Hotel rates in Edinburgh are on the rise, but Airbnb offers visitors a budget-friendly option with plenty of authentic Scottish charm to boot. While the average room rate, at $100/night, is about on par with current hotel rates, it’s not hard to find a well-located, well-appointed, and stylish apartment rental for closer to $50/night. We’ve rounded up 10 of our favorites that cost under $100/night.
1. Pretty little apartment 2. Stockbridge apartment 3. Secret Garden Studio 4. Stockbridge rental 5. Hotel-style apartment 6. Grand Georgian flat 7. Dunc and Dee’s funky flat 8. Old Town rooftop apartment 9. Thistle Street flat 10. Boutique flat
Paste’s Airbnb columnist
Erica Jackson Curran
is a former alt-weekly editor turned moonlight freelancer based in Richmond, Virginia.
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We can just picture a sweet Scottish granny sipping her tea (or whisky) in this pretty little apartment that comes complete with a private walled garden. Housed in a classic Georgian building on a cobblestone street, the apartment has a separate bedroom, a teensy kitchen, and vintage tchotchkes galore. You can see the city's iconic castle from the apartment, and Edinburgh center is about a 10-minute walk away.
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Situated just to the North of central Edinburgh, Michael's Stockbridge apartment has a king-sized bed along with a comfy sofa bed. There's also a small but modern kitchen and bathroom, and a nice view of the surrounding neighborhood. Michael describes the area as vibrant and village-like, with plenty of cafes, pubs, thrift stores, and tea houses nearby.
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One of the priciest flats on our list still averages less than $100/night. Stoil's Secret Garden Studio is in the heart of the city's beautifully preserved, medieval Old Town (as opposed to the neoclassical New Town). It's decorated with antique books, old prints of the city, and a set of bagpipes. The bed is cleverly hidden in a wall cabinet, and there's an electric fireplace for warming up after a blustery day of exploring the city. There's a killer view of Edinburgh Castle just outside the front door.
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Antonia's Stockbridge rental is a mews, a type of traditional British building that originally housed stables on the ground floor and living quarters on top. Now completely and stylishly restored, the flat has a spacious, modern bathroom with a power shower, an airy living room with a smart TV, and a quiet bedroom with a new, fluffy bed. Visitors can get a key to the private 14-acre Dean Gardens, or walk to the free Royal Botanic Gardens 10 minutes away.
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This clean, hotel-style apartment is near Calton Hill, which offers panoramic views of Edinburgh. It's on the second floor of a Victorian tenement building with an eat-in kitchen and a combo bedroom-living room. All guests can use the hosts' membership to the Scottish Malt Whisky Society, a nearby bar where you can stock up on bottles to take home.
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Anita's grand Georgian flat averages just $100/night. The place has an elegant drawing room with massive ceilings and windows, two bedrooms (with three beds), a bathroom with a claw foot tub, and a spacious eat-in kitchen. Set in New Town 10 minutes from the city center, the apartment is close to cafes, shops, and the Playhouse Theatre.
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Dunc and Dee's funky flat overlooks Calton Hill and the Royal Mile, one of the city's main thoroughfares. It's on the second floor of a traditional tenement building, with a nice kitchen (stocked with breakfast supplies), a cozy living room (with a smart TV), and a bedroom with Egyptian cotton sheets. Views from the apartment offer prime people-watching on the busy streets below.
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This Old Town rooftop apartment has a low-key, masculine vibe. Situated on the top floor of an 18th-century tenement building, the flat has parquet flooring and a mix of vintage and modern furnishings. The National Museum of Scotland is just a few yards away, and the Royal Mile and the castle are nearby as well.
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Andy's Thistle Street flat has two bedrooms, a bathroom, and living area on the main floor with a new kitchen located up a bright red spiral staircase. Boutiques and bars line the blocks surrounding the apartment, and bustling George Street and Princes Street are just a couple of minutes away. The airport shuttle stops around the corner.
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Located in Edinburgh's fashionable West End, this boutique flat takes up the entire ground floor of a Georgian townhouse and boasts its own entrance and private terraced garden. The open living area has a clubby vibe with dark velvet sofas and bold wallpaper, and the kitchen is chef-grade with a Miele coffeemaker. The bathroom has both a standalone shower and a soaking tub. There's a train station five minutes away.