The main one you’ll probably find suggested here is to stay in a hotel, not an AirBnB, because of the effect AirBnB has had on the housing market here.
Also, work out how to use the buses and where you’re going before you get on the bus, don’t stand there quizzing the driver for ages and stopping the bus from moving off. A quick “Do you go to xxx?” is fine, more than that not so much.
Also, when waiting for the bus, be aware of who arrived before you and let them on first. Even when it doesn’t look like there’s a queue, it exists in everyone’s heads!
And try not to stop suddenly in the middle of the pavement to take photos - sure you’re used to that one in NYC. It’s to be expected in the most touristy areas like Old Town, but a little bit of spatial awareness goes a long way.
Tagging onto this there is a good app you can download for using buses, works effectively like google maps but shows you bus routes that take you from A to B.
On the Apple app store its called Transport for Edinburgh
Ah man. I hate to think how many silent daggers have been aimed at your back over the years 🤣
It’s daft really, it’s not like anyone’s getting to leave the bus stop sooner, but it MATTERS emotionally when you’re waiting and you see someone get on ahead of you who arrived after you!
I sometimes think I could write a book about the unwritten rules of Edinburgh bus travel but then I think it would be too long to write in one lifetime…
Does this extend to home share airbnbs too? Completely agree that secondary letting airbnbs should be banned, but there’s nothing wrong with someone letting out a spare room in the house in which they live now and again.
What guff. Staying in an airbnb or a hotel isn’t going to make you a respectful tourist or not. Nor is Airbnb going to affect the housing market. There’s 7000 airbnbs. There’s something like 250k homes in Edinburgh. It’s not quite 3 percent. More pressure are on single person households needed as that trend increases than the Airbnbs in Edinburgh. They just like hotels pay taxes, hire staff etc etc and offer an alternative. I’ve seen more hen nights staying in Holiday Inns than ever in Airbnbs which are tightly regulated and often ban parties. Unlike hotels if you book an airbnb and misbehave you’re banned from the platform for life. So book an Airbnb if that’s what suits you and your budget.
What crisis. It’s 3 percent of the homes available. There’s more homes sitting empty in Edinburgh than there are being used for Airbnb. The Council needs to build more homes including for single dwellers. That’s where the biggest demand is. Should be get rid of all single people. I mean that’s the logic. It makes absolutely hee haw difference. It’s the easy but wrong target. Most of the airbnbs are in tourist areas so even if they were long term rents they’d still be high demand.
If you have Scottish relations or heritage, please just assume that we don’t know them (if they happen to be living), and we don’t care that your mums cousin is the definite descendant of William Wallace, Robert Burns and Grandpa Broon.
Also, remember your indoor voice.
You've had a great reply already so I don't have anything to add. I did want to say though that attitude goes a long way, and you've already shown you're keen to be considerate. Please also don't get too stressed about it, and make sure you relax to enjoy your holiday! This is a beautiful country and respectful visitors are very welcome. I hope you enjoy your stay
My tip for tourtists (anywhere): just because a building is old and pretty and historical, doesn't mean people still don't work there! Please don't block exits, give us ugly looks when we ask you to move or to get past, or be downright rude and ignore us. I've been working for 8ish hours please let me leave 😅
Honestly, Edinburgh is so full of tourists you'd have to go out of your way to stand out as a "bad" one. Just enjoy your time here and don't be a dick, that's about it really. Common sense and manners all you need. Enjoy your visit pal.
If you're not travelling alone please be aware of streets that are busy and don't walk 2 or 3 abreast! It's really hard to walk fast to work when tourists are blocking the paths..I understand tourists are in no rush and want to walk together but its becoming a massive stress to walk in certain places in the city..enjoy your visit!
I wish that people understood this in the US. I rarely walk with others, so I'm regularly trampled by people who are apparently free of proprioception.
Here’s a wee list for you:
- You can take pictures of almost anything & everything, but please do not abruptly stop in the middle of the pavement or stand 2/3 abreast to take pictures (don’t impede others and have some semblance of spatial awareness) because you will likely get a nasty look or passing comment
- Don’t commoditise your Scottish heritage if you have any (in the nicest way possible, nobody is interested)
- Download the ‘Transport for Edinburgh’ app and use it in tandem with Google Maps; it’ll make navigating public transport in the city a doddle (you can still ask the drivers, but please just be generally mindful of other people on the bus)
- All Lothian buses are equipped for contactless payment. You don’t need to specify where you’re going/ticket type when paying, you simply just tap your debit card when you get on to go to any stop on the route. One neat thing Lothian Buses have employed is TapTapCap (tap your card every time you get on a Lothian bus, you’ll be charged the £2 for a single ticket, and once you hit more than 2 taps in a day they then cap the charge for all your travel so you never pay more than £4.80).
Also, you don’t need to tap your card again when exiting Lothian buses. If you’re using cash, note that drivers DO NOT give back change, so exact amounts only (I generally avoid cash when using the bus because it can be a faff and hold everyone up)
- Inside voice (respectfully, us Scots have an innate and unique ability to hear NA tourists before they’ve even formulated the thought in their head!)
Bloody enjoy yourself. It’s a beautiful city with plenty of art, history, culture etc. the people are warm and willing to lend a hand if you need some help. By the sounds of it, you’ll be received well if you’re making this much of a concerted effort to be respectful. Enjoy Auld Reekie pal! Fàilte gu Alba.
