Frequently Asked Questions

A cheap bed in Edinburgh is easy to find once you know what to compare. Should you book a dorm bed or a guesthouse room? Why do prices leap in August? Can you bring the dog? These are the questions travellers ask most, and the answers below come from live listing data covering 41 places to stay across the Old Town, New Town, Leith, Haymarket and the West End, and Southside and Newington. Use them to narrow your shortlist before you check availability anywhere.

How Much Does A Cheap Edinburgh Stay Cost?

Of the 41 stays compared here, 33 publish a from-price, and those run from £10 to £163. Read them with care, because the basis differs. Hostel from-prices are per dorm bed, while hotels, guesthouses and apartments quote per room for two adults, typically for a low-season midweek night in November. A handful of listings show no figure at all, so their price is on the live listing only. Treat every from-price as a guide rather than a quote.

When Are Edinburgh Room Prices At Their Highest?

August is the pressure point, when the Fringe fills the city and hostel beds and hotel rooms alike jump well above their low-season from-prices. Hogmanay and Six Nations rugby weekends produce the same spike. Outside those peaks, winter is kinder: advertised hotel rates for two adults average £202 across the year, yet the cheapest month sits at £111. A midweek November night is the basis for most from-prices shown here precisely because it is quiet.

When Are Budget Hotels In Edinburgh Cheapest?

January and February are the cheapest months for a room in Edinburgh. Advertised hotel rates for two adults drop well below the summer peak, with one published series putting the January average at £111 across the city. Hostel dorm beds can be found from around £10 to £21 outside peak weeks. Prices climb steeply in August during the Fringe, at Hogmanay and on big rugby weekends, so a midweek winter date will usually cost far less.