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The Old Town and the New Town comprise the historic centre of Edinburgh. Together, these districts form an area unmatched in Europe for its beauty, ruggedness and eccentricity.
A company retreat here is a unique and magical experience. Amidst tall buildings, spires of dark stone and wild countryside, your team will encounter unforgettable experiences from kayaking to high-rope courses, go-karting to rock climbing.
The City of Edinburgh enchants visitors with a magical quality that radiates from the historic buildings and proud community.
During your company retreat, you can immerse your team in several group activities like paintball, rock climbing, chocolate making and kayaking.
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We've put together a list of
team-building activities for company retreats in
Edinburgh
, including options that work well for both small and large teams.
Set across four days in Edinburgh’s Old Town, New Town, and iconic landmarks like the Royal Mile and Arthur’s Seat, this retreat agenda combines structured sessions, a local experience, and time to explore the city.
Edinburgh appeals to teams looking for a distinctive setting with historic character and a strong atmosphere. A company retreat in Edinburgh allows for focused work sessions alongside experiences like castle views, old town walks, and memorable group dinners.
Edinburgh Airport (EDI) sits about 25–30 minutes from the city centre by tram or taxi. It has solid connections across Europe and the UK, making it manageable for both regional and international teams.
Late spring through early autumn, especially May to September, offers the most reliable conditions with temperatures around 12–20°C. August is lively due to festivals, while winter months are colder and better suited to indoor-heavy agendas.
Old Town offers a historic and immersive experience, New Town provides a more elegant and organized layout, Leith brings a waterfront feel with great dining, and Haymarket is practical for transport connections.
Teams often organize guided walking tours through Old Town, whisky tastings, hikes up Arthur’s Seat, ghost tours, or private dining experiences in historic venues.
A 3 to 4 day format works well, giving enough time to combine structured sessions with activities and time to explore the city without rushing.
Costs are generally higher than in other UK cities, particularly during peak festival periods. However, the unique setting and overall experience often justify the spend for many teams.
The city’s dramatic landscape, historic architecture, and compact layout create a very distinct environment. It feels immersive and different from more modern or business-focused cities.
Edinburgh offers a mix of traditional Scottish cuisine and modern dining. Teams often plan group dinners, whisky tastings, or evenings in cozy pubs and cocktail bars.
Yes, most of the central areas are walkable, though the city’s hills can slow things down slightly. In our experience, teams benefit from staying centrally, with short distances between venues, restaurants, and activity spots.
Surf Office was amazing to work with - from the initial introductory call to the final day of our corporate retreat! They are well-organised, transparent, super reliable and the communication throughout the planning and execution phase was prompt and clear. We are looking forward to working with them for future company retreats.
I had the absolute pleasure of working with Elke and Álvaro to plan our onsite, and I genuinely couldn’t have asked for a better experience. From the very beginning, they were incredibly friendly, responsive, and genuinely enthusiastic about helping us create a great event. Elke was so thoughtful and organized, always making sure every little detail was covered and keeping everything running smoothly. She brought such a positive energy to the process — she was super approachable and made collaboration easy and fun. Throughout the entire planning period, they both went above and beyond to support us. I really appreciated how proactive they were in anticipating our needs, and how enjoyable every interaction was. It truly felt like working with partners who cared as much about the success of our onsite as we did. Thank you, Elke and Álvaro, for being such a joy to work with! I’d happily work with you both again any time.
It's our second year working with Surf Office for our company offsite (30 pax first year, and 42 pax second year), and we're super happy! This year our offsite was a huge success, with direct impact on our employees' satisfaction, company culture, and alignment with our mission. The week they put together for us was perfect on all fronts: venue selection, logistics, activities, last-minute changes - everything was super well executed. Couldn't recommend them more! And... I know whom we're working with next year!
Working with Surf Office was a great experience from start to finish. Communication was smooth, the planning was thoughtful, and the platform made coordination easy. We really appreciated the well-curated suggestions for locations, activities, and restaurants – everything felt carefully considered. Beyond that, the setup created a great team atmosphere, making it easy to connect and enjoy our time together. We would definitely recommend Surf Office to any team looking for a well-organized and inspiring retreat.
Danielle, Giselle and the SurfOffice team were extremely cooperative, understanding and flexible to support my team’s 80-person offsite in Belgrade, Serbia. From being patient with our company’s lengthy vendor due diligence and procurement process, to responding swiftly when an attendee misplaced her passport - everything went really smoothly. Working with them took a huge load off our shoulders and their relationships with hotels/activities/venues also helped us secure good deals. Would definitely recommend their services to any company who’s looking to plan for an enjoyable team offsite.
We recently organized our company offsite with SurfOffice, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience. From the very beginning: The location selection and contract negotiations with Giselle, to the actual planning and execution of the offsite together with Elke, everything was handled exceptionally well. Working with Elke was truly outstanding. She was incredibly proactive, always thinking several steps ahead, and responded extremely quickly to every question or change. She managed to get fast answers from all providers: from transport companies to hotels and local activity partners- and did so with a consistently friendly and professional attitude. Thanks to her dedication, we had little organizational workload on our side, and we always felt fully supported. The offsite turned out to be an amazing experience for our whole team, and we’re certain we couldn’t have organized something like this on our own. SurfOffice played a huge role in making our offsite in Kemer such a success, and we can wholeheartedly recommend them to any company planning an offsite for a larger group.
Sara was fantastic in organising our company trip to Istanbul - she was quick to reply, offered great solutions to issues, and made the trip itself seamless and enjoyable. Already looking forward to the next one!
Expertise and competence in service. Friendly, helpful, and respectful communication. Comfortable, welcoming, and inspiring surroundings.
This was our second year working with Surf to plan our annual company retreat, and once again, they smashed it. We had a beautiful, restorative and fun retreat just outside of Barcelona that the whole team loved. It was so lovely to have the team's support in planning such a complex event, and they did a great job at helping us stay within budget. Great experience overall.
The most popular team building activities are surf lessons, SUP lessons and tapas night but there are plenty more to choose from.
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Join the club of innovative companies which organise
retreats with Surf Office.
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