Condé Nast TravelerOct 10, 2025
Ask a Local: Literary Edinburgh According to Poet Marcas Mac an Tauineir
The poet in residence at the Balmoral shares his guide to the Scottish capital.
25 things in this story
- GrassmarketNeighborhoodElides into Fountainbridge, has three bookshops
- FountainbridgeSuburbNexus point for three second-hand bookshops
- Armchair BooksMarketPLEASE NOTE: If you stop by during opening hours and the shop is closed, something happened last-minute and we couldn’t…
- Amnesty International BookshopMarketRecommends for Gaelic literature in Marchmont
- MarchmontSuburbIt lies roughly one mile south of the Old Town, separated from it by The Meadows and Bruntsfield Links.
- Makar's CourtSightHas memorial slab for Duncan Bàn MacIntyre
- Harvey NicholsPlaceLuxury department store, Harvey Nichols, offers designer fashion, beauty, food & wine both online and in-store…
- Rutherford BarRestaurantOld haunt of RL Stephenson on Drummond Street
- Armstrongs VintageMarketSignature shop in Grassmarket has vintage fashion
- Balmoral, A Rocco Forte HotelHotelThis grand dame is a fitting stay in a city known for its history and beauty.
- Bethany Christian TrustSightCharity shop in Leith for bargains
- National LibraryMuseumHas recurring exhibitions on Scotland's literary world
- Central LibraryMuseumBest lending library with vaulted ceilings
- Edinburgh BooksMarket
- Main Point BooksMarket
- Duncan Bàn MacIntyrePlace
- Lorimer and GilliesPlace
- St Andrew SquareSight
- McLachlan and StewartPlace
- South BridgeSight
- Ciao RomaRestaurant
- Drummond StreetSight
- RL StephensonPlace
- Edinburgh University Debating SocietyPlace
- Royal National MòdFestival