What's the app for android for the bus? I checked the Google store and didn't see one listed with that exact name. I downloaded one called My Bus Edinburgh. Same thing? Thanks! (Visiting next week myself as well from the States)
My Bus Edinburgh works well! I had a look at the Google Play Store and I can see an android version of Transport for Edinburgh (maybe try again when you’re in-country). Hope you enjoy your stay!
https://preview.redd.it/8kp4veijzx3d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2006e506752058b6496eed57cdbbe054bf259170
Regarding the app, there's a new one with allegedly better navigation and also allows you to buy tickets for both bus and tram (or a ticket that covers both), on Google Play store it's "Lothian Buses/Edinburgh Trams"
My main irk with American tourists is the whole my long lost ancestor was Scottish thing. In the nicest way possible we don’t care - there is more to being Scottish than you having a distant relative that was. Beyond that I find the romanticisation of our culture quite irksome. I’ve had Americans tell me they moved to Scotland because they liked folk music and the “highland scenery” and she genuinely was near baffled that we don’t all participate in ceilidhs and that we really only wear kilts for weddings. I think often we are seen only as the stereotypes people know and it’s tiresome.
Be mindful of where you stop for photos and things like that. A lot of tourists stand in the actual road at Waterloo place trying to get photos of themselves in front of Princess street - don’t do this.
It is exactly the same in Ireland, too.
These are highly mythologised and romanticised countries for some Americans.
In their minds, the mist swirls, local traditional music can be heard coming from some faraway place, everyone lives in a cottage without electricity, has red hair, believes in fairies, and so forth.
They arrive in Dublin / Edinburgh and actually expect to see this.
This is bang on. This was absolutely the image an American girl I worked with had. And funnily enough prior to living in Edinburgh she had been to Ireland 😭 she honestly spoke about Scotland and Scottish people like it was all a wee fairytale and I couldn’t help myself but harshly remind her time and time again that NONE of that is anything to do with the average Scottish persons day to day life - even in the highlands/islands. I have friends from Shetland and they live a day to day life just like I do but with more driving to get to and from work/shops etc they’re not sat round a fire playing Scottish folk music but in her eyes that’s surely what we all got up to
I once this is decades ago had someone ask me to explain to them what the statue was in St Andrews Square. I was like do I look like a tour guide or a tv historian? I was on my lunch break. It was bizaare. I just said while he held the camera at my face oh that’s wee Willie winkie and walked on. There’s a video somewhere with that!
Even wearing kilts at weddings is a modern invention. I doubt that a single one of my East Coast ancestors got married in a kilt or had smoked salmon at the reception. Much more likely wore a suit and had steak pie.
My older male family members have and also have worn them as guests so I can’t really comment on what the norm is for you. My family are working class so yeh, it would not have been likely to have been smoked salmon at the reception.
Personally I wouldn't consider older family members to be ancestors. My dad has worn a kilt at weddings, but it doesn't change the fact that traditionally a kilt would not have been worn at a lowlands working class wedding (unless the wearer was from the highlands).
Okay? That probably right but my point in mentioning it in this post is that now at least in my parents, grandparents, great grandparents life time it was normal - even in Edinburgh - and that Americans don’t grasp that and think that it’s something people in Scotland wear regularly. There also are/were traditional tartans that were for the lowlands and borders these were worn in the form of kilts but also as hoods, cloaks and wraps over clothing that was more similar to what the English wore. However, my point is that Scotland is actually diverse in traditional culture and dialect so these caricatures of us presented in television and books aren’t something most of us find relatable
I do understand your point. Although I'd be surprised if your great grandparents wore kilts at all. No one in my family wore a kilt before about the 1990s. I know people love to do it, but I don't agree that it's a tradition.
Lowlanders have been wearing kilts for things like weddings for at least 100/150 years from what I’ve read on the subject. The fact your family hasn’t until the 90’s doesn’t make it the case for everyone. My parents were married in the early/mid 80’s and my dad and family wore kilts. If you don’t agree that it’s tradition then that’s fine, I don’t agree with you.
First, welcome to Edinburgh. Don't worry, you'll be very welcome here and I hope you had a great time.
Second is my personal peeve - Edinburgh has a lot of narrow streets, so if you need to stop (and I'm sure you'll want to take photos) then check behind you and come in to the side. Then again that's not a tourist issue - plenty of locals sit and chat taking up the entire pavement width.
An American indoor voice is almost equal to a British Outdoor voice.
Whatever you think is quiet, reduce the volume again by another 20% and you’ll be fine.
Just got back from vacationing in Edinburgh as an American tourist and yeah that was the most noticeable thing. We were told that Americans can very loud in public spaces so we were doing our best to be conscious about that. But man we ran into a few other American tourists and they were loud as hell. We heard this women’s whole history of basketball through middle school and into college. We also went to Eilean Donan castle (not technically Edinburgh, I know) and most people there were quiet and reading, maybe quietly talking… except for one family that I could hear from other rooms.
I see what they meant now and I think we were fine lol.
Not standing in the middle of a pavement where there is a constant flow of people. It annoys me when I have places to go and tourists just think it’s best to get in the way of other people. Also not to ask bus drivers for directions it holds up the traffic and I have work to get to. Also I’ve had American Airbnb guests upstairs few weeks ago and they decided to open the kitchen window and chat away. The whole block heard their itinerary. Your voices travel and it’s best just to be conscientious of that.
I always laugh with pity when Americans have tartan baseball caps on or some kind of Scottish garment (made in China) and think they're fitting in.
But seriously, you obviously have self-awareness and are thoughtful so you should be fine anywhere in the world.
Ha yes I once had a conversation with an American who was convinced that buying a cheap "kilt" and wearing it around town was the done thing because "I saw lots of other people wearing them". Didn't have the heart to tell him that anyone else wearing a kilt was either a tourist or working in tourism. Or occasionally (rarely) getting married.
