Edinburgh

Edinburgh had been on our list for a while, one of those cities that enchant you through a single photo. In person, though, it turned out to be so much more: a city that feels straight out of a fairytale, where history and mystery follow you at every step. We stayed from 11 to 15 December, landing at 7:30am on the first day and flying out at 7:30pm on the last, which gave us five full days to explore, all wrapped in a wonderful Christmas atmosphere.

We flew in with easyJet and, straight from the airport, hopped on the classic double-decker city bus, the kind you've seen in countless films, which dropped us right outside our hotel, the Garner Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket. A useful tip: if you plan to return by bus, book a return ticket, as it costs almost half the price of two singles.

We began our wanders along the Royal Mile, where we discovered little details we loved, like the tiny angel playing bagpipes at St Giles' Cathedral. We tried sweet treats at The Milkman and strolled down the picturesque Victoria Street, said to have inspired Diagon Alley. We explored the castle, the historic closes and lanes, soaked up the calm of Dean Village, and lost ourselves in the Royal Botanic Garden. It was there that we had one of the loveliest moments of the trip, meeting John Ross, a 75-year-old veteran athlete who gave us the best line of the whole journey: "There's no such thing as the best trip, because each one is different and always has something new to offer."

We made time for real experiences too. We joined an adults-only night tour of the city's haunted underground vaults, a multi-sensory walk through Edinburgh's eerie underworld that we booked through GetYourGuide, and the day closed with the impressive light show at the Castle. We also took a tour of Holyrood Distillery, where we followed the full whisky and gin production process and finished with a tasting.

We also walked the very places that inspired J.K. Rowling as she was creating the world of Harry Potter. In Greyfriars Kirkyard we found the gravestone widely said to have inspired Voldemort's name, we stopped by the Context Museum for its collectible Harry Potter memorabilia, and we visited The Elephant House, though today's café is essentially a recreation, since the original spot where she began writing Harry Potter was damaged by a fire a few years ago. Honestly, spending time here and learning through the tours about Edinburgh's darker history, its tortures and its regimes, while soaking up the city's mysterious atmosphere, it was easy to see exactly where the inspiration for that whole world came from.

For the views, we climbed Calton Hill to gaze over the "Athens of the North" and conquered Arthur's Seat for the ultimate panorama of the city. We spent hours at the National Museum of Scotland, trying out all the interactive exhibits, even a surgery simulation, while our last day was dedicated to the Scottish National Gallery, admiring works from Rembrandt to Monet. The perfect close to a trip full of unforgettable images.

Naturally we dove into the local cuisine, with haggis firmly on the list, and we loved Makars Mash Bar so much that we went back to try even more dishes. The food genuinely surprised us, far better than we expected. Since our hotel didn't include breakfast, we grabbed a sandwich each morning at Greggs, great value by Edinburgh standards. In the evenings we also enjoyed the city's Christmas market, which added an even more festive touch to the whole trip.

Getting around was easy: we walked almost everywhere and used the city buses when needed. The city asks for a fair bit of walking, but everything sits close together, a little like Athens, where all the main sights are in the centre. Two practical notes: public toilets are free everywhere, and both the National Museum of Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery offer free entry and are absolutely worth a visit, they're truly spectacular.

Overall, Edinburgh is a destination we'd recommend without hesitation. Kind people, real value for money, and a city whose magic only grows the longer you stay.