Too late to book Edinburgh accommodations this August during Tatoo?

My husband and I did this tour in August 2022. We flew to Edinburgh and arrived a couple of days before the tour start in Glasgow. This was our second visit to Edinburgh so we were seeing some things that we missed the first time around. The tour does not spend a lot of time in Edinburgh so I would recommend spending some extra days there on your own if you can. There is a lot to see in this wonderful city. You definitely should go to the tattoo. It is well worth it. We stayed at the Motel One on Princes Street. There are other hotels in that area and I am sure someone will chime in with those recommendations. This area is a bit more out of the noise and fray of the Royal Mile but still easily walkable to the main sites. Waverly train station is across the street from the hotel which makes it an easy to get to Glasgow. Have fun in Scotland. Edited to add - If you want to be in Edinburgh during the tattoo/Fringe festival, get your hotel reserved and your tattoo tickets asap.

The Fringe is most of the month of August in Edinburgh- it's the largest performing arts festival in the world, and I think it's wonderful! However, hotel rooms will be more expensive and there is high demand. Check on booking.com to research your question regarding availability.
The Tatoo is very special event, and hard to describe- perhaps search for some u-tube videos and see if it interests you.
We like staying at the Parliament House Hotel on Calton Hill.
I think you need to do more research, review the posts under Scotland, read Trip Reports here, get some guide books, and do some Searches. We can't tell you if you'd be interested.
Tips- it rains a lot and will be brisk in August!
Have fun planning and safe travels!

Check out Ten Hill Place Hotel in Edinburgh. Strongly recommend.

You will find accommodation even if you book in August. But the price is the thing. I’ve known hotel prices to treble during the festivals. That’s why people say to book early for August.

A lot of people here talk about the Tattoo like that’s the big thing in August but that’s only a small part of what goes on. There are loads of festivals and the biggest is the Edinburgh Fringe. It feels like it absolutely takes over the centre of the city. It becomes tough to walk along the top part of the Royal Mile or certain other streets (Grassmarket, Cowgate, around Bristo Square for eg) without a comedian or drama student thrusting a flyer at you and trying to get you to come to their show. Personally I love it, but you need to be aware that the minute you get off the train or the tram in the centre of the city, you will be hit by the craziness. You either love it and embrace it (I absolutely love it - I’ve performed at the Fringe a bunch of times) or you hate it and wish you’d come to Edinburgh at any other time of year.

The Tattoo is merely a part of the stuff that’s going on. I went once and it’s very much not my thing, but I know others love it - you’ll be able to find videos on YouTube that will give you an idea. If you like the look of the Tattoo, and you’re intrigued by and prepared for the Fringe and you’re happy to pay inflated accommodation prices, then Edinburgh in August is an experience unlike any other.

Thank you to those who have responded, definitely gives us a better idea of what to expect. @Mary - you mentioned all the wonderful things to do in Edinburgh - what were some of your favorites? We will do more research before we go, but wanted some information to help us decide which dates to choose. I have seen some videos of the tattoo but don’t know much about the fringe festival. Keep the replies coming - thank you!

What to see in Edinburgh will depend on how much time you have allotted to see the sites. Here are some random thoughts from our two visits. The castle, Holyrood, St. Giles, Mary King’s Close and a free two hour walking tour with the Voluntary Guides Association mentioned in the RS guide book. Given more time, I would add in the Scottish National Gallery and the National Museum of Scotland. The sunset view from Calton Hill is beautiful if the weather is good. I highly recommend the RS a guide book for more sights. We were blessed with beautiful weather in Scotland. We had some rain in Stirling and a spit of rain in Inverness. Otherwise it was blazing hot and sunny. We have been to the tattoo twice. The program changes every year as to performers and theme but will always include lots of bagpiping, sometimes a flyover by the RAF, the lone piper at the end of the performance, singing auld lang syne, God Save the Queen (now King) and fireworks. We liked the first tattoo we attended better than the second one we attended in 2022 due to the choice of the theme and some of the performers. The Fringe is crazy. It is mobbed. We enjoyed the performers n costume and in character hawking their performances on the Royal Mile. One difference in 2022 was that the Princes Street Gardens were walled off due to a performance by Tom Jones so we could only walk a part of it. But we had strolled the gardens on our previous visits so no big deal. There was a sanitation workers strike when we were there in 2022 so the trash barrels were overflowing and spilling into the streets. If this were my first visit to Edinburgh that would have been disappointing. If you want to eat at a pub in the Old Town, get your reservation more than a month ahead. Pubs in the New Town were not an issue. I hope this helps.

Rick lists his top sightseeing suggestions for many major cities on this very website:

Edinburgh sightseeing << Click on "At a Glance"

I have seen some videos of the tattoo but don’t know much about the fringe festival. Keep the replies coming - thank you!

I found this quite sensible guide to the Fringe. https://www.emilyluxton.co.uk/uk/edinburgh-fringe-festival-tips/

Note: I’m a purist so I call it the Festival Fringe or just the Fringe, as it started up as a “fringe” event to the Edinburgh International Festival. But it often gets referred to as the Fringe Festival. Maybe it should be the Festival Fringe Festival?

Mary - yep, I experienced the trash workers strike during The Fringe. Wasn’t a pleasant introduction to Edinburgh but I tried to let that aspect just roll over my shoulder.

The military tattoo is truly an amazing and wonderful event - especially if you enjoy pipers, drummers and Highland dancers. The 2022 tattoo included some troops from all over the UK but also from Mexico and America. The performance from America was lame but the one from Mexico was great with very colorful outfits swirling around the promenade. The lone piper was very special near the end of all the performances.

The Art of The Fringe is not to be missed. I absolutely was astounded at the circus performance under a huge tent located in a large park outside the main thoroughfare of downtown Edinburgh. I purchased my ticket to the performance on-line but I feel you could probably wait until you arrive in Edinburgh to get tix for different performances. Edinburgh was understandably crowded during the time I was there but I feel was absolutely worth experiencing both the tattoo and The Fringe. I had 5 nights in Edinburgh so.

Also! I really liked Motel One in Edinburgh. Great location and price booked ahead was reasonable.

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