Edinburgh Zoo’s Giant Lanterns 2025
Christmas in Edinburgh is always one of my favourite times of the year and, as always, there’s plenty to see and do around the city in 2025.
We visited Edinburgh Zoo on the opening day of its beautiful giant lanterns trail and had a wonderful time. With the long, dark winter nights, it’s lovely to visit and be cheered up by all the beautiful and colourful lanterns. The theme this year is ‘underwater’ and along the trail you’ll see everything from mermaids, whales and dolphins, to tropical fish, birds and turtles. It’s mesmerising and educational for children and positively uplifting for us adults! If you’re needing some cheering up, it’s a lovely way to spend a Scottish winter evening.
We enjoyed roasting marshmallows and had some really lovely hot drinks and cakes, the hot chocolate being particularly memorable!
The giant lanterns is on from the 14th November 2025 to 22 February 2026 and you can buy your tickets directly from the zoo website - www.edinburghzoo.org.uk . There are peak and off-peak tickets and you get a discount if you’re a zoo member.
I really hope you enjoy the video we filmed of our visit. Every visit helps to support the zoos educational and conservations programs.
One Day Edinburgh Itinerary
If you’re visiting Edinburgh soon and need some help planning your stay, my One-Day Edinburgh Itinerary will save you hours of planning & research. It’s cheaper than taking a tour, and contains all my recommended cafes, restaurants and even toilets. It’s my indispensable guide to Edinburgh!
Save hours of planning and research your trip to Edinburgh!
If you’ve just one or two days in Edinburgh, this one day itinerary (PDF download) will save you lots of time researching and planning what to see.
It can be overwhelming trying to decide what to visit in a city with hundreds of attractions, especially if you have little time.
David has created an itinerary with 16 unmissable places, on and off the beaten track. From large attractions like Edinburgh Castle, to small, hidden music museums, David’s hand-picked a great variety of places to ensure you have a fabulous time in one of the word’s greatest cities.
Included in the itinerary are 32 recommended cafes & restaurants along the route, plus opening hours, nearest toilets and entry costs.
The itinerary was written by David Wheater and no AI was used.
No Quibble Refunds - If you don’t find this itinerary helpful, we’ll refund you straight away!
