Social activities

For those attending the QOS2016 and wanting to explore the city, Edinburgh offers a wide range of activities, from museums to the world renown Edinburgh Zoo, Our Dynamic Earth and many buildings and locations steeped in history. For inspirations how to spend a day in Edinburgh, you can watch this video: https://youtu.be/U_fyv4OTcOw?t=9

The city can be easily explored on foot, or using the vast bus network and the recently built tram line. For all public transport needs, find information and links to tickets and maps here: http://transportforedinburgh.com/. If you want to venture into the Scottish Borders, the new Borders Railway offers rail journeys through stunning landscapes, including travel on historic steam trains on selected dates in August and September.

You can use mobile phone apps to purchase and use electronic tickets for airport transfer, as well as for local journeys as well.

As a special offer for QOS2016 delegates, our partners at Convention Edinburgh are providing the Edinburgh Rewards Passport & City Map. You will receive this with your conference booklet and lanyard at registration. The Edinburgh Rewards Passport gives access to over 100 discounts exclusive offers at a selection of the city’s restaurants, bars, tourist attractions and pre booked taxis.

Details of the exclusive discounts and city map to show their locations are featured on the website www.edinburghrewards.com and on the printed passport you will receive, and you can follow up on twitter @delegaterewards and see more information on the passport rewards by clicking this button:

QOS2016 Gala Dinner (7 September 2016, from 19:30)

National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF

The Gala Dinner is organised, with kind support by the Scottish Government, in the Grand Gallery of the National Museum of Scotland. During the dinner, the Dobson and Farman Awards of the International Ozone Commission will be announced. Guests will be welcomed by bagpipe music from 19:30 and can explore the Grand Gallery of the museum during a drinks reception. After that, the dinner will commence at 20:15. All participants of the QOS (and accompanying persons, who have purchased a ticket) are invited to join the dinner. Please take your lanyards and name badges along for the event to gain access.

Early Career Researcher’s Ceilidh

As part of QOS2016, we will organise a traditional Gaelic social gathering, as well known as a 'Ceilidh' (read more about Ceilidhs here). The event will take place on Thursday, 8 September 2016 (not as originally planned on Friday, as many QOS participants will be travelling home then) in a very special venue, The Caves, that makes up the sub-structure of the 18th Century South Bridge.

Tickets for the event are free for QOS Participants, but overall numbers for the event are limited to 150, so registration is required. You can register until 31 August 2016 here: http://qos2016_ceilidh.eventbrite.co.uk.

A cash bar for drinks will be operated at the venue, and the Edinburgh University Folk Society Ceilidh Band will play.

We recommend comfortable dancing shoes, as the dances can get quite fast and engaging. While the event is designed as a special event for Early Career Researchers, anyone is welcome to join.

Tours & excursions

You can find information and booking links for tours of varying duration and with different destinations in and around the city of Edinburgh here: http://www.meetingedinburgh.com/Services/Tours

• Within this you will find Mercat Tours and Real Mary’s Kings Close Tours which offer historical/ghost tours within Edinburgh’s old town, ideal for an afternoon or evening.
• Rabbies Tours have recently introduced a small bus tour around the city with a glass roofed bus to get the best views.
• There are also Highland Explorer Tours and Timberbush Tours, offering day to multi-day tours to destinations across Scotland.
• Scottish Whisky – the world famous single malts are produced all across Scotland, with Glenkinchie Distillery only a short drive away from Edinburgh city centre. The Distillery operates a shuttle bus service from Edinburgh, please see here for booking and more information: https://www.discovering-distilleries.com/glenkinchie/tours/. In addition, Rabbies Tours offer several options to visit other distilleries: https://www.rabbies.com/en/tour-scotland/scotch-whisky-tours-scotland. Finally, the Scotch Whiskey Experience near Edinburgh Castle offers an excellent insight into the process of Scottish whisky production and is only a short walking distance from the QOS2016 venue: https://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk/
• Enjoy the fascinating Camera Obscura, fantastic views of Edinburgh, and five floors packed full of an amazing range of optical experiences which have been amusing visitors of all ages and nationalities since 1853.
• Dynamic Earth invites you to take a journey through time to witness the story of planet Earth. Through a series of interactive exhibits, state of the art technology and even a 4D encounter you will feel the heat of a bubbling volcano, face the chill of polar ice, fly across the globe before crash landing in a tropical rainforest.
• Edinburgh Zoo, is home to the UK's only giant pandas. We have a female called Tian Tian who was born on 24 August 2003 and her name translates to 'Sweetie' in Chinese. The male is called Yang Guang, he was born 10 days earlier on 14 August 2003 and his name means 'sunshine'.
• The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) was founded in the 17th century as a physic garden. Now it extends over four Gardens boasting a rich living collection of plants, and is a world-renowned centre for plant science and education.
• They are here on a 10 year loan from China.
• The Royal Yacht Britannia can be visited in Leith, a short bus ride from Edinburgh city centre. 
• And the lower end of the Royal Mile, the Palace of Holyrood House is open for visitors.
• Rosslyn Chapel, which featured in the Da Vinci Code written by bestselling author Dan Brown, is only a short bus ride south of Edinburgh, an excellent opportunity to visit for a morning or afternoon.

For further local activities, http://www.meetingedinburgh.com/Services/Activity provides an excellent starting point, listing some of the most well-known activities for visitors coming to the city.

Other activities

Edinburgh offers plenty of opportunity for walks or runs, for instance around Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Park, or along the Water of Leith. WalkIt offers different walks across the city and to attractions and this blog provides some information and tips for avid runners.

Early Career Researchers

For all early career researchers attending QOS, we would like to introduce an early career researchers (ECR) organisation called YESS (Young - Earth System - Science). This is a community of interdisciplinary and international ECR whose main aim is to link scientists across disciplines and across the globe. More specifically, YESS provides a communication platform and links to a large number of international organisations (e.g. WMO, Future Earth, etc.). We would encourage all ECR participants to use the YESS online platforms below to network and make new friends:

• Facebook
• Twitter