Best Area to Stay in Edinburgh 2026
Written by Robin Morris||Read time 1 mins
Edinburgh is a city with different moods packed into a few square miles. Pick an area for your trip, from a team letting for over a decade.
Key summary
- Old Town & Royal Mile: first-time visitors who want the castle, closes and big sights nearby
- New Town: couples, shoppers with good restaurants and quieter streets: a 10 min walk of everything
- West End and Haymarket: easiest arrivals & departures, with the tram and trains on the same corner
Find your stay
Edinburgh packs an enormous amount into a walkable centre. From Edinburgh Castle to the Shore in Leith is under an hour on foot, and most visitors underestimate how close everything is. That is good news, because it means there is no wrong answer here. There is, however, a best answer for your particular trip.
The question is rarely about distance. It is about what you want outside your front door in the evening: a pub with a fire and a fiddle, a Georgian square, a seafront promenade, or a street of independent restaurants. It is also about practicalities, like whether you are arriving with a hire car, travelling with a dog, or trying to get five people into one building during the Festival.
This guide runs through the areas we know best, with honest notes on who each one suits and where each one falls short.
A quick answer
If you want the short version:
| You are… | Stay in… |
|---|---|
| Visiting Edinburgh for the first time | Old Town / Royal Mile |
| A couple after restaurants and good walking | New Town |
| Arriving late or leaving early by train or plane | West End / Haymarket |
| Travelling with children | Stockbridge or the Southside |
| Here to eat and drink well | Leith |
| Coming with a dog, or in summer | Portobello or the East Lothian coast |
| A group of six or more | Old Town or Leith, where larger apartments are easier to find |
Old Town and the Royal Mile: best for first-time visitors
The Old Town is the Edinburgh of the postcards. The Royal Mile runs downhill from the castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, with narrow closes dropping away on both sides, and Victoria Street curving below it. Staying here means you can walk out of your door and be at the castle gates in five minutes.
Who it suits: first-timers, short breaks, anyone with a long list of sights and only two or three days. It is also the natural choice during August, when Fringe venues are concentrated on and around the Mile.
What to know: this is the busiest part of the city, and the Old Town is built on a hill. Expect stairs, both outside and often inside, and expect noise on weekend evenings. If you are a light sleeper, ask about which way the bedrooms face before you book.
Good to know: parking in the Old Town is genuinely difficult and expensive. If you are driving, choose an apartment with a dedicated space or plan to use a park and ride.
Exploring Edinburgh’s Royal Mile · Victoria Street · Edinburgh city centre apartments
The New Town: best for couples and food lovers
Cross Princes Street Gardens and the city changes completely. The New Town is a planned Georgian grid of wide streets, symmetrical terraces and private gardens, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the Old Town. George Street and Thistle Street hold much of the city’s best eating and drinking, and Princes Street puts the shops on your doorstep.
Who it suits: couples, anyone visiting for a special occasion, and repeat visitors who have already ticked off the castle.
What to know: it is flatter and quieter than the Old Town while being just as central. The trade-off is that the sights are a ten to fifteen minute walk away rather than five, which almost nobody minds.
Good to know: many New Town apartments are in period buildings with high ceilings and generous rooms, which makes them comfortable for longer stays.
The West End and Haymarket: best for easy arrivals
The West End sits at the quieter end of Princes Street, around the tree-lined streets near Charlotte Square and the Water of Leith. Haymarket, just beyond it, has a mainline railway station and a tram stop on the same block.
Who it suits: anyone flying in and out, travelling from London or Glasgow by train, or attending something at the EICC or Murrayfield.
What to know: the tram runs from Edinburgh Airport straight through Haymarket and along Princes Street, so you can be from plane to front door without changing. If arrival logistics are the thing you worry about most, stay here.
Good to know: the West End has a village of its own around William Street, with independent shops and small restaurants that feel a world away from the crowds on the Mile.
Edinburgh trams: a guide for tourists
Stockbridge: best for families and a neighbourhood feel
Stockbridge is a short downhill walk from the New Town and feels like a small town that happens to sit inside a capital city. The Water of Leith walkway runs through it, the Royal Botanic Garden is on its edge, and the Sunday market draws a good crowd.
Who it suits: families, longer stays, and anyone who would rather buy their breakfast from a deli than eat it in a hotel.
What to know: you are about twenty minutes’ walk from the castle, mostly uphill on the way back. With small children, factor that in.
Good to know: the Botanics are free to enter and one of the best rainy-day options in the city with children in tow.
