Best hostels in Edinburgh

Edinburgh splits its hostel inventory along a volcanic spine. The Royal Mile ridge, running from the Castle esplanade down to Holyrood, concentrates the densest cluster; the Georgian grid of New Town sits one valley north; and the residential quarters fan outward from there. Price tiers compress in a hostel search: most beds fall between $24 and $65 a night, so the deciding factor is not budget but neighborhood character. The Old Town hostels put you inside the tourist corridor, steps from the Grassmarket pubs and the Cowgate late-night circuit. New Town trades cobblestone noise for broad avenues and better grocery access along Broughton Street. Farther out, Newington and Currie suit travelers who prefer a quieter base and a bus ride over a midnight stumble home. What matters is whether you want to walk out your door onto the Royal Mile or away from it.

1. 1

   Edinburgh Old Town

   Grassmarket and Cowgate, beneath Edinburgh Castle's south face

   Pub-circuit hostels in the castle's shadow, where the cobblestones stay noisy past midnight.

   Noise from the Grassmarket pubs drifts through hostel windows here until closing time, and that is the trade you make for a 2-minute walk to the Castle esplanade. Kick Ass Grassmarket holds an 8.9 at about $24 a night, anchoring the budget tier in a strip where most beds sit above forty. Skip the overpriced cafes clustered at the top of Victoria Street; the locals head downhill toward the Cowgate for cheaper pints and fewer selfie sticks. The Grassmarket square itself empties by morning, and the walk to Waverley Station takes under ten minutes along the Cowgate arches. This is the neighborhood for travelers who want Old Town atmosphere without pretending they came for quiet. If you sleep light, ask for a room facing the courtyard, not the square.

   1. Budget

      Kick Ass Grassmarket (18+)

      It's a good hostel, right in the center, a couple of minutes' walk from all the sights. I liked everything, but there was one downside: I was cold in the evening. At first, I thought someone had opene

      8.9/10 rating ~$24/night
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2. 2

   Edinburgh Old Town, Edinburgh

   Royal Mile near St Giles' Cathedral, central Old Town ridge

   Pod-style bunks on the Royal Mile itself, cathedral bells included.

   The Royal Mile's tourist foot traffic thins past St Giles' Cathedral, and Code Pod, the Court sits right in that quieter stretch, holding a 9.4 at about $38 a night. Don't bother with the souvenir shops stacked between the Castle and the Tron Kirk; walk east instead toward the Scottish Parliament and Holyrood, where the crowds dissolve. The Waverley Bridge descent to Princes Street takes five minutes on foot, connecting Old Town's ridge to New Town's shopping grid without a bus fare. Avoid the fish-and-chip queues near the Castle end; better chippies line Cockburn Street one close below. This section of the Mile suits travelers who want the historic address without the Grassmarket pub racket, and the pod format keeps the price closer to a dorm than a guesthouse.

   1. Budget

      Code Pod – the Court - Edinburgh

      I visited at the end of March, and Edinburgh was still quite cold, especially with the strong winds. The hostel's location is excellent, right by the church on the Royal Mile, making it easy to walk t

      9.4/10 rating ~$38/night
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3. 3

   Broughton

   Broughton Street corridor, northeast of New Town

   Residential side-street hostels near the city's best independent food row.

   Broughton Street catches the light on clear mornings where it slopes down from the York Place tram stop, and the cafes along it open earlier than anything on the Royal Mile. Edinburgh Central Accommodation holds an 8.0 at about $37 a night, a fair rate for a neighborhood this close to the center. Skip the chain restaurants along Leith Street one block west; Broughton's independent stretch runs from the Barony Bar down to the Playhouse Theatre, and the grocery options are better here than anywhere in Old Town. The walk to Waverley Station takes about twelve minutes along the slope. The locals know Broughton as the quieter alternative to New Town's retail grid, with late-night bars that stay open without the Cowgate volume. It suits the traveler who wants to eat well and sleep without earplugs.

   1. Budget

      Edinburgh Central Accommodation

      Another night staying at this hostel. We stayed in a six-person female dorm. Except that the drainage is quite bad at the shower room, and the bunk bed is noisy when i move, everything is good and cle

      8.0/10 rating ~$37/night
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4. 4

   Currie

   Water of Leith valley, southwest Edinburgh beyond the bypass

   A village inn outside the city for travelers who want countryside quiet and a bus-line commute.

