How to Spend a Rainy Day in Edinburgh (and still have fun!)

Last Updated on 22nd August 2024 by Sophie Nadeau

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If there’s one thing you should know before visiting Edinburgh it’s that bad weather days are common. Scotland in general experiences a lot of rain throughout the year, even in the summer months, due to its mountainous landscape. However, this Gothic fairytale city can be even more enchanting when explored in the rain. Here’s your guide on how to spend a rainy day in Edinburgh (and still have fun!)

How often does it rain in Edinburgh?

Typically there are around 190 days of rain in Edinburgh in a year, on average Scotland receives the highest annual volume of rain in the United Kingdom, meaning that, if you’re not planning to visit the Scottish capital during the summer, it will probably rain at least once or twice during your visit.

That being said…the weather in Scotland is pretty unpredictable! The rainiest months in Edinburgh are between October and February. Be sure to bring a waterproof jacket too! Thanks to the city’s proximity to the sea and its hilly landscape, it can get very windy, so umbrellas often prove useless in these conditions.

Best rainy day activities in Edinburgh

Tour a distillery

Of course, while in Scotland one of the more fascinating things to do is take a tour around a whisky distillery. After all, the golden liquid is their biggest export and what the country is best known for worldwide, home to over 150 active whisky distilleries!

In the heart of Edinburgh, two main whisky distilleries are easy to reach, both of which are fairly new additions to the whisky scene, meaning that you can get a real sense of tradition as well as the new and exciting techniques distillers are working with today.

Holyrood Distillery – This distillery was established in 2019, and like many distilleries that wait for their whisky to age (which legally has to for 3 years and 1 day), Holyrood started by making a delicious selection of simple, yet tasty, gin! By the end of 2023 a fittingly named whisky, Holyrood Arrival came out as their first release.

A tour around the distillery takes around 1 hour and you’ll be able to sample all sorts of spirits, from their gin to new make (un-aged whisky) and now their actual whisky. The tour is informative and fun, and it’s fascinating to learn how a new distillery is pushing the boundaries of experimenting with yeast and malt when it comes to making whisky. Book a whisky tour for Holyrood Distillery here.

Port of Leith – This is Scotland’s tallest vertical distillery, which stands at nine stories high. Unusual for a distillery because of the huge copper stills that are required to make the golden malt, Port of Leith sits proudly at the water’s edge and there’s also a bar on the 8th floor where you can sip on whisky with a view and enjoy delicious food. Book a tour and tasting for Port of Leith here.

I would suggest visiting a whisky distillery despite whether or not you drink it, simply because of how rich and interesting the cultural heritage and significance this alcoholic spirit holds. However, another great distiller tour for whisky haters is to visit Lind & Lime, a gin distillery.

Head to a small museum

Of course, when it’s raining one of the best things you can do is take shelter somewhere ideally for enough time for the rainfall to pass, and what better place to do so than at a museum!

Edinburgh is filled with small and unique museums and is also home to the National Museum of Scotland, which showcases a huge collection of Scottish history and culture. And, the majority of these spots are free to enter! Here are some suggested museums to visit during the rain:

• Surgeon’s Hall Museum – One of the most unique museums of the city, this showcases one of the largest and most historic pathology collections in the UK. Not for the faint-hearted, if you are fascinated by the human anatomy then here, you can see it all in jars right before you! (£9.50 visit)
• The Writer’s Museum – This tiny museum displays an insight into the life and works of some of Scotland’s most beloved writers. (Free entry)
• Camera Obscura – A world of illusion’, this tourist attraction on the Royal Mile was founded in 1835 and is five stories of fascinating illusions and insight into the magic of the camera, as well as one of the best rooftop views of the city (around £20 to visit).
• Museum of Childhood – This is the first museum in the world to specialise in the history of childhood, displaying a collection of toys and playthings. (Free entry)
• Museum of Edinburgh – Showcasing the history of Edinburgh through a collection of stories, photographs and objects. A place where locals can reminisce and tourists can learn. (Free entry)
• John Knox House – A historic house that dates back to 1470, and the former home of a Scottish theologian and reformer in the 16th century. (£7 to visit)
• The People’s Story Museum – This museum is a collection which narrates the lives of Edinburgh’s working-class people from the late 18th century to the present. (Free entry)
• Holyrood Palace – Although not technically a museum, this historic palace is the King’s official Scottish residence, and makes for a perfect way to spend a couple of hours on a rainy afternoon. (£22 to visit)
• Harry Potter Museum – A small shop and exhibition space on Victoria Street which is home to all things Harry Potter related, you’ll often see queues outside the door! (Free entry, though there are paid tours of Harry Potter locations available or you can take yourself on a self-guided tour)