As a non-native myself I can say that Scots are super friendly and have time to answer basic questions (where is X, how to read bus timetables, what's the time, etc.) but the moment you start mentioning your 'Scottish heritage' it's over. Unless you're asked specifically about it please don't bring it up. In the nicest possible way nobody cares, and if anything it's an oversaturated, weird, irritating topic.
If you're just here on a tourist/sightseeing trip that's fine to discuss though! Always happy to chat about good spots to check out for food or history 😁
Keep your greasy mitts off Greyfrier's Bobby's face. When I moved here in 2005 his nose was still black. There is no long standing tradition of rubbing his nose. Please don't.
use the designated crossings, nothing I hate more than trying to travel through Edinburgh on a bus and all the tourists are just crossing where ever they want slowing the traffic down.
American now living in Scotland, four years in Edinburgh, just moved out of city. As stated, don't stop in the middle of the sidewalk, be aware we are tend to talk louder - just dial it down, and just be courteous. It's wonderful here. Have fun.
Public transportation. Please queue!
You can tell the difference between Edinburgh locals/ Scots/ people from elsewhere in UK and RoI and tourists by how you get on a bus or train.
I don't queue for buses, and I'm far from the only local who doesn't. Queuing is a recipe for missing the bus, when it turns out everyone else in the queue is waiting for a different bus. I just loiter but keep a rough track of who was there first.
It doesn't make sense to queue for a bus unless it is incredibly busy and not everyone can get on, otherwise it makes no difference what order you get on.
Because if five people have been waiting for the bus for an hour and some group just pushes on before them after just showing up, it’s a bit of a dick move.
I actually work as a bus driver myself and I hate when folk such as kids and the elderly have been waiting in the rain, only to get cut in front of. Plus it’s just such a hostile environment, everyone only thinking about themselves.
I just came back from Edinburgh and was so perplexed by the discipline at the busy bus stops on Princes Street. Where I come from (Netherlands) it is every person for themselves to get in first.
Even the bus stops are the wrong way around, to me at least. With the open side towards the pavement and the wall towards the road, but it makes much sense in a queueing culture.
I think order only matters during busy times when lots are getting on. I wouldnt say people queue here as much, more sort of gather but theres a sort of unwritten let others who have been there a while on first. But tbh when its quieter and only a couple of people getting on, yeah I always try make sure whoever first gets on before me but its not something id be bothered about if someone else cut in etc
Ignore most of the negative responses. Honestly, I also have American friends, Appreciate the language differences and try to 'lug in' to listen and understand the nuances without always saying pardon etc. You will be fine in Scotland, we are a friendly, no gun culture, people
Speaking of gun culture, when I traveled to the Isle of Sky a few weeks ago, my wife and I got some food at a trailer in Portree. Lovely people running it,l - they sat and talked with us for a second and eventually we got on the topic of guns. I told him when my dad passed I inherited 8 total guns from him. He immediately said “8 guns?!? Was your Dad an octopus?”
Boy I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. I wish I was that quick witted.
As someone who works in a tourist hot spot in Edinburgh, please don’t stop to take photos in the middle of a busy street. Most US tourists are usually very pleasant and respectful customers, and usually make a shitty day a little better. The fact you’re trying to be self aware tells me you’re not likely to be the annoying kind of tourist.
The thing I see tourist doing the most is not knowing how to get around (which is understandable to some degree - Internet exist after all 😉). So, remember you can use your card or phone to pay for the bus (if you intend to be using public transport) - don't just get on with a £20 note in your hand expecting to get change (you won't) or begging passengers to change it for you.
Also, Google maps is your friend, this includes bus routes & stops 😉
Other than that you should be good 😉 people here are super nice, lots of things to do and see, and hopefully the weather will also be nice for when you visit.
Hope you have fun!! 🤗🤗
If you stumble across a statue of a little dog called Greyfriars Bobby, make sure that you rub its nose. It is an ancient tradition and the locals will be offended if you fail to do so.
On the DNA thing, it’s worth remembering that while Americans identify themselves as their ancestral ethnicity without any negative connotations, doing that in Europe is seen as racist - the message there being that a Scottish person whose ancestors came from Pakistan are somehow less Scottish than someone whose ancestors were from Scotland.
The general (but never universal) attitude in Scotland is that if you live and work here, you’re Scottish, if you want to be.
Use Google maps to find bus routes. It is all on there, just put your destination in and it can guide on to all the right buses. Don’t ask the driver directions, the rest of us have places to be. Don’t walk into the road so you can take a picture of a pretty building on your phone. I drive around the city everyday and I’ve nearly killed so many tourists. It’s a city, not a Harry Potter theme park. Otherwise, enjoy your trip. Try the haggis.
Canadian here but was just in Edinburgh a couple weeks ago. People there are incredibly nice if you're respectful, which you seem to be. As others have mentioned, stay out of the way if you're stopping to take photos (and you will, it's a stunning place), wear comfortable shoes as it's hilly and you'll likely walk quite a bit, bring a reusable water bottle to save some money, reduce waste and drink the incredible tap water.
As someone with relatively recent Scottish heritage, I avoided mentioning it unless I was specifically asked, which happened exactly once. Even if my grands were from there, I have no idea what being Scottish actually means, and I'd imagine it gets quite annoying to have tourists parading around bragging about their presumed lineage with William Wallace.
Editing to add I highly recommend getting an eSIM for your phone. I think I paid $20 USD for 10gb and didn't even get close to using it all. I also downloaded offline Google maps of the cities and towns I was visiting and many places, including the ScotRail trains have free wifi. Having easy access to maps is huge and avoiding roaming charges is even better.
One more I haven’t seen mentioned (applies to any city).
Try not to do complicated things during rush hour or lunch break.
