A Dog-Friendly Edinburgh Christmas Market Itinerary
Edinburgh is one of the best cities to visit over Christmas, the atmosphere is like no other – with twinkling lights, festive markets, and cosy bars, it’s the perfect city to get into the Christmas spirit. Last year, I enjoyed a one-night, two-day trip from Newcastle with Arthur to visit the Edinburgh Christmas Market, and it was way easier than I imagined. It was just me and him so the entire trip was completely dog-friendly, from the LNER train, to the hotel we stayed in and everywhere we went for food and drinks.
I didn’t spend too long researching, the main thing was being really central and within walking distance of the station, the market and George Street. Arthur’s great when he’s in the mood but sometimes if it’s raining he doesn’t like to walk far, so I needed to factor that in. From the journey up on the train, to Christmas cocktails in some great bars, the old town, the market itself and spotting the seasonal displays around the city, here’s our itinerary for an easy and festive dog-friendly trip to Edinburgh Christmas market.
Dog-Friendly LNER Train from Newcastle to Edinburgh
Our adventure started in the snow, very festive but thankfully it didn’t affect the metro from the coast to Newcastle Central, or the trains themselves on the day I went. I chose a Sunday as Sunday nights in hotels are often cheaper, and I’d got a good deal on both hotel and train tickets.
LNER trains are dog friendly, and once you realise you also notice the dog water stops at stations, and how nice staff are with them too. I contacted them to ask for advice on how to reserve a seat, and although you can’t specify exact normal seats you can book a priority seat next to the end of the carriages and with extra leg room. They advised me to do this but I didn’t really want to take up a priority seat as Arthur’s only small, so I didn’t in the end, but thankfully booking a mid morning weekend train at the start of December meant it wasn’t packed, and we ended up with a two seater to ourselves.
Arthur was so good he just slept the entire way so it was an easy, comfortable journey on the LNER train. There is no extra charge for dogs and I probably would recommend booking a priority seat at the end of the carriage for more legroom and a bit more space to keep your dog settled now I know that’s ok to do. I felt reassured knowing I could step out if Arthur got restless but luckily he was a star passenger, settled right down and enjoyed the ride. In just under 90 minutes we arrived into the heart of Edinburgh, ready for our Christmas adventures.
Luggage wise if you’re travelling on your own with a dog and need as many hands free as possible I’d recommend the travel hack backpack. For only one night I packed light and have collapsible bowls for him. I measured out his food so only took what I needed and figured if I needed anything else Edinburgh would have pet shops.
Check-In at InterContinental The George Hotel
After arriving around 11:30 am, we head straight from the station to our hotel. I chose The George, located on George Street after always wanting to stay there and it was just a ten minute walk. There were actually a lot of dog friendly hotels to choose from, the Malmaison round the corner also was, and many others.
For me on my own this was perfect, as it allowed dogs in all hotel areas except the main restaurant which I didn’t plan on eating in anyway. Some hotels do restrict dogs to only the rooms so do your research. Thankfully the room was ready early and we could go straight to it and drop the bags. You can see my full reel for video footage of The George here.
Why The George was the perfect base for our Christmas trip:
Location: The George’s central location is unbeatable and the short walk from the train station made life so much easier for me for checking in and out, being close to the Christmas Market, and all the bars I wanted to visit on and just off George Street. We didn’t need taxis or buses, which was perfect as not all take dogs, and being on my own the convenience was a huge factor.
Dog-Friendly Amenities: The George openly advertises its dog-friendly status which is always a green flag for me, and the staff truly welcomed Arthur especially the doorman who loved him. They had a water bowl ready for him in the room, which was in an easily reachable wing of the hotel.
As mentioned before some hotels are dog friendly but have a lot of restrictions on where they can go in public areas, there was none of that here aside from the restaurant which is fair enough. There’s always room service or the lounge areas where you could have breakfast, but I didn’t include it for my stay as had a cafe in mind.
Le Petit Beefbar: The hotel’s onsite bar is beautiful, and open from lunchtime. It’s accessible from both inside the hotel and George Street, so it was an ideal spot for a drink for us on the second day once we had checked out and were waiting to head to the station for our train home.
I didn’t have to go anywhere else with both Arthur and carrying my bag. It was quite fancy, with table service and a great cocktail menu. I went for their signature cocktail and it was the best way to celebrate a successful dog friendly Christmas market trip.
This gorgeous hotel is ideal for anyone looking to be close to Edinburgh’s festive action. It was beautiful inside and out with all the Christmas decorations, and the dog friendly room was still really nice, very comfortable and great to come back to after a packed day. Perfect for me and Arthur I’d absolutely stay there again. See The George website here.
Edinburgh Christmas Market
Once we unpacked and I took a minute to realise we made it unscathed, we went straight to Edinburgh’s Christmas Market. Located in East Princes Street Gardens, it was about a ten miute walk from the hotel.
The entire market is dog friendly, so we strolled through the stalls with a mulled cider picking up some souvenirs. It’s one of my favourite Christmas Markets in the UK, and although it was slightly smaller still last year it was still buzzing with festivities. The food village has tables to both sit and stand at, and all outside meaning it was easy with Arthur. He was a hit with everyone in his Christmas jumper, and he was lapping up the attention.
Once we were done with the higher level, we wandered through rows to the lower levels which was a bit quieter, under the twinkling lights and was a good, more chilled space for him.
