Where to Stay in Edinburgh: Choose the Right Area and Hotel

Find your base

Choose an area to see its hotels; symbols mark sights and stations. Move the map with two fingers.

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Key places

More sights, stops & hotel points

Waverley sits between Old Town and New Town; Haymarket serves the western side. Leith extends towards the waterfront, while the southern choices spread around the Meadows.

1. Old Town and the Royal Mile

Stay here when stepping out into the historic city matters most. The Royal Mile links the Castle with Holyrood, and a central Old Town hotel makes it easy to return between sightseeing stops.

A schematic cross-section places Waverley on lower ground between the Old Town ridge and New Town. — **Old Town ridge** The Royal Mile is uphill from Waverley and Market Street.
**Waverley** Lower ground between the two towns.
**New Town** North of the valley; streets still slope.

Superior room

First visit

Radisson Blu Edinburgh

Stay on the Royal Mile, with health club access included.View on Booking

Bedroom

Family kitchen

Adagio Royal Mile

Cook on Canongate; choose a one-bedroom apartment for four guests.View on Booking

Radisson Blu: health-club access and the heated indoor pool are included. Ask about the bedroom outlook if evening street activity would disturb you.

Adagio Royal Mile suits a stay with meals at home. Its studios are for two; the one-bedroom apartments accommodate four, with 35 m² and larger 45 m² options. Kitchens are fully equipped. Breakfast and optional daily cleaning cost extra.

Cowgate and Grassmarket sit below the Royal Mile ridge on its southern side. Canongate, where Adagio stands, is farther down the Royal Mile towards Holyrood; reaching the Castle means heading uphill along the Mile.

Some closes offer stepped shortcuts. With luggage or a pushchair, compare the street approach to the actual hotel door before choosing one of those routes. A short distance on the map can still involve a substantial climb.

For the evening, look closely at the immediate street. Cowgate and Grassmarket have concentrations of pubs and nightlife; the Royal Mile attracts visitors and festival activity. A room facing inward may be worth requesting, but the hotel should confirm its position.

1 more stay

Motel One Edinburgh-Royal — Market Street base for Waverley arrivals, below the Royal Mile ridge.

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Twin towers of New College above the grassy slope of the Mound in Edinburgh’s Old Town.

2. New Town

Choose New Town for Georgian terraces, shopping and restaurants north of Princes Street Gardens. It offers several different bases: George Street for a kitchen and neighbourhood evenings, Charlotte Square for the western end, or the Balmoral beside Waverley.

Pale-blue kitchen and round marble dining table in an Open Plan Suite at Eden Locke.

Suite kitchen

New Town kitchen

Eden Locke

George Street kitchens and living space; extra sleepers need specific categories.View on Booking

Deluxe Room

Landmark stay

The Balmoral

A landmark Princes Street hotel beside Waverley for a special stay.View on Booking

Eden Locke has kitchens, living space and washer-dryers. The photographed Open Plan Suite sleeps two. For a family, compare the specific One Bedroom Suite with Sofa Bed: it accommodates three adults, or two adults with two children under 12. Sofa-bed use depends on the booked occupancy; using it on a two-person booking carries a charge on request.

Air-conditioning also varies at Eden Locke. The standard Open Plan Suite lacks it; the one-bedroom sofa-bed suite lists it. Choose the category as carefully as the address.

At The Balmoral, a Deluxe Room can face the city or an internal courtyard; specify the outlook if it matters to the occasion.

George Street has bars and restaurants, and the Assembly Rooms is also a Fringe venue. Princes Street brings traffic and busy public spaces. If evening noise matters, discuss the exact street, floor and room position with the hotel.

The grid makes navigation straightforward, but New Town still has slopes. Streets fall northwards towards Stockbridge, and routes across the valley towards Old Town change level. Choose the hotel’s arrival route as well as its neighbourhood.

