Where To Stay In Edinburgh – Budget Travel In Scotland

Edinburgh is the UK’s second most-visited city, after London. It attracts travellers from all over the world and offers accommodation to suit every budget.

Where To Stay In Edinburgh

These are some of the best budget hostels in Edinburgh, according to user reviews. These are affiliate links to the Agoda web site. I receive a small amount for any bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.

• CoDE Pod Hostels – THE CoURT (Royal Mile Former Court & Jail)
• CoDE Pod Hostels – THE LoFT
• Castle Rock Hostel
• Kick Ass Grassmarket
• Kick Ass Greyfriars
• The Baxter Hostel
• High Street Hostel
• Edinburgh Central Youth Hostel
• Haystack Hostel
• West End Hostel

Kick Ass Greyfriars

I booked a stay at ‘Kick Ass Greyfriars’ (map). I arrived at the bus station to find I had a 16 minute walk to the hostel. What I wasn’t expecting was the massive steep staircase I had to climb, only to then have to come back down on the other side. It was like something from The Exorcist.

I didn’t know when I booked that Kickass Greyfriars is in a fantastic location opposite the historic ‘Greyfriars Kirkyard’ and a minute away from the ‘Grassmarket’. Step outside the hostel and you can see Edinburgh Castle in the near distance.

Checking in at Kickass Greyfriars

I checked in and was immediately confused with the amount of information I was given. I had a plastic card for access to the hostel but also a paper card to show reception on entrance. I never had to show it once. The paper card also has a couple of offers for a discount drink and meal. WiFi is accessible with a password and then a voucher code. Lockers are provided but I had to buy a padlock. It was a lot of information for someone that had been travelling on a Megabus for 6 hours.

Kickass Greyfriars Dorms

I made it to my room to find that only half of the 6 beds were in use (they filled up the next night). The beds were fine and came with their own charging points and a night light. There were no bathrooms in the room but the nearest one was right across from our room. There were three showers and two toilets and they were clean and worked perfectly.

Kickass Greyfriars Kitchen

On the first floor, there is a big kitchen with great facilities. There are two full cookers and two microwaves. There is a weird system with food storage. Any food placed in the fridge or freezer has to be placed in plastic bags with name tags. This means finding your food is almost impossible. Any other food goes in plastic box containers. Expect to spend a long time trying to find your food!

Kickass Greyfriars Communal Areas

There is a space called ‘The Treehouse’ which is designed for chilling. There are bean bags, books and games. Each bean bag has charging points meaning you can watch a film on your device without running down the power. It’s a nice space.

On the ground floor is the bar and cafe. Drinks are cheap and there is a free pool table. They organise pub crawls which were very popular.

I had a great time staying in this hostel. I met some nice people and the facilities were good and there was always a positive energy. If you plan to visit Edinburgh, Kickass Greyfriars is a great place to base yourself.

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I paid £47 for a 5 night stay in a 12 bed dorm with shared bathroom.

Click here to stay at Kick Ass Greyfriars Hostel.