Edinburgh · Scotland

February

Six Nations season opens — Murrayfield fills, Leith's pubs roar, and Edinburgh is entirely itself.

Strong option

#7 of 12 months

There are better months for Edinburgh — see the full ranking below.

See when to go instead →

Climate

High

7°C

Low

2°C

Rain

44mm

Sun

2.8hrs/day

30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5

How February scores in Edinburgh

Weather

Below average

Value

Perfect

Crowds

Perfect

Events

Average

Atmosphere

Average

What you gain in February

↑Six Nations rugby (February–March): Scotland's home matches at Murrayfield fill the city with a specific kind of festive energy that has nothing to do with tourism — Leith's pubs and the Grassmarket the morning of a match are an Edinburgh experience worth planning a trip around
↑Rainfall actually decreases from January — at 44mm, February is one of Edinburgh's drier months, and occasional clear days deliver extraordinary low winter light over the castle and the Firth of Forth
↑Budget prices continue: the full hotel and restaurant market at winter rates, with the flexibility of no-advance-booking required for almost anything

What you sacrifice

↓Still firmly winter: 7°C, 2.8 sunshine hours, and a cold that feels more penetrating than the numbers suggest due to Edinburgh's wind; layering is non-optional
↓Scotland home match weekends push hotel prices upward for those specific nights; the city is also more crowded and lively, which is either a gain or a sacrifice depending on your preference
↓The garden areas — Princes Street Gardens, the Royal Botanic Garden — are bare and uninviting; Edinburgh's green spaces are at their worst

How February compares to May (best month)

Factor	February	May ★
Weather	3	7
Value	10	7
Crowds	10	7

Full comparison: February vs May →

← January All months →March →

February in other destinations

Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Edinburgh, not across destinations. Methodology →