The best hotels in Edinburgh city centre

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Few thrills match the excitement of waking up in a new city, especially when you’ve only to step out the door to start exploring. And Edinburgh is blessed with an impressive choice of hotels, all within walking distance of the best this beautiful city has to offer.

Fancy old-school glamour in a flagship hotel? Or perhaps it’s affordable contemporary design with a rooftop champagne lounge that gets you out of bed in the morning. How about indulging in an opulent city version of a legendary country hotel offering access for residents to an exclusive members-only bar?

Here’s our insider’s guide to the best hotels in Edinburgh’s city centre, from the most luxurious to surprisingly smart, affordable options. You’ll find everything from fantastic views to stylish bedrooms, with proximity to all the top sights — including Edinburgh Castle, national galleries of art, St Giles Cathedral and Greyfriars Bobby…and great shopping, too.

How we review

Every hotel in this curated list has been visited by one of our expert reviewers, who are usually hosted on a complimentary basis. They stay for a minimum of one night, test at least one meal and trial other experiences that the hotel might have to offer.

At a glance, the best hotels in Edinburgh city centre

The best hotel in Edinburgh city centre overall – The Balmoral
The best value hotel in Edinburgh city centre – Eden Locke
The most romantic hotel in Edinburgh city centre – Gleneagles Townhouse

Eden Locke

Edinburgh, Scotland

8
Telegraph expert rating

Eden Locke’s George Street location can’t be faulted if you want to be in the thick of things; you’re surrounded by some of Edinburgh’s swishest bars and shops. Design-wise, it’s Georgian Edinburgh outside, Shoreditch inside. Pale oak floors, plenty of pastels with the odd squirt of mustard and self-conscious quirkiness creates a light-hearted but seriously on-trend feel. The heart of it all is the pistachio and vanilla coffee lounge/bar, with seating largely occupied by people tapping at their tablets, spiky plants in terracotta pots and an abundance of light. The 72 studio apartments offer more space (just) than a hotel.

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£
93

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• An insider guide to Edinburgh

Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian

Edinburgh, Scotland

9
Telegraph expert rating

This imposing and historic building in the heart of the Edinburgh has a premier position dominating the west end of Princes Street; a particularly good location for dedicated shoppers. Many major tourist attractions are also within 15 minutes’ walking distance. Rooms have all the five-star comforts you’d expect, including snow-drift-deep mattresses and powerful showers (splash out on a ‘Castle View’ room for a heart-swelling outlook on life in Edinburgh). Facilities include a swimming pool, Guerlain spa and two Galvin Brothers restaurants.

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£
225

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• The best budget hotels in Edinburgh

Market Street Hotel

Edinburgh, Scotland

9
Telegraph expert rating

You only have to cross the street from Edinburgh Waverley station to reach this design-led hotel, which brings both style and substance to a great city-centre location. Everything revolves around the Nor’loft – the hotel’s ineffably cool champagne lounge. Think lightly ‘Scandewegian’ meets bespoke Scottish with plenty of glass making the most of the great views. In the slick rooms, an ‘indulgence’ cabinet offers complimentary wine, soft drinks and snacks. The hairdryer is Dyson, the straighteners GHD. There’s a milk foamer for your locally sourced coffee and a clothes steamer/brush – sheer practical genius. Request floors five or six for the best views.

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£
143

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• The best Edinburgh hotels with parking

Kimpton Charlotte Square

Edinburgh, Scotland

8
Telegraph expert rating

An old hotel in a classy city centre location (overlooking elegant Charlotte Square at the east end of George Street) reinvented in mid-century modern Soho House-style chic. The use of rich intense colours and careful placing of props makes it feel more set-dressed than decorated, with stacks of ‘vintage’ books, an angler’s willow basket and cocktail shakers scattered around the place in a carefully casual fashion. There’s quality throughout, with more personality than your usual corporate hotel look and signature ‘tuck boxes’ of treats (in this case Scottish-themed crisps and sweeties), red retro telephone and a knitted tea cosy in the rooms.

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£
177

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• Where to stay in Edinburgh

Cheval The Edinburgh Grand

Edinburgh, Scotland

8
Telegraph expert rating

This hotel is set in a prime city shopping and eating hotspot; the neighbours are Harvey Nichols and Louis Vuitton, as well as Dishoom. Behind a severely classical exterior there’s an American Art Deco lobby, with mahogany carved Corinthian columns, marble fireplaces and a rotunda-topped circular stairwell just begging for Instagram attention. The Register Club is styled for exclusivity (there’s a dress code, so leave your athleisure-wear in your suitcase) and a traditional club feel: plenty of leather, parquet floors and panelling, all in shades of St Tropez tan. Themed cocktails are sophisticated and so is the food. Plump for the Penthouse for a fully furnished outside terrace and wraparound views.