The Southside and Newington: best value near the centre
South of the Royal Mile, past the Meadows, the Southside is where the university sits. It is residential, well served by buses, and usually a little cheaper per night than the streets immediately around the castle.
Who it suits: families who want the Meadows on their doorstep, festivalgoers who want to be near the big August venues without paying Old Town prices, and anyone staying a week or more.
What to know: it is genuinely quiet outside term time and August, and the walk into the centre is flat and pleasant across the Meadows.
Leith: best for food, drink and value
Leith was a separate port town until 1920 and it still has its own character. The Shore, where the Water of Leith meets the docks, has the highest concentration of good restaurants in the city, and the Royal Yacht Britannia is moored a few minutes away.
Who it suits: food-led trips, groups, and anyone who wants more apartment for their money.
What to know: the tram extension now runs the length of Leith Walk to Newhaven, so getting into the centre takes minutes rather than a long walk. Before the tram, Leith felt further out than it does now.
Good to know: larger apartments tend to be easier to find here than in the Old Town, which makes it a sensible choice for groups of six or more.
Portobello: best for a beach on your doorstep
Portobello is Edinburgh’s seaside, three miles east of the centre, with a long sandy beach and a Victorian promenade. It is a proper neighbourhood rather than a resort, with a good run of cafés and bars along the High Street.
Who it suits: summer trips, families, dog owners, and anyone who wants a swim or a run before breakfast.
What to know: you will rely on the bus into town, which takes around twenty-five minutes. That is a fair trade for waking up by the sea.
Beyond the city: North Berwick and the East Lothian coast
If your trip is more about space than sightseeing, the East Lothian coast is thirty-five minutes by train from Waverley. North Berwick has two beaches, the Scottish Seabird Centre and some of the best links golf in the world on its doorstep. Gullane, Dunbar and East Linton are all within a short drive.
Who it suits: golf trips, dog owners, families with older children, and anyone visiting in summer who would rather not be in the thick of the Festival.
What to know: you can still do Edinburgh easily as a day trip. Trains run frequently and drop you in the middle of the city.
How to choose: three questions
1. How many nights? For two or three nights, stay central and accept the noise. For five or more, the quieter neighbourhoods pay off.
2. Are you driving? If yes, rule out the Old Town unless parking is included. Stockbridge, Portobello and the coast are far easier with a car.
3. Who is coming? Groups and families should start from the apartments that fit them and work backwards to the area, rather than the other way around. In Edinburgh, three and four bedroom properties in the centre are the scarcest thing on the market and go first.
There is no single best area to stay in Edinburgh, but there is a best area for your trip. First-timers should take the Old Town and enjoy being in the middle of it. Couples will get more out of the New Town. Families usually do better in Stockbridge or the Southside, and anyone whose trip revolves around dinner should look hard at Leith.
Whichever you choose, you will spend most of your visit walking between them anyway. That is the pleasure of a city this compact.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the best area to stay in Edinburgh for first-time visitors?
- The Old Town, and specifically the streets around the Royal Mile and Grassmarket. Almost every headline sight is within a fifteen-minute walk, which matters most on a short first trip. Expect hills, stairs and evening noise as the trade-off.
- Is it better to stay in the Old Town or the New Town?
- The Old Town is more atmospheric and closer to the castle. The New Town is flatter, quieter and has the better restaurants and shops. Both are central, and the walk between them takes about ten minutes.
- Which area of Edinburgh is best for families?
- Stockbridge and the Southside. Both have green space nearby, the Botanic Garden and the Meadows respectively, and both are residential enough to feel calm in the evening while still being walkable to the centre.
- Where should I stay in Edinburgh during the Festival?
- The Old Town and Southside put you closest to the venues, but book early, because August sells out months ahead. If you are booking late, look at Leith or the West End and use the tram.
- Is Leith a good area to stay in Edinburgh?
- Yes, particularly for food and for value. Since the tram extension opened along Leith Walk, the journey into the centre is quick, and apartments there are generally larger for the money than in the Old Town.
- Do I need a car in Edinburgh?
- No. The centre is compact and well served by buses and trams, and city centre parking is expensive and limited. A car is only worth it if you plan day trips to East Lothian, the Borders or Stirling.
- Where is the best place to stay in Edinburgh with a dog?
- Portobello and the East Lothian coast, where the beaches and open space are on your doorstep. The city centre works too, but you will be walking to green space rather than stepping straight into it.
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