Business contacts
Mobile phone hire The Link, Tel: 226 7322, or Email: link.hire@adamphones.com.
Car hire Avis Car Rentals, Tel: 344 3900 (airport), or Tel: 0870 153 9103 (city centre). Email: customer.service@avis.co.uk. Office rental Capital Business Centre (24 Canning Street, Tel: 221 1234, Email: info@cbchouse.co.uk).
Secretarial services Qualitype typing and wordprocessing services, Tel: 220 2554, or Email: qualitype@wwmail.co.uk.
Weather and climate
Contrary is probably the best description of Edinburgh’s weather. It is one of those cities which can experience all the elements in the space of one day. Long summer days when temperatures reaches the 20Cs, almost make up for the amount of rain. Winter is cold and damp. A local speciality is the haar, or sea mist, which shrouds the city when just a few miles inland all is bright and sunny. Bring an umbrella at all times and a scarf in winter.
Local press
The List magazine, published fortnightly on Thursdays, is the essential guide to entertainment in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Beside its exhaustive film, theatre, club and art gallery listings, it has good articles on city life.
The Edinburgh Evening News is the truly local paper. It has a strong emphasis on city news and sports coverage, as well as an extensive events guide in its daily Plan-it and the EH Entertainment supplement on Thursdays. Its sister papers are The Scotsman (www.scotsman.com), Edinburgh’s national heavyweight and rival to the Glasgow-published Herald, and the weekly Scotland on Sunday. All have extensive Scottish news and features, but are rather lighter on world news coverage.
The tourist office has an Internet site for events and accommodation, visit www.edinburgh.org. The site to check out for Edinburgh’s many festivals is www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk. The best listings service is at www.theoracle.co.uk, and the most comprehensive online reviews are at www.edinburghguide.com.
Tourist traps
Surprisingly, given the number of tourists, there are few obvious tourist traps in Edinburgh. Most attractions are rather expensive, but all except imported franchises, such as the Edinburgh Dungeon live up to the hype. Beware, however, the organised “Scottish” nights put on by several hotels. They might be mildly entertaining and contain many Scottish elements, but the tradition is quite of their own making.
Tipping etiquette
Standard rules apply—10% for taxis and in restaurants if the service is not included (though be sure to check on restaurant bills). Note that it is not the form in Britain to tip bar staff in pubs—if they’re particularly helpful, offer instead to buy them a drink. Hotel bellboys and porters will appreciate a couple of pounds for helping with your luggage.
Internet cafes
EasyInternetcafés have set up shop on Princes Street and Rose Street. There are also plenty of locally owned Internet cafés dotted around central Edinburgh, and those which want to survive quickly learn how to make a good cup of coffee.
Gifts to buy
Anything made out of tartan might be a bit obvious, but it certainly says where you’ve been. Scarves of cashmere or wool are always popular and are easy to find at shops on the High Street and Princes Street. Kilts require a bit more knowledge of the recipient’s measurements, and they are surprisingly heavy. Geoffrey (Tailor) Highland Crafts (57 High Street) supply a full range for men and women, ranging from the traditional to modern black kilts complete with inside pocket. A bottle of single malt whisky always goes down well. The many branches of Oddbins have knowledgeable staff and a fair selection, but the best service and choice is at Royal Mile Whiskies (379 High Street).
For foodies, the food hall at Jenners (48 Princes Street), has everything from haggis to shortbread. Label fans can be assuaged with a gift from the same store or the Edinburgh branch of Harvey Nichols (30 St Andrew Square).