Best Western Hotels in Edinburgh: A Practical Stay Guide
Edinburgh rewards travellers who pick a base with the right mix of walkability and quiet. The city splits cleanly into the medieval Old Town, the Georgian New Town, and a ring of residential and business districts further out, each with a different rhythm. This guide covers how the city works for visitors, what to weigh when choosing where to stay, and how to book directly for the best rate rather than through a third party.
About Edinburgh: how the city is laid out
Edinburgh's Old Town, running along the Royal Mile between the Castle and Holyrood Palace, is the compact historic core: steep closes, tall tenements, and most of the sights a first-time visitor wants to see on foot. The New Town, just north across Princes Street, is Georgian in layout with wide streets and garden squares, and it's where much of the shopping and a fair share of restaurants sit.
Beyond these two cores, Edinburgh has distinct neighbourhoods worth knowing: Leith to the north has become a food and drink destination with a working harbour feel; the West End is quieter and closer to Haymarket station; and the areas around Bruntsfield and Morningside are residential, leafy, and further from the tourist crush.
If your trip includes day excursions into Fife or towards St Andrews, it's worth knowing the region north of the Forth has its own hotel options, including Best Western properties around Glenrothes, which can work as a base for combining Edinburgh with the wider area rather than staying in the city centre every night.
Planning your stay: when to go and how long
August is Edinburgh's busiest month by a wide margin, driven by the Fringe and International Festivals. Rooms fill early and the city is at its loudest and most crowded; book well ahead if you're set on this period, and expect higher demand across every hotel category.
Outside festival season, spring and early autumn offer milder weather and thinner crowds, while December brings the Christmas markets and Hogmanay, another peak period worth planning around rather than arriving unprepared for.
Two to three nights is enough to cover the Old Town, Castle, and a walk through the New Town. Add a day if you want to include Arthur's Seat, Leith, or a day trip to Fife or the Borders.
Getting in and getting around
Edinburgh Airport sits west of the city and connects to the centre by tram, which runs directly to St Andrew Square in the New Town, and by regular bus services. A taxi is straightforward but traffic into the centre can add time during peak hours.
Waverley, the main train station, sits right between the Old and New Towns, making rail arrival from Glasgow, London, or elsewhere in the UK genuinely convenient if your hotel is central.
Once in the city, walking covers most of the historic centre. Edinburgh's hills and cobbles mean comfortable shoes matter more than transport choice for most itineraries.
How to book the best rate
Rates for any hotel change with demand, season, and how far in advance you book, so it's not useful to quote a figure here — check current rates directly on the property page before deciding on dates.
Booking directly with the hotel, rather than through a third-party site, generally means fewer add-on fees and a cleaner path if you need to change or cancel a reservation.
If your dates are flexible, shifting a night or two away from festival peaks or major public holidays can meaningfully change what's available and at what rate.
Look at the hotel's stated area and proximity to Waverley station or the airport tram line when comparing options — location within Edinburgh affects both convenience and price more than star rating alone.