10 Things to Do in Edinburgh in February

With its famous castle and cobbled streets, the capital of Scotland is one of the most visited of the whole island and both the city and its surroundings have landscapes that will take your breath away.

If you decide to travel out of season and come on vacation during the month of February, you should know that there are many activities you can do to get to know Edinburgh better. The cold of this month does not slow down the pace: festivals, tournaments, Chinese New Year and beautiful snowy landscapes are some of the things that await you, shall we start?

Edinburgh is, without a doubt, one of the cities that condenses more legends and mysterious stories of the whole continent. It has come to be known as the haunted city because of all the stories about ghosts and witches that are told about its streets. If you like all this atmosphere and you come in February, you'll be in luck.

During the winter months it usually gets dark much earlier, becoming completely dark at six in the evening. The whole atmosphere is conducive to taking one of Edinburgh' s ghost and mystery tours or booking the Edinburgh ghost bus. You will know the most macabre stories taking advantage of a cold, dark and cloudy weather and atmosphere.

Undoubtedly, the best weather to get inside all those stories that will give you goose bumps.

I'm not going to kid you. In February in Edinburgh it can get very cold. However, the locals have a product with which you can quickly warm up: whiskey. Originally from Scotland, this liquor has been its flagship for generations and, if you come to visit the capital in February, you should know that one of the best plans is to book a guided tour of The Scotch Whisky Experience.

With the cold, trying different samples of these liquors will make you warm up quickly, but, in addition, will allow you to better understand a little of the culture of this beautiful and bucolic country. Whether it's a whisky tour or tasting, a beer tour or going into one of its emblematic pubs yourself, it's certainly an experience you can have fun with and, at the same time, take shelter from the cold.

Edinburgh is a city that, just walking through its streets and seeing its spectacular architecture, already captivates and impresses. It is clear that, if you come with several days and well wrapped up, the best thing is to be able to enter all the tourist attractions of Edinburgh.

However, if you feel that in February the cold is too much to spend all day walking outdoors, one of the best plans is to book a tour bus tour.

This type of transport easily adapts to the weather. While in summer the roof becomes convertible to deal with the heat, in months like February, when temperatures hover around 7º or 8º degrees, the bus is covered and becomes a shelter with large windows from where you can tour the main tourist attractions and stop to take pictures. In addition, these tours of Edinburgh usually last 24 hours. They have free stops and you can hop on and off whenever you want with your ticket.

If you come to Edinburgh in February, you will notice right away that it is not a time when many tourists want to take a vacation. This, far from being something that puts you off, is one of its great strengths. You can beat the cold by wearing warm clothes and, with this issue solved, you can enjoy a city practically for you.

During the winter season, many museums and landmarks are practically empty and you can enjoy them without queues of people. It is a real luxury to be able to visit Edinburgh Castle without the crowds and in a season that makes it look even spookier.

In addition, many of the museums in the center are free, such as the National Museum, so you have no excuse to give you a good marathon of culture and history.

If there's one thing Scotland has, it's an unbeatable natural environment. Its vast green moors and valleys have been used as movie sets for decades. In addition, from Edinburgh, you are within walking distance of being able to see them, having to spend the same day to go and return.

Book an excursion to the Highlands or Loch Ness, for example, can be done throughout the year, but I can assure you that in February will leave you with your mouth open. Discovering the snowy landscapes with your own eyes will make you feel like you're on another planet. Some of the destinations are completely covered by a blanket of snow that will transport you to a set of Game of Thrones or the locations of Outlander

There are numerous tours that take you in a day to travel through these spectacular landscapes as the tour of the locations of Outlander. In addition, they have a local guide and a vehicle with which they can traverse the icy surfaces, getting you to the best places to fall in love with the charm of these lands.

You can not forget that February is the month of love and as in many parts of the world, in Edinburgh it is celebrated in style. If you have come to spend a few days of February with your partner in this beautiful city, you should take the opportunity to make some of the most romantic plans.

