Skip to main content
TravelShifu

Hotels · United Kingdom

Where to stay in Edinburgh

Four Edinburgh hotels we have read the guest data on — a four-star on Jeffrey Street by the Royal Mile, a three-star on Shandwick Place by Haymarket, and two three-stars with no POI kilometre rows in the ingest — with the complaints written as plainly as the praise.

  • 4 properties reviewed
  • 4 areas covered
  • 2 head-to-head comparisons
  • Guest sentiment from our hotel data provider

Written by the TravelShifu editorial team · last checked · hotel method

Desk assessmentWe have not stayed here. This verdict is built from the property’s own records and third-party guest reviews, read in full — including the complaints.

Check Edinburgh rates

We hold no live rates, so nothing on this page quotes a nightly price. This opens the partner’s own Edinburgh search, where you can put in your dates and see the real number.

Ad · Trip.comBrowse all hotels in EdinburghOpens Trip.com's own search. Dates are not pre-filled — a date baked into a static page is wrong by the next morning.

Should you book this Edinburgh stay?

Where to stay in Edinburgh — the verdict

Stay on Jeffrey Street if Royal Mile and Waverley proximity are the week; stay on Shandwick Place if Haymarket and Princes Street Gardens win; treat Britannia and ibis budget Edinburgh Park as budget bands where we cite guest scores and named cons but not invented kilometre claims.

Two of the four properties carry POI rows. Leonardo Royal puts the Royal Mile at 0.1 km, Edinburgh Waverley at 0.2 km and Edinburgh Castle at 0.8 km; Four Points Flex puts Haymarket Station at 0.4 km, Princes Street Gardens at 0.6 km and Edinburgh Castle at 1.1 km. Britannia Edinburgh Hotel and ibis budget Hotel Edinburgh Park have no POI rows in the ingest — we do not invent kilometre claims for those pins.

Guest scores split sharply. Leonardo Royal posts 8.5 out of 10 from 13,325 reviews with location at 9.59 and cleaning cons named; Four Points Flex posts 8 from 11,663 with no breakfast included as a named con. Britannia posts 5.6 from 15,513 with cleanliness at 3.1 and room quality at 4.1 — the weakest headline in this sample. ibis budget posts 7.5 from 13,424. We cite scale, count and date — never as structured data.

Nothing on this page quotes a nightly rate. We hold no live rates — the CTAs send you to Booking.com, Agoda, Trip.com or Vrbo. Those are partners; the links may earn commission.

Best for

  • First-time visitors choosing between Old Town doorstep and West End pins
  • Travellers who need POI-verified Royal Mile or Haymarket distances
  • Anyone comparing Leonardo Royal's 8.5 headline against budget three-stars with named cons

Not for

  • Anyone who needs verified landmark kilometre pins for Britannia or ibis budget Edinburgh Park — no POI rows in this seed
  • Guests expecting a clean room story at Britannia — poor cleanliness and uncomfortable rooms are named cons with a 5.6 headline
  • Readers hunting a quoted nightly rate on this page

Verdict last reviewed . Rates, refurbishments and management change — re-check anything time-sensitive before booking.

Best Hotels in Edinburgh

Edinburgh hotel choice is which map you want to wake up on. These four sit on three different pins on purpose — Old Town doorstep for Leonardo Royal, West End practicality for Four Points Flex, and two budget three-stars where we cannot quote landmark distances because the ingest has no POI rows for them.

4 properties reviewed by our editors · Last checked 6 Aug 2026

Filter Edinburgh hotels by price band or trip type
  1. Building at Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh

    Number 1: Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh

    4-star hotelUpscaleOld Town & Royal Mile

    A four-star Leonardo on Jeffrey Street — Royal Mile 0.1 km, Waverley 0.2 km, castle 0.8 km — with location at 9.59 out of 10 and poor cleaning service named in cons.