1 more stay

Kimpton Charlotte Square — Charlotte Square base with an indoor pool, sauna and steam room.

If you are bringing a car to Kimpton Charlotte Square, valet parking is GBP 45 per 24 hours, subject to availability and advance reservation directly with the hotel.³

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The Gothic Scott Monument at the edge of Princes Street Gardens and New Town.

3. West End and Haymarket

Choose the western side when airport transfers, trains or trips out of Edinburgh shape your stay. Haymarket has a rail station and tram stop; the West End brings you closer to Princes Street, theatres and the Georgian streets around St Mary’s Cathedral.

Double room

Compact city base

Point A Haymarket

Compact Morrison Street rooms; check the window category and breakfast rate.View on Booking

Room at The Caledonian with orange armchairs and Edinburgh Castle visible through the window.

Castle-view room

Castle view stay

The Caledonian

A grand West End base; castle views require the right room.View on Booking

At Point A, on Morrison Street east of Haymarket, Cosy Double Without Window is a distinct category. Booking breakfast inclusion depends on the rate; the complimentary-breakfast promotion is for direct A List bookings.

The Caledonian: pool, sauna and steam room are included. A Castle-view bedroom requires a category that explicitly includes it.

These hotels have different arrival positions. West End tram stop suits the Caledonian side of the area; Haymarket or West End may suit Point A depending on your onward route. Point A’s name should not make you expect a hotel immediately outside the station.

Around William Street and Melville Street, evenings can centre on dinner and a neighbourhood pub. Lothian Road has more late activity, while Haymarket’s main roads carry traffic. For a rugby or other stadium visit, compare the hotel with the event’s actual arrival instructions.

Walking towards the Castle involves climbing into Old Town. The whole West End–Haymarket area does not share one walking time or one gradient.

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Melville Street in Edinburgh’s West End, ending at the three spires of St Mary’s Cathedral. — Photo: Ymblanter · CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

4. Stockbridge and Dean Village

Choose Stockbridge for cafés, small shops and time by the Water of Leith. Dean Village is a separate riverside pocket southwest of it. The two featured hotels are in Stockbridge or on its New Town edge, with Dean Village as an outing.

Bedroom

Stockbridge village life

The Raeburn

Ten bedrooms with a restaurant, bar and terraces in Stockbridge.View on Booking

Junior Suite

Georgian townhouse stay

Nira Caledonia

Georgian rooms on Gloucester Place; no lift or air conditioning.View on Booking

The Raeburn has ten bedrooms and its own bar and restaurant. Ask about the room’s position relative to bar activity.

Nira Caledonia occupies townhouses at 6 and 10 Gloucester Place, above the Stockbridge streets. There is no lift or air-conditioning, and rooms occupy several levels. Confirm the building and floor of your category before booking if stairs would be difficult.

Stockbridge sits below central New Town. Heading into the centre is generally the uphill leg; returning to Stockbridge is downhill. Dean Village lies lower in the river valley, with its own approaches and changes of level.

The Water of Leith is the attraction here: a walk can connect village scenery, bridges and greener stretches of the city. Consult the conservation trust’s current walkway information for your chosen section if step-free access matters.

1 more stay

New Town Guest House — Adults-only, room-only guesthouse in Stockbridge; breakfast is not served.

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Stone cottages on Circus Lane in Stockbridge, with St Stephen’s tower behind.

5. Leith and The Shore

Choose Leith when waterside meals or a larger apartment matter more than walking to every central sight. The Shore, Ocean Terminal and Western Harbour occupy different parts of the waterfront, so the address matters more than the broad Leith label.

Standard Cabin

Couples afloat

Ocean Mist Leith

Standard cabins and larger staterooms, with continental breakfast included.View on Booking

Family Apartment

Family space

Ocean Serviced Apartments

Two bedrooms and two bathrooms for families staying in Western Harbour.View on Booking

Ocean Mist: the pictured Standard Cabin differs from snug Berths and larger suites. Continental breakfast is included.

