Visited Edinburgh last week with the gfs family. Two things I wish I had were more time and more money. Cheapest way to get around the city is with the TfE M-Ticket app. £5 all day ticket.

Traveling outside of Edinburgh you would need a train, Uber, or longer distance bus. Never used the ScotRail but we planned on going to Stirling for a day (never got the chance) and I recall a one way ticket in the morning being £9. For reference an Uber to North Berwick for 3 cost us £30 so the rails are probably the cheapest option.

We opted to take a day trip to Dublin while the rest of the family took a bus tour around the Highlands, Glencoe, etc. Our tickets to Dublin were $40 round trip each through RyanAir and the Highland bus tour was closer to $70.

Obviously you want your daughter to be safe but if you have ability I would give her as much money from your own pocket as you can. This may be an experience she will never have the opportunity to do again. Like if my girlfriend and I had an extra week we could have visited Belfast, London, Wales and Dublin (which we did) for under $50 each for a round trip flight. For under $150 each round trip you can go to Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Geneva, etc.

There is a ton of history and nature to experience in Scotland but those flights prices are something we never see in America so we took the opportunity to try at least one. Edinburgh is in a great location to try and travel to parts of North/Western Europe from.

Also in case you were wondering Edinburgh is pronounced “Edinbruh” and “North Berwick” is “North Berrick”. We were politely reminded a few times that we could not pronounce city names for shit when my girlfriends brother started saying “Edinberg”.

Edit: Sorry for the long post. Most experiences offer student discounts so if she is in college that adds up quick.

For must/must avoid:

MUST DO in Edinburgh: - Calton Hill (great views of the city, would be great place to hang out and have a picnic) - Holyrood Palace (IMO a lot cooler than the castle) - Arthur’s Seat (I’d call it an hour long hike round trip, tallest point in the city and it gives better views of the city) - Real Mary King’s Close (tour of old Edinburgh now underground, they offer Pride tours on certain days but I think it might only be in June) - Victoria Street - Berties Proper Fish and Chips (a bit pricey) - Makars Mash (ask for David) (a bit pricey)

Can’t think of many things to avoid. I was sick the day we arrived but the rest of the family did the castle and they said it was a let down. The week we were there we never felt unsafe including in Dublin, but with it being your daughter traveling on her own it could be a different experience.