Where to Stay in Edinburgh? The Best Neighborhoods & Hotels

The Best Neighborhoods to Stay in Edinburgh

• Old Town: Perfect for first-time visitors and sightseeing – Motel One
• Bruntsfield: If you want to stay in Edinburgh on a budget – Black Ivy or Bruntsfield Hotel
• New Town: If you want to treat yourself to a little luxury – Eden Locke or Gleneagles
• Stockbridge: If you like something a little off the beaten path – The Riverside Hideaway

By the way: Many of our recommended hotels are super well connected! With the airport transfer from Edinburgh Airport you’ll be in the city in no time.

The Best Neighborhoods to Stay in Edinburgh on the Map

To help you get your bearings, we’ve marked the best areas to stay in Edinburgh along with a selection of the most important attractions on a map:

Staying in Old Town

We recommend a hotel in Old Town if it’s your first time in Edinburgh and you don’t want to miss a single highlight. This is the best base for sightseeing.

Old Town sits right in the heart of Edinburgh and is over 1,000 years old. That means a medieval, winding street network comes together with countless amazing attractions — like Edinburgh Castle, Mary King’s Close, and the Royal Mile. You can easily cover all the sightseeing on foot.

Beyond Edinburgh’s top attractions, you’ll also find souvenir shops, starting points for all kinds of guided tours in Edinburgh, and really great restaurants, cafés, and pubs where you can try traditional Scottish food and drink.

With all this on offer, Old Town is naturally the ultimate tourist magnet and draws big crowds every day.

Advantages of staying in Old Town:

• Central location
• Perfect base for sightseeing
• Tons of attractions
• Plenty of restaurants and cafés
• Super authentic, historic atmosphere

Disadvantages of staying in Old Town:

• Very touristy
• You’ll only find peace and quiet behind your closed hotel room door
• Very expensive during peak travel months

Our Hotel Recommendations for Old Town

Staying in Bruntsfield

A hotel in Bruntsfield is the right choice if you want to stay in Edinburgh on a budget without being completely out of the way.

Bruntsfield is located south of Old Town and encompasses a large residential area around Bruntsfield Place, about a 20-minute walk from the city center.

That distance from the center means Bruntsfield offers some of the most affordable accommodation options in Edinburgh. And even though the big-ticket sights aren’t right on your doorstep, Bruntsfield Links Park, charming cafés, and popular golf courses are waiting for you here.

If you want to explore the city center but don’t feel like walking, there are also bus connections into downtown from Bruntsfield. From Bruntsfield Terrace, the bus gets you to Victoria Street, right in the heart of the city, in just ten minutes.

Advantages of staying in Bruntsfield:

• Affordable and good lodging options
• Quiet location
• Large park in the neighborhood
• Direct bus connections to the city center if you don’t feel like walking

Disadvantages of staying in Bruntsfield:

• City center is a 20-minute walk away
• No major attractions right nearby

Our Hotel Recommendations for Bruntsfield

Staying in New Town

We recommend a hotel in New Town if you want to treat yourself to a little luxury in a beautiful neighborhood right next to the most popular attractions.

New Town isn’t actually that new. The neighborhood was built starting in 1759 to ease the overcrowding in Old Town, and it sits right next to the historic old quarter.

Today, New Town is an elegant district with wide streets, open squares, and gorgeous Georgian townhouses.

The standout attraction here is the long shopping street Princes Street and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

You’ll also find stylish bars and cocktail lounges on every corner of New Town, popular with well-heeled locals and office workers in suits. A little New York Upper East Side energy, honestly.

So New Town isn’t just home to chic hotels and great places to visit — it’s also a fantastic spot for people-watching.

Advantages of staying in New Town:

• Central location
• Stylish neighborhood
• All attractions within easy reach
• Great shops, restaurants, and bars
• Locals love coming here for a night out

Disadvantages of staying in New Town:

• Comparatively expensive
• Very busy neighborhood

Our Hotel Recommendations for New Town

Staying in Stockbridge

We recommend a hotel in Stockbridge if you like a more alternative vibe and want to discover sides of Edinburgh well beyond the usual tourist trail.

Stockbridge is the village-like yet lively trendy neighborhood on the banks of the Water of Leith, about a 20-minute walk north of Old Town. If you’d rather not walk, you can easily catch a bus from here into the city center.

Stockbridge is a true Edinburgh hidden gem! Alongside gorgeous Georgian and Victorian terraced houses, you’ll find fantastic delicatessens, secondhand shops, cozy cafés, and great local pubs.

The Royal Botanic Garden is also just around the corner — a seriously lovely outing on a nice day.

The weekly Stockbridge Market is absolutely worth a visit too — best explored on an empty stomach, since there’s a ton of delicious street food on offer.

And with all the cool things to do that Stockbridge has going for it, you’ll run into plenty of locals who actually live right here. It’s a whole new way to get to know Edinburgh.

Advantages of staying in Stockbridge:

• Quiet and idyllic setting
• Off-the-beaten-path attractions
• Lots of under-the-radar spots
• Hotels often cheaper than in the city center
• Great cafés
• Bus connections to the city center if you don’t feel like walking

Disadvantages of staying in Stockbridge:

• 20-minute walk from the city center
• Mostly apartments and not as many hotels

Our Hotel Recommendations for Stockbridge

Practical Tips for Staying in Edinburgh

To wrap things up, here are a few practical pointers for your trip to Edinburgh:

Tourist Tax in Edinburgh

In Edinburgh, you pay a tourist tax of around £2 per night per room.

The tax is intended to support the city’s tourism industry and reduce the impact of visitor numbers — just like in many other European cities.

Budget Hotels in Edinburgh

If you want to stay in Edinburgh on a budget, we recommend traveling between September and May.

During the summer months, hotels in Edinburgh get seriously expensive because of the many festivals. Outside of peak season, prices drop back down considerably.

It’s also always a smart move to look for a place to stay just outside the city center. The neighborhoods of Bruntsfield and Stockbridge are our top picks for affordable options.