Three days in Edinburgh, gluten-free, closing out a two-week Highlands-and-islands trip through Scotland — Arthur's Seat at sunrise, Edinburgh Castle, and the best celiac-safe tasting menu of the whole trip. Works just as well as a standalone city break.
| Day | Focus | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival & the Royal Mile | Noto |
| Day 2 | Arthur's Seat & the Castle | tipo |
| Day 3 | Spa morning & tasting menu | LYLA |
Train in from Inverness, settle into Charlotte Square, and ease in with a walk down the Royal Mile before a relaxed bar dinner.
Booked that train route a few weeks out — through-tickets to Edinburgh sell out closer to summer weekends. We dropped bags and walked the Royal Mile while there was still light, no agenda beyond stretching our legs after a week of hiking and ferries elsewhere in Scotland. Dinner was at the bar at Noto — easy, well-marked GF pasta, a good low-key first night.
An early hike up Arthur's Seat, a full day of Old Town sightseeing, and a 100% gluten-free crepe cart for lunch.
Arthur's Seat first thing, before the crowds — an extinct volcano, not a stroll, but done in under two hours round trip. Breakfast after at Greenwoods, then the Castle for the rest of the morning. Lunch was Tupiniquim, a genuinely 100% gluten-free crepe cart near the Royal Mile — the one lunch all trip where I didn't have to ask a single question about cross-contact. Dinner was the bar at tipo, another easy, well-marked Italian menu.
A slow morning at the spa, an easy GF lunch, and a 10-course tasting menu that was the best meal of the whole trip.
Booked an Ishga massage for late morning and got to the hotel spa early for the pool and steam room first. Lunch was simple — GF Café, no cross-contact anxiety required. Dinner was the highlight of the whole trip: a 10-course tasting menu at LYLA, snacks in the drawing room first, then the full menu finished tableside from the open kitchen. If LYLA is booked up, Aizle is the other high-end tasting-menu option in the city and also handles GF requests well.