Lodging in Edinborough June 2025

It looks like there are multiple Apex hotels in Edinburgh. Which one do you have reserved?

There are a few Apex hotels in Edinburgh. I have no idea where the tour ends. For me, the Apex Waterloo Place is in a good location for proximity to Waverley train station and old town. It’s also fairly close to the tram if you need to go to the airport.

It is surprising you’d reserve a hotel, not know where it is, and costing more than you want to spend. With all the hotels in Edinburgh there must be one, probably a lot, that are well below your preferred cost threshold. Look at Premier Inns.

Websites like Booking, Expedia, TripAdvisor, etc. are nice tools for researching hotels by location and price.

23 Mayfield is an amazing B&B with equally amazing breakfast (huge menu— you order the night before). For a random 3 nights in June I’m seeing £936, which—considering you won’t need lunch— is pretty close to your budget. Dalkeith Road area with a bus stop and quick direct ride to old town

May 2023 we stayed at the Premier Inn on Princes Street after the RS Best of Scotland tour. We loved the location for walking to sites and ease of using the public transportation system - especially to the airport. While PI offers breakfast for additional money, we chose to eat while on our way to a site or use the dollar store located a few storefronts down from the hotel for yogurt, etc.

The RS tour hotel was not our favorite, so the PI was a welcome change. I'm a light sleeper and didn't have any problems. The staff was great and the room was clean and comfortable. We would stay at a PI i the future.

Enjoy!

I've updated the name of the APEX Grassmarket hotel above. I dont' mind old town or new town.

jamimeelsabio, I reserved the hotel because that is where the tour starts. I was hoping not to change hotels. There are a lot of options that would be acceptable as listed previously in this forum. I don't have to have the finest hotel, just a nice one in a good location. I do prefer to actually have a fall back plan which is why I reserved a hotel but now I'll change it. I certainly know how to use the search tools you mentioned but I prefer people's opinions in this forum more. Thanks for your help.

I personally do not like the location of the APEX Grassmarket hotel. It looks like a nice hotel though. I prefer to stay at a hotel that is convenient for both the old and new town. The old town is on one side of the train station and the new town on the other.

Last year, I stayed at the Market Street hotel and loved it and the location. I’m returning to Edinburgh next year and, unfortunately, I am priced out of that hotel as prices have really increased. So, I will be staying at the Motel One Princess Street, which has been recommended here on the forum.

Thank you Carrie. Your input is very helpful.

That location might be in a quieter part of town, but it’s not as close to the main sites as other hotels are; 1/2 mile to St. Giles and the upper end of the Royal Mile, 1/2 mile from the new town, and a mile from Holyrood Palace. It is quite a distance from Carlton Hill and Arthur’s Seat if you planned on visiting either.

If you don’t mind walking, other than not being in your preferred price range, it would work. The last time we were in Edinburgh we stayed at Premier Inn Edinburgh City Centre Royal Mile partly because one in our party had some mobility issues and the location was more central to the main sites. Our room was on the backside of the hotel and very quiet.

I'd have thought Grassmarket is a fine place to stay in Edinburgh. It's about as close to the main tourist sites as anywhere. Never thought of it as a "quieter part of town" either... Maybe my perception is way off. I'd definitely prefer it to being right on Princes Street anyway.

Definitely not a quiet area. The Grassmarket is buzzing - even this past weekend in March. The restaurants and bars had outside tables, there was a market in the central plaza, and traffic a gogo.

Now, if you get a room on the front side of the hotel - the views of the castle and the silhouette of the buildings on the crest of the Royal Mile are absolutely spectacular. My friends stayed here, and I went to visit them.

In my opinion, Grassmarket is one of the best areas to stay in Edinburgh- lots going on, right off the Royal Mile, and lots of my favourite shops are on Victoria Street. Getting to the New Town is simple- basically just going up and over the Mound- tho it can be quite a climb especially on the way back.

Grassmarket would be among my least favorite parts of Edinburgh in which to stay. New Town, near the W Hotel, ideally, offers plenty of liveliness without being raucous. There's a Marriott Courtyard there that I've stayed in twice with a favorable result both times.

I really enjoyed staying in New Town, as it is walking distance from the major sites, but is a more residential (and therefore quieter) area of town. lt's a beautiful area, too, with gorgeous Georgian architecture, lots of trees and easily walkable without crowds.

I stayed at the Premier Inn York Place, which I really liked. Rates are very reasonable, and the hotel rooms are consistently clean and very comfortable. They offer breakfast at an additional cost.

Another option would be the Ibis Hotel on St. Andrew's Square (also in New Town, but a bit closer to the sites). St. Andrew's Square is really lovely with lots of trees and flowers, shops and restaurants. Dishoom (one of my favorite restaurants) sits on the square, and there are a lot of others. Very nice location