Save up to $1,322 on our trips! Limited spots. Book Now.

The Best Cheap Hotels to Book in Edinburgh, Scotland

Stay at a cheap hotel in Edinburgh and spend your money exploring all the city has to offer instead
Stay at a cheap hotel in Edinburgh and spend your money exploring all the city has to offer instead | © Photopat / Alamy Stock Photo

If you are on a budget while visiting Edinburgh, there’s no reason you can’t still enjoy quality accommodation. It used to be that visitors to Edinburgh would head straight for the Old Town or New Town. Many wanted to be among the old Georgian terraces, or tucked inside a well-kept tenement, but the city has opened itself up to tourists, meaning there are now great places to stay all over town. These hotels run the gamut from wallet-friendly stylish boutiques to quirky apartments, all within walking distance of all the great things Edinburgh has to offer, allowing you to save your money for more important things. Here’s our pick of the best cheap hotels in Edinburgh, bookable on Culture Trip.

Salisbury Green Hotel, for a mansion stay with locavore breakfasts

Guesthouse

Cosy double room in light greens and blues with patterned rose-coloured carpet at Salisbury Green Hotel in Edinburgh
Courtesy of Salisbury Green Hotel / Expedia

In a fabulously opulent 18th-century building featuring mini-turrets, Salisbury Green is one of the best cheap hotels in Edinburgh. It houses 36 rooms in its Mansion House, with contemporary styling complementing the historic features of the building, while next door in its Masson House, the 72 rooms feature subtle colours, padded headboards and rainfall showers. The Salisbury Green Bistro has locally sourced produce: for breakfast you can feast on Charles Macleod Stornoway black pudding, Stobbs Farm smoked back bacon, and Hornigs haggis.

Kildonan Lodge Hotel, for luxurious interiors and excellent transport connections

Hotel

Traditional guest room in warm yellow tones with tartan bed canopy and ornate curtains at Kildonan Lodge Hotel, Edinburgh
Courtesy of Kildonan Lodge Hotel / Expedia

Another excellent cheap hotel in Edinburgh, this Victorian, warm-stone building has rich interiors in keeping with the architecture, with chandeliers, damask wallpapers, gilt mirrors and some rooms with two- or four-poster beds. The rooms feel contemporary with a nod to old-school notions of elegance, and you can tuck into a glass of sherry along with your complimentary shortbread. It’s handily located, only 1.5mi (2.4km) from the Royal Mile, with a direct bus route to the city centre from the doorstep.

Point A, for contemporary design near the Royal Mile

Hotel

Modern double room in charcoal and grey hues at Point A Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket
Courtesy of Point A Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket / Expedia

The Point A chain offers modern comforts at astonishingly inexpensive prices. The pared-down, stylish rooms come with neutral design, comfortable Hypnos beds and sparkling bathrooms with power showers. Extra features include a 43-inch smart TV, Chromecast and atmospheric mood lighting. This contemporary boutique hotel is in the Lothian area, close to Edinburgh International Conference Centre and 1mi (1.6km) from the Royal Mile. Breakfast is included, and there’s a bar with stylish leather seating and stripped wooden floors.

New Town Guesthouse, for quickie townhouse decor in New Town

Guesthouse

Cosy room with Indian-cotton bedspread, blue damask curtains and red wall accents at New Town Guesthouse, Edinburgh
Courtesy of New Town Guesthouse / Expedia

One of the most charming cheap hotels in Edinburgh, the New Town Guesthouse might be in Edinburgh’s New Town, but it’s housed in a venerable Georgian townhouse, so it has rooms of all shapes and sizes. Rooms have wood-work painted in rich shades from yolky yellow to raspberry red, adding to their character and style. Flowers bedeck the guesthouse steps, and there are Indian-cotton bedspreads, red velvet curtains, vintage desks and leafy outlooks from the graceful sash windows.

Eden Locke Hotel, for self-contained studios in New Town

Boutique Hotel, Serviced Apartment, Hotel

Large cafe with high ceilings, pale green walls, stylish chairs and potted plants at Eden Locke, Edinburgh
Courtesy of Eden Locke, Edinburgh / Expedia

Studio apartments are the order of the day at this chic boutique apartment hotel located right at the entrance to the New Town. The expansive café on the ground floor slings out artisan espressos daily and is filled with lush greenery and soft furnishings. This tranquillity is reflected in the apartments. Expect cool, Scandi-style furniture, a pale pastel colour palette and big, bright windows allowing the light to flood the rooms and providing excellent views of the Old Town.

