Edinburgh in 2 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)
Two Days, Two Priorities: The Free Sights and the One Paid Ticket
Two days is enough to walk the Old Town’s free sights and spend the one ticket worth buying, Edinburgh Castle, without rushing either. Day 1 covers the Royal Mile and the two free hilltop views; Day 2 is the Castle plus the free National Museum of Scotland. Want more time? This is the opening two days of our 5-day , 6-day and 7-day budget itineraries, extended rather than rebuilt. For the fuller list of free sights across the city, see our Edinburgh on a budget guide .
Book these before you go:
- Edinburgh Castle skip-the-line ticket , a 30-minute online slot, GBP 23.50 (walk-up GBP 26); July and August slots sell out
- Old Town or New Town accommodation , ideally booked ahead of the new Visitor Levy taking effect
- Real Mary King’s Close if you want the one paid Old Town add-on, guided groups only
| Day | Focus | Approx. spend (no room) |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Royal Mile, closes, Calton Hill (all free) | GBP 20-30 |
| Day 2 | Edinburgh Castle + National Museum of Scotland | GBP 35-45 |
Day 1: The Free Old Town
Morning: start at the Castle esplanade for the view (not the ticket yet) then walk the Royal Mile downhill, ducking into free closes like Advocate’s Close along the way. Stop at St Giles’ Cathedral (free entry, donation welcome) for the stained glass and the Thistle Chapel.
Midday: a takeaway haggis roll from a Royal Mile stall runs GBP 6-8, or hit a pub lunch deal (GBP 10-15, noon to 3pm) instead of paying dinner prices at lunchtime.
Afternoon: climb Calton Hill, 10 to 15 minutes from the east end of Princes Street, free, for the best low-effort Castle-and-skyline photo in the city.
Evening: dinner and a cheap pint (GBP 4-6) in a Grassmarket pub below the Castle rock.
Day 2: The Castle and the Free Museum
Morning: your booked 30-minute Castle slot (current hours at edinburghcastle.scot ). Go early if you can, the Crown Room queue is shortest in the first hour. Budget 2 to 2.5 hours inside, including the National War Museum, which is covered by the same ticket.
Afternoon: the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street, free general admission (confirmed at nationalmuseums.scot ), permanent collection only. The rooftop terrace is one of the better Castle views in the city and most visitors stay far longer than the hour they planned.
Evening: a wee dram flight at an Old Town whisky bar (GBP 5-12 a measure) instead of the GBP 24 Scotch Whisky Experience tour, then a final dinner.
How much does two days in Edinburgh cost on a budget?
Excluding accommodation, expect roughly GBP 55-75 for the two days: one Castle ticket (GBP 23.50), two cheap lunches, two pub dinners, a couple of pints or a whisky flight, and Lothian bus fares capped at GBP 5.70 a day if you use the buses at all. Hostel beds run separately and vary by season.
Is two days enough time in Edinburgh?
Two days covers the Old Town’s free sights plus the Castle comfortably, but it skips Arthur’s Seat, Leith and the New Town entirely. If any of those interest you, the 5-day version of this same plan adds them without changing what you do on these first two days.
Getting around: Lothian Buses run a flat GBP 2.40 fare, capped at GBP 5.70 a day on one contactless card; the Old Town core is walkable enough that you may not need the bus at all on these two days. Details at lothianbuses.com .
Pack a rain layer regardless of the forecast. Edinburgh’s weather does not respect a two-day plan.