New Town / East End

Hotel Indigo Edinburgh Princes Street

★★★★★

Hotel Indigo Edinburgh Princes Street is the mid-range hotel for travellers who want personality and a prime location without five-star prices. It sits at 20 Princes Street, at the busy east end where Princes Street meets North Bridge, steps from Waverley Station and almost next door to the Balmoral. Behind its elegant Victorian facade, the interiors take the Hotel Indigo approach of drawing on the neighbourhood, so you get design touches that nod to Edinburgh rather than identikit chain decor. The location is hard to beat for a first visit. Waverley is a few minutes' walk, which makes train arrivals and day trips effortless; the Royal Mile is up the North Bridge or one of the closes; the Scott Monument and the Scottish National Gallery are along Princes Street; St Andrew Square, the St James Quarter shopping centre and Calton Hill are all close. Rooms come in several types, from king and queen guest rooms to premium and city-view rooms and suites, so it is worth paying a little more for a view over Princes Street and towards the Old Town. Twenty Princes Street, the hotel restaurant, specialises in seafood and steaks cooked on a Josper charcoal grill, and Juniper, the cocktail bar, is a stylish spot for a drink before dinner. There is also a library for quiet reading. Small and medium dogs are welcome by arrangement, a rarity among central Edinburgh hotels, though space is limited, so contact the hotel before booking. There is no pool and no shuttle. Check-in is from mid-afternoon, and the minimum check-in age is eighteen.

Who should book it? Couples and friends on a city break who want a central, characterful four-star with a good bar and restaurant downstairs. It suits rail travellers particularly well, and dog owners will appreciate the welcome. Families can manage, but there are no dedicated family facilities or pool, so the Radisson Blu or Novotel suit families better. Business travellers like the station location.

Living with the location: the east end of Princes Street is the busiest junction in the city, with trams, buses and crowds, especially in August and through the Christmas season, when the market fills East Princes Street Gardens across the road. That is exciting for some and tiring for others, so if you want calm, ask for a room on a higher floor or away from the street. The upside is that you can walk to almost every major sight in fifteen minutes, and the airport tram stops nearby.

Value and booking: rates sit in the mid to upper-mid range, well below the grand hotels a few doors along, and city-view rooms are worth the supplement. As everywhere in Edinburgh, August and Hogmanay prices are far higher, so book early. Edinburgh's visitor levy, five per cent of the room price before VAT for the first five nights, applies to stays from 24 July 2026. Cancellation terms depend on the rate, and bringing a dog requires contacting the hotel in advance.