Summer Vacation: Edinburgh, Dublin or Berlin?

Need some help here... this summer my wife and I are going from NYC to London to visit some friends (they are also beer fanatics so that's one fabulous piss-up!)

From there, we want to go to another city/town to supplement the trip. So between Edinburgh, Dublin or Berlin, which would you suggest? Of course, it needs to have fabulous pubs/micropubs. But should also have enough contrast so it's not too one-dimensional.

Edinburgh is the most convenient. But I've always wanted to go to Berlin. And I've never been to Dublin either... what say you my bros?

Lived in Edinburgh for a year. Loved it. I can direct you to the good pubs. Plus if you go in August it is festival time in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh. Do it. You will not regret it. I promise. (And I'm jealous. I've been there twice, but not since 2007.)

There's a place in old Edinburgh called the Grassmarket. All of the oldest pubs are there right in a row. I could spend days and days there.

There's a modern hotel there on the opposite side of the street called the Apex...you can probably find a pretty decent deal if you look around on the 'net.

Take the Literary Pub Tour. Last time I was there, it left from the White Hart Inn (at the end of the Grassmarket).

Edit: Oh, hey, I found a pic.

+1 on go'in ta Ed'nburah. Ben Franklin used to hang there with the political and historical hommies and down a few pints and shoot the shyt.
One day I'll get there my self, ya lucky bastad.

I would think no matter where you decide to 'stay', you can easily visit the other two. Plane flights in many situations are not only cheaper but faster. Have fun!

You guys ROCK!! Edinburgh was my wifes choice so points there...

Those places you guys outlined look killer - looks like that'll be the choice. And yeah, the Festival is good timing as we'll be there at that time.

Unless there's any impassioned votes for the other venues, looks like we got a winner. We'll only have enough time to visit London and one other place, so jetting over to a 3rd city isn't possible. What's nice about Edinburgh too is we can stop in a small town en route for a night (York? Any thoughts there?)

CHEERS again!!

how are you travelling up??? car or train??? also when your in london make sure you get an oyster card its for the subway, makes your journey far cheeper

+1 for Edinburgh. I was in Scotland on business awhile back and took an extra day to spend there. Very awesome. Found a pub for a pint and enjoyed some bangers and mash with a be-kilted gentleman outside the window playing the bagpipes. Sweet.

phillc said:

+1 for Edinburgh. I was in Scotland on business awhile back and took an extra day to spend there. Very awesome. Found a pub for a pint and enjoyed some bangers and mash with a be-kilted gentleman outside the window playing the bagpipes. Sweet.

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Side note: While I was there EVERYONE told me that I needed to visit Glasgow and that it was and even better experience than Edinburgh. I also spent time in Aberdeen which was pretty ok. The shipping port is pretty cool. Enjoyed some haggis with a pint of Tennants at the local hotel.

I've never been to any of those places, but if it were me, I would want to try Edinburgh too.

All of them are great. The key in Edinburgh is to get away from the massive amount of cheap touristo crap there. I liked Mathers. It is a local pub with a good scotch selection and filled with normal local people just going out for a drink. I went and hung out with the hotel staff of the place I was staying at. There are a ton of great pubs there. Also, if you like art, make sure to stop through their art museum, it is fantastic.

Berlin is an experience unlike much else in my opinion. It is an awesome city with a very cool feel. Very trendy, cool ideas, great cuisine, weird empty places. It has it all. Danika and I stumbled into an old church yard there with a small cafe a place serving Berliner Weiss and a small string band. A bunch of old people were just hanging around out side dancing. So we joined in and hung out for a few hours. What a great place!!! I love Berlin, although it is nothing like Bavaria and the typical US idea of Germany.

I haven't been to Dublin since I was a kid.

Hey guys, we will be travelling by train. Glasgow is certainly an option if y'all think it's a better choice. Or perhaps we can squeeze in both if it isn't too much train travel between them. With the festival in Edinburgh it sounds like it'll offer enough to do tho'. Please keep the suggestions coming!

Boerderij_Kabouter said:

All of them are great. The key in Edinburgh is to get away from the massive amount of cheap touristo crap there. I liked Mathers. It is a local pub with a good scotch selection and filled with normal local people just going out for a drink. I went and hung out with the hotel staff of the place I was staying at. There are a ton of great pubs there. Also, if you like art, make sure to stop through their art museum, it is fantastic.

Berlin is an experience unlike much else in my opinion. It is an awesome city with a very cool feel. Very trendy, cool ideas, great cuisine, weird empty places. It has it all. Danika and I stumbled into an old church yard there with a small cafe a place serving Berliner Weiss and a small string band. A bunch of old people were just hanging around out side dancing. So we joined in and hung out for a few hours. What a great place!!! I love Berlin, although it is nothing like Bavaria and the typical US idea of Germany.