    • 0.1 km to The Royal Mile
    • 0.2 km to Edinburgh Waverley
    • 0.8 km to Edinburgh Castle
    • Fitness centre, restaurant and bar listed

    our hotel data provider: 8.5/10 from 13,325 reviews — as of 10 Jan 2026

    Full review of Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh
  2. Dining at Four Points Flex by Sheraton Edinburgh

    Number 2: Four Points Flex by Sheraton Edinburgh

    3-star hotelMid-rangeWest End & Haymarket

    A three-star Four Points Flex on Shandwick Place — Haymarket 0.4 km, Princes Street Gardens 0.6 km, castle 1.1 km — with clean premises praised and no breakfast included as a named con.

    • 0.4 km to Haymarket Station
    • 0.6 km to Princes Street Gardens
    • 0.6 km to Scott Monument
    • 8 out of 10 from 11,663 reviews

    our hotel data provider: 8/10 from 11,663 reviews — as of 7 Jan 2026

    Full review of Four Points Flex by Sheraton Edinburgh
  3. Building at ibis budget Hotel Edinburgh Park

    Number 3: ibis budget Hotel Edinburgh Park

    3-star hotelBudgetEdinburgh Park

    A three-star ibis budget on Lochside View — great location and public-transport access named — with 7.5 out of 10 from 13,424 reviews and no POI rows in the ingest.

    • 3-star / ibis Budget
    • Great location named as pro
    • Coffee shop and snack bar listed
    • 7.5 out of 10 from 13,424 reviews

    our hotel data provider: 7.5/10 from 13,424 reviews — as of 7 Jan 2026

    Full review of ibis budget Hotel Edinburgh Park
  4. Building at Britannia Edinburgh Hotel

    Number 4: Britannia Edinburgh Hotel

    3-star hotelBudgetHaymarket & Belford Road

    A three-star Britannia on Belford Road — helpful staff and nice breakfast named as pros — with the weakest supplier headline in this Edinburgh sample and no POI rows in the ingest.

    • 3-star / Britannia Hotels
    • Helpful staff named as pro
    • Bar and snack bar listed
    • Family rooms and pets allowed listed

    our hotel data provider: 5.6/10 from 15,513 reviews — as of 8 Jan 2026

    Full review of Britannia Edinburgh Hotel

Where to stay in Edinburgh: best areas by trip type

Pick the area before you pick the property. In Edinburgh the walk out of the front door decides more of the trip than the room does.

Edinburgh at a glance

Best area for families:
Old Town & Royal Mile — best area for families in Edinburgh
Best area for couples:
Old Town & Royal Mile — best area for couples in Edinburgh
Best area for business travel:
West End & Haymarket — best area for business travel in Edinburgh
Best area on a budget:
Haymarket & Belford Road — best area on a budget in Edinburgh
Best area for a first visit:
Old Town & Royal Mile — best area for a first visit in Edinburgh

Old Town & Royal Mile

Typical nightly rate: Upscale four-star per night

Best for first-time visitors · couples · families

Medieval spine Edinburgh — Leonardo Royal on Jeffrey Street puts the Royal Mile at 0.1 km, Waverley at 0.2 km and the castle at 0.8 km on our figures.

Trade-off: Poor cleaning service and noise from adjacent rooms are named cons, and cleanliness scores 6.58 out of 10 despite the unbeatable location score. You are buying the pin, not a spotless-room guarantee.

Getting around: Edinburgh Waverley at 0.2 km and Princes Street at 0.4 km; Edinburgh Airport is 12 km on Leonardo's POI row.

Close to: The Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh Waverley, National Museum of Scotland

  • Royal Mile
  • Edinburgh Castle
  • Waverley

See 1 hotel in Old Town & Royal Mile

West End & Haymarket

Typical nightly rate: Midrange three-star per night

Best for couples · business trips · first-time visitors

Princes Street side base — Four Points Flex on Shandwick Place puts Haymarket Station at 0.4 km, Princes Street Gardens at 0.6 km and the castle at 1.1 km.

Trade-off: No breakfast included is a named con, and Royal Mile is 1.5 km — a walk or short bus, not Jeffrey Street doorstep. Uncomfortable beds and heating or plumbing issues are also named.

