Scotland · United Kingdom
Where to stay in Edinburgh
Edinburgh is a city in Scotland, United Kingdom, home to about 488,000 people. This guide covers 15 hotels and 1 aparthotel in Edinburgh, with about 1,738 rooms between them. 13 of them carry a published guest score, and the list below is ordered by it.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 16
- Nearest airport
- EDI11 km · Edinburgh Airport
- Currency
- GBPpound sterling
- Time zone
- Europe/London
- Language
- Cornish, English, Irish
About
About Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. It is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills.
This was an exciting place to be 300-350 million years ago, as volcanoes raged and flared across the region. The biggest was what we now call Arthur's Seat, with smaller cones at Castle Rock, Calton Hill, and elsewhere. Then they fizzled out and started to be buried by other rock layers. Much later came the Ice Ages, the last some 20,000 years ago. Vast glaciers from the west scoured away the surface, but where they hit Castle Rock they had to divide and flow around.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Edinburgh
Do
Edinburgh has an excellent concert and theatre life. The Usher Hall (Lothian Road, Old Town) has weekly orchestral concerts all year round with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The Queen's Hall (South Clerk Street, South) is home to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The Lyceum (Lothian Road, Old Town) offers theatre performances. The Festival Theatre (Nicolson Street, Old Town) frequently hosts opera and ballet. Europe's largest theatre, the 3000-seat Edinburgh Playhouse (top of Leith Walk, New Town) hosts major West End shows.
- Edinburgh International Festival
- Edinburgh Military Tattoo
- Edinburgh Festival Fringe
- Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival
- Edinburgh International Book Festival
- Edinburgh Art Festival
- Edinburgh Mela
- Edinburgh International Television Festival
- Edinburgh International Science Festival
- Beltane Fire Festival
- Hidden Door
- Degree Show
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
The best-rated places to stay in Edinburgh
Ordered by guest score as each operator publishes it, weighted by the number of reviews so a handful of perfect scores does not outrank thousands of very good ones. Scores are shown on their own scale.
| # | Place to stay | Rooms | Guest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh hotel | 190 | 88/100 11,090 reviews |
| 2 | Leonardo Hotel Edinburgh City hotel | 52 | 87/100 3,533 reviews |
| 3 | Leonardo Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket hotel | 282 | 85/100 12,800 reviews |
| 4 | Travelodge Edinburgh Cameron Toll hotel | 62 | 4.2/5 2,304 reviews |
| 5 | Travelodge Edinburgh Park hotel | 88 | 4.2/5 631 reviews |
| 6 | Leonardo Hotel Edinburgh Murrayfield hotel | 111 | 82/100 5,526 reviews |
| 7 | Travelodge Edinburgh Central hotel | 76 | 4.1/5 4,750 reviews |
| 8 | Travelodge Edinburgh Central Waterloo Place hotel | 101 | 4.0/5 3,075 reviews |
| 9 | Travelodge Edinburgh Central Queen Street hotel | 86 | 4.0/5 2,310 reviews |
| 10 | Travelodge Edinburgh Dreghorn hotel | 57 | 4.0/5 1,111 reviews |
6 more places to stay
| Place to stay | Rooms | Guest score |
|---|---|---|
| MEININGER Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket hotel | 157 | |
| NYX Hotel Edinburgh hotel | 125 | |
| Roomzzz Aparthotel Edinburgh aparthotel | 97 | |
| Travelodge Edinburgh Airport Ratho Station hotel | 75 | 3.9/5 2,491 reviews |
| Travelodge Edinburgh Central Rose Street hotel | 84 | 3.8/5 1,690 reviews |
| Travelodge Edinburgh Haymarket hotel | 95 | 3.6/5 1,748 reviews |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
Which part of Edinburgh to stay in
Edinburgh has been established as a tourist destination for centuries, so there is a huge choice of accommodation available for travellers. If you're planning a visit during festival time (Aug), around Christmas and New Year, or on the weekend of a Scotland home game in the 6-nations Rugby (Mar/Apr, 2 or 3 matches per year), then you will find that all types of accommodation get booked up well in advance, and a premium may be applied to the room-rate. It's not impossible to get somewhere to stay at short notice at these times, but you won't be able to be fussy and it will probably be expensive. The average cost of hotel accommodation in Edinburgh is higher than anywhere else in Scotland.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Edinburgh
Edinburgh has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 18 °C; October is the wettest, with about 121 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Edinburgh: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Edinburgh Airport (EDI), about 11 km from the city centre in a straight line; Dundee Airport (DND, 56 km) and Glasgow Airport (GLA, 78 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
From the Midlands and South West England, the fastest is to take the hourly Avanti West Coast train from Birmingham New Street towards Glasgow and change at Preston, journey time just over four hours. A little slower but avoiding a change is the Crosscountry train, which trundles all the way up from Penzance via Plymouth, Exeter St David's, Bristol Temple Meads, Birmingham New Street, Derby, Sheffield, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Berwick-upon-Tweed, and continuing from Edinburgh to Glasgow Central.
