Edinburgh — United Kingdom
Edinburgh gets rain on 156 days a year, against 123 in London, yet the annual total stops at 904.9 mm. The city is wet by frequency, not by volume. Built along a volcanic ridge and beside a planned Georgian grid, it is walked in layers rather than in straight lines.
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Why go
Edinburgh is two cities that never merged. The Old Town runs down a single rock spine from the castle to the royal palace, a medieval street with narrow closes and stair passages dropping away on both sides. The New Town below it is the opposite idea: a grid of wide streets and squares laid out in the eighteenth century, with the gardens of a drained valley between the two. An extinct volcano rises inside the city limits and is climbed in under an hour. Very little of this requires a vehicle, and the national museum and national gallery ask no entry fee.
The city suits walkers who accept gradients, readers, museum-goers, and anyone who enjoys a compact capital where the sea, a hill and a medieval street are twenty minutes apart. It suits less well those hoping for warmth — the warmest month averages 19.5 °C — or those who dislike crowds, because the August festival month transforms the place entirely. Three full days cover the centre comfortably. A week only makes sense if you plan to leave the city for the coast, the Forth bridges or the Highland edge.
Month-by-month climate
The annual range is narrow and the rain is relentless in frequency. January is the coldest month, 6.9 °C by day and 1.3 °C at night; August is the warmest, 19.5 °C, with July a shade behind at 19.2 °C. Nothing here gets hot. The rain pattern is the part worth planning around. October carries the heaviest total, 111.2 mm across 14 rainy days, followed by December with 96.3 mm over 16 days — the highest day count of the year after July. July itself is an oddity: 17 days with measurable rain and 88.5 mm, which lands squarely on the festival month. February records the lowest monthly total, 51.1 mm, while May has the fewest wet days, ten, for 65.8 mm. Over the year that adds up to 904.9 mm on 156 days. The compensation is intensity: in May and June only 4 days a month exceed 5 mm, so most of what falls is a passing shower.
| Month | Avg. high (°C) | Avg. low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Days ≥ 1 mm | Days ≥ 5 mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.9 | 1.3 | 69 | 11 | 5 |
| Feb | 8.7 | 3.0 | 51 | 11 | 4 |
| Mar | 10.2 | 2.7 | 75 | 15 | 5 |
| Apr | 12.5 | 4.2 | 65 | 11 | 5 |
| May | 16.4 | 7.5 | 66 | 10 | 4 |
| Jun | 18.2 | 10.1 | 56 | 11 | 4 |
| Jul | 19.2 | 11.5 | 89 | 17 | 8 |
| Aug | 19.5 | 11.8 | 83 | 14 | 6 |
| Sept | 16.8 | 8.9 | 65 | 13 | 4 |
| Oct | 13.3 | 7.0 | 111 | 14 | 8 |
| Nov | 9.4 | 3.0 | 78 | 13 | 5 |
| Dec | 8.7 | 3.5 | 96 | 16 | 7 |
Source: Meteostat — Edimbourg (United Kingdom) station, 9.6 km away, 3 sample years. Monthly totals rebuilt from daily averages. Data partly modelled (Meteostat, DWD/met.no).
When to go
May and June are the clear window: 16.4 °C with the year's fewest wet days in May, 18.2 °C in June, and daylight that stretches well past dinner. August is warmest at 19.5 °C but it is festival month — beds, prices and pavements all come under pressure, and 14 days of rain come with it. Avoid October if damp weighs on you: 111.2 mm over 14 days.
What to see in 2, 4 and 7 days
In 2 days
- Start at the castle at opening time, then walk the full ridge downhill to the royal palace at the bottom.
- Spend the afternoon in the free national museum; its roof terrace gives the best free view over the Old Town.
- Climb Calton Hill at dusk for the profile of the city against the Firth, ten minutes from the main street.
- Second morning in the Georgian New Town, then the national gallery below the mound, also free.
- Finish on the extinct volcano in the royal park if your legs allow; allow an hour up and back.
