Freedom of the City Edinburgh can be an expensive city, especially during Festival season.
But there are a number of ways to ensure that the expense of discovering the City of Literature does not get out of hand.
In this article we will consider three ways of enjoying the city at minimal cost.
Something (Special) for nothing Now in its 20th year, the Edinburgh Doors Open day provides visitors with an opportunity to visit many sites that are not open to the public, but are of great public interest.
Given infamy by Ian Rankin in his novel "Doors Open".
This story describes how an art robbery is planned to take advantage when the National Gallery of Scotland is relieved of some famous pieces during the doors open weekend.
Many organisations are joining the list of buildings throwing their doors open.
Last year Royal Bank of Scotland offered their new Edinburgh HQ at Gogarburn.
Only to have to withdraw the offer, after "authorities" declared this a significant security risk.
Not only a free entry opportunity, but a very limited chance to get inside some closed institutions and benefit from expert guides on hand to show you around.
St Andrew's Day Specials Free entry to the Castle, Zoo, Botanic Gardens, Holyrood Palace, Abbeys and Trinity House Maritime Museum.
A growing number of Edinburgh attractions are celebrating the Patron saint's day with a freebie.
Members of the public can visit top tourist attractions and there is no admittance charge.
Top attractions like the Castle (£14)and the Zoo (£11.
50) throw their doors open for free, in celebration of the national spirit.
Latest details available from Historic Scotland.
Be warned, significant numbers of visitors take advantage of the free admission, especially at local favourites such as the Zoo.
Money Saver Options (Not Free, but great value) Tattoo Tickets On a slightly different tack, it is sometimes possible to visit top Festival acts for free, or at drastically reduced admission rates.
One example of this is Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Like any professional theatre group, Tattoo performers hold a full dress rehearsal, ahead of the opening performance.
Spectators are welcome to the final rehearsal, as it lets performers experience the atmosphere of a live public performance.
The Tattoo is normally a sell out, so you will have to act smartly if you want to catch this performance.
Tickets available from the Tattoo ticket office.
Going, Going, Gong? Edinburgh City Council organise a wonderful Festival party on The Meadows, a large urban park near the city centre.
Known locally as "Fringe Sunday" the festival is an open air carnival featuring pipe bands, musicians, troubadours.
All day long festival performers play host to 200,000 revellers.
The event is absolutely free and intended as a thank you to residents, for putting up with the annual invasion of the city by 1 million festival visitors and performers.
A fantastic opportunity to experience the Edinburgh festival in microcosm.
Words of caution.
This is an open air event and even in August, the Scottish weather can be unpredictable.
Financial constraints are being felt across the board in Scotland.
Edinburgh will be no different and it is likely that belt tightening will affect the quality and quantity of Fringe Sunday events in future years.
Edinburgh Pass This pass opens the doors to over 40 top attractions around Edinburgh and the Lothians.
The Pass is issued by and can be purchased from the Tourist Authority, VisitScotland, priced Adult (£26.
40) Child (£17.
00).
To make the most of this pass, it is essential that you plan your activities very carefully.
This requires that you are aware of how long each attraction will take to satisfy your interest, as well as how long the journey between your chosen attractions will take.
If using public transport, be aware of journey times and frequency of services.
For instance, it is quite possible to spend a whole day at Edinburgh Zoo.
Entrance to the Zoo costs £47.
70 for a family (2+2), so it makes no sense to use The Edinburgh Pass if you will spend all day looking around the Zoo.
Furthermore, the Zoo is located to the West of the city centre, out at Corstorphine Hill.
If your next point of interest is the Royal Yacht Britannia, berthed at Leith Docks, you will need to allow 40 minutes journey time and up to 10 minutes between bus services.
That travel time could be better spent enjoying another attraction and maximising the value of your pass.
Last Tip.
If arriving at Edinburgh airport, don't forget to buy your pass before you travel.
One of the benefits is free transportation on the AirLink bus service between airport and City centre.
This is a limited stop service so ensure that you know where you want to alight and that it is served by the Airlink service.
The Airlink bus does stop at Edinburgh Zoo and Murrayfield, but not on Princes Street.
