Spring: March to May
The best-kept secret of the Edinburgh year. Days lengthen quickly — by late May it is light until after ten — and the cherry blossom on the Meadows and in Braidburn Valley peaks in the last two weeks of April. The Science Festival runs over Easter and the Beltane Fire Festival lights up Calton Hill on 30 April. Temperatures sit between eight and fifteen degrees, and the east wind off the Forth is the thing to pack for rather than rain. Rates are moderate, restaurants take walk-ins, and the castle queue is ten minutes rather than an hour.
Summer: June to September
June and early July give you the longest days of the year and calm streets — arguably the ideal time to come. Then August happens. The Fringe, the International Festival, the Book Festival and the Tattoo run concurrently for most of the month, the population roughly doubles, and accommodation across the city sells out months ahead at two to three times the usual nightly rate. If the Fringe is the reason you are coming, book by February and expect a five- to seven-night minimum. If it is not, come in the first half of September instead: the weather holds, the crowds vanish overnight, and prices fall by half.
Autumn and winter: October to February
October brings the Storytelling Festival and the best light of the year on the Old Town rooftops. November is the quietest month in the calendar and the cheapest time to stay in a good flat. From late November the Christmas market fills Princes Street Gardens, and Hogmanay — the street party, the concert and the Loony Dook on 1 January — is the second peak, with a three- or four-night minimum and rates to match. January and February are cold, dark by four, and wonderful if you want museums, whisky bars and a fire: midweek stays in this window are consistently the best value we offer all year.
Practical planning
Book at least six months ahead for August and Hogmanay, two to three months for May, June and September, and a fortnight is usually enough from November to March outside the festive fortnight. Rain is possible in every month and rarely lasts a whole day; layers and a waterproof beat an umbrella in the wind. Our seasonal rates follow the same pattern as the city — Fringe and Hogmanay carry a premium, and the shoulder weeks either side of them are where the value sits. Every stay is quoted per night before you commit, so the calendar shows exactly what a given week costs.
