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Edinburgh has a huge selection of places to stay, more than any other city in Britain outside London. At the top end of the scale, there are some fabul- ously luxurious hotels which offer a chance to enjoy a taste of aristocratic grandeur and style. Most of these are in the New Town, West End and around Calton Hill. Many city centre hotels offer good deals during the low season, especially at weekends, and also offer a standby room rate throughout the year. There are also hundreds of guesthouses and B&Bs, mostly concentrated in the southern suburbs of Bruntsfield and Newington, Pilrig to the northeast of the city centre heading towards Leith, and along Corstorphine Road to the west. At the lower end of the scale there are several hostels, most of which are central, and a couple of campsites which are not too far from the centre. Most of the universities and colleges offer campus accommodation, but this is neither cheap nor centrally located. Another option, if you’re staying a week or more, are serviced apartments, which can be cost-effective and also come with their own security and parking.
If you arrive in Edinburgh without a reservation, particularly during the Festival or at Hogmanay, the chances are you won't find a room anywhere near the centre. It pays to book well in advance. The tourist office sends out its accommodation broch- ure for free so that you can book a place yourself, or their Central Reservations Service, T 473 3855, centres@eltb.org, will make a reservation for you, for a non-refundable fee of £5.
For those spending several days in the city there's the altern- ative option of renting a serviced or self-catering apartment. Prices range from around £200 per week right up to £800 and above, depending on the type of accommodation, and there's usually a minimum stay of anything from two nights up to one week. Several serviced apartments in the city are listed in this guide. A good source of self-catering accommodation is the Scottish Tourist Board guide (£5.95), which is available from any tourist office. There are several independent hostels in the city which are less rigorous than the SYHA ones and are open 24 hours. It's best to arrive around 1100-1130 if you don't have a booking, but even out- side the high season it's not always easy to find a bed in the city centre. Edinburgh's universities open their halls of residence to visitors during the summer vacation (late June to September), and some also during the Easter and Christmas breaks. Contact the British Universities Accommodation Consortium for a brochure; T 0115-9504571.
Note that single rooms are in short supply and many places are reluctant to let a double room to one person, even when they're not busy. Single rooms are usually more than the cost per person for a double room, and in some cases cost the same as two people sharing a double room.
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