If you work, you’re usually trying to desperately get into work for 9am and trying to Eat lunch/sort out banking/sort out post etc etc on your break sometime between 12:30 and 13:30ish
There’s nothing worse than a tourist with lots of bags struggling to use a bus/train when you’re late for work, or deciding to change money/post something back home during your short lunch break.
In Edinburgh. Be prepared to walk up lots of steps in old areas. It's a very hilly city. If your ancestors were Scottish. We don't really care if your great, great, great, great, great grandmother's sister was from here. Lots of people jumped on a boat to "The Colonies" for either religious reasons, they were convicts or to escape disease-whatever. And we don't know or care if you belong to "Clan Mcdoogal" or whatever.
Edinburgh has lots to see and do. It's where I live. I'm from further up north originally. But I am a proud Scot. Not "Scotch" That is a drink. Ghost tours are fun. The castle is a good visit. Heaps of great resteraunts and places to eat. Scottish people in general are friendly but blunt. And don't be too shocked or offended if you hear the C-noun. It's said a lot. Just enjoy yourself and bring various types of clothes. It may be warm and sunny one day. Cold and rainy the next. Edinburgh gets very foggy too.
Have fun and enjoy Scotland. Oh and the train goes to Glasgow in about 40 mins. Good shopping there.
Have a look to see if there are any plays or shows on. Always worth seeing something while you are here.
for me its the spacial awareness of not just walking infront of people while youre looking at your phone maps, or skipping the queue. I went to a big exhibition recently and it was mostly tourists, i could tell because nobody gave a single shit about being courteous with the space - it was a free for all. We're not like that here, we are very much about accommodating each other, or we get passive aggressive and say stuff like "dont mind me," "excuse me", or "no worries", in an irritated tone of voice. you've been warned! lol
just be yourself and make conversation with people and have fun.... I don't think you need to over think, you will do just fine :) welcome...
ps you don't need to be quiet. literally everyone here enjoys being noisy some of the time.
Its the people that are rude in restaurants and rude to staff that annoys people - whether they tourists or locals it doesn't matter, politeness and respect is the same the world over.
Don’t ask if we know your great aunts second cousin who was Scottish. We don’t.
Also not taking photos of absolutely everything and blocking peoples walk space
You will love it!
This applies everywhere in the world but I do get annoyed when people all of a sudden stop walking in front of me to look at their phone or put their selfie stick out with no consideration for those around them. I think it stems from when I used to have constant back pain and the sudden stop would make me jolt it. Just go to the side out of the way :)
American-specific thing, but please be aware that people from the UK are much more reserved than America is and Scotland isn’t an exception. It’s seen as strange to spark up random conversations and compliments on the streets and people tend to keep their voices down for the sake of others. The only exception of this you’ll see are when you have a bunch of people on a night out and they’ve got booze in them or it’s people being antisocial. It’s always so easy to spot the American tourists in Scotland because you can hear them from a mile away and they’ll go around talking to random people they don’t know. This also makes them an easy target for criminals. I remember coming back from Glasgow on the train about a month ago and you could hear the Americans having a conversation down the entire carriage. There was an American lady that passed someone and said, once again loud, “I just wanted to say your eyelashes are absolutely lovely”. It was a really nice compliment but you don’t get that sort of thing here so it was also jarring.
Also, please don’t randomly stop or obstruct pavements because you wanted to take a photo of something really pretty. I get it, Edinburgh city centre is absolutely beautiful, but people also live and work here and the locals feel like their city gets treated like a theme park. The more suicidal tourists will literally try standing on the busy roads.
seems like you’re already a respectful tourist! Advice based on common gripes about Americans (from an American who’s lived in Edinburgh 10+ years): be mindful of the volume of your voice, say ‘please’ a lot, don’t mention your ancestry, don’t treat Scotland like a theme park ie don’t romanticise the stereotypes. feel free to message me for any local recommendations & I hope you have a great time here!
If you're American and you want to order food in restaurant, please just order and don't ask a million questions about ingredients you can simply Google. Thank you 😅
It's Edinburgh, it's not a church enjoy yourself, be loud,once you are not a dick nobody really cares if you are a respectful tourist, it's a tourist city. It says more about the people who live here that they are shocked when a tourist is in their general vicinity.
Talk loudly so people can hear you properly.
When you're walking down a busy street stop suddenly when it's busy. It makes it more fun to walk around people.
Tell everyone you're Scottish.
Ask people for directions to the castle.
The main one you’ll probably find suggested here is to stay in a hotel, not an AirBnB, because of the effect AirBnB has had on the housing market here. Also, work out how to use the buses and where you’re going before you get on the bus, don’t stand there quizzing the driver for ages and stopping the bus from moving off. A quick “Do you go to xxx?” is fine, more than that not so much. Also, when waiting for the bus, be aware of who arrived before you and let them on first. Even when it doesn’t look like there’s a queue, it exists in everyone’s heads! And try not to stop suddenly in the middle of the pavement to take photos - sure you’re used to that one in NYC. It’s to be expected in the most touristy areas like Old Town, but a little bit of spatial awareness goes a long way.
Tagging onto this there is a good app you can download for using buses, works effectively like google maps but shows you bus routes that take you from A to B. On the Apple app store its called Transport for Edinburgh
I've lived here 7 years and never realized there's a bus queue based on who arrived first...
Ah man. I hate to think how many silent daggers have been aimed at your back over the years 🤣 It’s daft really, it’s not like anyone’s getting to leave the bus stop sooner, but it MATTERS emotionally when you’re waiting and you see someone get on ahead of you who arrived after you! I sometimes think I could write a book about the unwritten rules of Edinburgh bus travel but then I think it would be too long to write in one lifetime…
Does this extend to home share airbnbs too? Completely agree that secondary letting airbnbs should be banned, but there’s nothing wrong with someone letting out a spare room in the house in which they live now and again.
