Best Western Hotels GB | Edinburgh Castle Hotels

Choose a hotel near Edinburgh Castle and set off to volcanic Castle Rock to gawp at glinting crown jewels and hear medieval tales of intrigue and war. The drop down from the Royal Mile to explore the Old Town and lounge in the grassy Meadows.

Things to do at Edinburgh Castle

At the castle’s Entrance Gateway William Wallace and Robert the Bruce statues beckon you inside. Wander the battlements towards the strong room where the Scottish crown jewels sparkle in the half light. The oldest building in the city, the Romanesque 12th century St Margaret’s Chapel, sits at the top of Castle Rock. If you’re castling at lunchtime, stick your fingers in your ears when the booms of the One O’Clock Gun reverberate around Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh Castle visitor tips

There’s no point wasting time queuing for tickets - buy online beforehand for fast-track entry or go early in the morning. There’s sometimes free entry for St Andrews Day in November. If you’ve booked an Edinburgh Castle hotel in August, make a beeline for the castle’s giant Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Each night fireworks announce the climax of the spectacular military parade. If you want to be watch from inside the castle walls then book early as they are the hottest tickets in town.

Things to do around Edinburgh Castle

Next door to Edinburgh Castle is the Victorian Camera Obscura, where a rotating periscope projects a shifting panorama of the city. Guides deliver fun commentaries, pointing out Sean Connery’s boyhood milkround route. At Parliament House barristers pace the great Parliament Hall discussing tactics. It’s open to the public and the conversational snatches are riveting. Picture yourself driving super-Scot Sir Jackie Stewart’s world-championship-winning car at the National Museum of Scotland. Then pay your respects to Greyfriars Bobby, the dog who faithfully guarded his master’s grave for fourteen years, at Greyfriars Kirkyard.

Eat, drink and shop around Edinburgh Castle

Stop for haggis in a hoagie bun at Brodie’s Tavern on Grassmarket. William Brodie, cabinet maker by day, thief by night was the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hide. Mind the poltergeist! Guests at hotels near Edinburgh Castle looking for cashmere and kilts should head for the Royal Mile where Scottish souvenir shops abound. Shoppers enjoy the independent boutiques in Bruntsfield where delicatessens, clothes stores and restaurants cluster together. Enjoy one of the Edinburgh’s sunny days with the students from Edinburgh University by picnicking in the cherry-tree-lined Meadows.