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Where to Stay in Edinburgh: Choose Your Area

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By Best Area To Stay In editorial desk · 15/10/2026

Choosing where to stay in Edinburgh starts with your daily plans. Hunter Square puts the Royal Mile first. George Street gives you a New Town base, while Morrison Link suits a Haymarket-side stay. Each has a hotel below with room facts to check. Compare the actual street and station stop with the room layout before you choose.

Morrison Link serves a Haymarket-side stay. Each can suit a different trip, and each has a checked hotel below. Start with your daily plans, then look at the room layout and the actual station or tram stop you will use.

Start with Old Town around Hunter Square for plans along the Royal Mile. Compare New Town around George Street when that setting and its hotel choices appeal. Choose Haymarket when its station or airport-tram approach fits the trip. Check the street leg and actual room category in every case. Waverley and Haymarket are different railway arrivals; use the one on your ticket.

Photo: Edinburgh skyline from Calton Hill by Jim Barton, CC BY-SA 2.0. Scaled copy and responsive crop under the same licence. Source. Licence.

Where to stay in Edinburgh: area choices

Old Town around Hunter Square

Old Town is our starting comparison when the Royal Mile shapes the stay. The tourism body's neighbourhood guide places the Royal Mile in this part of Edinburgh. Our checked hotel is ibis Edinburgh Centre Royal Mile at Hunter Square. Use that as a fixed base for your plans, rather than treating every Old Town address as the same arrival.

The owner gives the address as 6 Hunter Square, off the Royal Mile. Save the full name and street together because Edinburgh has other ibis hotels. A search for the brand plus Edinburgh can produce a different property. Before choosing the room, compare the hotel door with the station exit or stop that works for your actual journey.

Accor lists separate double and twin room options. That is useful if the bed arrangement matters more than a larger hotel feature. Confirm the category for the people sharing the room. The photographs and the broad Royal Mile location do not answer whether the available room has the beds or outlook you need.

Choose this base for repeated time in Old Town, not just because it appears under a central search. A route that looks simple on a map still needs a street-level check with bags. If steps or an entrance arrangement matter, ask about the exact approach and room. We do not infer an accessible route from a distance or a city-centre label.

Sources: Accor: ibis Edinburgh Centre Royal Mile, Forever Edinburgh: neighbourhoods. Checked October 2026.

New Town around George Street

New Town gives a different base from the Royal Mile. Forever Edinburgh highlights its Georgian streets and squares alongside shopping and dining. The checked hotel is InterContinental Edinburgh The George at 19-21 George Street. Start with that address when comparing the places you will use, rather than assuming New Town means one fixed station walk.

The hotel lists several room types, including Cosy and Classic rooms as well as suites. Its One Bedroom Suite has a separate living area, according to the owner. That can matter if you want to spend more time indoors or keep living and sleeping spaces apart. It is a reason to compare a particular suite, not a feature to assume in every room.

Read the category description beside the room you can actually book. A suite photo with a city view should not set expectations for a different category. If space or outlook decides the stay, confirm it directly before payment. Also check beds and guest capacity: a separate living area does not by itself establish another sleeping place.

The owner's directions page says there is no on-site parking or airport shuttle. Check the available off-site arrangement if bringing a car. For airport public transport, use the current operator information rather than old fares or travel estimates in a hotel local guide. A New Town base still needs a plan to the specific hotel door.

Sources: IHG: InterContinental Edinburgh The George, IHG: The George directions, Forever Edinburgh: New Town. Checked October 2026.

Haymarket around Morrison Link

Haymarket is worth comparing when the station is useful for your trip. The checked hotel is Leonardo Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket at 1 Morrison Link. It is not the separate Leonardo property near Waverley and Old Town. Some older labels include Royal in the Haymarket hotel's name, so the street address is the clearest way to keep the booking and route aligned.

The owner lists twin rooms and a Standard King room with a sofa bed. Compare these if you need separate beds or another sleeping place. Confirm the actual guest limit and sofa-bed setup for the selected category. Do not let a family search filter stand in for the room details, especially when children of different ages share the room.

