Edinburgh
Old Town
Robin Canfield / Unsplash
The medieval heart of Edinburgh — Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, and closes that have barely changed since the sixteenth century.
Edinburgh's Old Town is one of the finest preserved medieval city centres in Europe: a single ridge of volcanic basalt running from Edinburgh Castle at its crown down the Royal Mile through Canongate to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, with a network of steep closes and wynds dropping off either side into the former slums that once housed the entire population of the city. The UNESCO World Heritage designation is earned — the closes off the Royal Mile (Advocates Close, Roxburgh's Close, White Horse Close) are architecturally extraordinary, and the castle itself, perched on a plug of ancient lava, is the most dramatic urban fortification in Britain. It is unavoidably and justifiably one of the most visited neighbourhoods in Europe.
Scores
Walkability
Transit
Price
Local feel
Nightlife
Family-friendly
Centrality
What you gain
- ↑Edinburgh Castle — the view from the esplanade across the Firth of Forth, the Scottish Crown Jewels (the oldest crown jewels still in use in Europe), and the Stone of Destiny are genuinely worth the admission; the most important historical site in Scotland
- ↑The closes and wynds off the Royal Mile — Victoria Street's curved shopfronts, Cockburn Street's independent record shops and cafés, and the medieval atmosphere of the closes themselves; some of the most atmospherically intact urban fabric in Britain
- ↑Proximity to everything: the National Museum of Scotland (free, extraordinary collection), Greyfriars Kirkyard, and the top of the Royal Mile are all within five minutes walk of any Old Town accommodation
What you sacrifice
- ↓The Royal Mile in high season (especially August) is the most crowded street in Scotland — flyerers, tour groups, and tourist infrastructure saturate the central spine; the medieval atmosphere the closes promise can feel inaccessible when the main road is at capacity
- ↓Old Town accommodation is the most expensive in the city by a significant margin; boutique hotels in converted closes and Georgian buildings carry a considerable address premium
- ↓Genuine neighbourhood life has been almost entirely displaced by tourism; the residential population is tiny and the Old Town effectively closes its authentic character to those who dig beneath the tourist surface
Best for
Avoid if
Other Edinburgh neighbourhoods
Edinburgh's village within a city — the Sunday market, the Water of Leith walkway, and the neighbourhood Edinburghers actually choose to live in.
Quiet residential Edinburgh south of the Meadows — excellent independent coffee, the Bruntsfield Links, and zero tourists.
Georgian Edinburgh at its grandest — Princes Street, Charlotte Square, and the most coherent planned townscape in Britain.
Know where to stay — now find when to go.
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