Finding where to stay in Edinburgh is one of the first things you should do when planning a trip to this amazing city. As in other European cities, the price of accommodation is not particularly cheap, so it is worth taking the time to review and find out what options are available and which ones are best suited to your trip.
With this in mind, we wanted to publish this post in which we talk about what are the best areas to sleep in Edinburgh and also leave a selection of the best hotels to make your choice much easier.
Based on the days we spent in the city during a tour of Scotland and during which we wrote the post about the best tips for traveling to Scotland and this guide to Edinburgh, we leave you a selection of places to stay in Edinburgh and the best neighborhoods and hotels. Let’s get started!
Neighborhoods where to stay in Edinburgh
The first and most important thing is to know how the city is distributed. Although it is not too big, the most central area of the city is divided in two:
- Old Town
- New Town
Both are also the best areas to sleep in Edinburgh if you want to be close to the tourist attractions.
In addition to these two neighborhoods, other notable areas include:
- Leith (port of Edinburgh)
- Stockbridge (the trendy neighborhood)
1. Old Town, the historic center and the best place to stay in Edinburgh
As its name suggests, Old Town is the oldest area of the city and also the place where most of the must-see places to visit in Edinburgh are concentrated, such as the Royal Mile, which is the main avenue of the city, or the Edinburgh Castle.
Although the most demanded area to sleep is precisely the Royal Mile and without a doubt, is the best option to stay in Edinburgh, if you want to be close to everything and also enjoy an unbeatable location, this is also the most expensive option so if you want to adjust the budget a little, we advise you to opt for the surroundings which are also an excellent option and at a much tighter price.
If you stay here you will be in one of the liveliest areas of the city and also have a wide range of restaurants and pubs as well as a multitude of stores and places where you can make any purchase you can imagine.
The price of accommodation in Old Town is usually 100-120 euros per night although in low season you can find lower prices.
2. New Town, another of the best places to sleep in Edinburgh
In the northern part of Old City we find the New Town or New Town, another of the best options where to stay in Edinburgh. Although with less tourist attractions than the previous one, this area of the city is also very interesting as well as being the shopping area of the city, with Princes Street as its main artery, has a wide range of hotels and restaurants.
In addition, most of the neighborhood still retains the architecture of yesteryear, so staying here will also be like stepping back in time and you will also be just 15 minutes walk from the Old Town.
In this area you can visit the Scott Monument and Calton Hill, with unique views of the city, the National Scottish Portrait Gallery or stroll through the beautiful Princes St Gardens.
The price of accommodation in New Town is usually 80-100 euros per night.
3. Leith, the port of Edinburgh
Located in the northeast area of the city, this area is known for being the port district of Edinburgh. Although many sites place it as a good option to stay in Edinburgh, in our experience, due to its remoteness from the main attractions, we would not consider it unless the location is close to New Town or Old Town, as the first two examples we added as recommended hotels. Note that the part closest to the port is about 30 minutes by bus from Old Town.
In addition, although it is considered an area where hotels are cheaper, which is partly true, these are usually the ones that are farther away or have worse reviews, so in the end, if you want to stay in one with a good quality / price ratio, you will end up paying the same as in New Town.
As tourist attractions here you will find The Shore, which is the old port, the Royal Yacht Britannia and The Food & Flea Market, which is a daily food market and weekly flea market.
The price of accommodation in New Town is usually 80-100 euros per night.
4. Stockbridge, Edinburgh’s trendy district
If you are looking for a quiet place but at the same time central and trendy, Stockbridge is undoubtedly the best place to sleep in Edinburgh.
Just 15 minutes from the center is this neighborhood which highlights the low houses and streets full of charm reminiscent of the village that was once. Although it does not have as many hotels and restaurants as other areas of the city, if your idea is to enjoy a quiet place, this is one of the best places to stay in Edinburgh.
The price of accommodation in Stockbridge is usually 100 euros per night although as there is so little supply, hotels have quite high prices and the best options are the apartments.
Tips for finding cheap accommodation in Edinburgh
In addition to recommendations on the best areas and neighborhoods to stay in Edinburgh we want to leave you with a selection of tips to make choosing your hotel as easy and quick as possible.
- As you have seen, the prices of accommodation in Edinburgh are quite high and there is not much difference if we focus on the most known and central areas. Taking this into account, we believe that it is best to opt for Old Town or New Town, as these are the areas that are closer to most of the tourist attractions of the city.
- In addition to this, it is a relatively small city so you can walk to almost all places of interest.
- If your trip is in high season or during an event, it is important to try to book as far in advance as possible to get the best prices.
- Remember that to avoid paying commissions and to always have the current exchange rate we recommend you to use the Revolut card and the N26 card, which are the ones we use, are free of charge and will save you a lot of money.
