Hotels in Edinburgh, United Kingdom

How to Use Hotels.com to Find The Best Edinburgh Hotels

When you visit Edinburgh, you'll find the very best of Scotland, from its poets to its golf courses. Of course you'll want to stay in Edinburgh hotels to be close to the vibrant historical and cultural attractions that make the city so beautiful. With Edinburgh's world class university, its many festivals, and its international appeal, rooms in the heart of town can be dear. The best way to be certain you have a room when you arrive is to book through Hotels.com. When you arrive on the website at Hotels.com, you'll be able to search through a huge variety of available hotel rooms in Edinburgh. You can select a room based on the price, on a special promotion, or based on the hotel's proximity to your must-see destinations. Edinburgh is a walking town, where you can visit many shops, restaurants, museums, and parks on foot. If you plan on hiking around Edinburgh, use the maps on Hotels.com to find rooms along the main thoroughfares so you'll be centrally located to the places you want to explore.

What's Edinburgh Like?

There are so many cathedrals, museums and gardens to visit, you can easily become overwhelmed trying to see it all in Edinburgh. The best way to start your exploration of the city is with a map of the town. There is an older part of the city, still guarded by the 11th-century Edinburgh castle, as well as a "newer" Georgian part of town, where development was begun in earnest in the late 18th century. Between the two areas are wonderful parks, shops, and restaurants. Several main thoroughfares connect the areas of the town, with alleys and small courtyards called "closes" connecting the main roads to one another. You can be in the bustling center of town one moment, and be out near the hills of Arthur's Seat the next. If you love adventure, and your traveling companion loves literature, you'll both have fun climbing the many stairs of the Sir Walter Scott monument. History buffs will love the National Museum of Scotland, while whiskey aficionados will appreciate the many distillers that offer tastings and souvenirs.

How to Get Along with Locals in Edinburgh

If you want to impress the locals in Edinburgh, you should embrace their traditional foods, such as haggis. If you order this dish and find it a little strange, don't make disparaging comments, as this is considered rude. Also, don't put your elbows on your table, and don't eat with your hands; Scots eat nearly everything with fork and knife. In formal and informal situations, refrain from using your phone during dinner. Do experience some delicious local customs, like having a hot cup of tea with some shortbread, or trying the national soft drink, called Irn Bru. It's okay to tip 10%, but it's not okay to ask to take your leftovers home with you. In public, burping, blowing your nose, or talking in a very loud voice are considered boorish behavior. Even if you're unsure about proper etiquette, being polite, friendly, and helpful will score you many points with the locals. Also remember: For a busy, friendly, beloved city like Edinburgh, it does help to have Hotels.com do the footwork for you. You can plan the rest of your holiday knowing you've got the accommodations handled, whether you stay in Edinburgh, travel through the rest of the UK, or move along to anywhere in the world!