Where should I get coffee in Edinburgh's Old Town?

The Milkman at 7 Cockburn Street is the coffee shop on this list, posted twice, set in a historic 1859 shopfront with a cozy, rustic interior. The listing highlights its specialty coffee, a caramel brownie cappuccino and fresh pastries, and prices are moderate.

What should I know before going to The Hub in Edinburgh?

The Hub, at the top of the Royal Mile, is the home of the Edinburgh International Festival. It has a strict bag size policy, with a maximum of 30 by 30 by 15 centimeters, and offers a complimentary cloakroom for anything bigger.

Edinburgh From TikTok: Scott Monument, Old Town and More

One landmark dominates Edinburgh's posts. The Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens appears five times, more than any other place in the city, for its 287-step spiral climb and the view from the top. After it come two everyday stops: Zizzi on Queensferry Street, a casual Italian restaurant posted three times, and The Milkman, a coffee shop in an 1859 shopfront on Cockburn Street.

The rest is a walk through the city's two halves. In the Old Town there is the curving, colorful Victoria Street and The Hub at the top of the Royal Mile. To the west, Dean Village sits in a valley on the Water of Leith, and St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral raises its three spires over Palmerston Place.

Culture & arts

Scott MonumentArchitectural Landmark St Mary's Episcopal CathedralChurch The HubMusic Venue

Food & drink

Zizzi Edinburgh Queensferry StreetItalian Restaurant The MilkmanSpecialty Coffee

Destinations

Dean VillageNeighborhood Victoria StreetNeighborhood

Old Town

Victoria Street links George IV Bridge to the Grassmarket in a curve of 19th-century facades painted in different colors, with independent shops and pubs along the way. The Milkman on Cockburn Street is the coffee stop, known for its specialty coffee and a caramel brownie cappuccino, with pastries and a rustic interior. The Hub, at the top of the Royal Mile, is the home of the Edinburgh International Festival; if you go to a performance, note the strict bag limit of 30 by 30 by 15 cm and the free cloakroom.

Princes Street to the West End

The Scott Monument is the largest monument to a writer in the world, with a Museum Room on Sir Walter Scott's life and a viewing platform reached by 287 steps. Payment there is by card only. Further west, Zizzi on Queensferry Street is a family-friendly option with Rustica pizzas and vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes. St Mary's Cathedral is free to enter, with daily choral services and Phoebe Anna Traquair murals in the Song School, and Dean Village is an old milling village of stone buildings and riverside paths.

Good to know

287, on a spiral staircase up to a viewing platform with panoramic views over Edinburgh. The monument in East Princes Street Gardens is listed as the largest monument to a writer in the world, and it has a Museum Room about Sir Walter Scott. Payment is card only.