In addition to buying flowers and giving the so-called "greeting cards", Edinburgh has several panoramas that you can do to make your partner fall in love with you:

• Watch the sunset in one of its viewpoints: Edinburgh has one of the most striking architectures of the whole country. Many people travel here just to be able to stroll through its streets and feel in another era. What could be more romantic than going up to the heights and see it all from above? The city has two beautiful viewpoints, Calton Hill and Arthur's Seat, which you can easily access and from where you will have an unforgettable date.
• Take an intimate stroll: The landscapes and surroundings of Edinburgh are those that have inspired many authors to write their fantastic and romantic works. The green and leafy nature of these lands is ideal if you want to have a special date with your partner. Therefore, one of the best things to do during Valentine's Day is to leave the bustle of the city and take an intimate walk in the outskirts, in areas such as the beautiful park of Dr Neil's Garden, in Duddingston or the Water of Leith route.
• Enjoy a romantic dinner: There is nothing more romantic than dinner in a good restaurant. Edinburgh has several places for the occasion and, in addition, during February 14 you can find special menus for couples so that the night ends up being round. One of the best restaurants in the city is The Witchery by The Castle, which has a spectacular decoration and has a great gastronomic offer. Another place where you can book is the Hard Rock Cafe in Edinburgh. Very close to Princess Street.

Are you passionate about nature and mountains? I'm sure if you come to Edinburgh in February it will be too cold to do any hiking in its stunning countryside. However, there is an option that embraces art and the outdoors and that will allow you to be under cover for a few hours: the Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival.

Every year, during the first days of February, this festival is held to reward and showcase all the documentary films whose theme is the mountain, nature and outdoor activities. Sometimes you can find fiction films and, at other times, true documentaries of overcoming and effort.

The film shows are in English, but if you don't master the language, don't worry! The most impressive thing is what you see on the screen. Without a doubt, it is an ideal plan if you want to get a much closer look at Scotland's beautiful natural environment from the comfort of an armchair. You only have to check the dates of each year and buy tickets for approximately 15 € for the day you want to attend. It is usually held every year at the George Square Lecture Theatre.

In February takes place one of the most awaited moments of nature for all Scots. During this month, the first stems of snowdrops begin to sprout, beautiful and delicate white flowers that announce the coming of spring, being the first to grow of the season.

If you come to Edinburgh in February, you can not miss this natural spectacle taking a walk through the Botanic Garden. During the whole month and part of March, when there are more bluebells, there are scheduled walks of about 3 hours throughout the garden, explaining the characteristics of this flower and being able to see the large plantations up close.

In addition, thanks to a specialized guide, you will be able to discover the different species and the strategic points of the place where you can find them. If you want to sign up to see this type of show, you can take advantage of it any morning for an approximate cost of 10 €.

Scottish cuisine boasts some of the most abundant and comforting food in the whole archipelago. Despite having several overlaps with English food, the truth is that in Scotland they don't like to go hungry and it shows in their typical dishes. Most of the star recipes have to do with game meat, marinated fish and all kinds of stews that make you warm up.

I can't think of any better plan during one of the cold days of your visit to Edinburgh in February, than to go into one of the typical pubs and try some of the most characteristic dishes of its gastronomy.

There are dishes for all tastes and flavors, but some of the most comforting during your visit in February are:

• Haggis: a traditional dish based on entrails and game meat.
• Scotch broth: a lamb soup with seasonal vegetables.
• Partan bree: a tasty seafood stew.
• Cullen Skink: a potent smoked fish stew with onion and potato.
• Haddock: a hake-based dish.

On January 1, Edinburgh celebrates the arrival of the new year with a spectacular party like all the countries of the continent. However, in February there is another celebration that you will be able to witness if you come during this month: the Chinese New Year celebration.

The whole city dresses up from late January to late February to welcome the new oriental year, organizing numerous activities, parades, exhibitions and events.

Undoubtedly, one of the most important takes place in the square of Edinburgh Castle, which is dressed in red to witness one of the biggest parades of the festival with dragons, original costumes and lots of music. You can also listen to the Edinburgh Symphony Orchestra play live in the company of oriental artists. You'll just have to keep an eye out to find out what day Chinese New Year falls on the next time you're in Edinburgh in February to enjoy this display of magic and tradition.

Edinburgh has a lot to see and do but as you might have guessed, due to its location, it is a city where winter hits hard. While if you travel in summer you can find temperatures of up to 20 degrees Celsius, in winter it is usually between 2 and 5 degrees C elsius all day. This is one of the reasons why many people decide not to travel during this month to visit the city.

However, every cloud has a silver lining and, with good warm clothes and waterproof footwear for possible rain, you can enjoy a beautiful winter atmosphere and a city much less crowded than the "hot" months.