Children are welcome at Ocean Mist, although minimum check-in age is 18. There are no extra beds; free cots for ages 0–2 are available on request, subject to the selected cabin and availability. Ask the hotel about the exact boarding and cabin route if steps or confined circulation would be difficult.⁴

Ocean Serviced Apartments is farther north at Western Harbour. Its Family Apartment is 80 m², for up to five guests, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Confirm the bed arrangement for your group.

Full kitchens include a stove, oven, microwave and dishwasher; apartments also have a washer-dryer. Cots and highchairs are available on request, and housekeeping is weekly. Parking is complimentary.

The direct airport tram now continues through Leith to Newhaven. The Shore stop serves the restaurant quarter around Ocean Mist. Newhaven lies south of Ocean Serviced Apartments, leaving a final walk or local connection to the building; the apartments are farther out than an address at The Shore. Lothian bus 11 also serves Western Harbour.

For city sightseeing, allow for that outward and return journey each day. For dinner around the waterfront, this location can be part of the pleasure of the stay.

2 more stays

Malmaison Edinburgh — Leith waterfront hotel at Tower Place, with a brasserie and bar.
Holiday Inn Express Leith Waterfront — Breakfast included near Ocean Terminal; request the sofa-bed setup when needed.

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Buildings on The Shore reflected in the Water of Leith in Edinburgh.

6. Southside, Newington and Bruntsfield

Choose the southern side for the Meadows, university streets and a base near many festival venues. It is a broad area: Southside is close to Old Town, Newington extends farther south, and Bruntsfield sits southwest of the park.

Superior Room

Southside sights

Ten Hill Place

A practical base beside Surgeons’ Hall and the Festival Theatre.View on Booking

Two double beds, lounge seating and a dining table in a studio at Residence Inn Edinburgh.

Double/Double Studio Suite

Family kitchenette

Residence Inn Edinburgh

Quartermile studios near the Meadows, with kitchenettes and breakfast included.View on Booking

The Royal College of Surgeons owns Ten Hill Place, with hotel profits supporting worldwide surgical training. In festival season, ask about the specific room’s outlook.

For a family at Ten Hill Place, the hotel’s Superior-room guidance allows two adults and one child with a requested rollaway or cot. Families with more than one child are directed to a second room.

At Residence Inn, the kitchenette has a microwave and refrigerator, and breakfast is included. For four people, compare Large Studio with Two Double Beds against the full party’s requirements.

Choose Quartermile for access to park space and central sights, Newington for a guesthouse stay on the eastern side, or Bruntsfield for shops, cafés and the Links. A Bruntsfield address is farther from the Royal Mile than Ten Hill Place, even though both belong to this guide’s southern group.

In festival season, check your venue list before choosing the street. Pleasance Courtyard, Bristo Square, George Square and venues in the Meadows can all affect which southern base works best. A nearby hotel can make breaks between performances easier.

2 more stays

JA The Bruntsfield — Townhouse hotel overlooking Bruntsfield Links, near neighbourhood shops and cafés.
Southside Guest House — Small Newington guesthouse with cooked breakfasts; there is no lift.

For children, confirm Southside Guest House’s admission rules directly before booking. Also check breakfast inclusion and arrange your arrival time.

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Picnickers on the lawns beneath spring blossom in Edinburgh’s Meadows. — Spring blossom and open lawns in the Meadows. · Image source: Forever Edinburgh

Arriving and getting around

Airport: choose the stop before the hotel

The tram runs between Edinburgh Airport and Newhaven, through Haymarket, the West End, the city centre and Leith. Airlink 100 normally runs around the clock between the airport and Waverley Bridge, calling at Haymarket and Shandwick Place. Check its holiday timetable for Christmas and New Year.

