The Best Hostels for Less in Edinburgh, Scotland

Bottomless coffee, craft-beer tasting sessions, capsule sleeping studios and storytelling nights? Hang on a minute, what kind of hostel is this? Well, it’s the kind that also has private rooms converted from historic prison cells and courtrooms, personal keypad codes for next-level security and staff that dish up lashings of waffles at breakfast. Oh, and did we mention most beds have LED-lit headboards? The end result is a bold breath of fresh air – digital nomads, your home is here.

Right under the castle, this super-sociable hangout ticks all the budget-friendly boxes: shared bathrooms (check), guest kitchen (check), common room (that, too). Where it differs is its party-starting burger bar, games nights, free walking tours and pub crawls three times a week. Tip: the rambling staircase next door, from the Vennel to Flodden Wall, is Rebus author Ian Rankin’s favourite city view.

Part-student union, part-24/7 aparthotel, this super-sized hostel has plenty of tricks up its sleeves. Start with a giant, welcoming reception, a pub kitchen, a beer garden and Ping-Pong and pool tables, then move upstairs to locker-divided dorms and calming private rooms. It’s part of a wide-ranging hostel chain – with outposts across Europe – so the team knows what they’re doing. The result? A pleased-as-punch backpacker crowd.

It’s hardly a rarity in Edinburgh for a beautifully set 19th-century house to be converted and given over to well-to-do visitors. One opened up for wide-eyed backpackers, on the other hand, is rarer than hen’s teeth. The history remains on show in the posh lounge – there are a grand piano and a fireplace – plus, you might be able to pick up an Edinburgh literary classic from the free book exchange. There are also a sociable common room and pub crawls, and pool competitions and ceilidhs are part of the hostel’s weekly rhythm. To cap it off, there are talking-point museum-piece suits of armour and a music room with stacks of vinyl.

A guesthouse for friends and families in the historic Canonmills suburbs, this backpacker-free Georgian townhouse is tastefully upscale. Dorms are done away with here in favour of rooms with single beds that sleep your nearest and dearest. Some rooms have private en-suites and views overlooking the garden. All are poised for morning jogs around the neighbouring Royal Botanic Gardens and Inverleith Park. For a locals’ night out, tramp along the Water of Leith to gentrified Stockbridge.

St Christopher’s on Market Street is many things at the same time. It’s a hangout with drink deals and stacked burgers at the hostel bar Belushi’s. It’s a 24/7, full-service guesthouse with classic dorm-room looks. And, it’s a place for solo travellers to team up with free walking tours and pub crawls that work a treat. Location-wise, everything is in easy walking distance, with Princes Street Gardens and the trains of Waverley Station right out front.