Leith--Does it work for me?

i was not a fan of Leith, so i would just spend the money and stay in Edinburgh.

I'm not sure of your hotel budget or what hotels you have looked at. Did you try motel one princes street? The location could not be more convenient.

https://www.motel-one.com/de/hotels/edinburgh/hotel-edinburgh-princes

I was there last Sept. and it had just been renovated.

I have stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Leith. It's fine and handy for Britannia. However, less handy for the more walkable bits of Leith. Probably good for your first night but not for a longer stay.

Thanks, Carrie, would really like a place under 300 USD. I think given our situation, breakfast is important. Most budget places I’m finding, including Motel One, are at least 375 USD.

Thank you for your input, Skye. What area would be the desirable area of Leith.

It's not that the bit where the Holiday Inn Express is less desirable - it's fine (modern apartments and a shopping mall) and very good for Britannia. But the older 'centre' of Leith is a bit further east down Commercial Street - where it meets the Water of Leith. Here you'll find cafes and a couple of really excellent restaurants (Martin Wishart and The Kitchin). Your mum probably wouldn't want to walk to the centre of Leith from the hotel, but you could get a cab easily enough or probably a bus.

Jacqui (Skyegirl)

Have you looked at the Premier Inn, Leith Waterfront? That is right beside the old Fish Market (now a Fish Restaurant), round the corner from the Tram Terminus. The #17 bus from the Airport stops at the Fishmarket, and there is an Asda Superstore very close by (which has other breakfast options at it's cafe).

Great views of the Firth of Forth from the hotel, and a number of evening eating options down in Leith (apart from the Ocean Terminal and the Fishmarket).

Jules, in 2023 we stayed in New Town at Tigerlily. It's a boutique hotel around the corner from the lovely Georgian House, a National Trust property.

Depending on your dates, that have twin bedded rooms starting at £404 total for a 2 night stay including a wonderful breakfast. We had 2 rooms and they were both quiet and comfortable. The in room amenities were great. Your just a quick Uber ride to the train station.

Jules, what are your exact dates? Are you looking for just one room for you and your mom, or will your husband be there?

If it's just one room that you need and it's, say, mid-October, I was checking out the Premier Inn on York Place (New Town) which is a wonderful location, and they have rooms available for under £200 for that period of time. I stayed there when I was visiting Edinburgh in 2023, and I really liked the location a lot. It's about a block from St. Andrew's Square. There's lots of restaurants in the area, and it has a really nice residential feel to it. And very safe. Not that anyplace around there really isn't, but I walked to meet a friend for dinner and left at 8:00 p.m. and didn't come back till 10 p.m. It was just a delightful walk back to the hotel from the restaurant. It's really a lovely area.

https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/scotland/lothian/edinburgh/edinburgh-city-centre-york-placest-james-quarter.html?

@Stuart, thanks for the recommendation. It does look like a great location on the water. I don't love Holiday Inns, in fact, I can't remember when I last stayed in one, maybe 30 years ago? But, the location right next to the Britannia with my mother, is appealing.

@jeanm, though the Tiger Lily is not in the "perfect" location for mom and I (a little far from train station and bus stop for her), I would love to stay there. For sure, I will keep it in mind for when my husband and I visit some day. Right now, they only have expensive suites for the two date spans I'm considering. If they had the standard rooms, I think my mom would love it.

@Mardee, I haven't purchased air, yet. But, likely, I would stay in Edinburgh on 10/7 and 10/8, and again on 10/14. 10/15 and 10/16. I would rather not break up the stay, but for a few reasons, I need to split it. One reason being some big thing (maybe motorcycles?) in Oban that lasts almost a week. I have looked at the Premier Inn locations. I did just notice that they are less expensive now than when I last checked, so thank you, I will keep them in mind. I would pay extra for breakfast if I thought it was worth it. Honestly, the continental would be fine, but there is no protein, (like yogurt). I really like the location of the Waverly Premier, but it doesn't look like it has plus rooms. If I don't have a breakfast, I'd like a refrigerator that I could stock. The York Place is probably too far. We'd probably have to take cabs all the time. There are some on the Royal Mile I should check out. I also would want twins, and I haven't figured out thru Premier's website how to ensure we get one. I really like the Ibis Styles on St. Andrew Square, but oof, its pricey for my dates, almost 400 USD/night.

