Edinburgh Extreme Day Trip from London - The Ultimate Guide

Can you really explore Edinburgh in just one day? I put it to the test for my 22nd Birthday this year. I decided to attempt my first ever extreme day trip to Edinburgh, Scotland. Read along for my itinerary and to find out: is it worth it?

Itinerary

08:45-10:05 Flight to Edinburgh

11:00 Lunch at Mor Bakery

12:00 Ross Fountain

12:15 Vennel Steps

12:30 Victoria Street

13:00 The Royal Mile

13:30 Shopping on Princes Street

15:00 St James Quarter

16:30 Dinner at Edinburgh Street Food

18:10 Catch bus back to Airport

20:40-21:55 Flight home

We arrived in the city around 11:00 and wasted no time getting started.

Lunch

We started with lunch at Mor Bakehouse in Waverley Market. We enjoyed pasties here and managed to avoid the rain by eating inside!

Princes Street Gardens and Ross Fountain

We began with a walk through Princes Street Gardens, heading towards the stunning Ross Fountain. This spot offers one of the best photo opportunities in the city, with the castle rising dramatically behind it.

The Vennel Steps

Next, we made our way to the Vennel Steps - another incredible viewpoint of the castle and a great photo opportunity! At the base of the steps, we enjoyed browsing the souvenir shops and cafes.

Victoria Street and the Royal Mile

We continued on to Victoria Street, easily one of the most picturesque streets in Edinburgh with its colourful buildings and charming shops.

A highlight here was browsing Museum Context, a must-visit for Harry Potter fans. We also tried the infamous fried Mars bar from Bertie’s Proper Fish & Chips which was surprisingly enjoyable and a must-try experience in Edinburgh.

From there, we walked along the Royal Mile, taking in the historic architecture and passing St Giles’ Cathedral. We chose not to go inside to keep costs down, but it’s still impressive from the outside.

Shopping and exploring

We looped back via Cockburn Street, filled with charming shops and bakeries, before returning to Princes Street.

From there, we spent some time shopping along the the street and finished at St James Quarter for more shopping!

Dinner at Edinburgh Street Food

We ended the day with dinner at Edinburgh Street Food, which I would highly recommend.

This food hall offers a wide range of cuisines, with both indoor and outdoor seating. You can order from multiple vendors and everything is delivered to your table. Just keep in mind there’s a small delivery fee - do it’s best to order everything at once.

Heading back

After dinner, we made our way back to Waverley Bridge to catch the Airline bus. By this point, the city was beautifully lit up and seeing Edinburgh at night was the perfect way to end the trip. This is a perk of visiting in the Winter time as it was only 18:00 at this time.

The bus dropped us right outside the airport entrance, making the journey back smooth and stress-free.

Logistics

Parking

We parked at the long-stay car park at Luton Airport for £27.99. While this is quite expensive for a budget trip, splitting the cost between four people made it more manageable.

If possible, I’d recommend getting dropped off to save money - especially if travelling solo.

Flights

My family and I (4 adults) flew with Easyjet from Luton Airport, London at 8:45. An early flight is vital to an extreme day trip but that also means you have to wake up early! We left our house at 5:30 in hopes to arrive 2 hours early to our flight. This left us with the perfect amount of time to get through security and grab a snack for the plane. 

The flight home was at 20:40 and so we aimed to be at the airport at 18:40. These plane tickets were £40 each return and we did not pay for seats or luggage. However, I checked us all in as soon as I could and we managed to get seats together that way!

Getting to the city centre

After exiting the airport, we walked to bus stop A which was the Airlink Bus stop. You can buy tickets before entering the bus which was £32 return for the 4 of us. From my research, this was the cheapest option and was roughly only a 30 minute drive. We got off on Prince’s Street but the bus ran all the way to Waverly Bridge.

Was it worth it?

Honestly - yes.

If you can find cheap flights and minimise extra costs, an extreme day trip to Edinburgh is a fantastic way to explore the city on a budget.

Of course, you would need to schedule your day differently if you want to go inside major attractions like the castle. However, if you follow this itinerary you will still get to experience the atmosphere, scenery and highlights of the city.

For me, it was a memorable and unique way to celebrate my birthday - and I’d definitely consider doing another extreme day trip in the future.

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