![\"Laura](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1_DSCF0053-Edited.jpg\")
Where to stay, eat and visit in Edinburgh, says travel editor Laura Mulley(Image: Laura Mulley)<\/p>\nHas the new series of BBC’s The Traitors got you yearning for a Scottish staycation? We took a history-filled trip to Edinburgh and found a surprisingly affordable hotel<\/p>\n
06:00, 03 Jan 2026Updated 11:43, 04 Jan 2026<\/p>\n
Where to stay, eat and visit in Edinburgh, says travel editor Laura Mulley(Image: Laura Mulley)<\/p>\n
Looming over the city from up high and lit up in dramatic red lights at night, Edinburgh Castle looks like it could be straight out of a Traitors scene. Tickets (\u00a321.50 for adults) get you access to all parts of the 900-year-old site, including the Scottish crown jewels, St Margaret\u2019s Chapel (the oldest building in Edinburgh<\/a>, dating back to 1130) and the Prisons of War exhibit.<\/p>\n It\u2019s off The Royal Mile, however, that we found our favourite tourist attraction in Edinburgh: The Real Mary King\u2019s Close. This guided tour takes you back in time through some of the city\u2019s former residential streets, which were built over in 1753 to construct the Royal Exchange above them. Interesting for adults and older children alike, the guides are engaging and it\u2019s fascinating to see how people lived here over 400 years ago, including through devastating plague years.<\/p>\n When it was time to rest weary feet \u2013 and Edinburgh\u2019s streets are notoriously steep \u2013 and fill up rumbling stomachs, we loved Ka Pao for its delicious Southeast Asian sharing dishes (don\u2019t skip over the fried Brussels sprouts, which even had our party\u2019s sprout-hater converted). Booking is essential, as there was a two-hour wait for walk-ins on the Friday night we visited.<\/p>\n For traditional pubs, head to the historic Grassmarket area and nearby Rose Street. For fancier cocktails served with flair, we loved Commons Club (part of the Virgin Hotel), Panda & Co, a cool, speakeasy-style establishment posing as a barber shop, and The Last Word, a romantic, candle-lit gem with an impressive whiskey list in Edinburgh\u2019s upmarket Stockbridge area.<\/p>\n We stayed at The Bruntsfield<\/a>, about half an hour\u2019s walk from the city centre, or a cheap taxi ride. Although the hotel could do with a bit of an update (we\u2019re told there are plans for this), the rooms are very big for an affordable city hotel, and come with a complimentary dram of whiskey and square of crumbly Scottish fudge. There\u2019s also a bar and kitchen downstairs serving casual pub-style dishes.<\/p>\n Perhaps the highlight of our stay, however, was the warm and friendly reception staff that welcomed us, pointing out a bowl of help-yourself Tunnock\u2019s Teacakes, handing us a map of the city and, later, helping us successfully locate a bag we\u2019d left in the back of a taxi.<\/p>\n The Bruntsfield Hotel<\/p>\n This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/a> From \u00a390 a night<\/p>\n Booking.com<\/p>\n![\"Rainbow](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767439459_282_0_Rainbow-over-Edinburgh-castle-view-from-Calton-hill-Scotland.jpg\")
We found plenty of historical highlights in Edinburgh(Image: Getty Images\/iStockphoto)Where to eat in Edinburgh<\/p>\n![\"cocktails](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_cocktails.jpg\")
Enjoy elegant cocktails at Commons Club(Image: Laura Mulley)Where to stay in Edinburgh<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767439462_298_0_A11-Brunt-Hot-27-1-22-142.jpg\")
Rooms at The Bruntsfield are spacious and comfy(Image: The Bruntsfield Hotel)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767439463_908_0_A11-Brunt-Hot-27-1-22-115.jpg\")
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