However, eleven months of the year the Royal Mile is not awash with fliers and Bristo Place does not have a big purple cow in it. Yet it is still a city worth visiting, all the more so to see it without the tourist gloss. Here are some recommendations when visiting Edinburgh on the cheap from a local student's perspective.
Arts & Entertainment
The National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street boasts some of the finest collections in Britain on many subjects. From Egyptology to Dolly the first cloned sheep, the whole is housed in a fine and vast building. The cafe at the bottom is worth popping into just for lunch or a hot drink, and the bonkers clock in the atrium is worth anyone's visit. Happily, the museum is entirely free.
If it's a film you're after, why not try the Cameo cinema on Bread Street? Enjoy the experience of relaxing in wide, comfortable seats in a space with more in common with the 1950s that the 21st century. The staff are friendly and student discounts are available.
For cheap theatre, the University's student company is one of the best in Britain and one of the few to operate a theatre entirely on its own back. The Bedlam Theatre is an Edinburgh institution, with shows every week of term. It is home to the first Scottish improvised comedy troupe, The Improverts, who create comic scenes from audience suggestions every Friday night of term at 10:30.
Accommodation
The city boasts many fine hotels, not least the Balmoral and the Scotsman (so called as it is housed in the building previously occupied by the venerable Scotsman newspaper). For somewhere a bit cheaper, good deals can be found in hotels throughout the city. Visit Edinburgh Hostels for more details.
Food and Drink
While the city has the usual number of kebab shops and chippies to keep the stomach and wallet full, there are healthier places to eat cheap. Recommended is Uncle T's on Forest Road, a Mediterranean take-away. The couscous is a must at only £3. The same price will buy you a large curry at the Edinburgh Mosque which operates a lunch kitchen throughout the week.
Slightly more upmarket places include the Thai restaurant Anthalya, opposite the Festival Theatre, and Bonsai, a Japanese restaurant off Pleasance Road.
Daytrip
If you're looking to take a break from the city, the seaside resort of North Berwick is only half an hour away by train and highly picturesque with an old fashioned sweet shop to boot.
Transport
Trains from Glasgow run every half hour. Waverley, the main train station, is situated slap bang between the Old and New Town. From here you can catch the Airport Express for a bus direct to Edinburgh Airport (£3 one way; £5 return) every fifteen minutes.
Taxis are in abundance around the city and bus trips cost a pound for short journeys.