   Riccarton Inn sits along the Water of Leith path in Currie, holding an 8.5 at about $58 a night, and the pub downstairs serves food that beats the tourist-strip chains by a wide margin. Don't bother with Currie if you want to stumble home from a Royal Mile pub; the bus into the center takes thirty-plus minutes, and the last services run early. The trade is genuine quiet: the Water of Leith walkway connects to the Heriot-Watt campus and the Union Canal towpath, and mornings here smell like wet grass, not diesel. The locals head to Currie for Sunday walks, not nightlife. This is the neighborhood for travelers who treat Edinburgh as a day trip from a countryside base, or who have business at Heriot-Watt and want a traditional inn over a chain hotel by the motorway.

   1. Budget

      Riccarton Inn

      We stayed twice at the Riccarton Inn. It's traditional with a pub up front and rooms at the back. Very clean and the staff was helpful and friendly. This is not a hotel chain but an individual inn.

      8.5/10 rating ~$58/night
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5. 5

   Edinburgh

   Pollock Halls area near Holyrood Park, south of the Old Town

   University rooms with breakfast and Arthur's Seat trailheads at the door.

   Light catches the crags of Arthur's Seat from the Pollock Halls grounds, and Summer Stays at The University of Edinburgh uses that proximity as its main selling point, holding an 8.9 at about $65 a night with breakfast included. University accommodation here does not mean a bad location; the Holyrood Distillery is a short walk north, and the Royal Mile's lower end sits within fifteen minutes on foot. The real value is the included breakfast, which cuts the $8 to $12 morning spend that Old Town hostels quietly add. Skip the campus cafe for dinner; Newington's Clerk Street restaurant row is the closer option heading south. The neighborhood suits early risers who want a hike before the city wakes, not late-night bar crawlers who need a Cowgate address.

   1. Budget

      Summer Stays at The University of Edinburgh

      25 mins walk from the city, Holyrood distillery nearby, you can also hike up to Arthur seat in 30 mins. Can get to supermarket in 15 mins. Breakfast included and you can order breakfast box if you hav

      8.9/10 rating ~$65/night
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6. 6

   New Town, Edinburgh

   Georgian grid between Princes Street and Queen Street, city center north

   Design-forward pods on broad Georgian avenues, tram and rail within five minutes.

   The tram glides along Princes Street below CODE The Loft's block, and the hostel holds a 9.3 at about $49 a night, one of the strongest ratings in the city's budget tier. Skip the Princes Street retail chains for groceries; Stockbridge's Raeburn Place, a ten-minute walk north, has better independent shops and a Sunday market. New Town's grid runs flat compared to Old Town's hills, which matters after a day on your feet. The locals prefer the pubs along Rose Street, one block north of Princes Street, over anything on the tourist mile. This stretch puts Waverley Station, the Playhouse, and Calton Hill all within walking range: better positioned than the overpriced chain bunks near Haymarket. It suits travelers who want a central base without the Old Town cobblestone climb back to bed.

   1. Budget

      CODE The Loft - Edinburgh

      The Loft is really central in the city and the beds were comfortable. We traveled with 4 people and had the whole room for us. The best part is the cooperation with The Court and that you can particip

      9.3/10 rating ~$49/night
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7. 7

   Newington

   Clerk Street and Minto Street corridor, south of the Meadows

   Guest-house row on a bus arterial, trading location for lower rates and residential calm.

   Buses run along Clerk Street through Newington every few minutes, connecting the guest-house strip to the Old Town in under ten. Sakura Edinburgh Guest House holds a 6.8 at about $61 a night, an honest rate for a residential quarter where the rooms run larger than any Old Town dorm bunk. Skip the takeaways nearest the main road; the better restaurants cluster where Newington Road meets the Meadows, and the park itself is the quickest flat walk into the university quarter. Don't bother with Newington if you want nightlife at your door; the Cowgate is a bus ride away, and the streets here go quiet after the pubs close. The locals know this as a guest-house corridor, not a destination, and that keeps prices stable when festival season inflates Old Town rates to three times their usual.

   1. Budget

      Sakura Edinburgh Guest House

      We had a great stay at Sakura Guest House. The location was perfect—close to everything we wanted to see and easy to get around. The room was very clean and comfortable, and everything was well-mainta

      6.8/10 rating ~$61/night
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