It gets pretty cold up there in Scotland so I’d saved a list in my phone of some dog friendly bars to try to get in for a cocktail or two. Being on my own I hadn’t booked but even on a Sunday afternoon we did get in no problem. It’s probably worth pointing out though that this was the first weekend in December, I’m not sure it would be as easy the closer it gets to Christmas.
Dog-Friendly Christmas Cocktails on George Street
Edinburgh is full of fantastic dog-friendly cocktail bars, I found loads when I was researching but with Arthur’s little legs I stuck centrally to the ones along George Street. Here are four festive favourites that warmly welcomed both me and Arthur and were great for festive cocktails and bar snacks.
Badger & Co.
Inspired by Wind in the Willows, this cosy bar was one of my favourites. It’s both a bar and a restaurant, but the restaurant definitely requires booking. The bar area though was walk in, traditional of the Edinburgh people watching windows and had very friendly staff. Their Christmas cocktails were delicious, and the atmosphere was perfect.
Copper Blossom
This one has always been a favourite both for food and cocktails, with its pretty, inviting decor, and it’s very popular. I probably would book for this one so there aren’t issues as I was originally turned away as I didn’t have a booking, even though there was space, so I went online, booked a table and walked straight back down again. I think the guy was a bit surprised I’d bothered but there was clearly space so I was seated and service significantly improved from then. Their mulled berry margarita is a must-try.
Le Petit Beefbar (at The George Hotel)
I mentioned it earlier as it was the bar of my hotel, but it’s a gorgeous bar and worth a visit even if you’re not staying. You can access it from the street, it was very classy, dog friendly and a good size so plenty tables.
Tonic Bar
Known for its award-winning cocktail menu, Tonic Bar is always packed with locals and visitors alike down on the basement level just off George Street.
Sadly the Dome isn’t dog friendly, I did check as I know it’s one many people love to go to in Edinburgh, but I wasn’t fussed these were all great options.
Edinburgh Street Food For Dinner
I stuck to a more casual theme with having Arthur there too, and after a Christmas market street food lunch, I chose ‘Edinburgh Street Food’ as the place to go in the evening for dinner. I’d been recommended it by Geordie Scranners on Instagram, and it was a great choice with the dog.
It’s basically an indoor street food market hall with a varied range of food vendors and a lively atmosphere. There are two big bars for drinks, and picnic group table style seating in the middle. It’s fully dog-friendly too.
I went for pasta from the Italian and thoroughly enjoyed it, but we didn’t stay too late as we had a very busy, tiring day. This spot is ideal for a casual dinner after a day of exploring though, you could easily stay ages to enjoy the atmosphere, and it’s great for dogs as well.
Day 2: Festive Mornings and Christmas Displays
We had a great night sleep in The George, ready for day 2. Check out is midday which was ideal, so we had the morning to enjoy in Edinburgh. I booked a lunchtime train so that I didn’t need to carry my bags around with me, although the hotel would have stored them, it was just easier with Arthur.
Rather than go back to the Christmas market, instead I wanted to go to other parts of central Edinburgh and see all the fabulous Christmas displays, lights and windows. Before that though, we went for breakfast at a dog friendly cafe I’d searched out.
Breakfast at Greenwoods Edinburgh
Greenwoods Edinburgh is a dog-friendly cafe inspired by the original venue in Amsterdam, and it wasn’t far from the hotel. It was a bit rainy which Arthur hates so he was quite happy to get inside. It was perfect for a relaxed breakfast, and the staff sat us by the window and brought Arthur some water. Another ideal people-watching spot, and they serve cooked breakfasts to lighter options. I went for a full Scottish and coffee, until the rain cleared and we set off for the old town.
There were actually loads of dog friendly options for breakfast spots, so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding others too.
Edinburgh’s Christmas Displays
One of the best parts of Edinburgh during Christmas is simply wandering through the city’s decorated streets, with the hotels, shops and restaurants going all out with their decorations. We did a bit of a walking tour to find the best ones around George Street, and St Andrews Square, before also making our way over to the Old Town. These were my favourite spots for festive displays and photo ops to look out for:
Outside The Dome – A holiday icon in Edinburgh, The Dome’s exterior is wrapped in thousands of twinkling lights and festive decorations winding up the pillars.
Gleneagles Townhouse – The luxury hotel had gorgeous gold and bronze colours last year.
Le Monde Hotel – Featuring a classy, festive look, Le Monde made for a perfect photo stop.
The Grand Hotel and The George Hotel – Both were decked out with Christmas lights and wreaths.
Victoria Street and Grassmarket – Over in the Old Town, these areas felt straight out of a storybook even more so than usual, with decorations and lights twinkling above the cobbled streets.
Edinburgh’s charming streets definitely deliver all the festive feels, it’s impossible not to get into the spirit.
Our last stroll through Edinburgh was to return to The George to relax in the bar for an hour before going to catch our train back to Newcastle. The Edinburgh Christmas market was significantly quieter on the Monday compared to the weekend, so keep that in mind too. All the stalls and food vendors were still open too.
Final Thoughts on Our Dog-Friendly Christmas Trip
Our dog friendly Edinburgh Christmas Market trip was everything I’d hoped for when planning it. I’ll be honest I was a bit nervous mainly for on the train, I knew he would be fine once at the hotel, but I didn’t know if I’d have enough hands or how he would take to being on the train for almost two hours. He was so good in both directions I’d definitely do it again.
Edinburgh was a great city for it too, incredibly welcoming to pets, didn’t have to compromise on a nice higher end hotel, and so many festive spots that make it easy to bring them along. I’d highly recommend this itinerary to anyone looking to explore Edinburgh Christmas market and the city with their dog this Christmas.
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