9 Best Hotels in Edinburgh — Royal Mile & Old Town (2026)

Kimpton Charlotte Square takes the #1 spot as the most polished, best-served hotel in Edinburgh. It sits right on Charlotte Square, one of the loveliest Georgian squares in Britain, and scores 8.8/10 from more than 1,600 real reviews. The thing reviewers praise first is the staff — they remember your name and look after you proactively. A free Social Hour runs every evening with cocktails and wine, there's a full spa and indoor pool, and Baba earns high marks for both breakfast and dinner. It's a 10-minute walk to Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile, with Princes Street shopping a few minutes away. Best for couples and travelers who want a genuinely premium stay in the middle of the city.

Apex City of Edinburgh Hotel is a 4-star sitting right in Grassmarket, one of the Old Town's most characterful corners — a 5-minute walk from the Royal Mile and roughly 8 minutes from Edinburgh Castle. It holds a 8.6/10 across both Agoda and Booking, with reviewers consistently praising the clean, comfortable rooms, the bright modern design, and how easy it is to walk into the heart of Old Town. Some of the upper-floor rooms open onto a direct view of the castle on its rock, which guests call genuinely memorable. Rates start around $87 and run to roughly $200 for the bigger rooms. It suits couples and travelers who want to be in the middle of historic Edinburgh without paying 5-star money.

Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket is the most affordable 4-star pick on this list, a large modern hotel in Haymarket on the west side of the centre. Rooms start around $57 a night and reviews land it at 8.2-8.4/10 across Agoda, Booking.com and Trip. The standout is the breakfast buffet — a Full Scottish spread with eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, salad, fruit and fresh bakery that most guests rate well above the price. Haymarket Station sits a 5-minute walk away, so onward trains and the airport are easy, and the EICC conference centre is close by. The trade-off is distance: Old Town is a 15-20 minute walk or a couple of bus stops, not on the doorstep. For business travelers at the EICC and anyone who wants a comfortable, clean 4-star room without paying central rates, this is a sensible base.

Hampton by Hilton Edinburgh West End stands out for one thing above all: a quality breakfast buffet that's free with the room. The spread runs hot and cold — eggs, sausage, cereal, fresh fruit — plus a self-serve waffle maker that guests keep singling out in reviews. It scores 8.2/10 on Booking.com, with regular praise for the friendly staff and clean, up-to-date rooms. The location is the West End, a quiet pocket of the city about 12 minutes' walk from Edinburgh Castle and just 5 minutes from the EICC conference centre, so you trade Old Town buzz for a better night's sleep. Rooms start around $58 and run to roughly $143 in peak season — a real gap in the market during the August festival, when hotel prices across the city spike. It suits couples and families who want the Hilton experience without paying Hilton-flagship money.

ibis Edinburgh Centre South Bridge has the best location on this list, full stop. It sits on South Bridge in the heart of Old Town, a 3-minute walk from Royal Mile, with Waverley Station 8 minutes away and the National Museum of Scotland 5 minutes on foot. The overall score is 8.0/10, and couples on Booking.com rate the location an exceptional 9.4/10. Most reviews praise the spot and the friendly staff. The thing to watch is noise: the bars and clubs of Cowgate, directly under the bridge, can carry up on weekend nights. Rooms run compact in the usual ibis way. If you want a great base in central Edinburgh without paying 5-star money, this is it.

Cityroomz Edinburgh is the most budget-friendly stay on this list, starting at around $39 a night in the West End near Haymarket. Rooms are small and simply furnished, but they come clean with the basics that matter — bed, free Wi-Fi, a TV and a private bathroom. It earns a 7.8/10 overall and an 8.6 guest rating on Agoda, mostly from backpackers, solo travelers and budget couples who care more about location and price than square footage. Haymarket Station is a 5-minute walk, putting you 2 stops by train from Waverley in the city center, and several bus lines run through the area. This is the place if you want to keep your bed cheap and safe and spend the savings on the city itself.

YOTEL Edinburgh carries the highest review score in this list at 9.1/10 — a 3-star that out-rates even the 5-star names here. The rooms are compact but engineered down to the centimeter: YOTEL calls them cabins, and the raised, adjustable beds open up storage underneath plus floor space you wouldn't expect from the footprint. You get a flat-screen TV, fast high-speed Wi-Fi and adjustable mood lighting in every cabin, with a stylish ground-floor lounge for laptop work and an all-day restaurant and bar. The city-center address puts Waverley Station about 10 minutes on foot, with the Royal Mile, Old Town and Princes Street all walkable. It's built for travelers who value smart design and efficiency over square meters, and the reviews say it lands.

Motel One Edinburgh-Royal is the Edinburgh outpost of the German design hotel at a budget price chain, and it earns a strong 8.7/10 on Booking.com and 9.1/10 on Agoda. The thing reviewers come back to over and over is how clean the rooms are — several say cleaner than they expected at this price. The other draw is the ground-floor bar lounge, decked out in furniture that looks more expensive than your bill, warm and lively whether you're having a drink before heading out or winding down after a full day. Location is the practical win: you're near the Royal Mile, about 10 minutes on foot to Edinburgh Castle and 8 minutes to Waverley Station, so you can walk to the main Old Town sights without ever touching a bus. It suits solo travelers and couples who care about a stylish, spotless room and a good lounge more than square footage.

Motel One Edinburgh-Princes closes out the list with the best review score of the nine hotels — 9.2/10 on Agoda. It sits right on Princes Street, the city's main shopping run, looking over the green of Princes Street Gardens with Edinburgh Castle on its volcanic rock behind. Some upper-floor rooms face the castle directly, and reviewers keep coming back to the same three things: the location, the good-looking bar lounge, and rooms that are consistently clean. The rooms are compact in the usual Motel One way, but the design is sharp and they work fine for a couple of nights. Waverley Station is a 5-minute walk, the big high-street shops are at the door, and breakfast is not included in the rate. From around $79 a night, it's the pick for travelers who want the best address in town with a castle view, without paying 5-star money.