I haven't been to Dublin since I was a kid.

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Great post! Well, one thing that is a huge factor for us (and a bit of a liability since we're traveling in the summer) is we hate the touristo stuff. In fact we typically travel in the fall/winter so we have the city to ourselves so to speak with the locals. But my wife's work schedule is such that this year we need to travel in the summer - so there's the rub.

My choice before this thread was Berlin. My wife's was Edinburgh (but she is more practical than I am and the fact that it's a train ride north certainly plays that out). However, Glasgow is a contender too perhaps?

So, not sure that any of this influences a choice or not...???

Look into flights. The trains in the UK are very expensive...

What kind of stuff do you like to do? All three of those destinations are pretty different with different things to offer.

Also, how long do you have in said city?

Ryan Air was very inexpensive last time I was in the UK.

We ended up driving from London to Edinburgh (it's a beautiful drive, but if I recall, 8 hours or so).

fastricky said:

Great post! Well, one thing that is a huge factor for us (and a bit of a liability since we're traveling in the summer) is we hate the touristo stuff. In fact we typically travel in the fall/winter so we have the city to ourselves so to speak with the locals. But my wife's work schedule is such that this year we need to travel in the summer - so there's the rub.

My choice before this thread was Berlin. My wife's was Edinburgh (but she is more practical than I am and the fact that it's a train ride north certainly plays that out). However, Glasgow is a contender too perhaps?

So, not sure that any of this influences a choice or not...???

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I think you'll find Edinburgh and all it's history to be a great place. I have heard that Glasgow is one of the worst cities in Europe for violent crimes. I have a family history in Glasgow and I would hesitate going there. Something to look into at least.

If you do drive up to Edinburgh, I would suggest taking the A68. It is a gorgeous drive and the view coming into Scotland is unbelievable. I am Scottish by ancestry and the view took my breath away.

EDIT: Here is a pic. It doesn't do it justice.

Glasgow isn't as bad as they say (bit like Limerick)

I've been there it is quite nice, but Edinburgh is prettier for a tourist. Nicer grander architecture, more parks etc.

I haven't been to Berlin but it is on the list.

As for Dublin you could get a cheap Ryanair flight over for next to nothing but the cost a pint will cripple you. At least the exchange is better $to€ than $to£...

The Edinburgh accent is also very pleasant, and I can understand it. The same can't be said for Glasgow.

Here is a vote for EatCrapistan. I hope the summer is particularly pungent.


*sigh have fun.

First off, thanks again guys for all the input, already this thread has exceeded my expectations! Cheers!

You guys wouldn't believe what I'm sacrificing to make this trip happen - I'm actually unemployed (by choice somewhat). I was disgusted and fed-up with my previous career (advertising) and got out and am in the midst of a full-tilt ramp-up to a career that's 180 degrees in a different direction. Thank God my wife makes a decent living and supports this decision. It helps too that we don't have kids. As you can see from my avatar, one of my passions is guitar, and I'm selling a few prized instruments to fund this trip. Life's too short and this is the stuff that matters as far as I'm concerned. So long story short - I'm living a high-austerity lifestyle to make this little trip happen! That's why I really want to make it count.

My wife lived in London for 5 years so she's pretty knowledgeable about stuff there (trains and such). But the idea of driving up sounds pretty great.

Right now I'm torn between Edinburgh and Berlin.

Edinburgh - Relatively easier to get to from London and a nice extension from 6 days in London.

Berlin - Totally different. Hip. Vibrant. Eclectic. And traditional (I'm assuming all this is true from what I've read).

Both offer great beer/pubs (true? Is one better than the other?)

The plan is to spend 6 days in London. Then another 6 days in another location (or 2 if easy to get to). So it could be Edinburgh/Glasgow. Or Berlin/????

What say y'all?? Thanks again gents. - Rich

Summer in Berlin is pretty awesome. Hit some beach bars on the river, hit the pavement. Good times. The beach bars are awesome when it is warm out. They fill these huge areas with sand and set up cabanas and beach chairs. Many of them reflect weird colored lights off the water onto the old buildings across the river and it looks awesome. Great food, great drinks, cool history stuff galore. Another cool thing to check out is the graffiti art section of the wall that is left (its a bit outside the downtown area).

Scotland, is great but much different. I wouldn't spend 6 days all in Edinburgh, I would make some country trips to smaller towns and whatnot, but that's just me. Berlin could eat 6 days and have you coming back like a coke fiend.

Man, that sounds killer - What I'm liking about Berlin is it would be quite a contrast from London... Everything you just outlined really appeals to me.