Edinburgh Airport identifies Haymarket as one of the tram stops where travellers can connect with rail. That gives this base an airport approach to compare. It does not make every route to Morrison Link equally suitable with bags. Check the final street leg and your arrival hour, then weigh that benefit against the journeys you will make during the stay.

If most days begin in Old Town, compare those repeated routes before choosing Haymarket for one transport leg. If your itinerary has useful train departures here, give that need more weight. A station-led base works best when the actual ticket and daily plans support it, not when any hotel with a station name is assumed to solve the trip.

Sources: Leonardo Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket, Edinburgh Airport: by tram. Checked October 2026.

Edinburgh area map and arrival reference

The diagram uses Accor’s published ibis location and licensed OpenStreetMap locations for the George and Leonardo. Waverley and Haymarket are separate broad rail references. Plan the actual station platform, tram stop and exit with current directions; the markers compare positions rather than giving street routes.

Map sources: Accor: ibis Edinburgh Centre Royal Mile, OpenStreetMap: InterContinental Edinburgh The George location, OpenStreetMap: Leonardo Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket location, OpenStreetMap: Edinburgh Waverley, OpenStreetMap: Haymarket station.

Station/location points: © OpenStreetMap contributors, data under ODbL 1.0. Hotel points are also sourced individually. No map tiles are used.

Checked hotel choices in Edinburgh

Compare each daily base through its particular room and the questions that still need an answer, checked in October 2026. Confirm the exact category, guest plan and essential facilities for your dates before paying. Keep the station or evening return beside the room choice.

Edinburgh arrivals: Waverley, Haymarket and the airport tram

For an airport arrival, begin with Edinburgh Airport's tram information. It names the city stops and explains rail connections. Haymarket is a rail interchange; St Andrew Square is a useful reference for Waverley and the bus station. These are starting points for planning, not interchangeable hotel doors. Compare the final route to the exact street you will use.

Use Edinburgh Trams to check the route and current departures. Read its ticket information too. We do not publish a fixed fare or promise that a daytime service covers a late landing. Check the actual date and hour, including the return trip. If the tram does not fit the arrival, compare the current alternatives through the airport's transport pages and the bus operator.

For a railway arrival, read the station on your ticket. Waverley and Haymarket are separate points on the map. A hotel that works well from one may create a different journey from the other. Check the useful exit and final approach with luggage, rather than using a broad station distance as a door-to-door guarantee.

For local bus planning, use Lothian's current information. Enter the actual hotel address and the destinations that shape your days. A central route can still include a street approach that matters to your group. If steps, lift access or drop-off arrangements decide the stay, confirm the relevant details with the property before paying.

Keep a return plan for an early train or flight. A route that works after sightseeing may not be useful at the required departure hour. Compare it before choosing the base, especially for a short overnight visit. Then weigh that transport day against the setting and room you want for the rest of the trip.

Planning sources: Edinburgh Airport: by tram, Lothian Buses: current information. Checked October 2026.

Edinburgh bases for first visits, room space and rail days

For a first visit, start with Old Town if the Royal Mile setting is the main reason for coming. New Town gives a different daily backdrop around George Street. Compare the exact addresses with your plans instead of assuming first-time visitors must all choose the same street. The room and approach still matter whichever setting you prefer.

For a stay where separate living space matters, compare The George's One Bedroom Suite with the other categories on sale. Confirm the layout and guest capacity directly. If the need is another sleeping place rather than a living area, the Leonardo's sofa-bed category asks a different question. Decide which need you are solving before paying for a room label.

For rail days, check whether the useful trains use Haymarket or Waverley. Repeated departures can give a station-led base a clear purpose. One arrival and one departure may leave more value in another setting. Map the repeated journeys first, then compare how much of the stay is actually shaped by the railway.

If Leith, Stockbridge or another neighbourhood contains the venue that leads your trip, compare that address and return directly with these three bases. Keep the room and arrival equally clear. This shortlist explains practical choices without covering every useful Edinburgh stay.

Before you choose a room

• Choose a street-level base and compare your repeated daily routes.

• Check whether your ticket uses Waverley, Haymarket or an airport stop, then plan the hotel leg.

• Confirm beds and capacity in the room category on sale.