Published airport ticket	Adult	Child aged 5–15
Tram single	GBP 7.90	GBP 4
Tram open return	GBP 9.50	GBP 5
Airlink 100 single	GBP 6	GBP 3
Airlink 100 open return	GBP 8.50	GBP 4.25

Airport return-ticket rules and children’s fares

These are the operators’ standard published fares; some advance online tram channels offer discounts. Buy a tram return as a ticket: contactless tapping does not sell the open return. The return leg of a machine-issued tram ticket is open-ended, but board the outward tram within 30 minutes of purchase. The Edinburgh Trams app adult return is valid for 12 months; the Bus & Tram app return is valid for 180 days.

On trams, up to three children under five travel free with a responsible fare-paying passenger; additional under-fives need a child ticket. Airlink also carries up to three under-fives free with a paying adult.⁵

For Old Town, Waverley Bridge or a central tram stop leaves the final journey up to your address. St Andrew Square suits the Balmoral and eastern New Town; Princes Street or West End can suit western New Town. Choose Haymarket or West End for western bases and The Shore or Newhaven for the relevant part of Leith.

Stockbridge, Dean Village and the southern areas need an onward walk, bus or taxi from the airport corridor. Check that final leg with luggage in mind.

Bus and tram fares in the city

A daytime city single is GBP 2.40 for an adult or GBP 1.20 for ages 5–15. For an adult using contactless, eligible city daytime bus and tram journeys cap at GBP 5.70 per day. A purchased adult City DAY ticket costs GBP 6; the child version costs GBP 3.

The city daily cap excludes Airlink and the airport tram. Those journeys are included in the GBP 14 network day cap and the GBP 26.50 Monday–Sunday weekly cap. The weekly period is fixed, rather than seven days from your first trip.

Use one payment card or device per adult and keep using the same one. On buses, tap when boarding; on Airlink, tell the driver your destination first. On trams, tap a platform validator before boarding and after alighting. A missed tram tap-off incurs a GBP 7.90 charge outside the caps. Buy child or family tickets separately.⁵

Arriving by train or car

LNER and Lumo run direct trains from London King’s Cross to Waverley; the Caledonian Sleeper runs overnight from Euston. Compare the current timetable and ticket conditions for your travel date. For Haymarket, check that your particular service calls there.⁶

A central stay is practical without a car. If you need one for a wider Scotland trip, compare parking arrangements before booking. For example, Radisson Blu lists resident parking at GBP 20 per day, with no advance reservations; Kimpton’s valet conditions appear in the New Town section.

What the Edinburgh Visitor Levy adds

The levy applies to eligible paid stays starting on or after 24 July 2026, within the City of Edinburgh Council boundary. The rate is 5% of the accommodation cost before VAT, charged for the first five consecutive nights of a chargeable booking. It covers hotels, apartments, guesthouses, hostels, campsites and predominantly stationary accommodation boats, including stays by UK residents and business travellers.

Compare the final booking total: the levy may already be included. Some bookings with a qualifying non-refundable payment before 1 October 2025 are exempt; the precise transition and reimbursement conditions are below.

Levy calculation, early bookings and reimbursements

There is a transition exemption for bookings with a qualifying non-refundable part or full payment before 1 October 2025, tied to specified dates, rooms and nightly prices. A refundable deposit alone does not qualify. A stay that began before 24 July 2026 remains outside the scheme even if it ended later.

Meals, drinks, parking and transport are excluded from the accommodation base. Mandatory cleaning can be included even when listed separately. VAT-registered providers apply the relevant VAT to the levy too; providers outside VAT registration do not add VAT.⁷

A room-only example in pounds

Assume the provider is VAT-registered, passes the levy on, and quotes GBP 120 per night including 20% VAT but excluding the levy. The room is GBP 100 before VAT. The levy is GBP 5, with GBP 1 VAT on that levy: GBP 126 in total. The table compares stay totals for a single booking at this nightly rate.

