Hi! We are going to be in England in late August and thought we would pass through Edinburgh for a few nights - OUCH! The Edinburgh festival has pushed even hostel rates up to about $200 US dollars per night - and we just can't afford this. Does anyone have any ideas of places we can stay that are family friendly and perhaps outside of Edinburgh, but still accessible via public transportation? Thank you so much.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Carolyn, if you go to Edinburgh during the Festival you won't be able to avoid it. So, make sure you visit with that in mind and be prepared to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Festival even if you don't attend any specific events. I advise you to check the schedule though. Remember that the Edinburgh Festival is really made up of several festivals including the Fringe and the book festival. I visited the book festival tent when I was there a few years ago and found some great books I wouldn't have known about otherwise. That said, you could look at Linlithgow. It is on the train line, but it too might have the high prices as it is sooo close. Another place I would look at would be Stirling. Stirling is a destination in its own right, and you could visit the Castle. They just reopened the newly restored Renaissance Palace. It's one of my favorite castles. Dumfermline might be another option. Pam
Posted by
BC, Canada
345 posts
I checked the university where I usually stay... nada. Edinburgh in August is tricky and requires pre-booking. I hope someone else can point you in the right direction!
Posted by
Spring, Texas
635 posts
Trains are excellent from cities surrounding Edinburgh. All non-Edinburgh lodging will be substantially less impacted by the Edinburgh Festival. You can prebuy tickets at steep discounts or get a rail pass to suite your total travel needs. I suggest you get on the Nation Rail Website and see what's available. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ I'm not sure what you are looking for in Edinburgh. Festival tickets will be hard to come by unless you're flexible. All tourist sights will be crowded. Good luck.
Posted by
OP
Los Angeles, CA
26 posts
Ken, thank you so much for the suggestion. Actually, we don't want anything to do with the arts festival; it's just (bad) luck that it interfered with the dates we already have booked for the trip. Thanks again!
Posted by
OP
Los Angeles, CA
26 posts
Pam, Thank you for the advice, and Jumpin' - thank you as well. :-)
Posted by
aberdeen, scotland & london, uk
241 posts
Glasgow ... Very near Edinburgh and shortish train journey (Scotland is vert narrow at this point). Look at scotrail website.
S
Posted by
Pantego, NC, USA
1014 posts
Try http://www.numberfive.com/. They have reasonable rates for the whole week. Might be cheaper to rent 7 days and only use 5.
Posted by
Chemnitz, Saxony, Germany
51 posts
In early October 2009 my nephew and I spent a wonderful week in Edinburgh at the Mrs. Linda Allen's B&B. Very simple, very affordable, the full fry breakfast and the most lovely hosts you could imagine. Perfect location, next bus into town center 300m away, enough parking space for the rental car. They have only 1 double room. So it depends on how many are >>we<<. Contacting her might never hurt, because as a local B&B host she might know other options.
They even have a website http://www.lindasbandb.tripod.com/
Posted by
OP
Los Angeles, CA
26 posts
thank you, everyone, for your tips!