Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Valvona & Crolla
19 Elm Row, Leith Walk
T
0131 556
6066,
W
valvonacrolla.co.uk; map pp.60-61.
Open the
door to this most venerated of Edinburgh's delis and you're
instantly welcomed by a glorious odour reminiscent of Italian
markets. Indeed it is from the markets of Milan that much of
the fine produce here directly originates.
Mon-Thurs
8.30am-6pm, Fri & Sat 8am-6pm, Sun 10.30am-4pm.
Stockbridge Market
Kerr St, Stockbridge
W
stock
bridgemarket.com; map pp.60-61.
The capital's
favourite foodie market has a Continental buzz and a
wealth of delicious produce to eat on site or take away. Dine
out on paella or Thai noodles, or wash a German pastry
down with a coffee served out of the back of a VW camper.
June-Sept & Dec Sun 10am-5pm & Thurs noon-
7.30pm; rest of year Sun 10am-5pm.
in Coda's collection is for contemporary folk and roots
music.
Daily 9.30am-5.30pm.
Underground Solu'shun
9 Cockburn St, Old Town
T
0131 226 2242,
W
undergroundsolushn.com; map
pp.64-65.
The only surviving dance and electronic music
specialist in town, selling records mostly in vinyl format and
DJ-oriented hardware. There's a lot of house and techno here
but they also dabble in disco, funk and soul.
Mon-Wed & Fri
& Sat 10am-6pm, Thurs 10am-7pm, Sun noon-6pm.
Vinyl Villains
5 Elm Row, Leith Walk
T
0131 558
1170,
W
vinylvillainsrecords.co.uk; map pp.60-61.
An
ancient but struggling Edinburgh institution selling some
new but mostly secondhand records as well as T-shirts and
collectable music-related ephemera. The racks are mostly
filled with Sixties and Seventies rock LPs and singles but no
genre or era is excluded entirely.
Mon-Sat 10.30am-6pm,
Sun noon-4pm.
1
MUSIC
Avalanche
5 Grassmarket, Old Town
T
0131 659 7708,
W
avalancherecords.co.uk; map pp.64-65.
A small but
time-honoured chain with a strong focus on indie music;
particularly good for championing unsigned Scottish acts.
Also serves coffee.
Mon-Sat 11am-6pm, Sun noon-6pm.
Coda
12 Bank St, Old Town
T
0131 622 7246,
W
codamusic.co.uk; map pp.64-65.
Just steps from the
touristic Royal Mile it's unsurprising to find a record shop
with a focus on Scottish music, but Coda's range goes far
deeper than the whiny “Bagpipes Plays the Beatles” records
that you might find in tacky gift shops nearby. The passion
OUTDOOR GEAR
There's a concentration of useful stores specializing in
outdoor gear on Rose St in the New Town and round the
corner on Frederick St.
Tiso
123-125 Rose St
T
0131 225 9486,
W
tiso.com;
map pp.64-65.
A department store for the outdoors;
spread over four floors, with maps, knowledgeable staff
and all you could need in Scotland's vast wilderness.
Mon,
Tues, Fri & Sat 9.30am-5.30pm, Wed 10am-5.30pm,
Thurs 9.30am-7.30pm, Sun 11am-5pm.
THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL
The
Edinburgh Festival
is actually an umbrella term encompassing several different festivals taking place at around the
same time in the city. The principal events are the
Edinburgh International Festival
and the much larger
Edinburgh
Festival Fringe
, but there are also
Book, Jazz and Blues
and
Art
festivals, among others, as well as the
Military
Tattoo
on the Castle Esplanade.
high production values and serious approach offering an
antidote to the Fringe's slapdash vigour.
International Festival Box O
ce
The Hub, Castlehill,
Old Town
T
0131 473 2000,
W
eif.co.uk.
This is the year-
round headquarters and box o
ce for the Edinburgh
International Festival which generally runs from the second
week of August to the beginning of September, culminating
in a ticketed Fireworks Concert
based in Princes Street
Gardens but visible from all over the city. Performances
take place at the city's larger venues such as the Usher Hall
and the Festival Theatre and, while ticket prices can run to
over £60, it is possible to see even the big productions for as
little as £12 if you're prepared to sit at the back.
The Fireworks Concert
Princes Street Gardens
T
0131
473 2000,
W
eif.co.uk.
Tickets for the Fireworks Concert
(£12.50 standing, £27.50 seated) sell out well in advance;
however, a few extra tickets are released for sale at 10am at
the Hub, Castlehill, on the day before the show. The concert
begins on the last day of the festival at 9pm.
PROGRAMMES, LISTINGS
AND INFORMATION
As well as the o
cial Edinburgh Festivals website
(
W
edinburghfestivals.co.uk), each festival produces its
own programme well in advance. During August, various
publications give information about what's on and what's
good - best of these is
The Scotsman
newspaper's daily
supplement, but also worthwhile are
The Guide
, published
daily by the Fringe O
ce; weekly
The List
; and
Fest
, best of
the freebie newspapers available around town.
THE EDINBURGH
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
The original Edinburgh Festival, sometimes called the
“O
cial Festival”, was conceived in 1947 as a celebration of
pan-European culture in the postwar era. Initially
dominated by opera, other elements such as top-grade
theatre, ballet, dance and classical music were gradually
introduced, and it's still very much a highbrow event, its