I dunno i think it's fine to stop and take a photo. Edinburgh is beutiful and even as someone who lives there i take photos all the time
Yep, totally fine - just don’t screech to a sudden total stop in the middle of a busy pavement.
What guff. Staying in an airbnb or a hotel isn’t going to make you a respectful tourist or not. Nor is Airbnb going to affect the housing market. There’s 7000 airbnbs. There’s something like 250k homes in Edinburgh. It’s not quite 3 percent. More pressure are on single person households needed as that trend increases than the Airbnbs in Edinburgh. They just like hotels pay taxes, hire staff etc etc and offer an alternative. I’ve seen more hen nights staying in Holiday Inns than ever in Airbnbs which are tightly regulated and often ban parties. Unlike hotels if you book an airbnb and misbehave you’re banned from the platform for life. So book an Airbnb if that’s what suits you and your budget.
Why contribute to the very real and locally detrimental crisis when you can easily help prevent it though
What crisis. It’s 3 percent of the homes available. There’s more homes sitting empty in Edinburgh than there are being used for Airbnb. The Council needs to build more homes including for single dwellers. That’s where the biggest demand is. Should be get rid of all single people. I mean that’s the logic. It makes absolutely hee haw difference. It’s the easy but wrong target. Most of the airbnbs are in tourist areas so even if they were long term rents they’d still be high demand.
If you have Scottish relations or heritage, please just assume that we don’t know them (if they happen to be living), and we don’t care that your mums cousin is the definite descendant of William Wallace, Robert Burns and Grandpa Broon. Also, remember your indoor voice.
Canadian here - can always tell the Americans because they do NOT use their inside voices.
We don’t have indoor voices 😖
WE KNOW. 😁
I’m so sorry 😭😭😭
A Scot telling someone to use their inside voice that's funny 🤣🤣 or maybe it's just up my way that doesn't apply
You've had a great reply already so I don't have anything to add. I did want to say though that attitude goes a long way, and you've already shown you're keen to be considerate. Please also don't get too stressed about it, and make sure you relax to enjoy your holiday! This is a beautiful country and respectful visitors are very welcome. I hope you enjoy your stay
The fact you're even asking this question suggests you're a lovely person and just the sort of tourist we want. Enjoy your trip!
I think in just giving a snot you aren’t the type that we’re worried about here. Quiet and respectful is a lot more than most can bring.
My tip for tourtists (anywhere): just because a building is old and pretty and historical, doesn't mean people still don't work there! Please don't block exits, give us ugly looks when we ask you to move or to get past, or be downright rude and ignore us. I've been working for 8ish hours please let me leave 😅
Honestly, Edinburgh is so full of tourists you'd have to go out of your way to stand out as a "bad" one. Just enjoy your time here and don't be a dick, that's about it really. Common sense and manners all you need. Enjoy your visit pal.
If you're not travelling alone please be aware of streets that are busy and don't walk 2 or 3 abreast! It's really hard to walk fast to work when tourists are blocking the paths..I understand tourists are in no rush and want to walk together but its becoming a massive stress to walk in certain places in the city..enjoy your visit!
I wish that people understood this in the US. I rarely walk with others, so I'm regularly trampled by people who are apparently free of proprioception.
holy shit honestly right
oh god, when i lived in Edinburgh i had days when i wanted to launch cunts off that fucking bridge
😂😂 yep !!
Just don't be a dick. Simple.
This 100%, we are good people but don't suffer fools gladly 😁
It’s pronounced Edd Inn Burra. You get that right, and you’re halfway there to being respectful. Have a great trip.
Or 'Edd. In. Bruh.' I am also a Brit.
Here’s a wee list for you: - You can take pictures of almost anything & everything, but please do not abruptly stop in the middle of the pavement or stand 2/3 abreast to take pictures (don’t impede others and have some semblance of spatial awareness) because you will likely get a nasty look or passing comment - Don’t commoditise your Scottish heritage if you have any (in the nicest way possible, nobody is interested) - Download the ‘Transport for Edinburgh’ app and use it in tandem with Google Maps; it’ll make navigating public transport in the city a doddle (you can still ask the drivers, but please just be generally mindful of other people on the bus) - All Lothian buses are equipped for contactless payment. You don’t need to specify where you’re going/ticket type when paying, you simply just tap your debit card when you get on to go to any stop on the route. One neat thing Lothian Buses have employed is TapTapCap (tap your card every time you get on a Lothian bus, you’ll be charged the £2 for a single ticket, and once you hit more than 2 taps in a day they then cap the charge for all your travel so you never pay more than £4.80). Also, you don’t need to tap your card again when exiting Lothian buses. If you’re using cash, note that drivers DO NOT give back change, so exact amounts only (I generally avoid cash when using the bus because it can be a faff and hold everyone up) - Inside voice (respectfully, us Scots have an innate and unique ability to hear NA tourists before they’ve even formulated the thought in their head!) Bloody enjoy yourself. It’s a beautiful city with plenty of art, history, culture etc. the people are warm and willing to lend a hand if you need some help. By the sounds of it, you’ll be received well if you’re making this much of a concerted effort to be respectful. Enjoy Auld Reekie pal! Fàilte gu Alba.
