💡 The Short Version: The nearest hotel to the Royal Mile is Fraser Suites Edinburgh, about 80 m from St Giles’ Cathedral, followed by Motel One Edinburgh-Royal (130 m), Market Street Hotel (170 m) and Virgin Hotels Edinburgh (180 m). Apex Grassmarket Hotel has castle views and a heated indoor pool, and The Balmoral holds two Michelin Keys. St Giles’ charges £12 from 5 October 2026 to visitors aged 16 and over who do not live in Scotland. Edinburgh adds a visitor levy of 5% of the room price on the first five nights. Prices change with the dates, so check yours on Hotels.com. Or book a walk: the Old Town History and Tales Walking Tourad is from £18 for 2 hours.
What the Royal Mile is like
The Royal Mile runs from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, with St Giles’ Cathedral and the Real Mary King’s Close on the way. The Grassmarket and Victoria Street are a few steps below it, and Waverley station is 0.1 to 0.7 km from the hotels below. The Torchlight Procession at Hogmanay goes through the Old Town, and the Tattoo is on the castle esplanade in August: see Hogmanay in Edinburgh and Edinburgh in August. The sights have their own guides: Edinburgh Castle tickets, St Giles’ Cathedral tickets and the Royal Mile walk. Distances are straight lines from the cathedral, so a walk is a little longer.
St Giles’ Cathedral and its crown spire, seen from the Royal Mile. Photo: rboed, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
The hotels
The links go to the hotel on Hotels.com. Michelin’s Keys are the guide’s own ratings for hotels, and “Selected” means a hotel is in the guide without a Key. Where to stay in Edinburgh compares the other areas and explains the visitor levy.
On the Royal Mile and beside it, up to 200 m
Fraser Suites Edinburgh
About 80 m · St Giles’ Street, EH1 1PT · 75 apartments · Hotels.comad
Serviced apartments in a Victorian landmark building steps from the Royal Mile, about five minutes’ walk from Waverley station according to the hotel. Each apartment has a kitchenette, there is a laundry suite and a gym, and pets are welcome.
Motel One Edinburgh-Royal
About 130 m · 18-21 Market Street, EH1 1BL · Hotels.comad
A budget design hotel the chain describes as historical on the outside and modern within. It has no car park, and the chain’s own advice is the public car park on Greenside Row, a 15-minute walk away.
Market Street Hotel
About 170 m · 6 Market Street · 98 rooms · Michelin Selected · Hotels.comad
A modern stone building on a site that had stood derelict for 50 years, on the boundary of the Old Town and the New Town. Reception and the Nor’ Loft Champagne lounge are on the seventh floor, with panoramic views of the city when the lift doors open. Michelin lists rooms from Cosy to the Mhor Suite.
Virgin Hotels Edinburgh
About 180 m · 1 India Buildings, Victoria Street · 222 rooms · Michelin Selected · Hotels.comad
Virgin’s Edinburgh hotel in the 1864 India Buildings on Victoria Street. Rooms are “chambers” and suites with space for working and sleeping, and the building holds several bars and restaurants.
Victoria Street, below the Royal Mile. Photo: Daniel Kraft, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
A few minutes’ walk, 230 to 300 m
The Inn on the Mile
About 230 m · High Street, on the Royal Mile · 9 bedrooms · Hotels.comad
A pub with nine boutique bedrooms in a building of 1923 that began as the British Linen Bank. The rooms keep their high ceilings, cornicing and large sash windows.
Grassmarket Hotel
About 290 m · 94-96 Grassmarket, EH1 2JR · Hotels.comad
On the corner of the Grassmarket and Victoria Street, two minutes’ walk from the Royal Mile and in view of the castle. Rooms run from a single to a quad, and the Irish bar next door, Biddy Mulligan’s, serves the optional breakfast and has live music.
The Grassmarket with the castle behind. Photo: Mike McBey, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
ibis Edinburgh Centre South Bridge
About 280 m · South Bridge · Hotels.comad
A budget hotel with a restaurant, Fogg’s, serving pizzas, salads and soups.
Between the Royal Mile and Princes Street, 390 to 450 m
Holiday Inn Express Edinburgh Royal Mile
About 390 m · 300 Cowgate, EH1 · Hotels.comad
On the Cowgate, the street below the Royal Mile. The hotel puts the castle at a 10-minute walk and Waverley station at under 10, and it has no pool.
