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Old Town Edinburgh oozes history. Haunting bagpipes fill the air as you cross cobblestones on the way to the massive castle on the hill, passing tall tenement buildings with weathered stone facades. Secretive alleyways tucked under arches beg exploring. An intriguing atmosphere lingers from a time long ago…everywhere you look.
Aware that there are enough sites, museums and tours to keep one busy for a couple weeks, I planned the first 4 days of our 3-week family vacation to begin in Edinburgh. And choose to stay in the heart of the UNESCO crowned Old Town.
But travel plans often go astray. We had 26 different travel mishaps along the way between leaving home in the USA and arriving in Edinburgh. And as a result, missed most of our intended time in this captivating city. Instead of 4 days, we had one quick overnight with no time to dally the next day. Most of our time was spent—frustratingly—trying to reach Menzie’s airport carrier service to locate and arrange pick up for our missing luggage.
Regardless, it is worthwhile even for a single night! Here are my travel tips for staying in Old Town Edinburgh.
LODGING
Lodging costs in Edinburgh were the highest, most expensive part of our 3 week journey. By far. (We also traveled through the Borders south, Isle of Lewis, Isle of Skye, Glasgow, and all over Fife.)
Although Edinburgh has a good variety of options, from hostels to apartments, lodging tends to fill up quickly months in advance. Even in slow season. And many reservations require non-refundable pre-payment in full. (Yep, even when flights delay your arrival.)
I spent weeks poring over websites and maps and Booking.com looking for the most affordable lodging for our stay in late May. We were a party of 3—my husband and I were traveling with our teenage daughter.
In my search I learned that it’s not standard for Scottish hotel rooms to have 2 beds to a room. Those that did, even 3 star options, were charging $666 a night for a room with a full bed plus a sofa bed. Ouch. Playing around with dates, it was easy to see that rates drop a couple hundred dollars a night if you book weekdays. Still. Expensive!!
Surprise Find
Apartments, however, make an excellent choice. Apartment condo hotels abound in Old Town and are the most affordable lodging option, whether you’re traveling as a couple or not. But especially perfect if you’re traveling as a family or group of friends.
Spacious apartments with living rooms, kitchens, often with dishwashers, washers and dryers, separate bedrooms and private baths for less than a hotel room? Yes! I don’t get it either, but this surprise find applied not only in Edinburgh but throughout the rest of the country.
This was our lovely 2 bedroom apartment in Old Town.
Location
Staying in Old Town is where you’ll want to be if you want close access to the sites and medieval atmosphere. Rick Steves recommends staying in B&Bs in the outerlying areas and riding local buses back and forth to the Old Town. But you’d lose the pulse not being in the beating heart of the historic capitol.
Old Town’s Royal Mile, a cobblestone thoroughfare with tall tenement buildings, shops, pubs and mysterious closes, stretches between the landmarks of Edinburgh’s Castle to Holyrood Palace, with St. Giles Cathedral roughly in the middle.
Side streets extend to Waverly train station, Grassmarket (shops, lively nightclubs), Greyfriars Kirkyard, the double decker curved Victoria Street, the National Museum of Scotland, National Gallery of Scotland, Princes Street Gardens, Scotch Whiskey Experience, Writer’s Museum, and University of Edinburgh buildings.
So where did we stay?
We chose St. Giles Apartments located across from St. Giles Cathedral, a perfect location midway on the Royal Mile. Our apartment was just off the main street through Advocates Close.
Our price for 3 nights in a 2 bedroom apartment complete with kitchen and living room was $777. A bargain compared to the hotel rooms!
Greeted by friendly reception, lovely contemporary décor, and windows overlooking Scott’s Monument, we loved this clean and quiet apartment…what more could you want?
This was the passage through the Advocate’s Close from our apartment to the Royal Mile. You can get a peek of St. Gile’s Cathedral at the top of the stairs.
Lodging Tips for Staying in Old Town Edinburgh:
- Plan your Edinburgh stay midweek to save hundreds of dollars per night.
- Book an apartment for the most affordable rates (other than hostels).
- Read traveler reviews. Always!
- Reserving through Booking.com offers free cancellation on some bookings up to 30 days before your stay.
- Choose an apartment that has a reception office. Many of Edinburgh’s available apartments are owned by individual owners who are not physically present. Why is this important? No place to store your luggage before 3pm check-in if your overnight flight arrives at 8-9am. No one to receive your luggage if lost by the airline. And no one to contact if there is any issue with your apartment.
- Request the first floor (ground floors typically don’t have apartments) or you may have to lug your bags up narrow stairs to the 4th floor. There’s rarely any elevators.
Browse Lodging Options
Browse available apartments, hostel and hotel rooms to compare rates and location for your dates on this handy map:
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TRANSPORTATION
Having a car rental during your stay in the Old Town is not recommended, as parking is restricted to lots outside the area.
