Edinburgh is small, so no central hotel is far from anything. But the areas feel very different, and the city’s hills mean that “ten minutes’ walk” can involve a hundred steps. The choice is mostly between atmosphere and convenience.
We describe four areas below — the Old Town, the New Town, the West End and Haymarket, and Leith — with a handful of well-regarded hotels in each, from grand to budget. Every hotel links to its live page on Trip.com.
Edinburgh hotel prices vary enormously with the date: August and Hogmanay can cost several times as much as a week in November. For that reason we do not print nightly rates. Guest scores, where shown, are from Trip.com.
Visitor levy: Edinburgh has introduced a visitor levy of 5% of the cost of paid overnight accommodation, charged on up to five consecutive nights, for stays from 24 July 2026. It applies to hotels, hostels, guest houses and short-term lets. Some booking sites show it separately and it may be collected at the property — check what your quoted price includes.
