When is the best time to visit Edinburgh?

The best time to visit Edinburgh is between May and October, the most comfortable stretch of the year on these averages.

Edinburgh has four seasons without a desert summer or a guaranteed freeze. Pack for mixed weather. The good outdoor weeks are real, and so are the grey ones. Edinburgh is a city in United Kingdom. This page is about Edinburgh, not a country average.

Most visitors come for cities, walking and the milder stretch of the year. Treat midwinter as museums and food unless you like weather for its own sake. The monthly table owns the averages. This layer is how Edinburgh actually feels.

Part of United Kingdom weather.

Edinburgh

Spring

Spring in Edinburgh is when the year becomes walkable again. March, April and May are mixed: bright days, wet days, and the odd reminder that winter has not fully left.

In Edinburgh the meteorological summer is June, July and August and winter is December, January and February. This is a good month-range for a city break that wants outdoor hours without betting the packing list on heat. Carry a shell.

Read Edinburgh in this stretch as its own climate, not as a generic holiday season copied from another destination.

Summer

Summer in Edinburgh is the most usable stretch of the year: June, July and August. Long days, milder nights, and outdoor weather that makes a city break feel like a holiday.

In Edinburgh the meteorological summer is June, July and August and winter is December, January and February. It is still a mixed-sky climate. A grey afternoon is not a surprise. Pack for sitting outside and for the hour you duck into a museum because the sky decided otherwise.

Read Edinburgh in this stretch as its own climate, not as a generic holiday season copied from another destination.

Autumn

Autumn in Edinburgh is the second spring, then a slide: September, October and November. Early weeks are for walking. Later weeks are for jackets and shorter outdoor plans.

In Edinburgh the meteorological summer is June, July and August and winter is December, January and February. Rain returns as a planning constraint. Edinburgh in these months is still a good city-break climate if you pack for weather instead of for a brochure afternoon.

Read Edinburgh in this stretch as its own climate, not as a generic holiday season copied from another destination.

Winter

Winter in Edinburgh is grey, wet and short on daylight: December, January and February. Snow is possible and not the identity of the season. Museums, food and walking between showers are the trip.

In Edinburgh the meteorological summer is June, July and August and winter is December, January and February. A bright winter afternoon in Edinburgh is worth going out for. The rest of the day is not a failed summer. It is the climate this place actually has.

Read Edinburgh in this stretch as its own climate, not as a generic holiday season copied from another destination.

Average weather in Edinburgh

TemperatureRainfall

Source: MeteostatPeriod: 1991-2020Checked: 28 Aug 2026265 places covered

Where to stay in Edinburgh

Dates are a starting point for May.

All hotels in Edinburgh

Travel guides for Edinburgh

What to read before you book.

All travel guides in Edinburgh

Check another month

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FAQs about Edinburgh

Climate averages for Edinburgh, 1991–2020.

The best time to visit Edinburgh is between May and October, the most comfortable stretch of the year on these averages.

July is the hottest month, with an average around 15°C.

October is the wettest month, with about 80 mm of rain.

No. These are 1991–2020 climate normals from Meteostat, not a live forecast. Actual weather in any given week can differ.