Amazing Edinburgh Castle Tour & Highlights at the Portrait Gallery

On Saturday morning, we toured Edinburgh Castle. Being the weekend, it was incredibly crowded, which took away from the experience. To be honest, it felt a bit underwhelming. We spent about two hours strolling around the castle grounds before meeting up with Briana’s parents.

They were setting up for King Charles arrival this week for some sort of celebration.

More photos from the castle:

And the girls couldn’t resist the photo op:

We made our way down the Royal Mile for a tour of The Real Mary King’s Close. Along the way, we stopped at an old church that had been converted into an art market before meeting up with Briana’s parents.

Mary King’s Close is a historic alleyway located beneath the Edinburgh City Chambers building on the Royal Mile. While the tour itself was a bit cheesy, the historical insights were fascinating. Who would have thought they’d simply build over homes, sealing them off from the public?

After the tour, we began making our way back to the hotel, but not before stopping to watch some street performers. One of them was a bit freaky, but we couldn’t help but love his sign!

I believe they were ready to take a nap!

Sunday, we woke up a little later since we didn’t have any reservations. However, we wanted to visit the Scottish National Portrait Gallery before the crowds grew too large. The interior of the building features an incredible grand hall. The first floor showcased contemporary works, while the second floor displayed older pieces that told the history of Scotland through portraiture.

My favorite part of the museum was the library. Looked like something straight out of an old university.

Since Briana works for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, she was soaking it all in—as she should! The piece below was my favorite. It features a biologist specializing in biological anthropology during the Kosovo War.

After visiting the museum, we headed to Calton Hill, which offers breathtaking views of the city and features what is often referred to as Edinburgh’s Acropolis. After taking in the scenery, we made our way to Victoria Street, also known as Harry Potter Street.

Once on Victoria Street, we strolled through the shops. I picked up a new backpack, passed by a Harry Potter museum, and stumbled upon the most eclectic secondhand store I’ve ever seen. Sienna and Kiley browsed through the shop, and Kiley left with a cashmere sweater that she absolutely loves!

Once we returned to the hotel, we met up with the grandparents and headed off to Element for our final dinner in Edinburgh.

This morning, we woke up early for breakfast, as we had a car reserved for 10 a.m. to take us to the airport for our flight to Iceland, where we’ll spend the next few days.

Until we meet again, Scotland!