In 4 days
- Day one starts at the castle at opening time, walks the full ridge downhill to the royal palace, then gives the afternoon to the free national museum and Calton Hill at dusk.
- Day two takes the Georgian New Town, the national gallery below the mound, the extinct volcano in the royal park if your legs allow, and a whisky or gin tasting to close.
- Third day down to the old port on the Firth for the former royal yacht and a seafood lunch.
- Use a day bus ticket rather than a tour coach; the municipal network reaches the port and the coast.
- Fourth day to the Forth bridges, or east along the coast by train to the fishing villages and beaches.
- Keep one evening for theatre, live folk music, or a tour of the vaults under the old bridges.
In 7 days
- Days 1 to 3 for the city itself, alternating indoor collections with hill walks so showers cost you nothing.
- Day 4 to Stirling by train, for the castle on its crag and the battlefield country around it.
- Day 5 to Glasgow, a short train ride away, for a completely different Scottish city and its art collections.
- Day 6 along the East Lothian coast: wide beaches, a ruined clifftop castle, seabird colonies on the islands offshore.
- Day 7 for what you missed, plus the botanic garden north of the centre and a last climb.
- Book any August trip many months ahead; during the festivals accommodation fills across the whole region.
Getting there and around
Edinburgh Airport lies 10 km west of the centre (EDI) and is linked by tram and by bus, both ending beside the main station. Dundee Airport (DND) is 57 km away and Glasgow International (GLA) 78 km, with frequent coaches from the latter. Trains from England arrive in the middle of the city, in the valley between the two towns. Once there you will mostly walk; buses and trams cover the rest on a day ticket, and there is no metro. Expect steps, ridges and wind.
Nearest airports
- EDIEdinburgh Airport10 km from the centre
- DNDDundee Airport57 km from the centre
- GLAGlasgow International Airport78 km from the centre
Budget
Country price level compared with France : −17 %
Price index for restaurants and hotels, France = 1000, from European purchasing power parities. It is a country average: it says nothing about one hotel in particular.
Eating out costs less than in Paris: the United Kingdom as a whole undercuts France. Edinburgh sits above that national average, though, and August is a separate market altogether. Outside festival season a decent double holds at 90 to 170 €, then doubles or worse once the programmes open. Food adds 40 to 70 € per person per day. Free national museums and galleries take real pressure off the daily total, which is why a week here can end up costing less than the room rate suggests.
Common mistakes
- Booking August without checking the festival calendar: rooms are scarce and expensive, and the Old Town street becomes a slow-moving corridor.
- Packing an umbrella instead of a hooded jacket. The wind coming off the Firth destroys umbrellas, and the rain is rarely heavy anyway.
- Allowing one hour for the castle. Give it half a morning and buy a timed ticket before you travel.
- Underestimating the gradients between the Old Town ridge and the New Town below; comfortable shoes matter more than smart ones.
- Treating the port district as optional. It is on the city bus network and gives the trip a second, very different half-day.
Frequently asked questions
Does it really rain every day in Edinburgh?
Close to half of them. Rain reaches 1 mm on 156 days a year. But the volume stays modest at 904.9 mm annually, and the heavy days are few: even July, with 17 wet days, only has 8 above 5 mm. Plan outdoor blocks in the morning, keep an indoor option ready, and carry a hood rather than an umbrella.
Is Edinburgh worth it outside the August festivals?
Arguably more so. In May you get 16.4 °C, the fewest rainy days of the year and long evenings, with the castle, the museums and the volcano all uncrowded. The festivals bring extraordinary programming but also the year's highest prices and a city that stops flowing. If you want the place rather than the event, come in late spring.
Old Town or New Town to stay in?
The Old Town puts you inside the atmosphere and inside the noise, which matters in summer when windows stay open. The New Town is quieter, flatter to walk, better for restaurants and only ten minutes away on foot. Families and light sleepers are usually happier in the New Town; first-timers on a two-night trip often prefer the ridge.
Updated on 21 September 2026