THE 10 CLOSEST Hotels to Edinburgh Old Town

In Edinburgh's Old Town you will find the city's most important and characteristic sights, such as Edinburgh Castle, the National Museum of Scotland and the Scotch Whisky museum. It is characterized by labyrinthine streets and is easily walkable, which I Recommendation because it is a sight at every corner. Full of people and shops both souvenirs and characteristic Scottish. It is easy to get absorbed by this wonderful city. Recommendation absolutely.

Plan to spend a lot of time in this part of the city where you will find a lot of tourists and a lot of treasured sites like the castle, the palace, the university, and a number of museums. Some of the streets are closed to traffic. Walk the Royal Mile. Have lunch in a pub.

Our guidebook said no matter how much time you afford Edinburgh you could still spend more time there. We found this particularly true about the old town as there is just so much to see there. It definitely is worth getting a guide of some sort so you can understand the history of the streets in the building which is rich and fascinating. A map is useful but it can also be fun just to get lost and this way you discover off the beaten track things. Wherever you go there is something to see and food and restaurants are plenty so you don't go hungry or thirsty. Make sure your camera battery is charged as well as there are so many photo opportunities everywhere.

In Scots, Old Town is pronounced the same but spelled Auld Toun, as in “Should auld acquaintance be forgot…” Either spelling is spellbinding. The “town” that grew around Castle Hill reached to the End of the World. World’s End Close [alleyway] was once, literally for Edinburgh’s poorest residents, the end of the world. The “Close” marked the place where poor folks who couldn’t afford to pay a fee to enter the city dwelled. It’s at the end of the Royal Mile near Holyrood where the hotel at which our tour group stayed at the end of our journey. Near that dubious mark now stands World’s End Pub, where poor people like me can’t afford a pint or two. Scotland is an expensive country. Auld Toun/Old Town features Saint Andrews Square and the Scott monument. And then there’s the easily confused Princes Street, as in more than one prince, not princess. Along that street is the Princes Street Gardens. The Royal Mile connects Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood. Also within an easy walk is National Museum of Scotland—artifact overload. Little doubt as to why Edinburgh has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995. Thing is, UNESCO was founded in England in 1945. What took ’em so long? Edinburgh Castle and Old Town have been around for 1,100 years. Old Town includes St. Giles’ Cathedral, the Old College of Edinburgh University, Parliament Building. It contains underground vaults and hidden passages that are relics of previous phases of construction. There’s also Victoria Street. Our group walked on misted cobbles to Maison Bleue, for the group’s farewell dinner. I had the eerie sensation I’d seen this curved street, but not déjà vu. Victoria is admired as Edinburgh’s quaintest street, reputedly an inspiration for Diagon Alley. Curving upward, many levels house eclectic boutiques in structures with turrets and wizard-hat pointy roofs stretching skyward. The 2001 film, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” featured scenes along Victoria Street. Old Town Edinburgh is the quintessential European city. Enjoy! I certainly did.

We wandered around old town Edinburgh and enjoyed the architecture and shops. We were very impressed! The old town area did have a large number of tourists but you could still get a feel for the city history and appreciate the area.

The Old Town of Edinburgh is usually divided into two sectors: the new city and the old city; the latter is what remains of the medieval city, although apart from the urban fabric (characteristic of the several narrow alleys - close - , often difficult to identify even between the wings of the palaces and which sometimes instead of leading to another street lead to inner courtyards), almost nothing remains of medieval as most of the palaces are Renaissance or even later buildings (such as neoclassical buildings of the 18th/19th century); even apparently Gothic churches, such as the Tolbooth Kirk, are actually nineteenth-century buildings; the only medieval building of some importance that can be encountered in the Old Town is of course St. Giles. In any case, the absence of real modern architecture, the fairly similar colors of the various buildings, the extensive use of exposed stone, its cobbled streets, means that, even in the presence of a mix of different styles, the old town (Old Town) is cohesive and fascinating, creating an atmosphere of other times, sometimes with angles that I could call almost fairytale (no coincidence Rowling drew inspiration from it for her novels about the world of Harry Potter). The Old Town takes place substantially east and south-east of Castle Rock, with an offshoot south of the latter (area around Grassmarket square): its backbone is the Royal Mile which connects the Palace of Holyrood with Edinburgh Castle, a true icon of Old Town.

I truly felt like we were back in the old days, Old Town felt very authentic and there are loads of pubs and restaurants serving local food and drinks. Architecture was breathtaking at times. Walking is very easy but does get busy with other visitors during peak times.

Loved walking the historic streets of this amazing city. You have many options to choose from go shopping or just enjoy the sights & sounds! Take advantage of the local pubs & eatery as your day will pass by quickly

You just need 2 days. At Bertie’s, you’re bound to eat fish & chips. With underground tunnels, the city offers tourist excursions. A ghost tour of horror stories. If you like history, I recommend taking the Recommendation about history.

Wow what an amazing place! Always wanted to visit Edinburgh so my husband brought me just after Xmas for a few nights. Loved the buildings the castle the pubs loved just walking around the old town taking in the amazing old building etc. Snow was a added bonus beautiful city with lots of charm!