Greetings and salutations fellow travelers, I hope you are all starting the new year off with plans and dreams of travel. To help you with this task here is a wrap-up of my reviews during my recent trip to Edinburgh. Well I did not stay at every hostel I did spend many hours visiting and touring them and have written a basic review and guide to 7 of the main hostels in Edinburgh.
Click on the links below for the full review of each hostel, including maps and photos for each location.
Castle Rock Backpackers : The 3rd of the Macbackpacker Tour Hostels in Edinburgh is located right at the base of Edinburgh Castle. It has great decorations based off Scottish life and history scattered throughout the hostel and is one of my favorites.
Edinburgh Backpackers : Back in 2000 this was the very first hostel I ever stayed in and it was a great experience then and you won’t be disappointed now. Located between Waverly Station and the Royal Mile, it is easy to get where you need to be going. With many amenities such as TV lounge and pool table, it has something for everyone. Just beware the very steep hill to get to it.
High Street Backpackers : Another of the Macbackpacker Tour locations, located opposite the Royal Mile Hostel, this is a bigger building with a full kitchen and lounge area. It is a great spot for the single traveler or a group.
Prince’s Street East Backpackers : Located not on the main Prince’s Street as you might assume but rather in a little alley that takes some exploring to find, this hostel’s dark and dingy entrance makes many think twice before entering. Well it has character, it’s confusing halls and dark appearance may be intimidating for the single first time traveler or even the veteran traveler for that matter.
Royal Mile Backpackers : Home of Macbackpacker Tours, this small hostel is cozy and laid back. Located right off the Royal Mile it is in a prime tourist area. There isn’t much in the way of a kitchen, but there is enough to equipment to get by. The super friendly staff make it a perfect place to take a load off.
Smart City Hostel : Located down the hill off the Royal Mile, this is one of the newer hostels in Edinburgh and brings all the modern amenities with it. Due to its large size it is more suited to groups of all ages and size. For the single traveler there isn’t much vibe and may seem a little sterile compared to some of the other hostels in the city.
St. Christopher’s / Belushi’s Bar : Just up the stairs from Waverly train station and right where the airport bus drops you off, for location you can’t get much better than this. One of the quirky things with most if not all St. Christopher’s is the lack of any kind of kitchen but the presence of a pub and restaurant on the main floor. So if you are not planning on saving money by cooking yourself and want a place close to the station this is a perfect stop.