The Old Waverley Hotel
About 390 m · 43 Princes Street, EH2 2BY · Hotels.comad
A hotel on Princes Street that describes itself as Victorian charm with modern comforts and traditional décor. The Christmas market and the Hogmanay Street Party are on Princes Street: see Christmas in Edinburgh.
Hotel du Vin Edinburgh
About 400 m · 11 Bristo Place · 47 rooms and suites · Michelin Selected · Hotels.comad
A building that was once a poorhouse, an asylum and a science laboratory, with sleigh beds and rolltop baths in the rooms. The hotel has a bistro, a courtyard for summer meals and a Whisky Snug.
The Balmoral
About 410 m · 1 Princes Street · 186 rooms · two Michelin Keys · Hotels.comad
The clock-tower hotel over Waverley station. Castle View rooms look across Princes Street Gardens to the castle, the whisky bar holds over 500 malts, and the hotel has a spa. Its Palm Court afternoon tea is in afternoon tea in Edinburgh.
Apex Grassmarket Hotel
About 450 m · Grassmarket · Hotels.comad
Apex’s first hotel, in the Grassmarket, with views of the castle. Castle View Deluxe rooms have balconies, and the hotel has a heated indoor pool, a sauna and a gym. Metro Bar & Brasserie looks at the castle.
Motel One Edinburgh-Princes
About 450 m · Princes Street · Hotels.comad
The chain’s other Edinburgh hotel, named for Princes Street. From the booths in the second-floor bar there are views onto the street, and breakfast is in the One Lounge.
Out to 550 m
BrewDog DogHouse Edinburgh
About 540 m · 5 New Street · 20 rooms · Michelin Selected · Hotels.comad
A BrewDog hotel with two bars and 30-plus craft beer taps, moments from Waverley station and the Royal Mile. The 20 apartment-style rooms have beer fridges in the showers, draught taps and record players, and every room accepts dogs.
Before you book
- The levy. Edinburgh’s visitor levy is 5% of the room price before VAT, on the first five nights, for stays from 24 July 2026 (City of Edinburgh Council). See where to stay in Edinburgh.
- Dates that fill the Old Town. Edinburgh’s Christmas runs from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, the Torchlight Procession is on 29 December, and the Fringe and the Tattoo both start on 6 August 2027.
- The cathedral. St Giles’ is no longer free: the ticket includes the Thistle Chapel and the guided tours and is valid for 12 months. See St Giles’ Cathedral tickets.
- Elsewhere. Where to stay in Edinburgh compares Princes Street, the New Town, the West End, Stockbridge, Leith and the south side.
For what to book before you go, see Edinburgh: what to book. To fit the sights into your days, see Edinburgh in one or two days. Where to eat in Edinburgh names the restaurants, haggis pubs and whisky bars round the Royal Mile, the best time to visit Edinburgh gives the weather by month, and Edinburgh airport to the city and Edinburgh public transport cover the way in.
Common questions
Which hotel is closest to the Royal Mile in Edinburgh?
Fraser Suites Edinburgh, on St Giles' Street, about 80 m from St Giles' Cathedral in a straight line. Motel One Edinburgh-Royal is about 130 m away, Market Street Hotel about 170 m and Virgin Hotels Edinburgh about 180 m.
Which hotels near the Royal Mile have a view of Edinburgh Castle?
Apex Grassmarket Hotel says its views of the castle have not changed since it opened, and offers Castle View rooms with balconies. The Balmoral has Castle View rooms and suites, and Market Street Hotel has panoramic views from its top-floor lounge.
Which hotels near the Royal Mile hold Michelin Keys?
Michelin gives The Balmoral two Keys. Virgin Hotels Edinburgh, Market Street Hotel, Hotel du Vin Edinburgh and BrewDog DogHouse Edinburgh are in the guide as Selected hotels with no Key.
Is St Giles' Cathedral free to enter?
Not any more. From 5 October 2026 the cathedral charges £12 to visitors aged 16 and over who do not live in Scotland. Residents of Scotland and under-16s are free.
How far is Waverley station from these hotels?
From 0.1 to 0.7 km in a straight line. Market Street Hotel is 0.12 km from the station, The Balmoral 0.12 km and Motel One Edinburgh-Royal 0.2 km.
Do hotels near the Royal Mile have swimming pools?
Apex Grassmarket Hotel has a heated indoor pool, a sauna and a gym. Holiday Inn Express Edinburgh Royal Mile does not have a pool.