How do Edinburgh and Berlin compare when it comes to pubbing? I imagine it'd be a toss-up?

Out of those cities, I've only been to Berlin. VERY cool city and VERY easy to get around. One of the best planned out big cities there are and everything you can think of to do there. Great brews included.

That being said, I can't wait to get to Edinburgh and Dublin soon!

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible said:

The Edinburgh accent is also very pleasant, and I can understand it. The same can't be said for Glasgow.

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doncha mean Glaazgoh?

You could stay on the east side of Scotland and go up to Dundee then to Inverness and visit Nessie. Plus it looks like beautiful country side.

It may already be hard to find a place in Edinburgh (sorry, but sooo much better then Glasgow) for August. The city over doubles in size during the festival. I still highly recommend trying. I also recommend booking festival tickets ASAP. There are hundreds if not thousands of shows to see. Literally every stage, church, conference room, and park in the city have shows going all day. You must also try to book the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which is the biggest show of all in front of the castle.

Finally you must go to the Guildford Arms and Bannermans. These are my favorite two pubs. Guildford Arms for the selection and Bannarmans because it was my local and has a great cave like atmosphere.

Here are some pics from the 2007 Tattoo.
Picasa Web Albums - Ryan - TattooFestival

If it were me I'd rent a car and hit both Glasgow and Edinburgh and possibly more...
(There's a microbrewery right at the top of Aberdeenshire)

But then I like driving and I'm used to driving on the left

Unless you want to do a City then I'd leave Edinburg and Glasgow and do some of the country side, Glens and Bens instead.

Dublin can be VERY expensive.
It's hitting upto €6 a pint now.

Dumfries/Galloway and Loch Lomond are nice.

We were in Glasgow and environs for 2 weeks last August (competing in the World Pipeband Championships). My 2p...Glasgow is a 1 hour train ride from Edinburgh. I enjoyed both, although I thought there was much more history in Edinburgh. The great thing is there there are pretty dang good pubs on virtually every corner (sometimes more!) in both cities. You never have to go more than 100 yds away from a good pint.

Do yourself a favor and take a side trip into the western highlands. It quickly became one of my favorite places on earth. Absolutely beautiful. We took a couple of 1 and 2 day bus tours with Timberbush Tours. The tour guides were great and you don't have to worry about driving. The only problem is that they keep you on a schedule, so your time may be limited in some places. The next time, I may use one of those tours to hit the highlights, then follow up by renting a car and getting more in depth where I want to. I really enjoyed going through Glencoe, Eilean Donnan castle (the one that is featured in the original Highlander movie) and staying a night in Fort William. Too many great sites to list here.

If you at all enjoy piping or pipebands, the World Pipeband Championships are usually the 2nd Saturday in August (or thereabouts) and all the world's best pipers and bands play concerts daily around Glasgow the week before. I didn't make it to the Edinburgh Tattoo, but I heard great reports.

Oh yeah...go to Stirling too! Easy train ride from Glasgow or Edinburgh. Lots to see there...

I haven't been to either Dublin or Berlin, but I really hope to one day soon. That's my input for Scotland though.

If you want contrast, go to Berlin.

The pub seen is drastically different. Berlin has bars, not public houses. Many or most are themed, trendy and "cool". Good fashion, cool drinks, multinational flare. Again, I should say it is not like Bavaria at all. It is like a modern conglomerate of Europe and all of Germany. I think I had the best Indonesian dinner of my life there.

Scotland was nice, but the touristy stuff to see is all very touristy there and the good stuff is the quite pubs and beautiful walks to be taken.

Berlin just has a very gritty and real feel to it. There are beautiful museums and tourist stuff too, but the city as a whole just has a very real and vibrant feeling to it. I loved it there.

Well, for those keeping score, in a come-from-behind victory, the choice is Berlin.

I think Edinburgh sounds amazing (and thanks for the numerous tips guys!) but what swayed it is:

A) Edinburgh will be MOBBED due to that festival. That'd be my idea of discomfort.

B) Berlin just sounds like a more unique destination from England.

If anyone knows of some good side trips or breweries to visit, please let me know, thanks again!

Check out Ryanair for flights to Berlin...

EasyJet also has amazing prices. Just check into the luggage allowance. The discount airlines really ding you for luggage.

Thanks guys! We'll check them out, but on first blush, Berlin is starting to look cost prohibitive, so it might be back to Edinburgh... I'm thinking we'd rent a car and drive up as many have said.

Skip 'em both. Munich.

I had a blast in Edinburgh. You should go hiking around Arthur's Seat while you're there, very cool. Take a couple beers and have a drink at the top. Can't beat it.

EDIT: Oh, and there are some easy ways up. It isn't necessary to scale the cliff face.