Nights	Room total	Levy + VAT	Final total
1	GBP 120	GBP 6	GBP 126
3	GBP 360	GBP 18	GBP 378
7	GBP 840	GBP 30	GBP 870

Under the same assumptions, a GBP 180 night becomes GBP 189, and a GBP 300 night becomes GBP 315. These are illustrations of the calculation, not hotel quotations.

Where nightly prices vary, the calculation uses the actual first five nights. Separate chargeable bookings can start a new five-night cap. Packages and wholesale resale arrangements can have a different underlying base.

Compare the final booking total before paying. The charge may already be included, so adding another 5% could double-count it. The accommodation provider is responsible but can collect through the booking process, at check-in or at check-out, or absorb it into the price. Its 2% administration allowance comes from the levy; it is not an extra 2% guest tax.

Exemptions, reimbursements and cancellations

The Council lists particular housing and protection circumstances outside ordinary visitor-stay liability, including accommodation connected with homelessness, inadequate housing, domestic abuse and asylum or refugee needs. Those circumstances require the applicable conditions; they are not a general exemption from unrelated leisure stays.

Recipients of listed qualifying benefits, including PIP, Adult Disability Payment and Attendance Allowance, pay first and apply to the Council after the stay ends. Keep the named accommodation invoice, payment evidence and benefit documentation. The reimbursement covers the levy itself, excluding related VAT or other charges. Check the Council’s full list for eligibility.

If you never take up the accommodation, request the prepaid levy back from the provider or booking agent. National guidance distinguishes that levy refund from the accommodation’s cancellation policy; the Council does not administer no-show refunds.⁷

Festivals and the time of year

For an August trip, start with the performances you plan to attend. Old Town and Southside put you close to many venues around Cowgate, the Pleasance, Bristo Square, George Square and the Meadows. New Town also has venues, including the Assembly Rooms on George Street.

If you prefer a less busy street outside the hotel, compare the exact address with that year’s venue map and ask about your room’s outlook. Book when your plans are clear, weighing the cancellation terms against the price you can actually obtain.

For a visit around New Year, check the announced Hogmanay programme, any access restrictions and the walk home from the event you choose. Event arrangements can change between years.

For sightseeing without a fixed event, compare several date options and the full stay total. Shorter winter daylight affects how much you can fit into a day; longer summer evenings give you more time outside. The calendar can change the best available hotel deal in any of the six areas.

Final booking decisions

Which area should I choose for a first visit?

Start with Old Town if most of your plans follow the Royal Mile. Choose New Town if Georgian streets, shopping and central transport fit your days better. If you arrive and leave by train, let the hotel’s actual station approach decide between otherwise similar options.

Where is best with children?

Decide whether you need a separate bedroom for naps, enough beds in one room, or somewhere to prepare meals. A kitchenette with a microwave offers different cooking options from a full kitchen. Enter every traveller and the children’s ages, then compare the actual category and bed arrangement.

Where should I look for a smaller budget?

Compare Point A’s compact rooms, Motel One Edinburgh-Royal and the guesthouse options against your actual dates. Check breakfast, windows, room occupancy and cancellation terms before judging the total. An apartment kitchen may reduce meal costs, while a farther-out location adds daily travel.

What should I ask if steps are difficult?

Ask about the route from the street to reception, lift access to your exact room, and bathroom facilities. Confirm any steps between buildings or floors as well as the outside gradient. A hotel’s accessible-room label and a nearby tram stop answer different parts of the journey.

Is Leith too far out for a short stay?

It can work well if you want evenings by the water and are happy using the tram. For a brief visit devoted to the Castle and Royal Mile, weigh the daily journey against the room or apartment you gain. The Shore and Western Harbour require different final connections.

How many nights should I plan?

Three nights is a useful starting point for a first visit, with more time if you are adding festival performances or day trips. One base is usually enough. Choose the location for the part of the trip you will repeat each day: returning from sights, shows or family outings.

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Where to Stay in Edinburgh: Choose the Right Area and Hotel