Experience in Edinburgh, United Kingdom by Evie

What is it like to live in Edinburgh? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

I would strongly recommend Edinburgh to anyone who loves to explore, surrounded by beautiful landscapes. Biggest area of concern for Edinburgh is probably the prices, although it’s nothing more than you’d expect for a capital city (I.e., London or paris are both far more expensive than Edinburgh). It’s a great place when it comes to going out for the day and it’s super easy to get around (most places are easily walkable or accessible through a bus), weather permitting of course! As long as you don’t mind putting up with a bit of wind and rain, Edinburgh both as a city and the people who make it up is a vibrant and lovely place to live.

What is the student lifestyle like in Edinburgh?

Edinburgh is a very sociable city, with lots of events constantly happening in places like the meadows or sometimes on campus at the university. Nightlife in Edinburgh is fairly good, albeit expensive. If you’re studying at uni of Edinburgh, there can be some divides between the incredibly rich students from London (who often migrate to pollock halls or chancellors in first year) and everyone else. However, the majority of people hear are very friendly and easy to get along with! Edinburgh is a great city to study in as there are plenty of cafes or student areas for a quiet study break, but there’s also plenty of outdoor spots where you could take a book or laptop! Student life in Edinburgh, although not as wild as it might be in other cities in the UK, can easily be just as fun and exciting so long as you find the right people.

How much does it cost to live in Edinburgh?

Edinburgh is quite expensive - around £5 for a pint in almost every pub. Daily living isn’t too different to anywhere else in the UK (as in grocery shopping, bills etc.). Although, rent can also be a bit pricey - costing around £500 for most flats in Marchmont (typically the student area for those who can afford it). It is possible to find accomodation costing between £400-500, especially when looking forward university accomodation, although it’s definitely more rare than it would be in other cities.

What places would you recommend visiting in Edinburgh?

Portobello for a day or even night on the beach. Arthur’s seat is an obvious but really fun thing to do around sunrise or sunset. If you’re willing to go on a drive, around half an hour out of the centre is Jupiter Artland which is a really cool, outdoor sculpture and art site. Calton hill is another high up spot in Edinburgh that’s closer to New Town, also really lovely. Grass market is great for pubs, although a little pricey. Try cowgate for a really good selection of student clubs and bars. Rose street (parallel to princes street) is great for cute pubs and restaurants as well.

Is the nightlife good in Edinburgh? Where is good to go?

Nightlife is really good (so long as you’re with the right people and in the right places). The clubs and pubs on cowgate have a great atmosphere and are often very fun, laidback places. Pubs wise, 3 sisters is often the go-to for students and, on weekends, it may as well be a club with how packed and lively it can get. Sneaky Petes and Cabaret Voltaire are both small clubs on and just off cowgate - both are super fun and have amazing atmospheres, although their music is quite different. Sneaky Pete’s hosts a range of genres differing on the night, whereas Cabaret Voltaire is primarily techno and stuff like that. Bongo, also on Cowgate, is another techno club which has a great atmosphere. Hive just off cowgate is renowned for being awful but so much fun (it’s the kind of place you end up rather than plan on going, but you always come back having had a stupidly fun night). For a more quiet, less wild night out, Stramash is one of the best places to go. It’s a church converted into a venue that has live music most of not every night, often from cover bands. Entry is free (although drinks are extortionate) and it can be one of the best nights out in Edinburgh. The live music can be of a very very diverse range and often you just have to turn up and find out whether it’s a jazz band covering Beyoncé or a Gaelic rock band covering Pink Floyd. Stramash can also be a good place to start your night and maybe go somewhere else afterwards, or it’s perfect for spending your whole night if you’re after a more relaxed, but still fun one. And all of that Is only on Cowgate!