Honestly, every month is a great time to visit Edinburgh; it is an amazing city! We have visited in June and January, and we found both times to be a great visit. However, there are definitely some perks to visiting in January. Here are our top reasons to visit Edinburgh in January:

1. Less crowded at attractions

 First on the list of reasons to visit Edinburgh in January is that it’s a pretty quiet time in Edinburgh. After the big New Year’s celebration, Hogmanay, tourism slows down. Most people travel to tropical places in the winter months to warm up, which means it’s a great time to visit not-so-tropical Scotland. The attractions weren’t thronged with people, like they can be in the summer time, particularly during their festivals. We enjoyed visiting museums and walking around without having to worry about crowds.

2. Average Temperature:

30°-45° F (-1° to 7° C)

Now we said that Scotland is not a tropical escape, and this is true. The colder, windy weather in January is one reason why there are less tourists. However, the temperature is usually in the 30°s and 40°s (Fahrenheit) in January. Edinburgh does get snow but isn’t know for an abundance of it.

Coming from New England, where it can dip below 0° F, the 30°/40° F weather was nice for us! It was chilly, but we walked around for hours without getting cold. We were able to do all the outdoor activities that we wanted to do, like climb Arthur’s Seat and Calton Hill. For winter weather, it is really enjoyable!

3. Cheap flights

US-to-Europe flights can be costly, but you can usually find some cheap flights to Edinburgh for January. As stated above, January isn’t an incredibly popular month to travel to Edinburgh so you can find good deals. For our most recent trip, we booked through Norwegian, which is known for cheap flights. However, depending on where you are departing from, there are several airlines that may offer cheap flights to Edinburgh, especially in the winter. We couldn’t believe how affordable it was to hop across the pond!

4. Cheap hotels

Another benefit of a less crowded Edinburgh in January is cheaper hotels. Hotels aren’t fully booked during this slow season and you can find excellent deals. We ended up staying at the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian. 

If you are looking for a cheap way to visit Edinburgh, we recommend visiting in January! All of the fun, but a lot better price, as seen through our top reasons to visit Edinburgh in January!

You can find our full itinerary for our January trip to Edinburgh here.