Where to sleep in Edinburgh?

fter some investigation, I noticed that tourists tend to live in specific regions of Edinburgh. This is the topic we will discuss here.

Where to sleep? What will we talk about?

1. The city center – and here I mean the New Town and the Royal Mile areas
2. The second phase of the New Town, going north via Dundas Street up until the river
3. “Crossroads area” of London Rd., Elm Row, York Place, and Bellevue. Edinburgh Playhouse is in the middle of it
4. Newington area, going left and right from the main Newington Rd.
5. Tollcross area – the triangle of Bread St, Fountainbridge Rd. and Lothian Rd. going East in the direction of Grassmarket
6. West end area – crossroads of Shandwick Place, Princes St. and Queensferry St. going North-West to the river
7. Haymarket Station area and all around it
8. Much further – Leith, Newhaven, Blackford, Morningside

What do we ask about?

• how long does it take to get on foot to any main attractions
• which buses to use
• necessities in the area (shop, bar)
• airport/public transport connections
• other interesting things in the area (apart from the obvious)

The schematic map of Edinburgh should be of some help to you. It will give you a general idea of where everything is and will help you organize yourselves.

City Centre – number 1

Forgive me for skipping this point. The city center is the center! You have all the “mains” there and everything you would wish for. That is the reason why we pick it!

You have two regions here – New Town and the Royal Mile. It is worth saying that you will be going up – about 10 minutes (to the Mile and then a few to other places of interest) or down – around 5-7 minutes.

The “towns” are next to each other but on different levels. It is good to know it in advance.

New Town, second phase – number 2

The success of the original New Tow was overwhelming. But Craig’s plan was designed in the specific area – it was a piece of art (read more here). That is why at the beginning of XIX c. city started to expand it to the North and the West (point 3 – more or less) – following the main points of the new style (straight lines and classical architecture).

You will be happy enough here because it is quite close to the New Town but it is peaceful. The thing that will make you weep is the fact that you will be walking up the hill.

Playhouse area – number 3

Regarding what was written before – this is the West part of the New Town extension. It is a good place if you want to have everything at hand – food, drink, entertainment, Calton Hill, shops.

The only problem is that it is quite noisy. The main road to Leith goes through here – Leith Street turns into Elm Row and then Leith Walk. Other “smear on the window” – up the hill to North Bridge.

That means that you need to weigh your options.

Newington area – number 4

Another peaceful part of Edinburgh – with the humble exception of A7 main road (Newington St for example). A place where students like to live now because of the vicinity of the University campuses. Also, an area where people first started to move in search of “quiet”. That gives you almost identical architecture, a lot of restaurants and pubs – especially in the vicinity of A7 and good access to the center (although it is further away).

Tollcross area – number 5

This one is a good one. You find all the things you need here – and everyday English shops too (not this souvenir circus). There is a lot of good restaurants there. It is close to the Haymarket (where there are even more good restaurants) and Grassmarket. Nice pubs attract both Scots and tourists. But – there is some traffic there – Lothian Rd. and Morrison St are guilty in this department.

West End area – number 6

A quiet place – in the exception of Queensferry Rd and Shandwick Place Rd. Although going deeper in the direction of Leith River, it becomes calmer. It is very close to the main attractions and places of interest. Being here, you can spend 3 days in the center of Edinburgh without using the bus.

Haymarket Area – number 7

In the old days, there was something important here – and you won’t believe what it was. A market for hay! Really – no jokes! As Grassmarket was the original thing, close to the city – this was another one – for other villages and mills in the vicinity. Today it is a vibrant area with a train station and bus stops that can take you everywhere you want in Scotland. It is full of shops (a lot of second – hands if there are hunters among the readers – on Dalkeith Rd.), restaurants, cafeterias, and pubs. Both Scots and tourists appreciate the multitude of activities that can be done here.

Further out – number 8

As it states above – it is further out. I seldom talked to tourists from Leith or Newhaven – normally they had a reason to be there. It all depends on what you need and whether you have family or friends nearby, and want to be closer to them.

North of Edinburgh is the place where you can see the Firth of Forth. There is the Oceans Terminal with the Royal Yacht Britannia to visit, places of interest from the movie Trainspotting, good fish and seafood.

Abbeyhill leads to Portobello – if you want to have good access to one of the beaches (the other one is in Cramond). Once there was a public pool, where Sean Connery was a safeguard.

Blackford has golf courts in the vicinity and a hill with the Royal Observatory. It is a weekend walking spot for many citizens. There are also King’s Buildings there – part of the University – if you have some business there. A7 goes further South here, out of Edinburgh – to Roslynn Chapel.

It is impossible to describe all the places to book a room. You go to a specific one because you have a good reason. As I said – Edinburgh has a great net of public transport buses. You should be ok everywhere you go.