I can’t be the only one who believes that ‘cosy’ is just about the biggest compliment you could pay a city. Edinburgh, with its winding streets, glowing lights, historic buildings and actual castle, is exactly that. It’s the kind of place that’s made for visits in the coldest months, when you can sip spiced hot chocolate while taking in its twinkly-ness. Which is why, on a freezing almost-Christmas weekend, I braved the nearly six-hour train journey from London to Edinburgh for a wintry weekend there.

Arriving at Edinburgh Waverley station on a Friday night and walking straight onto Princes Street, the busiest shopping spot in the city, I didn’t have far to go until I reached my base for the weekend. I was staying at the newly opened W Hotel – so central that it was ridiculously well-placed for just about everywhere I wanted to be. Rooms come with a special ‘cosy’ light setting and Davines toiletries (perfect for taking a bath after travelling). In the morning, breakfast is served on the hotel’s top floor with 360-degree views: Arthur’s Seat may look impressive from ground level, but it’s even better from above while eating French toast.

The W is set in the middle of the St James Quarter, Edinburgh’s newest district that’s ideal for whiling away a couple of rainy hours. Book a fragrance experience at Molton Brown to discover your ‘fragrance personality type’ (I found out I was a ‘Romantic Ritualist’) and get a hand and arm massage with your chosen scent, then head to Bonnie and Wild for lunch – an upmarket food hall serving the best of Scottish cuisine. Named the best food hall in the UK by National Geographic, inside you’ll find everything from local seafood to Sri Lankan kottu roti. Don’t miss the sticky toffee pudding served by cult Edinburgh ice cream spot Joelato.

If Italian coffee or a particularly delicious hunk of panettone is your idea of a great souvenir, head down the road to Valvona and Crolla, an Italian deli that’s been in Edinburgh since the 1930s. Its walls are packed floor-to-ceiling with delicious things to taste and browse, including some of the fanciest olive oil money can buy.

Then, if the weather is on your side, walk over Arthur’s Seat (the best views in the city) to Dr Neil’s Garden, a relatively undiscovered, beautifully peaceful botanical garden founded by two GPs who encouraged their patients to help tend to the greenery. Wander round, absorb its calming influence – and make sure you look out for the California sequoias.

Home to countless independent boutiques, Edinburgh isn’t short of wonderfully cosy, wooden-floored shops to wander around. Womenswear boutique Epitome, vintage emporium Pascal and Co and sustainable store Treen are some of the best for welcoming vibes and genuinely exciting new discoveries. If you happen to be in Stockbridge (one of the city’s most famous areas for grand terraced houses and independent shopping) on a Sunday, it would be remiss not to check out the market. Not only can you buy every kind of Sunday snack, from giant cookies to vegan sausage rolls, you can also browse locally made silver jewellery and vintage homeware. Or head to Underground Solution – one of the city’s coolest record shops, a stone’s throw from Waverley station – to flip through and test out albums old and new.

For dinner, if you’re into small plates and painted brick walls (who isn’t?), book a table at Eleanore. From the team behind local favourite The Little Chartroom, its candlelit ambience and simple set menu is ideal for wintry dinners. Make sure to order the ‘tirami-choux’ for dessert (if you’re anything like me, you’ll find it the perfect pudding hybrid). Alternatively, head to Little Capo in Stockbridge for great cocktails and laidback Italian dishes. Recently opened in October, it fuses delicious food and drink with an extremely chic vibe that makes for a brilliantly stylish evening. 

I can’t 100% guarantee that walking, eating and shopping your way around Edinburgh – taking in its signature Harry Potter-like cobbles and street musicians as you go – will imbue your 2025 with good vibes. But it certainly feels like a magical way to ease into a new year.

Image: Getty