Edinburgh & Scotland and their grand hotels
Edinburgh keeps its grand hotels on either side of Princes Street Gardens.
Luxury hotels in Edinburgh & Scotland
4 hotels
Edinburgh keeps its grand hotels on either side of Princes Street Gardens. They stand in the Georgian New Town, on Princes Street itself with the Castle across the valley, and in the Old Town and the Southside, between the Royal Mile, Holyrood and the foot of Arthur's Seat. About an hour to the north, in Perthshire, Gleneagles is the one hotel on this list that is not in the city, and we say so plainly: a golf estate in the countryside, not an Edinburgh address. We looked at every serious address in the capital and kept only those whose service holds up. Two hold five-star standing; the two beside them are four-star addresses, listed at exactly the tier they hold. Four made the cut.
New Town & Princes Street
The Georgian city north of the gardens, with the Castle across the valley and two of the four hotels. Princes Street looks across at the Castle; George Street and Charlotte Square are for the shops and the clubs, the Scottish National Gallery stands at the foot of the Mound, and Waverley station is at the east end, with Calton Hill above it.
The neighborhoods
The Balmoral, a Rocco Forte Hotel · New Town & Princes Street — Acediscovery · CC BY 4.0New Town & Princes Street
The Georgian city north of the gardens, with the Castle across the valley and two of the four hotels. Princes Street looks across at the Castle; George Street and Charlotte Square are for the shops and the clubs, the Scottish National Gallery stands at the foot of the Mound, and Waverley station is at the east end, with Calton Hill above it.
Prestonfield House · Old Town, Royal Mile & Southside — Tom Parnell · CC BY-SA 4.0Old Town, Royal Mile & Southside
The medieval city on its ridge, from the Castle at the top down the Royal Mile to Holyrood, with one of the four hotels. The closes and stairs run off either side, the University and the Southside lie behind, and Arthur's Seat and Holyrood Park are at the end.
Perthshire & Gleneagles
The Gleneagles estate, about an hour to the north, with one of the four hotels: the only one not in Edinburgh. Out of the city, the area takes in Strathearn and Auchterarder, the estate's golf courses, the Ochil Hills to the south and the Highlands to the north.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in Edinburgh & Scotland?
Two. The five-star hotels we list in Edinburgh & Scotland are The Balmoral, a Rocco Forte Hotel, at the east end of Princes Street, and The Gleneagles Hotel, in Perthshire, about an hour from the city. Alongside them we keep two four-star addresses, each listed at exactly the tier it holds: Prestonfield House, at the foot of Arthur's Seat, and 100 Princes Street, in the New Town. Each has its own page, reached from the list above, with a concierge behind every stay.
Which part of Edinburgh should I stay in?
Two of the four are in the New Town, on Princes Street with the Castle across the gardens: The Balmoral, a Rocco Forte Hotel at the east end, beside Waverley station, and 100 Princes Street in the middle stretch. Prestonfield House is in the Southside, at the foot of Arthur's Seat, five minutes by car from the Old Town and a walk through Holyrood Park from the palace. The Gleneagles Hotel is not in Edinburgh at all: it stands at Auchterarder, in Perthshire, about an hour to the north, and is the choice when the stay is about golf and the countryside. Choose the New Town for the Castle view, the shops of George Street and the trains at the door; the Southside for quiet, the park and a historic house; Perthshire for the courses and the Highlands in sight.
Is The Gleneagles Hotel in Edinburgh?
No, and we do not pretend it is. The Gleneagles Hotel stands on its own estate at Auchterarder, in Perthshire, about an hour north of Edinburgh by road and about fifty minutes from Edinburgh Airport; Gleneagles has a railway station of its own, minutes from the hotel, with trains from Waverley and Haymarket in about an hour. We list it under Edinburgh & Scotland because it is the hotel guests pair with the city – a few nights on Princes Street, a few on the courses – and its zone on this site says Perthshire, not Edinburgh.
When is the best season for Edinburgh?
May to September brings the long days – in June it stays light past ten – and the weeks that fill first: in August the International Festival, the Fringe and the Military Tattoo on the Castle Esplanade take over the whole city and rooms go months ahead. Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year, does the same from the 30th of December to the 1st of January. May, June and September are the mild weeks without the crowds; at Gleneagles the golf high season runs from May to September. November to March is cool and dark early, with the hotels at their quietest and the museums and bars just as open. Bring something for rain in any month: Edinburgh's weather turns several times a day.
Do I need a car in Edinburgh?
In the city, no. Princes Street, the Royal Mile, the Castle and Holyrood are on foot from the New Town and the Old Town, and taxis cover the rest; the airport is about thirty minutes by car, or by tram to Princes Street. For Gleneagles, a driver or the train: from Waverley or Haymarket the train reaches Gleneagles station in about an hour, and the hotel is minutes from it. For St Andrews, about ninety minutes to the north-east, and for the Highlands, the hotel arranges a driver. London is about four and a half hours by train from Waverley to King's Cross.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
