Sporting culture has been a major part of Edinburgh’s identity for centuries. Now the home of Scotland’s National Rugby Team and rival football clubs (and of course all the fanatical football fans to go along with them), spectator sports will undoubtedly be a presence in your Edinburgh visit, whether or not you decide to actually take a trip down to the stadium.

Rugby is wildly popular all over Scotland and particularly in the border regions, where it is traditionally the most beloved pastime of the working class. The home of the national team is Murrayfield Stadium, just outside Edinburgh’s center and within walking distance of Haymarket station. Though games can be tickets can be pricey (generally £25 to £40) and hard to come by, especially when Scotland takes on one of the other U.K. home nations, the experience is well worth it for those looking to see the real heart of the Scottish sports scene.

Edinburgh is also the home to two professional football clubs, Hibernian and Heart of Midlothian (don’t worry if you can’t get the full names down—the teams are almost universally known as the Hibs or Hibees, and the Hearts). The Hibs play at Easter Road stadium, down near Leith, while the Hearts call Tyrnecastle Stadium home. The rivalry between the two clubs is fierce, particularly around the time of the 3 or 4 matches they play head-to-head in the Scottish Premier League—events referred to as the Edinburgh derby.

If you want to take part in sports while you are here, then there are many, many leisure centres offering swimming, gym, tennis, badminton and football charged at reasonable prices.  For the kids you could take them to Edinburgh's main Fun Pool, Leith Waterworld situated in Leith with regular transport links to and from Princes Street.  www.edinburghleisure.co.uk or if you go further afield there is a Fun Pool in Dunbar www.eastlothiancouncil.co.uk