Neighborhood 48H guide
Old Town: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
The Castle, the Royal Mile and the Grassmarket.
Medieval closes climb from the Grassmarket to Edinburgh Castle and run the Royal Mile down to Holyrood, packed with museums, whisky shops and Festival venues.
Photo gallery
Photo: John Lord · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Stanley Howe · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: rboed* · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
Icons on foot.
Who it's for: First-timers.
Pros
- Castle
- Atmosphere
- Walkable
Cons
- Crowds
- Hills
- Noise
48H in Old Town
The Castle, the Royal Mile and the Grassmarket.
09:30 – Edinburgh Castle
Timed entry.
14:00 – Royal Mile
Walk to Holyrood.
Named recommendations
Real places with links to their official site or a Maps place page. We do not invent hours, prices, or ratings.
See / do
See / do
Edinburgh Castle
Castlehill
Fortress on the rock with Crown Jewels; book timed tickets.
Photo: John Lord · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →See / do
Royal Mile
High Street
Historic spine from Castle to Holyrood Palace.
Photo: Stanley Howe · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Where to stay
Specific named properties—not vague city-wide searches. Expedia stays use tracked Creator links; others open the hotel's official site.
Roam48 may earn a commission when you book a stay through Expedia or Vrbo links on this page, at no extra cost to you. All commercial stay links use rel="sponsored nofollow".
Hotel · Expedia
Virgin Hotels Edinburgh
Victoria Street
Design hotel on Victoria Street by the Grassmarket.
Check rates on Expedia →Hotel · Expedia
The Balmoral Hotel
Princes Street
Grand railway hotel on Princes Street with Castle views.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for Old Town.
In Edinburgh, most short-term lets need a City of Edinburgh Council short-term let licence, and the licence number should appear on the listing. Check for it before booking.
Browse vacation rentals in Old Town on Vrbo →Other ways to spend 48 hours in Edinburgh
- New Town — Georgian squares and George Street.
- Leith — The Shore, the Royal Yacht and waterfront dining.
- Stockbridge — Village cafés by the Water of Leith.
- Dean Village — Mill buildings in a river gorge.
- West End & Haymarket — Theatres, Haymarket station and Shandwick Place.
- Marchmont & Bruntsfield — Tenements, Bruntsfield Links and cafés.
- Holyrood & Arthur's Seat — Palace, parliament and the extinct volcano.