Edinburgh in 5 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)
Five Days: All the Free Hills, the One Castle Ticket, and Leith
Five days covers the free trio (Royal Mile, Arthur’s Seat, Calton Hill, National Museum of Scotland), the one paid Castle ticket, and a full day out in Leith and the New Town, with room left for one more paid extra if you want it. Days 1 and 2 are identical to our 2-day version of this plan; Days 3 to 5 add Arthur’s Seat, Leith and the Old Town’s paid extras. This is also the spine our 6-day and 7-day plans extend further.
Book these before you go:
- Edinburgh Castle skip-the-line ticket , 30-minute online slot, GBP 23.50 (walk-up GBP 26)
- Old Town or New Town accommodation , ideally locked in before the Visitor Levy start date (details at edinburgh.org )
- Royal Yacht Britannia ticket , GBP 21, if the Leith day includes it
- Real Mary King’s Close , guided groups only, GBP 25
| 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 3 | Arthur’s Seat + New Town + Princes Street Gardens (all free) | GBP 20-30 |
| Day 4 | Leith, Water of Leith, optional Britannia | GBP 15-40 |
| Day 5 | Mary King’s Close or Grassmarket shopping, final dinner | GBP 15-40 |
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 ). Budget 2 to 2.5 hours, including the National War Museum on the same ticket. More on ticket tiers and what is inside is in our Edinburgh Castle guide .
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.
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.
Day 3: Arthur’s Seat and the New Town
Morning: hike Arthur’s Seat, 45 to 60 minutes each way from Holyrood, genuinely steep in parts and free the entire way. Good boots matter more here than in flatter capital cities.
Afternoon: Princes Street Gardens (free) below the Castle rock, then the Georgian grid of the New Town, Charlotte Square and George Street, for window-shopping rather than spending.
Evening: dinner in Stockbridge, a short walk from the New Town and consistently cheaper than the Royal Mile’s tourist-menu frontage.
Day 4: Leith
Morning: bus or walk to Leith (Lothian single GBP 2.40, or capped at GBP 5.70 if you have used the bus already today), then the Water of Leith walkway, free, for the port district’s food and drink scene without the Old Town crowds.
Afternoon: the Royal Yacht Britannia at Ocean Terminal, GBP 21, self-guided, 1.5 to 2 hours, is the one genuine splurge on this day; skip it if the budget is tight and spend the afternoon in Dean Village instead, free.
Evening: dinner in Leith, which has a real food and drink scene at a fraction of Royal Mile prices.
Day 5: One Paid Extra and the Final Wander
Morning: Real Mary King’s Close, GBP 25, guided tours only, if the underground 17th-century streets interest you; otherwise the Vennel Viewpoint gives the same postcard Castle photo for free.
Afternoon: Grassmarket and Victoria Street shopping, away from the Royal Mile’s marked-up souvenir frontage.
Evening: a final dinner and a folk music pub.
How much do five days in Edinburgh cost on a budget?
Excluding accommodation, expect roughly GBP 140-190 across the five days: one Castle ticket, one optional Britannia or Mary King’s Close ticket, daily lunches and dinners weighted toward pub deals, and Lothian bus fares capped at GBP 5.70 a day. Hostel beds run separately.
Is Leith worth a full day on a budget trip?
Yes, if you skip the Britannia ticket and treat it as a free walking and eating day. The Water of Leith walkway and the port’s food scene cost nothing beyond a meal, and it is the one day on this itinerary that gets you away from the Old Town’s tourist prices entirely.
Getting around: the same Lothian Buses fare applies all five days, flat GBP 2.40, capped at GBP 5.70 daily on one contactless card. Details at lothianbuses.com .
Pack proper rain layers for all five days. Edinburgh’s wettest month by rain-day count is also its busiest, August, so do not assume dry weather just because it is summer.