Why Edinburgh
Edinburgh has a way of making a long weekend feel like a secret: a castle at the end of the street, stone stairways that drop between centuries, a bar you would never find unless somebody took you there. If you were looking for an escort in Edinburgh, think of me as the company that makes those days yours. I am Sophie Hoffmann, German by birth, a traveller by habit, based in Mayfair, and I would love to be your travel companion here.
Picture a weekend in Edinburgh with no agenda, dinner and a long evening out, several days together, or a private companion at your side for a conference in Scotland. I am well educated, happy to talk about almost anything, and I am pursuing an acting career, so the theatre tends to come up. I write and reply in English, and I travel up from London only once a request has been accepted.
From King's Cross to the Old Town
I come north from London King's Cross on the East Coast line, with LNER or Lumo, and the fastest trains reach Edinburgh Waverley in a little over four hours. It is my favourite way to arrive: the line hugs the sea after Newcastle, then delivers you into the valley between the two halves of the city.
If time is short, direct flights from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City take about an hour and twenty minutes, and the tram from Edinburgh Airport reaches the centre in under thirty-five minutes. Once here, we walk. The Old Town and the New Town sit side by side, steep in places, and most of what matters is a stroll apart. For Leith, take the tram or a taxi.
If you are staying nearby
In the New Town, The Balmoral is the name everybody knows, its clock tower standing guard over Waverley and Princes Street. Gleneagles Townhouse brings country-estate polish to St Andrew Square, and its rooftop bar is reserved for members and hotel guests, which has its charms.
Prestonfield is the romantic outlier, a theatrical country house on the edge of Holyrood Park, for anyone who finds conventional luxury a little predictable. These are simply places a visitor might choose. I have no arrangement with any of them, and where you stay is entirely your decision.
Tables worth the walk uphill
The Witchery sits just below the castle gates, all candlelight and dark wood, and it is the table I would pick for a first evening. Nobody runs out of things to say in a room like that.
For serious cooking, The Kitchin in Leith holds a Michelin star and puts Scottish produce at the centre of the plate. The tasting menu at Number One, beneath The Balmoral, gives a long dinner its own rhythm: course after course, and nowhere else to be.
Afterwards, Panda & Sons hides behind a barbershop front in the New Town and was among the most decorated cocktail bars in Scotland this year. A concealed door is a very good way to end a date, because everyone has something to say about it.
When Edinburgh is at its best
August is the city at full volume. The Fringe, the International Festival and the Book Festival fill every street and every hotel, so that is the month to ask early. In February and March, Six Nations weekends bring Murrayfield crowds into town in their best scarves.
From mid-November to early January the Christmas market lights up East Princes Street Gardens, and Hogmanay closes the year with a flourish. October has the Storytelling Festival, which suits a good talker. My own favourites are May and September, when the light lasts and the pavements are calmer.
A capital with a village memory
Edinburgh is smaller than it looks. Advocates, bankers and old school friends all seem to lunch within the same few New Town streets, so I take that seriously. If you would rather not be seen at the obvious table, we choose Leith, or a quiet corner of the Old Town, and I follow your lead on how we greet each other in a lobby.
During the festivals the crowds do the work for us. In the quiet of February, a private dining room may suit you better. Either way, your name stays with me.
Before you ask
How do I request a trip to Edinburgh?
Fill in the short form on this page and tell me what you have in mind. If I accept, we arrange a short video call so that each of us can verify the other. My photos are real and unedited, so there will be no surprises on your side of the screen.
How is the fee handled?
You will not find a price list here. Once your request has been accepted, we agree the fee and the travel costs personally, according to the length and shape of the trip.
Do you live in Scotland?
No. My home is London, and I have no base in Edinburgh or anywhere else in Scotland. I come north for a particular person and a particular plan, and only when we have agreed on both.
Request a trip to Edinburgh
Tell me about your Edinburgh, and I will tell you if I can join you.
No prices here: the fee and travel costs are agreed personally once your request is accepted.