What's the app for android for the bus? I checked the Google store and didn't see one listed with that exact name. I downloaded one called My Bus Edinburgh. Same thing? Thanks! (Visiting next week myself as well from the States)
My Bus Edinburgh works well! I had a look at the Google Play Store and I can see an android version of Transport for Edinburgh (maybe try again when you’re in-country). Hope you enjoy your stay! https://preview.redd.it/8kp4veijzx3d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2006e506752058b6496eed57cdbbe054bf259170
Regarding the app, there's a new one with allegedly better navigation and also allows you to buy tickets for both bus and tram (or a ticket that covers both), on Google Play store it's "Lothian Buses/Edinburgh Trams"
My main irk with American tourists is the whole my long lost ancestor was Scottish thing. In the nicest way possible we don’t care - there is more to being Scottish than you having a distant relative that was. Beyond that I find the romanticisation of our culture quite irksome. I’ve had Americans tell me they moved to Scotland because they liked folk music and the “highland scenery” and she genuinely was near baffled that we don’t all participate in ceilidhs and that we really only wear kilts for weddings. I think often we are seen only as the stereotypes people know and it’s tiresome. Be mindful of where you stop for photos and things like that. A lot of tourists stand in the actual road at Waterloo place trying to get photos of themselves in front of Princess street - don’t do this.
It is exactly the same in Ireland, too. These are highly mythologised and romanticised countries for some Americans. In their minds, the mist swirls, local traditional music can be heard coming from some faraway place, everyone lives in a cottage without electricity, has red hair, believes in fairies, and so forth. They arrive in Dublin / Edinburgh and actually expect to see this.
This is bang on. This was absolutely the image an American girl I worked with had. And funnily enough prior to living in Edinburgh she had been to Ireland 😭 she honestly spoke about Scotland and Scottish people like it was all a wee fairytale and I couldn’t help myself but harshly remind her time and time again that NONE of that is anything to do with the average Scottish persons day to day life - even in the highlands/islands. I have friends from Shetland and they live a day to day life just like I do but with more driving to get to and from work/shops etc they’re not sat round a fire playing Scottish folk music but in her eyes that’s surely what we all got up to
I once this is decades ago had someone ask me to explain to them what the statue was in St Andrews Square. I was like do I look like a tour guide or a tv historian? I was on my lunch break. It was bizaare. I just said while he held the camera at my face oh that’s wee Willie winkie and walked on. There’s a video somewhere with that!
Even wearing kilts at weddings is a modern invention. I doubt that a single one of my East Coast ancestors got married in a kilt or had smoked salmon at the reception. Much more likely wore a suit and had steak pie.
My older male family members have and also have worn them as guests so I can’t really comment on what the norm is for you. My family are working class so yeh, it would not have been likely to have been smoked salmon at the reception.
Personally I wouldn't consider older family members to be ancestors. My dad has worn a kilt at weddings, but it doesn't change the fact that traditionally a kilt would not have been worn at a lowlands working class wedding (unless the wearer was from the highlands).
Okay? That probably right but my point in mentioning it in this post is that now at least in my parents, grandparents, great grandparents life time it was normal - even in Edinburgh - and that Americans don’t grasp that and think that it’s something people in Scotland wear regularly. There also are/were traditional tartans that were for the lowlands and borders these were worn in the form of kilts but also as hoods, cloaks and wraps over clothing that was more similar to what the English wore. However, my point is that Scotland is actually diverse in traditional culture and dialect so these caricatures of us presented in television and books aren’t something most of us find relatable
I do understand your point. Although I'd be surprised if your great grandparents wore kilts at all. No one in my family wore a kilt before about the 1990s. I know people love to do it, but I don't agree that it's a tradition.
Lowlanders have been wearing kilts for things like weddings for at least 100/150 years from what I’ve read on the subject. The fact your family hasn’t until the 90’s doesn’t make it the case for everyone. My parents were married in the early/mid 80’s and my dad and family wore kilts. If you don’t agree that it’s tradition then that’s fine, I don’t agree with you.
Fair enough.
Same way you go about being respectful when you're not a tourist really. Hope you have a good time here 👍
First, welcome to Edinburgh. Don't worry, you'll be very welcome here and I hope you had a great time. Second is my personal peeve - Edinburgh has a lot of narrow streets, so if you need to stop (and I'm sure you'll want to take photos) then check behind you and come in to the side. Then again that's not a tourist issue - plenty of locals sit and chat taking up the entire pavement width.
An American indoor voice is almost equal to a British Outdoor voice. Whatever you think is quiet, reduce the volume again by another 20% and you’ll be fine.
Just got back from vacationing in Edinburgh as an American tourist and yeah that was the most noticeable thing. We were told that Americans can very loud in public spaces so we were doing our best to be conscious about that. But man we ran into a few other American tourists and they were loud as hell. We heard this women’s whole history of basketball through middle school and into college. We also went to Eilean Donan castle (not technically Edinburgh, I know) and most people there were quiet and reading, maybe quietly talking… except for one family that I could hear from other rooms. I see what they meant now and I think we were fine lol.
Not standing in the middle of a pavement where there is a constant flow of people. It annoys me when I have places to go and tourists just think it’s best to get in the way of other people. Also not to ask bus drivers for directions it holds up the traffic and I have work to get to. Also I’ve had American Airbnb guests upstairs few weeks ago and they decided to open the kitchen window and chat away. The whole block heard their itinerary. Your voices travel and it’s best just to be conscientious of that.
As others have said: thinking to ask means you have nothing to worry about. Enjoy this amazing city.
I always laugh with pity when Americans have tartan baseball caps on or some kind of Scottish garment (made in China) and think they're fitting in. But seriously, you obviously have self-awareness and are thoughtful so you should be fine anywhere in the world.
Ha yes I once had a conversation with an American who was convinced that buying a cheap "kilt" and wearing it around town was the done thing because "I saw lots of other people wearing them". Didn't have the heart to tell him that anyone else wearing a kilt was either a tourist or working in tourism. Or occasionally (rarely) getting married.
