Blogs > A snapshot of UK Cities

A Snapshot into.. Edinburgh

• March 01, 2021

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, and is known for its rich history, stunning architecture and beautiful natural areas. Its combination of city living and abundance of parks and nature makes it a popular city to live in. As well as this, it also has its own airport, keeping it well connected to other big cities across the UK.
 

NHS Lothian

NHS Lothian provides a comprehensive range of primary, community-based and acute hospital services for the populations of Edinburgh, Midlothian, East Lothian and West Lothian. They also provide some services for patients in the Borders and in Fife and are a national centre of expertise for some specialties provided to people across Scotland.  NHS Lothian has an annual budget of £1.6 billion and employs approximately 26,000 staff.
 

Facts About Edinburgh

• The city has more listed buildings than any other location in the world!
• It’s the greenest city in the UK and has an impressive 112 parks.
• The largest arts festival in the world is the Edinburgh Fringe.
• The famous “Stone of Destiny” is kept in Edinburgh castle, there is an old legend that the stone is fake, and that the real stone was stolen and swapped with a fake at some point in history.
• Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling wrote some of Harry Potter in a café in Edinburgh, the café is called The Elephant.
• Edinburgh Castle is built on an extinct volcano.
• The national animal of Scotland is a unicorn.
• The world’s only Knighted penguin, Sir Nils Olav, lives at Edinburgh Zoo (no, we’re not joking!)

Cost of Living in Edinburgh

One-Bedroom Apartment in the City Centre	£785.77
One-Bedroom Apartment Outside of the City Centre	£627.50
Three-Bedroom Apartment in the City Centre	£1,400
Three-Bedroom Apartment Outside of the City Centre	£1,027.88

Transportation

1ltr Petrol	£1.27
One-Way Public Transport Ticket	£1.70
Monthly Public Transport Ticket	£55.00
1km Taxi Journey	£1.37

Entertainment

Meal out for two at a local pub	£30.00
Meal for two at a mid-range restaurant with three courses	£55.00
Cinema tickets for two people	£20.00
One month of gym membership	£33.08
Beer 0.5ltr bottle	£4.00
Coke/Pepsi 0.33ltr bottle	£1.33
Cappuccino	£2.66

Time it Takes to Travel to other Cities in the UK from Edinburgh by Train

Glasgow – 47 Minutes

Inverness – 3 Hours 36 Minutes

Aberdeen – 2 Hours 37 Minutes

London – 4 Hours 39 Minutes

Birmingham – 4 hours 27 Minutes

Manchester – 3 Hours 12 Minutes

Liverpool – 5 Hours 40 Minutes

Bristol – 6 Hours 11 Minutes

Cardiff – 6 Hours 43 Minutes

Leeds – 3 Hours

Time it Takes to Travel to other Cities in the UK from Edinburgh by Plane

Inverness – 2 Hours 15 Minutes

Aberdeen – 2 Hours 55 Minutes

London – 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Birmingham – 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Manchester – 1 Hour 10 Minutes

Liverpool – 4 Hours 35 Minutes

Bristol – 1 Hour 10 Minutes

Cardiff – 1 Hour 25 Minutes

Leeds – 3 Hours 40 Minutes

Education in Edinburgh

There are 88 Primary Schools, 23 Secondary Schools, 4 main Colleges and 6 Universities in Edinburgh. Many of the Primary and Secondary schools are state schools, but there is also a good number of independent schools. Some of the schools in Edinburgh also teach in Gaelic as well as English. Edinburgh is also home to the 29^th best university in the world, and the sixteenth best university in the UK, the University of Edinburgh.

Things to do in Edinburgh
 

Edinburgh Castle

The most famous castle in Scotland, the oldest parts of the castle are said to have been built in the 12^th century. It’s possible to go on guided tours of this historic landmark, hosted by the castle stewards, where you can learn about the history of the castle and its past occupants, as well as glimpsing the Crown Jewels and the previously mentioned “Stone of Destiny”.  An excellent day out to learn about the history of Edinburgh and its famous castle. There is also access to the castle for less able visitors.

Royal Botanic Gardens

A free attraction, the park spans an impressive 70 acres. Its history dates back 300 years, making it a beautiful day out for nature and history lovers. The park is home to ten Glasshouses, each having its own climate to accommodate a vast variety of exotic plants. As well as this, the park is also home to a beautiful Rock Garden and Chinese Hillside area, making it both a beautiful and relaxing location to explore.

National Museum of Scotland

The museum is a free attraction and features over 20,000 artefacts from Scotland’s vast history, making it an excellent way to learn about the rich history and culture of Scotland

Edinburgh Zoo

Home to the world’s only Knighted penguin that we mentioned earlier in this article! If that doesn’t make it unique enough, it also houses over 1,000 animals, many of them rare and endangered, and is the only zoo in the UK that has koalas and giant pandas. The zoo even features special animal-handling sessions and walkthrough habitats. As well as being a fantastic family day out, it’s also part of one of Scotland’s conservation charities, RZSS.

Festivals

Edinburgh hosts a variety of festivals during the summer from around June to August, celebrating culture, art and music. The famous Edinburgh Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world and hosts a vast selection of artistic talent from theatre to circuses, children’s shows, dance and more. The Edinburgh Fringe is an incredible experience no matter your age and is a must see if you decide to relocate to Edinburgh.
 

Relocation to Edinburgh

If you’re an international doctor looking to relocate to Edinburgh, or another location in the UK, please email your CV to [email protected] and we can support you in securing an NHS post and on your journey to relocate to the UK.

Are you a member of our Facebook Group? When you join IMG Advisor, you will join a community of doctors all looking to relocate to the UK and join the NHS. We post a series of blogs and vlogs into the group every single day. We will also always be on hand to answer all your relocation queries.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel! We have over 40 videos on everything you need to know about relocating to the UK and joining the NHS!

References

WorldStrides. (2019). 12 Facts About Edinburgh - WorldStrides. [online] Available at: https://worldstrides.com/blog/2016/07/12-facts-edinburgh/

Bars, B. (2019). 13 Cool Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Edinburgh. [online] st-christophers. Available at: https://www.st-christophers.co.uk/travel-blog/cool-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-edinburgh

Living, C. and Kingdom, U. (2019). Cost of Living in Edinburgh. [online] Numbeo.com. Available at: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Edinburgh 

Visitscotland.com. (2019). Things To See & Do & Attractions in Edinburgh. [online] Available at: https://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/edinburgh/see-do/# 

Org.nhslothian.scot. 2021. About Us. [online] Available at: <https://org.nhslothian.scot/AboutUs/Pages/default.aspx> [Accessed 1 March 2021].