the history. The tourguides were outstanding, really entertaining. Great way to spend the evening!

ajamieson

Where is your accommodation? Edinburgh is an exceptionally safe city and also very compact. The volume of concert-goers leaving the confined space at the top of the Royal Mile, as well as the dozens of parked coaches, rules out getting a cab until you are well clear of the area. Sounds like you'll be much better walking.

The city is also well known for its boisterous nightlife thanks to its relaxed licensing laws (most bars don't close until well after 1am, especially in August) and the area immediately south of the castle is particularly popular at night. This is a positive, as it means there will be plenty of people around as you walk home, but some American visitors are surprised at the level of drunkenness on display. Just a heads-up

ExitRowOrElse

Thanks for the information. I will be staying at a hotel on Lauriston Place, and it appears to be an easy walk on the map.

Also, do very many attendees show up in kilts? I've got one, and I'm thinking of wearing it to the performance.

Thanks again.

ajamieson

Well you're about as close as it is possible to get to the castle - a couple of hundred yards. For what it's worth, the least physically-demanding route is via Lady Lawson Street, Castle Terrace and Johnston Terrace (this avoids going down into the 'dip' of the Grassmarket and climbing back up the other side). By coincidence, the satellite picture on the Google link above must have been taken during a Tattoo season as you can see the blue seats of the temporary auditorium in the castle grounds!

As for kilts, well it's not particularly common at the Tattoo but only because the vast majority of the audience are tourists, Besides, most audiences at the late performances tend to dress for the cold (it can get windy and wet up there, and there's no cover) so unless you're used to the sensation of cold around your extremeties I would let the weather forecast decide. That said, Saturday night is when you'll see most kilts on show simply because we wear them most often to weddings and other formal events.

One note about the Tattoo seating. Unless you're in the corporate box, the seats are very tightly-packed and the legroom is very, very poor. It is bearable for the 90 minutes or so that a performance takes, but just something to be aware of. I have never met anyone who was comfortable in a Tattoo seat. With that in mind, even in cold weather I would avoid particularly bulky coats and accessories because they will only restrict your comfort even more. Your hotel will be able to advise on the best dress for the weather but umbrellas are a no-no!

ExitRowOrElse

Thanks for the tip on getting up to the castle. I have walked up Johnston Terrace from the car park before, so it should not be a problem. I will monitor the forecast. If it looks cold, I will wear my trews instead!

Also, where do you queue up for admission, what time do they start admitting folks for the 10:30 performance, and what time should I plan on heading up to the castle?

Thanks again.

ajamieson

On Saturdays there are two evening performances - one at 7.30pm and yours at 10.30pm. Yours has the fireworks! Not much point in arriving too early as you'll end up getting stuck in the crowds coming out of the earlier performance and it will only mean more time in those horrid seats. The Tattoo requests everyone is seated 15 minutes before the performance, although this is rarely the case in practice. I would suggest arriving at about 10pm or shortly afterwards.

retirementdreams

I'm hopefully going to be able to travel to the UK in August of 2010...and work in a trip to Edinburgh for the tatoo/fringe festival. Is this information still correct? And I'm so glad I saw this.. I didnt realize there are no fireworks after the earlier performance on Sat nights. Never having been to Scotland..how many days should we allot to Edinburgh/the festival/environs?? What about towns/ attractions nearby?? Thanks in advance for your help...

retirementdreams

*********Just noticed the updated info on the edinburgh information thread... but please feel free to enlighten me about the tattoo//fringe festival..thanks.

Romelle

I went to a tattoo years ago, and picked up a video of it to bring home. Brings the whole trip back.

If you are interested, just be sure to get one that works in your country. Or there undoubtedly are CDs and DVDs now that don't have to be country specific.

Romelle

Jenbel

Also, the Saturday late fireworks are much more impressive than the normal weekday fireworks

(i see them from my flat - the normal quick blast at 9 and 11 is a useful time keeper for those of us within ear shot during festival season).

How many days you spend in Edinburgh during the festival depends on how much of a culture vulture you are. It is the worlds' biggest arts festival, and every day there are thousands of events/shows/exhibitions going on. If you are including 'normal' sight-seeing with that... I'd say you'd need 4-5 days for Edinburgh in full on festival frenzy. But if you have less time, you just prioritise more (and possibly sleep less ) and focus more!

retirementdreams

Thanks for your replies....Jenbel perhaps I can treat you to a glass of some sort of Beverage when I am town!!

Would there be any advantage to coming the last week of the festival..are there any great 'end of the season' deals or festivities or anything like that??!!

Jenbel

Sure, let us know when you'll be in town and we can sort something out

The final weekend of the international festival has the closing concert with a fireworks display which is fabulous going off above the castle.

However, this year, the Fringe and Tattoo ended a week before the IF, so if you did the last week to catch the firework concert, you'd have missed the Fringe. I haven't checked to see what the overlap is next year.

Ticket deals are more likely in the first week.