• Check any separate living area or sofa-bed setup directly.

• Plan the final approach and the early return journey before payment.

Edinburgh sources, check dates and corrections

This is desk research from the sources linked below, with hotel location and feature checks in October 2026. We have not stayed at or tested these hotels. The area choices express our judgment about trip fit. No price, availability, safety grade or service rating is implied.

• Accor: ibis Edinburgh Centre Royal Mile: Accor gives the Hunter Square address by the Royal Mile and separates double from twin rooms, which helps identify the correct central ibis property.

• IHG: InterContinental Edinburgh The George: The George gives its George Street address and distinguishes a one-bedroom suite with separate living space from the other room categories.

• IHG: The George directions: The hotel states that it has no on-site parking or airport shuttle, so arrange the arrival and any car storage separately.

• Leonardo Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket: Leonardo gives its Morrison Link address and distinguishes twin rooms from king rooms with sofa beds, so match the exact sleeping places to your party.

• Forever Edinburgh: New Town: The tourism board describes the New Town's Georgian streets and shopping setting, helping you compare that stay with the Old Town.

• Forever Edinburgh: neighbourhoods: The tourism board places the Royal Mile within the Old Town and describes other neighbourhoods, which helps narrow the setting of your hotel search.

• Edinburgh Airport: by tram: Edinburgh Airport explains tram and rail interchange options, so check the actual stop and onward approach rather than assume the tram reaches every hotel.

• Edinburgh Trams: current planning: Edinburgh Trams provides current route and departure information, which you can use to check the airport connection for your arrival time.

• Lothian Buses: current information: Lothian provides local bus planning, helping you compare the final journey to your hotel with walking from a tram or rail stop.

• OpenStreetMap: InterContinental Edinburgh The George location: The map shows InterContinental Edinburgh The George in Edinburgh so you can compare locations; ask the property which entrance to use with your luggage.

• OpenStreetMap: Leonardo Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket location: The map shows Leonardo Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket in Edinburgh so you can compare locations; ask the property which entrance to use with your luggage.

• OpenStreetMap: Edinburgh Waverley: This map shows the station’s position in Edinburgh; use the transport operator’s directions to choose an exit and plan the last leg.

• OpenStreetMap: Haymarket station: This map shows the station’s position in Edinburgh; use the transport operator’s directions to choose an exit and plan the last leg.

A dated check records what the source said at that point. It does not guarantee that the stay or route is unchanged. If you spot an error, send the page and the correction. We can then recheck the affected hotel or area, or arrival note.

Other United Kingdom city guides

Use the United Kingdom city directory to find the available area guides. To compare another destination, return to the city finder.

FAQ: choosing a base in Edinburgh

Where should I stay in Edinburgh for the first time?

Start with Old Town around Hunter Square for a Royal Mile-led visit. Compare George Street in New Town for that setting, or Haymarket if its transport role fits the trip. Use the actual hotel addresses and a few daily routes. The best first base depends on what you will do and the room your party needs.

Should I choose Old Town or New Town in Edinburgh?

Choose by the setting you will use most. Hunter Square gives a Royal Mile base; George Street puts New Town first. Compare the exact hotel approach and bedroom category as well. A broad historic or central label cannot establish the room's view or beds, or route from the station.

Is Haymarket the same arrival as Waverley?

No. They are distinct railway stations, shown separately on the point map. Read your actual ticket and plan from that station to the hotel. For airport tram travel, check the useful stop and the final street leg too. Do not swap a railway station and nearby tram reference without checking the route.

Which checked Edinburgh hotel has more room space?

Compare the actual categories. The George describes a One Bedroom Suite with a separate living area. Leonardo Haymarket lists a Standard King room with a sofa bed, which addresses a different need. Confirm the layout and capacity directly rather than judging all rooms by the largest category's photograph.

Verdict: where to stay in Edinburgh

Choose where to stay in Edinburgh through a real address: Hunter Square for a Royal Mile-led stay, George Street for New Town or Morrison Link for Haymarket-side plans. Confirm the room layout and the final arrival leg after choosing the setting. A separate living area, twin beds or sofa bed can change the hotel choice, while the station on your ticket should shape the route.