Half term in Edinburgh.

[moocowmrs]

We are spending half term in Edinburgh very excited and would live to visit nice places to eat with the children not the usual chains. So give me your nicest family cafes and,restaurants in the beautiful city. Not too many ££ please DC are 1,5,7.
Also best places to visit. Thankyou x

[strawberrie]

Whereabouts are you staying?

Must do is the National Museum, it's free and has great sections for children, your 1 year old will love the Imagine zone. Camera Obscura on the Royal Mile is great fun; lots of optical illusions and a great panoramic view.

If your older ones are science/natural history minded they will love Dynamic
Earth. The Botanic gardens are also free and great for a stomp around if the weather is kind to you; there's a play park just across the road from the main entrance.

I am racking my brains to think of non chainy places to eat, let me consult my Edinburgh for the Under 5s guidebook and get back to you

[moocowmrs]

Ooh thank you staying at the novotel just near the castle. Those all sound great x

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Dynamic Earth is excellent. Which museum is it with all the stuffed animals too? That's good. It's near a cafe which is full of elephants, which the 5 and 7 year old might enjoy too. The castle is excellent, but not sure how interesting it would be for littlies.

[strawberrie]

That's the national museum Remus. I don't think the castle has enough to offer for children to justify the entry fees, you can walk right up the castle esplanade to the gate for nowt and still get a good feel for it.

Now I've worked out the location of your hotel I will also recommend the Meadows park for a run around, and on the east side there's a newish play park with great equipment for older kids. On meadows walk there is vair naice coffee shop called peters yard.

[BettySuarez]

I also recommend The Camera Obscura, great fun.

Also the old Greyfriars Kirk Graveyard for spooky tombstones (if your DCs like Harry Potter?)

There is a fossil shop just around the corner from there too.

The atmosphere on the Royal Mile will be fab at half term with lots of performers I would imagine.

[moocowmrs]

Thanks all, and the top about castle was in my list but will,have a look from the outside.

[QueenofPlaids]

There are loads of restaurants up towards the university, which is very near your hotel. I can't say how good they are, but Forrest Road / Teviot Place has quite a few. Namaste (Indian) on Forrest Rd used to be good, but I haven't been for a while.

Depending on where you live now, the zoo might be worth a visit. Edinburgh Zoo is known for its penguin parade (so worth timing to coincide if you can - I reckon kids would love it). You can get a no. 26 bus from Princes St (main shopping street) to the zoo, but there may be better ones. Lothian buses have a website with all their routes.

There's a children's museum on the Royal Mile (about 10-15 mins from where you are).

DP reliably informs me the science festival is on in April, if that's when you're here. There will be a website...will take a look (on iPhone thus no links).

[moocowmrs]

Thank had thought about zoo for the pandas we are in the northwest so have a couple of zoos not to far away, gosh excited now and the DC's will,have plenty to do.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Oh yes - the zoo is excellent and an easy bus ride from the town centre.

[strawberrie]

No penguin parade at the moment sadly, the penguin enclosure is under refurb so most of the birds are away on holiday somewhere else :(

[moocowmrs]

Oh right will look into booking pandas. Thanks for top, is it,worth taking the children to royal yaught britannia or not,or is there anything near there that they could do with dh while I had a bit of peace look round it.

[strawberrie]

I thought royal yacht britannia was fab actually. You could take them down there to Ocean Terminal ( the Entry/visitors centre is situations within this shopping mall) and they can see the yacht through the big plate glass walls at the back; you get a good view of the decks etc for them to decide whether they want to go. You get a handheld audio thingy so can do the tour at their own pace. It's really interesting, both peeking at the posh bits ( you see the queen's bedroom) and the quarters below deck.

If they don't fancy, there's a vue cinema and a big soft play centre within ocean terminal.

[moocowmrs]

Great thankyou. That's on the list then

[theoriginalandbestrookie]

I have to say I was a bit non plussed by the yacht britannia and its quite expensive. But yes there is a soft play they could go to whilst you go to it.

Zoo is good, we have seen the pandas and they are very impressive up close - I would make the effort to go and see them.

Botanics are good and they usually have child friendly activities at the centre, the cafe - not the restaurant on top of the centre, but the separate cafe does a reasonably priced lunch.

Hendersons on Hanover Street is a lovely vegetarian cafe that serves child sized portions of soup and baked potatoes or DS loves their pizza.

National museum good. The children might also enjoy the bus trip and it means you get to see quite a bit and then you can decide which bits to visit or get off at on the day.

[Flatbread]

I like Urban Angels, good food in a relaxed atmosphere.

Valvolla Crolla (sp?) on Leith Walk is lovely for a relaxed brunch

[Flatbread]

Love the botanical garden mentioned up-thread. There is a pretty good Spanish tapas place in the vicinity.

[Heartstart]

Hi we went to Edinburgh in oct half term and had a great time. Wouldn't bother with the zoo, v underwhelmed. National museum fab and good cafe. Mary king close excellent.

[Groovee]

Camera Obscura, the Museum and the Museum of Childhood are where I would recommend.

[NorthernLurker]

The restaurant at the National museum (in the basement area) is nice. We had a lovely meal there with our extended family.

Dynamic earth is good but certainly not cheap!

[florry88]

being cheeky but a trip on the train to Glasgow, defintly worth it, away from the touristy trappings of edinburgh for a day!

Then you can hop on the undergound to Kelvingrove and the new transport museum, both great and free.

[indyandlara]

Don't miss the National Museum. It is really fab and good cafe/ bistro. If you head into Morningside then try Loopy Lorna's in the Churchill Theatre.

[SuperLemonCrush]

Henderson's vegetarian restaurant in Hanover Street is a favourite of ours. There are various cafes which claim to be where JKR wrote Harry Potter - the Elephant House on George IV bridge is one - near to NMS and Castle is very very nice, great views and lots of...elephants. Most of the museum cafes etc are very good - we also like the restaurant in the Botanics. Have fun!