Getting around
Walking should always be your first choice within central Edinburgh. The centre is compact - most sights and attractions are on or near the Royal Mile in Old Town or Princes St in New Town. But factor in the hills, barriers such as the railway tracks and deep glen of Water of Leith, and bridges that span lower streets without a connection. The suburbs stretch out for several miles. Attractions that are too far to walk (especially with children) include the Zoo, the Botanic Gardens, Leith and the Royal Yacht Britannia, Craigmillar Castle and the Pentland Hills.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
EDI · Edinburgh Airport
DND · Dundee Airport
GLA · Glasgow Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Edinburgh
Eat
Edinburgh has a great selection in all price ranges, cosmopolitan cuisines, and caters for diets such as vegan, halal and GF. Good areas for value food are Elm Row at the top of Leith Walk, Rose and Thistle streets flanking George St, along South Bridge including the "Little Cairo" around the Central Mosque, Forrest Rd by Greyfriars Bobby, Tollcross and Lothian Rd, and west end from Queensferry St to Haymarket station. Overpriced areas to be cautious are the Royal Mile from castle to Tron Kirk, Princes St and the Grassmarket.
Drink
For a non-alcoholic beverage give Scotland's second national drink a try Irn-Bru. It's a great cure for hangover. As for Scotland's first drink, you will find The Scotch Whisky Experience at the top of the Royal Mile, which offers an interactive "tour" of the history and practice of whisky distilling. For a less touristic experience simply enjoy your whisky in one of the many pubs. The closest single malt whisky distillery to Edinburgh is the Glenkinchie Distillery out in the country towards Haddington. The North British Distillery in Edinburgh (near Murrayfield) produces grain whisky which is all used in blending and the distillery is not open for visits.
Stay safe
In general Edinburgh is a safe destination. Take care of valuables, especially in crowded places where pickpockets operate. Swerve clear of drunks, especially after football matches and at pub closing times, and don't get drunk yourself. Like every other city, there are rundown areas where you have simply no reason to go. Examples are Niddrie and Craigmillar in the southeast, Saughton, Sighthill and Wester Hailes in the west, and Muirhouse and Pilton in the north. In an emergency call 999. The non-emergency police contact number is 101.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Good to know
Accessibility, parking and families in Edinburgh
How many places to stay in this guide offer each, in their operators' own words.
of 16 places
of 16 places
of 16 places
of 16 places
of 16 places
of 16 places
of 16 places
of 16 places
of 16 places
Questions
Edinburgh: questions travellers ask
What are the best-rated hotels in Edinburgh?
By published guest score: Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh (88 / 100 · 11,090 reviews · www.leonardo-hotels.com (operator's own guest score)); Leonardo Hotel Edinburgh City (87 / 100 · 3,533 reviews · www.leonardo-hotels.com (operator's own guest score)); Leonardo Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket (85 / 100 · 12,800 reviews · www.leonardo-hotels.com (operator's own guest score)).
When is the best time to visit Edinburgh?
Edinburgh has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 18 °C; October is the wettest, with about 121 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Edinburgh?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Edinburgh Airport (EDI), about 11 km from the city centre in a straight line; Dundee Airport (DND, 56 km) and Glasgow Airport (GLA, 78 km) are also within reach.
Are there accessible hotels in Edinburgh?
4 places in this guide list accessible rooms.
What currency is used in Edinburgh?
pound sterling (GBP).
Nearby
Destinations near Edinburgh
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.