From the airport:
Buses leave every 10 minutes from Stance D on Jubilee Road across from the baggage area. Look for Airlink Lothian bus #100 to Edinburgh. Rate is £4.50 per person, exact change required. The ride takes 33 minutes and ends at Waverly Bridge (the 10th and final stop) at the train station. From here it’s a 10 minute walk uphill toward St. Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile.
Uber was surprisingly affordable. When we checked the cost by using the App, we decided to travel this way instead of the bus. Uber cost us £27.84 verses £13.50 for three bus tickets. It saved us precious travel time, plus delivered us to the door of the Apartment office, eliminating a 10 minute walk uphill with luggage.
Royal Mile:
You can walk the length of the Royal Mile in about 20-30 minutes in Old Town, but be prepared to walk for hours as you explore the side streets at leisure. Lots to see!
Head to Victoria Street to explore the double decker street filled with shops (Harry Potter, woolens, tartan scarves) and pubs that stay abuzz all night.
SIGHTSEEING
Most sites in Scotland close by 5pm. This greatly reduces what you can see during the day, as many of the attractions can take hours to visit. So plan and prioritize accordingly!
Obviously, our plans were thwarted by travel complications. We only had 30 minutes to whiz through the castle then duck into St. Giles Cathedral before it closed, and no time to see anything the next morning as we had to take an Uber back to the airport to track down our luggage before we picked up our rental car by 10am. But this is what we had intended to see and do:
Sites
Edinburgh Castle: This is the biggie that everyone flocks to that can take half a day. Highlights include the Great Hall, Crown Jewels, the Royal Palace, prison barracks, War Museum, Chapel, War Memorial, and general exhibits. Admission is pricey at £17.50 per adult (discounted online price) plus £3.50 for an audio guide. You can save by buying an Explorer Pass which allows you to get into other historic properties in Scotland over 3, 7 or 14 consecutive days. But tally up the admission of the places you intend to visit as other properties generally cost £6 per person admission. We bought a 14 day pass (£45 per adult) but actually lost money as we couldn’t reach many of the places within the limited operating hours.
St. Giles Cathedral: This magnificent 900 year-old Presbyterian church sits on the Royal Mile. Guided tours available for groups of 5 or more to better understand the significance of the symbolism and icons tied to monarchs, wars and reformations, or to climb the tower for panoramic views. Or just wander around in awe like we did. Check their schedule for concerts during your visit. Open 9-7pm. Donation £5 suggested/photo permit £1.
Museums
Writer’s Museum: Ascend to the top floor of a 17th c building to see collected items and manuscripts belonging to Scotland’s top authors: Robert Burns, Sir Walker Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Across from Deacon Brodie’s Tavern on the Royal Mile heading to the castle. Open daily 10-5pm. Free.
National Museum of Scotland: Divided into two sections, one covers the cultures, history and science of the world while the other covers everything pertaining to Scottish culture, history and technology. Open daily 10-5pm. Free.
Buy a Pocket Guide to carry along so you don’t miss a thing!
Tours
Harry Potter walking tour meets at 12 noon daily at the Bobby Friar’s statue. Lasts 90 minutes. Free.
Real Mary’s Close: Take a tour led by costumed actors into the underbelly of Old Town to learn about the residents who lived, suffered and died from the bubonic plague in Mary King’s Close. Meeting point near St. Giles Cathedral. £15 per person.
After dark: Assorted ghost tours, Literary tours, and Underground Vault tours costing around $20 per person begin around 9 or 10pm.
A special site further away
Rosslyn Chapel: This Gothic masterpiece used in the DaVinci Code movie is located 9 miles south of the city. Buses from North Bridge near Waverly Station depart roughly every 30 minutes for the 40 minute trip to Roslin village. Admission is £9 per person. Open daily 9-5pm.
We drove here in our rental car the next morning when we left Edinburgh and headed into the Borders region. Since we wasted a couple hours going back to the airport trying to find our missing luggage from Menzie’s carrier office (which we discovered is closed on Saturdays), and another hour waiting in line at the car rental office, we lost valuable travel time and chose to substitute seeing Rosslyn’s Chapel in exchange for seeing a couple abbeys in the Borders region.
No photos are allowed inside the magnificent chapel, so you’ll have to visit in person to see the striking art carved into the pillars and sculpted into the architecture. Masterful! No wonder it is a top attraction.
But what many people don’t know is that a castle built by the same St. Clair family that built Rosslyn Chapel exists nearby. Located a short walk downhill from the chapel through the forest, ruins from the gatehouse can be accessed via a high stone bridge. Beyond, hidden behind greenery, is the 1622 castle ancestral home complete with family portraits. Managed by the Landmark Trust, Rosslyn Castle has been turned into a unique lodging option that sleeps up to six!
Our time was cut short here….giving us reason to come back to explore more. Have you been? If so, what was your favorite experience here? I’d love to hear your travel tips for staying in Old Town Edinburgh.
Pick a pic and Pin it for later!