Visit an art gallery

Fill your creative mind by exploring some of Edinburgh’s best art galleries, filled with Scottish and international art from as far back as the 14th century to now. Here are some of the main galleries worth checking out:

• National Galleries of Scotland – There are two buildings in front of one another, both showcasing Scottish and international art that spans right from the beginning of the Renaissance up to the start of the 20th century. (Free entry)
• Scottish National Portrait Gallery- Set within a Neo-gothic palace, this beautiful space houses the national collection of portraits and the national collection of photography, most of which are by Scottish artists. (Free entry)
• National Galleries of Scotland One – There used to be two galleries until 2023, hence the ‘one’ however, today there’s just one, showcasing a permanent collection of contemporary art as well as rotating exhibitions. (Free entry)
• Stills – Dedicated to showing exhibitions on photography, this gallery space also has a dark room where you can purchase workshops and explore the process of developing photographic film. (Free entry)
• Fruitmarket – A contemporary exhibition space that hosts a range of international and local contemporary artists of all kinds of mediums. (Free to visit, exhibitions sometimes cost)
• Talbot Rice – Owned by the University of Edinburgh, this exhibition space holds touring artists and their works, which tend to be centred on cultural issues. (Free entry, dependant on exhibitions)
• City Art Centre – A collection of historic and modern Scottish paintings, photography, sculpture and handcrafts. (Free entry)
• Dovecot – This is one of two working tapestry weaving studios that still exist in Britain. Set within a former Victorian public bathhouse, this magical space is where history is woven by a team of full-time weavers who are commissioned to create tapestries of famous artworks, sometimes taking several months to complete! (Free entry to see the weaving floor, exhibitions are paid)

Take yourself on a Harry Potter tour

No trip to Scotland’s capital would be complete without searching for a little bit of Harry Potter in the very city that inspired much of the story’s magical setting. Edinburgh is filled with so many Harry Potter locations that you could easily spend a day taking yourself on a wizard treasure hunt.

Start at an ancient cemetery where many characters’ surnames from the books can be found is in, Greyfriars Kirkyard. Then nearby there’s the Elephant House Café which J.K. Rowling frequented to pen her novels in the backrooms of the café. 

Candlemaker Row and Victoria Street are said to have inspired Diagon Alley, though others have claimed that the inspiration for Diagon Alley comes from Gandy Street in Exeter, Devon. There are several other spots to see, and by simply just walking around the Gothic city you will feel the wizardry inspiration!

Explore historic pubs & listen to folk music

Public houses, beer and whisky are deeply rooted in Scottish culture, and when it’s raining it’s not uncommon to see everyone in the city head to a cosy pub and enjoy a local Scottish beer while sheltering from the downpour. Here are just a few of my top spots of where to go (and when/if they have live music):

Malt & Hops, The Shore Leith – A personal favourite, this pub dates back from 1749 and inside the ceilings are covered in hops and there’s a roaring fireplace which is often lit throughout the winter months. Typically on a Sunday afternoon/evening, the pub comes to life with live jazz music.

The Jolly Judge, The Royal Mile – Tucked away down one of the narrow alleyways of the Royal Mile, this cosy little pub is set within a historic square of tenement buildings and is one of the best spots to have a local ale and whisky.