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£
170

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• The best bars and pubs in Edinburgh

The Balmoral

Edinburgh, Scotland

9
Telegraph expert rating

This neo-Renaissance building with its massive clock tower has been an Edinburgh landmark for more than a century making it one of the best hotel’s in Edinburgh city centre. With elegant bedrooms and over-the-top marble bathrooms, a spa, gym and 15-metre swimming pool, and the dome-ceilinged Palm Court for champagne afternoon teas, this is a 21st century version of a grand hotel. It’s next to Edinburgh’s main Waverley railway station, at the eastern end of Princes Street, and a short walk from the National Gallery and shopping areas. Number One, the hotel’s Michelin-starred eatery, is one of Edinburgh’s top restaurants. A little more low-key but every inch as stylish, is Alain Roux’s convincingly French Brasserie Prince.

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Intercontinental Edinburgh The George

Edinburgh, Scotland

9
Telegraph expert rating

There’s nothing stuffy about Edinburgh’s oldest hotel; it does classy/contemporary on a grand scale throughout. Expect a softly tailored look in Farrow & Ball-esque shades of oak, smoke, moss and mist with stylish leather accents. Rooms in the original townhouses offer classic Georgian architecture, but don’t scorn the rooms in the modern Forth Wing: there are some cracking views across the city to the Firth. Bathrooms in the suites have rolltop baths. The Printing Press Bar and Restaurant has a relaxed, fin de siècle look with dark velvet banquettes, a marble bar, cheerful bartenders in bow ties and braces.

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169

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• A complete guide to the best hotels in Edinburgh

The Witchery by the Castle

Edinburgh, Scotland

9
Telegraph expert rating

If Pugin designed Gothic revival love nests they would look like this: an outrageous riposte to modern minimalism realised in nine fantasy suites close to the gates of Edinburgh Castle. Darkly, deeply sumptuous, utterly indulgent and slightly (delightfully) mad, these secret dens of overblown delight are the ultimate expression of an overheated imagination, realised with a meticulous, theatrical attention to detail. The suites are situated either above the famously atmospheric Witchery at the Castle Restaurant or on the opposite site of the Royal Mile, secreted in Jollie’s Close.

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595

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• The best luxury hotels in Edinburgh

Gleneagles Townhouse

Edinburgh, Scotland

9
Telegraph expert rating

Imagine a chic godmother – old money but addicted to post-war Dior. If she designed a hotel it would look like this: part country house; part stylish swank. With elegant bedrooms, dramatic restaurant, state-of-the-art gym, wellness treatments and an exclusive rooftop bar, it doesn’t get much more glamorous than this. Located in St Andrew Square, at the east end of Princes Street with a tram stop just outside the door and Waverley station a five-minute walk away. There are bars, restaurants, shopping and museums all around and the Old Town a 15-minute saunter. And of course should you wish to visit the original Gleneagles in the countryside it’s just over an hour’s drive away.

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£
375

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Frequently asked questions

Where is the best area to stay in Edinburgh City Centre, Old Town or New Town?

Old Town and New Town are two adjacent districts at the centre of Edinburgh. The main railway station (Waverley) is located where they meet. Old Town is the medieval core of the city, famous for its twisting wynds (lanes) dotted with independent shops and cafés. The Royal Mile runs through its heart, leading to the hilltop Edinburgh Castle. New Town is the epitome of Georgian town planning, with classical architecture arranged around grand squares, terraces and gardens. New Town’s main artery is Princes Street, a long thoroughfare lined with high-street shops.

The best hotels in Edinburgh

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Rock House

HOTEL
Edinburgh, Scotland

9
Telegraph expert rating

A heavenly 18th-century house hidden on Calton Hill with a courtyard garden to the front, a prett…

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465

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Cheval Old Town Chambers

HOTEL
Edinburgh, Scotland

9
Telegraph expert rating

It’s easy to run out of superlatives describing this remarkable collection of slick, stylish serv…

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£
191

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The Balmoral

HOTEL
Edinburgh, Scotland

9
Telegraph expert rating

Although an Edinburgh landmark for more than a century, there’s nothing old-fashioned about this …

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