But there are a number of ways to ensure that the expense of discovering the City of Literature does not get out of hand.
In this article we will consider three ways of enjoying the city at minimal cost.
Something (Special) for nothing Now in its 20th year, the Edinburgh Doors Open day provides visitors with an opportunity to visit many sites that are not open to the public, but are of great public interest.
Given infamy by Ian Rankin in his novel "Doors Open".
This story describes how an art robbery is planned to take advantage when the National Gallery of Scotland is relieved of some famous pieces during the doors open weekend.
Many organisations are joining the list of buildings throwing their doors open.
Last year Royal Bank of Scotland offered their new Edinburgh HQ at Gogarburn.
Only to have to withdraw the offer, after "authorities" declared this a significant security risk.
Not only a free entry opportunity, but a very limited chance to get inside some closed institutions and benefit from expert guides on hand to show you around.
St Andrew's Day Specials Free entry to the Castle, Zoo, Botanic Gardens, Holyrood Palace, Abbeys and Trinity House Maritime Museum.
A growing number of Edinburgh attractions are celebrating the Patron saint's day with a freebie.
Members of the public can visit top tourist attractions and there is no admittance charge.
Top attractions like the Castle (£14)and the Zoo (£11.
50) throw their doors open for free, in celebration of the national spirit.
Latest details available from Historic Scotland.
Be warned, significant numbers of visitors take advantage of the free admission, especially at local favourites such as the Zoo.
Money Saver Options (Not Free, but great value) Tattoo Tickets On a slightly different tack, it is sometimes possible to visit top Festival acts for free, or at drastically reduced admission rates.
One example of this is Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Like any professional theatre group, Tattoo performers hold a full dress rehearsal, ahead of the opening performance.
Spectators are welcome to the final rehearsal, as it lets performers experience the atmosphere of a live public performance.
The Tattoo is normally a sell out, so you will have to act smartly if you want to catch this performance.
Tickets available from the Tattoo ticket office.
Going, Going, Gong? Edinburgh City Council organise a wonderful Festival party on The Meadows, a large urban park near the city centre.
Known locally as "Fringe Sunday" the festival is an open air carnival featuring pipe bands, musicians, troubadours.
All day long festival performers play host to 200,000 revellers.
The event is absolutely free and intended as a thank you to residents, for putting up with the annual invasion of the city by 1 million festival visitors and performers.
A fantastic opportunity to experience the Edinburgh festival in microcosm.
Words of caution.
This is an open air event and even in August, the Scottish weather can be unpredictable.
Financial constraints are being felt across the board in Scotland.
Edinburgh will be no different and it is likely that belt tightening will affect the quality and quantity of Fringe Sunday events in future years.
Edinburgh Pass This pass opens the doors to over 40 top attractions around Edinburgh and the Lothians.
The Pass is issued by and can be purchased from the Tourist Authority, VisitScotland, priced Adult (£26.
40) Child (£17.
00).
To make the most of this pass, it is essential that you plan your activities very carefully.
This requires that you are aware of how long each attraction will take to satisfy your interest, as well as how long the journey between your chosen attractions will take.
If using public transport, be aware of journey times and frequency of services.
For instance, it is quite possible to spend a whole day at Edinburgh Zoo.
Entrance to the Zoo costs £47.
70 for a family (2+2), so it makes no sense to use The Edinburgh Pass if you will spend all day looking around the Zoo.
Furthermore, the Zoo is located to the West of the city centre, out at Corstorphine Hill.
If your next point of interest is the Royal Yacht Britannia, berthed at Leith Docks, you will need to allow 40 minutes journey time and up to 10 minutes between bus services.
That travel time could be better spent enjoying another attraction and maximising the value of your pass.
Last Tip.
If arriving at Edinburgh airport, don't forget to buy your pass before you travel.
One of the benefits is free transportation on the AirLink bus service between airport and City centre.
This is a limited stop service so ensure that you know where you want to alight and that it is served by the Airlink service.
The Airlink bus does stop at Edinburgh Zoo and Murrayfield, but not on Princes Street.