The Black Cat, Rose Street New Town – This small whisky bar is the only independent pub left on this street, which is tucked away behind the main high street of the city. One of the best places to sample whisky! With a collection of over 200 whiskies, they sell whisky flights, which means you can get three different ones for a reasonable price. Also, there’s live traditional folk music almost every evening.

The Mother Superior, Leith – Another whisky haven, this friendly and warming local pub is a fairly new addition to the Edinburgh pub scene compared to most, but its whisky selection is vast! If you want to get a dram from any corner of the world this is the place.

Go vintage shopping

The most popular and iconic places to get vintage clothes from is Armstrong’s & Son, which is a vintage clothes shop that was established in 1840, making it one of the oldest of its kind in the UK. Here, you smell the age of the clothes, and you’ll be able to find any vintage fashion era you can imagine!

Some of the best neighbourhoods in Edinburgh to go vintage shopping include Morningside Road, Stockbridge and Southside, as they have plenty of charity shops filled with treasures (especially in Morningside & Stockbridge thanks to donations from the wealthier residents!)

Browse bookshops

One of the cosiest activities to do while exploring any city is taking a peek inside a bookshop and browsing the endless titles of books. Luckily, in Edinburgh, there are several places to book shop.

A particular favourite spot is Toppings Bookshop which sits at the top of Leith Walk, set over two levels this bookshop is so big that they have ladders to reach the higher books. Near to this is Typewronger Books, which is tucked away in a basement shop.

Other places worth checking out include Rare Birds Book Shop in Stockbridge which exclusively sell works written by women, and Armchair Books, a quirky spot where you can browse a selection of rare and second-hand books.

Take an underground tour of the city

Explored Edinburgh’s underground vaults and spooky history via a guided tour. Dimly lit, the underground network of vaults lies below the city’s Old Town and was built in 1788, traditionally used to house taverns, workshops for cobblers and other tradesmen, as well as storage spaces for merchants. Book an underground tour of Edinburgh vaults like this one.

Watch a show

Spend the afternoon watching entertainment! Edinburgh is a hub for entertainment with venues, from retro cinemas, to live theatre and intimate settings for small productions. Home to the largest theatre in Scotland, which is also the second largest in the UK, Edinburgh Playhouse.

Festival Theatre is used for ballet, opera, and large-scale music events, while the King’s Theatre often shows touring West End theatre as well as local amateur companies. There’s also the Dominion Cinema, which shows the usual current films, set within an Art Deco building.

Dine on local Scottish cuisine

Many people’s first thoughts when it comes to Scottish food is likely to be haggis…which yes, is made from all the body parts of a sheep you probably couldn’t imagine wanting to eat, though people do say it’s delicious!

However, Scotland is also famed for its fresh seafood, comforting fish stew and surprisingly, ice cream, thanks to the increase of Italian immigrants in the late 19th century. Here are some top suggestions of where you can indulge in local Scottish cuisine:

Howies – This Scottish chain has been serving up traditional Scottish food in Edinburgh since 1990. There are three restaurants in the heart of Edinburgh, and for the quality of food you get in a comfortable and relaxed restaurant, it’s very reasonably priced.

Café Royal – Regarded as a hidden gem of the city (although most people know about it), Café Royal is a champagne and oyster bar that houses a gorgeous and intimate restaurant with stained glass windows and in the bar area, the walls are lined with beautiful and ornate Victorian tiles.

Teuchters Landing – This cosy dockside pub is one of the best places to enjoy a local ale as well as delicious pub food, with lots of classic Scottish options. They also do small mugs, which makes it a perfect spot to try a bit of everything if you’re unsure of what to get- try stovies, a classic Scots stew of meat and potatoes.

S Lucas Ice Cream – A family-owned business that has been serving creamy delights and sorbets for decades! One of the most unique things you can try is Iron Bru sorbet, which is a neon orange-coloured carbonated Scottish drink in the form of a frozen dessert.

Take a day trip

There’s so much to see and do in the enchanting capital city, that it’s hard to imagine yourself spending time anywhere else. However, there are so many day trips from Edinburgh worth taking and you never know, it might not be raining there!

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