Stay Central Hotel, for proximity to Edinburgh's nightlife

Hotel

Relaxed bar space with concrete floors, orange banquette with tables and suitcase mural at Stay Central Hotel, Edinburgh
Courtesy of Stay Central Hotel / Expedia

This three-star Edinburgh hotel emulates the fashionable cool of London’s Shoreditch. Rustic wooden features, cool white walls and custom prints adorn the rooms, giving them a more composed feel than your average hotel. Cowgate is one of Edinburgh’s busiest nightspots, so if you’re up for a party, you couldn’t be better placed. For music, go to Sneaky Pete’s or the Caves. For bars, you’ve got Ox184. For clubbing, head to the Hive. The beauty of Arthur’s Seat is also just a short walk away.

Hotel Ceilidh-Donia, for gigs and exhibitions in Southside

Hotel

A little further out from the centre, in Edinburgh’s Southside, Hotel Ceilidh-Donia is a really charming spot, with good access to some different parts of the city. The hotel itself has the feel of a converted townhouse, and the rooms echo that ambience. There are feature walls of floral patterns, canvas prints and original sash windows, with views overlooking Arthur’s Seat. Take advantage of the Southside if you stay here; the arts venue Summerhall is a great nearby spot for gigs and exhibitions. You’re also a short walk from Duddingston and one of the oldest pubs in Scotland, the Sheep Heid Inn.

Cairn Hotel, for proximity to excellent restaurants

Boutique Hotel

Neoclassical Grecian exterior with hanging flower pots at the two-storey Cairn Hotel in Edinburgh
Courtesy of Cairn Hotel / Expedia

Just outside New Town, Cairn Hotel is a well-located (and well-priced) boutique spot that dates back to the 18th century, designed by Scottish architect William H Playfair as part of a plan to build another New Town in the east of the city. The Neoclassical Grecian exterior is nicely contrasted with a contemporary Scottish interior. The rooms come with countryside prints, contemporary art and a rustic, autumnal colour palette. Cairn is a good choice for those looking to spend their budget on food: the Gardener’s Cottage and the Little Chartroom are both close by, and from Leith Walk you can hop on a bus to the Shore, one of the city’s best foodie locations.

Grassmarket Hotel, for uber-Scottish decor next to Edinburgh Castle

Hotel

The exterior of the centrally located Grassmarket Hotel in Edinburgh at the corner of Victoria Street
Courtesy of the Grassmarket Hotel / Expedia

You can’t get more central than this. The Grassmarket Hotel sits underneath Edinburgh Castle, with the Meadows, Cowgate, the National Museum and the gorgeous Victoria Street at each of its corners. Rooms are amusingly decorated with an array of Scottish institutions like The Dandy and The Broons comic strips, Tunnock’s Teacake mugs and detailed maps of the city. Often, hotels will emulate a kind of rural idyll when trying to channel their Scottishness, so it’s good to see Grassmarket playing with a funnier, more kitsch vision of the country. On Saturdays, the Edinburgh Farmer’s Market sets up stalls nearby from 10am to 5pm, with crowds descending upon the square pretty quickly.

The Torfin, for excellent gastropub fare near Edinburgh Zoo

Boutique Hotel

Corstorphine village is a quaint, charming suburb towards the west of the city, just past Edinburgh Zoo, and home to this reasonably priced boutique hotel. Befitting its Scottish heritage, stags are a noticeable theme in the rooms here: you’ll find geometric stag heads on the walls, imitation antlers and painted stag silhouettes around every corner, giving the place a certain uniformity. The Torfin also has an on-site bar and restaurant that you’ll definitely want to try out, with modern gastropub food and excellent cocktails that bring visitors from the centre regularly.

This article is an updated version of a story written by Tori Chalmers. Abigail Blasi contributed additional reporting.

For more budget-friendly hotels, discover our pick of the best budget-friendly hotels in Scotland, or for a local experience, check out our guide to where to book your stay in Scotland for a local experience, all bookable with Culture Trip.

close-ad