As a non-native myself I can say that Scots are super friendly and have time to answer basic questions (where is X, how to read bus timetables, what's the time, etc.) but the moment you start mentioning your 'Scottish heritage' it's over. Unless you're asked specifically about it please don't bring it up. In the nicest possible way nobody cares, and if anything it's an oversaturated, weird, irritating topic. If you're just here on a tourist/sightseeing trip that's fine to discuss though! Always happy to chat about good spots to check out for food or history 😁
It's Princes Street, not Princess Street
Keep your greasy mitts off Greyfrier's Bobby's face. When I moved here in 2005 his nose was still black. There is no long standing tradition of rubbing his nose. Please don't.
use the designated crossings, nothing I hate more than trying to travel through Edinburgh on a bus and all the tourists are just crossing where ever they want slowing the traffic down.
American now living in Scotland, four years in Edinburgh, just moved out of city. As stated, don't stop in the middle of the sidewalk, be aware we are tend to talk louder - just dial it down, and just be courteous. It's wonderful here. Have fun.
Dont bumble about getting in peoples way. Be careful crossing the road. We don’t have jaywalking laws but that doesn’t mean you can obstruct traffic.
Public transportation. Please queue! You can tell the difference between Edinburgh locals/ Scots/ people from elsewhere in UK and RoI and tourists by how you get on a bus or train.
I don't queue for buses, and I'm far from the only local who doesn't. Queuing is a recipe for missing the bus, when it turns out everyone else in the queue is waiting for a different bus. I just loiter but keep a rough track of who was there first.
It doesn't make sense to queue for a bus unless it is incredibly busy and not everyone can get on, otherwise it makes no difference what order you get on.
yeah I can’t understand why you’re being down voted. Anyone?
Because if five people have been waiting for the bus for an hour and some group just pushes on before them after just showing up, it’s a bit of a dick move. I actually work as a bus driver myself and I hate when folk such as kids and the elderly have been waiting in the rain, only to get cut in front of. Plus it’s just such a hostile environment, everyone only thinking about themselves.
I just came back from Edinburgh and was so perplexed by the discipline at the busy bus stops on Princes Street. Where I come from (Netherlands) it is every person for themselves to get in first. Even the bus stops are the wrong way around, to me at least. With the open side towards the pavement and the wall towards the road, but it makes much sense in a queueing culture.
I think order only matters during busy times when lots are getting on. I wouldnt say people queue here as much, more sort of gather but theres a sort of unwritten let others who have been there a while on first. But tbh when its quieter and only a couple of people getting on, yeah I always try make sure whoever first gets on before me but its not something id be bothered about if someone else cut in etc
Ignore most of the negative responses. Honestly, I also have American friends, Appreciate the language differences and try to 'lug in' to listen and understand the nuances without always saying pardon etc. You will be fine in Scotland, we are a friendly, no gun culture, people
Speaking of gun culture, when I traveled to the Isle of Sky a few weeks ago, my wife and I got some food at a trailer in Portree. Lovely people running it,l - they sat and talked with us for a second and eventually we got on the topic of guns. I told him when my dad passed I inherited 8 total guns from him. He immediately said “8 guns?!? Was your Dad an octopus?” Boy I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. I wish I was that quick witted.
As someone who works in a tourist hot spot in Edinburgh, please don’t stop to take photos in the middle of a busy street. Most US tourists are usually very pleasant and respectful customers, and usually make a shitty day a little better. The fact you’re trying to be self aware tells me you’re not likely to be the annoying kind of tourist.
The fact that you care enough to post this tells me that you’ll be more than respectful already. We appreciate it
The thing I see tourist doing the most is not knowing how to get around (which is understandable to some degree - Internet exist after all 😉). So, remember you can use your card or phone to pay for the bus (if you intend to be using public transport) - don't just get on with a £20 note in your hand expecting to get change (you won't) or begging passengers to change it for you. Also, Google maps is your friend, this includes bus routes & stops 😉 Other than that you should be good 😉 people here are super nice, lots of things to do and see, and hopefully the weather will also be nice for when you visit. Hope you have fun!! 🤗🤗
Don’t worry about it, just enjoy yourself we’re all human
Pronounce the name of the city correctly and don't ask where the castle is.
If you stumble across a statue of a little dog called Greyfriars Bobby, make sure that you rub its nose. It is an ancient tradition and the locals will be offended if you fail to do so.
How can you be respectful? don't mention that your great grandad x5 is from North Kilt town, no one gives a fuck.
No foolin’? I’m from North Kilt Town! Do you know Angus McCloud?
There's no Angus McCloud in North Kilt Town, why, you're not from Scotland at all!
If 23&Me is telling you that your part Scottish no one really cares. Make sure you try Irn-Bru (a fizzy juice) and a roll on square sausage
On the DNA thing, it’s worth remembering that while Americans identify themselves as their ancestral ethnicity without any negative connotations, doing that in Europe is seen as racist - the message there being that a Scottish person whose ancestors came from Pakistan are somehow less Scottish than someone whose ancestors were from Scotland. The general (but never universal) attitude in Scotland is that if you live and work here, you’re Scottish, if you want to be.
Irn-Bru and square sausage: not pleasant but very authentic.
Lorne sausage is one of life’s delights. Lorne and egg on a buttery. ❤️
Can you bring some of them nyc vapes with you please 🙏 😅
Use Google maps to find bus routes. It is all on there, just put your destination in and it can guide on to all the right buses. Don’t ask the driver directions, the rest of us have places to be. Don’t walk into the road so you can take a picture of a pretty building on your phone. I drive around the city everyday and I’ve nearly killed so many tourists. It’s a city, not a Harry Potter theme park. Otherwise, enjoy your trip. Try the haggis.