Both the Holiday Inn Express and the Premier Inn recommended by Stuart are on the tram line, so transportation to/from the airport and Waverley is easy. It's not fast, though, and I don't think it makes sense to stay there for two nights when you're planning a day trip by train on the second day. In fact, I think it makes more sense to stay those two nights in Glasgow.

Hi G3RRY, the idea was we'd go to the Britannia the first day. I added a night to Leith because the rooms there are about half the price of Edinburgh city center and the trip to Stirling was only a bit longer than leaving from Edinburgh. Plus, it would likely be less hectic than packing up and leaving the next day. There really isn't anything we need to desperately see in Glasgow, and a lot in Edinburgh. If the trip was longer, absolutely I'd spend a bit in time in Glasgow. I'm still considering the Premier chain in Edinburgh, breakfast is the issue.

I've just checked the PI breakfast menu, in case my memory was wrong, and they do have yoghurt.

Thank you Stuart. I found a complete menu. You are correct, the continental does include yogurt

I’m thinking you meant Fort William?….not Port Williams? Typo?
May I ask why you are going there?

SJ, Thank you. Slowly losing my mind planning two trips at the same time. The one with mom, is challenging. Yes. Fort William. We are doing the scenic train ride to Malaig and a trip to Glencoe.

The only thing you're going to see in Edinburgh during this stay is the Britannia. Now, I haven't seen it, so I can't say whether it's worth the inconvenience of staying in Leith for this part of your trip, but it's very easy to get to from other parts of Edinburgh via tram. So maybe move it to the end of your trip and save yourself some money by staying somewhere else entirely. If you don't want to go to Glasgow, why not go directly to Stirling and stay there two nights?

I also would want twins, and I haven't figured out thru Premier's website how to ensure we get one.

To make sure that you get a twin room with twin beds, when you go to the Premier Inn website at the location of your choice, plug in your dates and so on, and then scroll down until you get to the section that says "Our Rooms." Right below, they will have a horizontal list of the type of rooms that they have available. For instance, I'm looking at the Premier Inn York Place right now, and they have Double, Twin, Family, and Accessible rooms available.

If they don't have it listed, then it's not available for that particular location and/or dates. I booked a Premier Inn in Munich for my sister and me in late November, and they did not have twin rooms available, so I booked us each a separate standard room. Fortunately, the cost was only around €73 per room, so no hardship to split up. 😊

G3RRY, I'm not sure I understand what you are getting at. I don't have two days worth of things to see in Stirling. I can't go immediately to Fort William from the airport because I want mom to enjoy the train ride and she won't if she's sleeping. Further, I can't get to Oban until more midmonth because there is some big thing going on. I have at least 7 things I want to do in Edinburgh, including a day trip to Stirling and the Britannia ship. I'm not so much staying in Leith to visit the Britannia, because I know I can do it from Edinburgh. But if I don't have to absolutely stay in Edinburgh on the days I won't be visiting sites in Edinburgh city center, I can save a lot of money staying elsewhere. I have looked at going to Stirling from the airport, and proceeding from there to Fort William the next day.

At the end of our trip, we will stay in Edinburgh city center for three nights

Mardee, figured it out. We had a problem with our room in London, so I want to be extra cautious.

Jules.
Citylink do run a coach-bus from Edinburgh Airport to Stirling, the #909, every two hours- journey time 1 hour- at 0732, 1013, 1143, 1343, 1543, 1803, 1853, 2109 and 2249.
So easier than tram or bus to Waverley/Haymarket then train.
You could reverse commute from Stirling to Edinburgh and use an Edinburgh plus bus ticket to get around in the city on day(s) you go in- https://www.plusbus.info/edinburgh (£5 per day, £3.30 with railcard for all buses and trams in Edinburgh, except the airport).
Stirling should be a lot cheaper to stay in.
The first departure and the three late afternoon departures extend to Bridge of Allan (and Dunblane)- but B of A has lots of local service buses from Stirling as well.
Bridge of Allan is just a couple of miles beyond Stirling, rather a nice little village, a one time spa village- it also has a railway station on the Edinburgh and Glasgow lines. One of those places known domestically, but entirely off the international tourist map.
It should be a shed load cheaper in Stirling/B o A then Edinburgh.