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With the holidays now underway, here are links to some of Smart Traveller’s previous posts about tourist attractions that you can visit for free, so that you can get some last minute ideas for things to do if you’re visiting any of these destinations and you’re on a budget:
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With the recession biting for many of us, the great British camping holiday is set to make a real comeback this summer. If you haven’t already booked your summer break, The Time’s Online’s 50 Best UK Campsites list might come in handy.
The list includes a wide range of differen types of campsite, including family-friendly campsites, kid-free campsites, traditional campsites with pitches for tents, campsites featuring yurts and teepees, seaside campsites, more isolated places where you can camp, campsites which will appeal to food-lovers, and sites where the accommodation is a little more luxurious (such as La Rosa in North Yorkshire, where you can stay in a gyspy caravan).
With prices starting from as low as £4 per person per night, a camping holiday can be an extremely cheap holiday option, particularly as you can find some great deals on camping equipment if you shop around.
Do you agree with the Time Online’s choices? Are there any campsites that you would recommend?
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In the next in our series of posts about attractions that you can visit free of charge, we look at some of the things that you can see and do in Edinburgh in Scotland. Edinburgh is a beautiful and historic city, and it has a range of free attractions, so you’ll be able to have a great break here even if you’re on a budget.
Here are five free things that you can do during your stay in Edinburgh:
1. Visit the National Galleries of Scotland. The National Galleries of Scotland consist of five galleries on three different sites in Edinburgh, so the city is a paradise for art lovers.
The National Gallery Complex (The Mound, Edinburgh, EH2 2EL) consists of two galleries, The National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy Building. The National Gallery of Scotland houses works of fine art dating from the Renaissance to the 19th century, and includes works by artists such as Titian, Monet, Rembrandt and Van Gogh, as well as paintings by prominent Scottish artists, and admission is free of charge. The Royal Scottish Academy Building is used as a venue for regular art exhibitions, and there may be a charge to see these.
The Modern Art Galleries (75 Bedford Road, Edinburgh) are comprised of The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, where you can see works by artists such as Picasso, Matisse, Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst, and The Dean Gallery, which houses works of art from the schools of Dada and Surrealism. Admission to both of these galleries is free of charge and you can also see sculptures in the parkland surrounding them.
The final gallery to make up the National Galleries of Scotland is The National Portrait Gallery of Scotland. Unfortunately, this gallery is currently closed whilst it undergoes major refurbishment, but is due to reopen in 2011.
2. Explore the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR). The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s origins date back to 1670, when two doctors, Robert Sibbald and Andrew Balfour, set up a physic garden on a small plot in the city’s Holyrood Park. It moved to a new site on the high road to Leith in 1763, before moving to its current site in Inverleith Row in 1820.
The gardens are spread over more than 70 acres and feature thousands of plants. Highlights include the Queen Mother’s Memorial Garden, which features a labyrinth planted with bog myrtle, together with plants from Asia, North America, Europe and the Southern Hemisphere. Entrance to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is free of charge, although you will need to pay in order to get into the glasshouses.
3. Visit the Writers Museum (Lady Stair’s Close, Edinburgh, EH1 2PA). This museum, which is housed in the 17th century Lady Stair’s House, features exhibits relating to some of Scotland’s most famous literary figures. You can see documents, portraits and first editions, together with objects such as Sir Walter Scott’s chess board and the writing desk where Robert Burns penned some of his famous works.
4. Relax in Princes Street Gardens. Princes Street Gardens are situated in the centre of Edinburgh and are divided into two sections by a street known as The Mound.
In East Princes Street Gardens, you’ll find the National Gallery Complex and the neo-Gothic style Scott Monument, which honours Sir Walter Scott. In West Princes Street Gardens, you’ll find the Ross Fountain and Edinburgh’s Floral Clock.
Princes Street Gardens are the perfect place to go for a picnic, a stroll or simply to relax, and are popular with locals and tourists alike.
5. Explore Holyrood Park. Holyrood Park was originally a royal hunting estate and is most famous as being the home of the natural rock formation known as Arthur’s Seat, which is shaped like a crouching lion. The park is also home to the Salisbury Crags ( a series of cliffs) and three lochs. It’s the perfect place to go for a walk if you want to escape the city and you can download a leaflet featuring a number of walking routes from the Historic Scotland website.