Edinburgh in 3 days

Morning

• Edinburgh Castle2h

  Start with your pre-booked 9.30am castle slot, going straight up to the Crown Jewels and St Margaret's Chapel before the groups. Time it to catch the One O'Clock Gun, or come down earlier and take in the first big rampart views over the city.

  TipBook online for a timed morning slot and take the first entry at 9.30am; walk-up queues at the gate build fast and slots regularly sell out in summer. Head straight up to the Crown Jewels and St Margaret's Chapel before the tour groups, and stick around for the One O'Clock Gun, fired from the Mills Mount Battery at 1pm every day except Sunday.

• The Royal Mile1h30

  Walk the Royal Mile downhill from the castle so gravity helps, ducking into free closes like Dunbar's Close garden for the medieval texture. This is the calmest the Mile gets before it fills, so take the side stairways over the tourist shops.

  TipWalk it downhill from the castle to Holyrood so gravity is on your side, and duck into the free narrow closes off it, like Dunbar's Close garden or the Real Mary King's Close area, for the real medieval texture. Skip the tartan tat shops on the main drag; the interesting bits are down the side stairways, and early morning is the only time it is quiet.

Afternoon

• Palace of Holyroodhouse1h30

  At the foot of the Mile, tour the Palace of Holyroodhouse with the audio guide through Mary, Queen of Scots' chambers and the ruined abbey. Check ahead, as it closes at short notice when royals are in residence.

  TipBook ahead, as the King's official Scottish residence closes to visitors at short notice when royals are in town, so check the calendar before you go. The included audio guide covers Mary, Queen of Scots' chambers and the ruined abbey next door; allow 90 minutes, and note it sits right at the foot of the Royal Mile so you can pair it with Arthur's Seat.

• Greyfriars Kirkyard40 min

  Loop back up via the free, atmospheric Greyfriars Kirkyard for Greyfriars Bobby and the headstones tied to the Harry Potter names. Late afternoon gives it the best eerie light.

  TipThis atmospheric old graveyard is free and open in daylight, and worth it for the loyal-dog statue of Greyfriars Bobby at the gate and the headstone names, Riddell, McGonagall, Potter, said to have inspired Harry Potter characters. Go in the late afternoon for the eerie light, and it sits right beside the National Museum so pair the two.

Evening

• Grassmarket pubs2h

  Dinner and a drink in the Grassmarket, in the cobbled hollow under the castle rock, stepping off the square for fairer prices and better beer. A whisky flight or a Scottish ale ends the day where the Old Town stays liveliest.

  TipDrink in the cobbled hollow below the castle rock where the terraces look straight up at the crag, but step off the square itself into the side streets for fairer prices and better beer. Try a Scottish craft ale or a dram of whisky, ask the bar for a small tasting flight to compare, and expect it to stay lively later than most of the Old Town.

Morning

• Arthur's Seat and Holyrood Park2h

  Climb Arthur's Seat early for the best free panorama in the city, about 45 minutes up from the Holyrood side, easiest via Dunsapie Loch. Wear real shoes and a windproof; the exposed summit turns cold and wet in minutes.

  TipClimb the extinct volcano for the best free panorama in Edinburgh: it is about 45 minutes up from the Holyrood side, and the gentler path from Dunsapie Loch is the easiest line to the summit. Wear real shoes and a windproof, as the top is exposed and the weather turns fast, and go early morning or a long summer evening for the light and the space.

• National Museum of Scotland2h

  Back in town, take the free National Museum of Scotland, from Dolly the cloned sheep to the Victorian Grand Gallery, a solid hedge against a wet morning. Do not miss the roof terrace for its quiet castle-and-rooftop view.

  TipEntry is free, so it is the perfect rainy-day fallback in a city that rains often; head straight up to the roof terrace for a quiet, little-known castle-and-rooftop view. Do not miss Dolly the cloned sheep and the Grand Gallery, and the cafe in the soaring Victorian hall is a decent shelter when a squall rolls through.