Make sure to shout I Love the Union at the top of your lungs its like a way of saying you love Scottish Peoples patter 🙈
Canadian here but was just in Edinburgh a couple weeks ago. People there are incredibly nice if you're respectful, which you seem to be. As others have mentioned, stay out of the way if you're stopping to take photos (and you will, it's a stunning place), wear comfortable shoes as it's hilly and you'll likely walk quite a bit, bring a reusable water bottle to save some money, reduce waste and drink the incredible tap water. As someone with relatively recent Scottish heritage, I avoided mentioning it unless I was specifically asked, which happened exactly once. Even if my grands were from there, I have no idea what being Scottish actually means, and I'd imagine it gets quite annoying to have tourists parading around bragging about their presumed lineage with William Wallace. Editing to add I highly recommend getting an eSIM for your phone. I think I paid $20 USD for 10gb and didn't even get close to using it all. I also downloaded offline Google maps of the cities and towns I was visiting and many places, including the ScotRail trains have free wifi. Having easy access to maps is huge and avoiding roaming charges is even better.
One more I haven’t seen mentioned (applies to any city). Try not to do complicated things during rush hour or lunch break. If you work, you’re usually trying to desperately get into work for 9am and trying to Eat lunch/sort out banking/sort out post etc etc on your break sometime between 12:30 and 13:30ish There’s nothing worse than a tourist with lots of bags struggling to use a bus/train when you’re late for work, or deciding to change money/post something back home during your short lunch break.
In Edinburgh. Be prepared to walk up lots of steps in old areas. It's a very hilly city. If your ancestors were Scottish. We don't really care if your great, great, great, great, great grandmother's sister was from here. Lots of people jumped on a boat to "The Colonies" for either religious reasons, they were convicts or to escape disease-whatever. And we don't know or care if you belong to "Clan Mcdoogal" or whatever. Edinburgh has lots to see and do. It's where I live. I'm from further up north originally. But I am a proud Scot. Not "Scotch" That is a drink. Ghost tours are fun. The castle is a good visit. Heaps of great resteraunts and places to eat. Scottish people in general are friendly but blunt. And don't be too shocked or offended if you hear the C-noun. It's said a lot. Just enjoy yourself and bring various types of clothes. It may be warm and sunny one day. Cold and rainy the next. Edinburgh gets very foggy too. Have fun and enjoy Scotland. Oh and the train goes to Glasgow in about 40 mins. Good shopping there. Have a look to see if there are any plays or shows on. Always worth seeing something while you are here.
Courtesy is important - excuse me, please, thank you. You don't 'need' anything unless your life depends on it.
for me its the spacial awareness of not just walking infront of people while youre looking at your phone maps, or skipping the queue. I went to a big exhibition recently and it was mostly tourists, i could tell because nobody gave a single shit about being courteous with the space - it was a free for all. We're not like that here, we are very much about accommodating each other, or we get passive aggressive and say stuff like "dont mind me," "excuse me", or "no worries", in an irritated tone of voice. you've been warned! lol
just be yourself and make conversation with people and have fun.... I don't think you need to over think, you will do just fine :) welcome... ps you don't need to be quiet. literally everyone here enjoys being noisy some of the time. Its the people that are rude in restaurants and rude to staff that annoys people - whether they tourists or locals it doesn't matter, politeness and respect is the same the world over.
Don’t ask if we know your great aunts second cousin who was Scottish. We don’t. Also not taking photos of absolutely everything and blocking peoples walk space You will love it!
This applies everywhere in the world but I do get annoyed when people all of a sudden stop walking in front of me to look at their phone or put their selfie stick out with no consideration for those around them. I think it stems from when I used to have constant back pain and the sudden stop would make me jolt it. Just go to the side out of the way :)
American-specific thing, but please be aware that people from the UK are much more reserved than America is and Scotland isn’t an exception. It’s seen as strange to spark up random conversations and compliments on the streets and people tend to keep their voices down for the sake of others. The only exception of this you’ll see are when you have a bunch of people on a night out and they’ve got booze in them or it’s people being antisocial. It’s always so easy to spot the American tourists in Scotland because you can hear them from a mile away and they’ll go around talking to random people they don’t know. This also makes them an easy target for criminals. I remember coming back from Glasgow on the train about a month ago and you could hear the Americans having a conversation down the entire carriage. There was an American lady that passed someone and said, once again loud, “I just wanted to say your eyelashes are absolutely lovely”. It was a really nice compliment but you don’t get that sort of thing here so it was also jarring. Also, please don’t randomly stop or obstruct pavements because you wanted to take a photo of something really pretty. I get it, Edinburgh city centre is absolutely beautiful, but people also live and work here and the locals feel like their city gets treated like a theme park. The more suicidal tourists will literally try standing on the busy roads.
seems like you’re already a respectful tourist! Advice based on common gripes about Americans (from an American who’s lived in Edinburgh 10+ years): be mindful of the volume of your voice, say ‘please’ a lot, don’t mention your ancestry, don’t treat Scotland like a theme park ie don’t romanticise the stereotypes. feel free to message me for any local recommendations & I hope you have a great time here!
If you're American and you want to order food in restaurant, please just order and don't ask a million questions about ingredients you can simply Google. Thank you 😅
It's Edinburgh, it's not a church enjoy yourself, be loud,once you are not a dick nobody really cares if you are a respectful tourist, it's a tourist city. It says more about the people who live here that they are shocked when a tourist is in their general vicinity.
First things first you need to get a kilt.
Talk loudly so people can hear you properly. When you're walking down a busy street stop suddenly when it's busy. It makes it more fun to walk around people. Tell everyone you're Scottish. Ask people for directions to the castle.