Getting around: Haymarket Station at 0.4 km for trains west; Edinburgh Airport is 9 km on Four Points' POI row — closer than Leonardo's 12 km.

Close to: Haymarket Station, Princes Street Gardens, Scott Monument, Edinburgh Castle

  • Haymarket
  • Princes Street
  • West End

See 1 hotel in West End & Haymarket

Haymarket & Belford Road

Typical nightly rate: Budget three-star — weakest headline in this sample per night

Best for tight budgets

West Edinburgh hotel strip — Britannia Edinburgh Hotel on Belford Road posts helpful staff and good location as pros, but this seed has no POI kilometre rows for the pin.

Trade-off: We cannot quote a walk to the castle or Royal Mile — no POI rows. The supplier score is 5.6 out of 10 from 15,513 reviews with poor cleanliness and uncomfortable rooms named. Helpful staff does not cancel those cons.

Getting around: Location scores 7.6 out of 10 with location mentioned positively, but without POI rows we will not invent station or castle distances. Plan transfers from the address.

Close to: Belford Road, Haymarket area

  • Budget three-star
  • Haymarket area

See 1 hotel in Haymarket & Belford Road

Edinburgh Park

Typical nightly rate: Budget three-star per night

Best for tight budgets · business trips

Business-park edge base — ibis budget Hotel Edinburgh Park on Lochside View posts 7.5 out of 10 from 13,424 reviews with great location and public-transport access named, but no POI rows in the ingest.

Trade-off: No POI kilometre rows, so we cannot claim a verified walk to the Royal Mile or Waverley. Cleanliness issues and limited breakfast options are named cons despite a 7.78 value score.

Getting around: Guest summaries praise easy public-transport access, but without POI pins we cite location at 8.34 out of 10 rather than inventing castle or airport distances.

Close to: Lochside View, Edinburgh Park

  • ibis budget
  • Edinburgh Park
  • Tram side

See 1 hotel in Edinburgh Park

The full guide

Read the full Edinburgh guide

Neighbourhoods, transport, what a day costs, when to go and what to skip — the long-form guide behind these hotel picks.

Read the full Edinburgh guide

Straight comparisons

Hand-picked pairs, not every possible pair. Each of these exists because it is a decision readers in Edinburgh genuinely have to make.

Popular Edinburgh searches

Edinburgh hotels — common questions

Which area of Edinburgh is best for a first visit?
Jeffrey Street if Royal Mile and Waverley proximity are the product — Leonardo puts the Mile at 0.1 km. Shandwick Place if Haymarket and Princes Street Gardens suit you better. We cannot rank Britannia or ibis budget Edinburgh Park on landmark walks — neither has POI rows in this ingest.
Is the West End too far from the Royal Mile?
For a tram-and-Mile week, slightly — Four Points Flex puts Royal Mile at 1.5 km and Edinburgh Castle at 1.1 km on our hotel data provider's figures. For Haymarket trains and Princes Street Gardens at 0.6 km, it is the cleaner map.
Should I book Edinburgh hotels direct or through a booking site?
It varies by property and by date, which is why we never quote a nightly rate here. Check the partner link for your dates, then check the hotel's own site before you confirm. Booking.com, Agoda, Trip.com and Vrbo are partners; those links may earn commission.
Why do you show guest scores but never a star-rating snippet in search results?
Because the scores are not ours. Every review number on this site comes from a supplier's aggregate. We show the supplier score plainly, attributed and dated, and we never emit it as structured data. We have not stayed — this is a desk assessment from our hotel data provider’s dated guest analysis on the page.
Leonardo Royal or Four Points Flex for Edinburgh?
Leonardo if Royal Mile at 0.1 km and a four-star restaurant matter; Four Points if Haymarket at 0.4 km and a cleaner budget headline suit you — accepting no breakfast included. Full comparison: /hotels/edinburgh/compare/leonardo-royal-hotel-edinburgh-vs-four-points-flex-by-sheraton-edinburgh. We have not stayed — this is a desk assessment from our hotel data provider’s dated guest analysis on the page.