Afternoon

• Victoria Street45 min

  Wander the curving pastel shopfronts of Victoria Street, shooting the sweep from Victoria Terrace up top before browsing the independent bookshops and cheese shops. It is the city's most photographed street and a rumoured Diagon Alley model.

  TipThe curving, pastel-fronted shopfronts of this steep Old Town street are the most photographed streetscape in Edinburgh and a rumoured model for Diagon Alley. Shoot it from the terrace of Victoria Terrace up top for the full sweep, come before 9am to beat the crowds, and browse the genuinely good independent bookshops and cheese shops rather than the wizard tat.

• The Scott Monument45 min

  Cross to Princes Street and climb the 287 spiral steps of the Scott Monument for a small fee to the balconies over the gardens and across to the castle. It gets tight near the top, but the mid-tier view is worth it.

  TipThe soot-black Gothic rocket on Princes Street is the largest monument to a writer in the world, and you can climb its 287 narrow spiral steps for a small fee to a series of tight balconies with rooftop views. The staircase gets steep and claustrophobic near the top so it is not for everyone, but the second-tier view over the gardens to the castle is the payoff.

Evening

• Calton Hill45 min

  Finish on Calton Hill for the classic dusk skyline down the Old Town spine to the castle, a flat, free 10-minute walk from the east end of Princes Street. Sunset and blue hour give the postcard light with far less effort than Arthur's Seat.

  TipThis is the easy classic skyline shot: a flat 10-minute walk up from the east end of Princes Street gets you the postcard view down the Old Town spine to the castle, framed by the mock-Greek monuments. It is free and open all hours; come at sunset or blue hour for the best light, and it is far less effort than Arthur's Seat for a nearly-as-good panorama.

Morning

• Dean Village1h30

  Walk out through the Georgian New Town to Dean Village, the turreted stone milling hamlet on the Water of Leith about 15 minutes from Princes Street. Take the riverside walkway rather than the road, and come before the small lanes fill with photographers.

  TipA former milling hamlet on the Water of Leith, this cluster of turreted stone houses is a 15-minute walk from Princes Street and one of the city's prettiest quiet corners. Reach it along the riverside walkway rather than the road, come early before the small lanes fill with photographers, and keep the noise down as people actually live here.

• 2h

  If you would rather leave the city entirely, this is the day for a full-day trip: a small-group tour into the Highlands and Loch Ness, or the shorter run to Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument, both easy from Edinburgh and back by evening. Book a tour or grab an early train, and skip the New Town and Leith plan below.

Afternoon

• Royal Yacht Britannia2h30

  Take the tram or bus 20 minutes north to Leith for the Royal Yacht Britannia at Ocean Terminal, a self-paced two-hour audio tour of the Queen's former floating home. The tea room on the old sun deck is a nice finish before lunch on The Shore.

  TipBook ahead for the Queen's former floating home, moored at Ocean Terminal in Leith and reached in 20 minutes on the tram or bus from the centre. The self-paced audio tour of five decks takes about two hours and the tea room on the old sun deck is a nice finish; combine it with lunch on The Shore to make the trip out worthwhile.

Evening

• 2h

  Stay out in Leith for dinner along The Shore, home to some of the city's best kitchens including a cluster of Michelin tables and good harbour chippies. It is the local, food-led counterpoint to the Old Town, and the tram runs you straight back into the centre after.

• Princes Street Gardens30 min

  If you head back early, wind down in Princes Street Gardens below the castle rock, walking the lower path for a last free look up at the floodlit castle. After three days you will know exactly where the best angle sits.

  TipThis free valley park sits in the drained old loch bed directly below the castle rock, giving you the classic look-up-at-the-castle view without paying for anything. Walk the lower path for the best angle, rest on the grass on a rare sunny afternoon, and note the Christmas market and big fair take over the eastern half from late November.