Living like a local in Edinburgh, Scotland

There are times when I dislike being labeled as a tourist.  When I’m visiting a new place, I prefer to blend in with the crowd and try to imagine what it must be like to live in that city.

It’s not possible to do that often, especially those in which I’d have to be fluent in another language to fully blend in.  But during our visit to Edinburgh, English is of course the primary language, and though my American accent probably sticks out amongst the Scottish one, I still wanted to try.

Instead of picking a hotel right in the center of the tourist attractions, I chose to do some research and explore neighborhoods nearby where there would be houses, grocery stores, and locals but also within a twenty-minute walk to the center. I found a site called Inner City Lets where I decided upon an apartment to rent.

What I found fit all of our needs and more. Jim and I stayed in a Georgian building built in 1824 in the Stockbridge neighborhood of Edinburgh.  All of the buildings on this street were Georgian style and what a difference it made to stay on an exquisite street like this one instead of a crowded hotel. We rented a one-bedroom apartment in the basement, equipped with a full bathroom, kitchen, living room/TV, and bedroom.

Prior to arriving in Edinburgh, we pre-arranged and confirmed the booking via email exchanges.  Once there, we met the owners, Sue and David, at our set check-in time.  They gave us a short tour of the apartment and facilities before handing off the keys to us for the weekend. They were wonderful – very friendly and easygoing and answered any questions we had about the city and the Stockbridge neighborhood.

In the mornings, we strolled through the neighborhood, relaxed at a coffee shop and explored the farmers market. On the 2nd day we toured the Botanical Gardens, a short walk from our apartment.

We still managed to participate in our fair share of tourist activities, like the Scotch Whiskey Heritage tour, Edinburgh Castle, and even a day trip to St. Andrews to see the golf course.

But during the evening we came back to our apartment and felt at home.  It was the perfect combination of being both a tourist and a local and my favorite way to see a city.

If you’re traveling to Edinburgh, I highly recommend the apartment where we stayed – Front Door Apartments.

Visited May 2012