Royal Mile Backpackers

I lived there more than stayed there. I stayed from mid January till June, and aside from the occasionaly stinky or snoring roommate in the 8 bunk rooms, the stay was good.

The place is small. I think it holds about 40 people. It has a small kitchen that consists of an electric frying pan, and a microwave.

The staff is knowledgeable, and usually includes tour guides from the MacBackpackers tours, which means they know a load about the city.

Unique Quality: The place is small, which is great for independent travellers or pairs, because people get to know each other very easily there.

The location is second to none. Literally surrounded by about 10 pubs with other restaurants and pubs within blocks, across from a phone/internet shop, 1/2 a block from the bakery, right above a liquor store, across the bridge from Princes St., and a short jaunt up the street from the Castle.

The only drawback of the location is the 2 or 3 am drunks that are yelling, etc, just outside your window 3 days or more a week, which can play on your nerves a bit when you are trying to sleep...a bed on the back side is a much better situation.

Directions: On High St, half a block down the hill from North Bridge

When you arrive at 105 High Street don't think to find the hostel on the pavement level.You'll find the door and going upstairs with a narrow stair you'll get in parallel world.
Rooms have names, and in the rest room you'll have nice meetings and chats.

Unique Quality: From 1 April - 30 June — dorm £12.00/night
1 July - 31 August — dorm £13.50/night
1 Sept - onwards — dorm £12.00/night

Royal Mile Backpackers is a small and cosy city-centre hostel overlooking Scotland's most famous street, only a few minutes walk from the Castle and handy to just about everything.
Step outside and be at the centre of it all. Guests also enjoy the benefit of access to the lively, bustling High Street Hostel with its wide range of facilities.

When you arrive at 105 High Street don't think to find the hostel on the pavement level.You'll find the door and going upstairs with a narrow stair you'll get in parallel world.
Rooms have names, and in the rest room you'll have nice meetings and chats.

Unique Quality: From 1 April - 30 June — dorm £12.00/night
1 July - 31 August — dorm £13.50/night
1 Sept - onwards — dorm £12.00/night

Royal Mile Backpackers is a small and cosy city-centre hostel overlooking Scotland's most famous street, only a few minutes walk from the Castle and handy to just about everything.
Step outside and be at the centre of it all. Guests also enjoy the benefit of access to the lively, bustling High Street Hostel with its wide range of facilities.

Royal Mile Hostel is like an annex to the big High Street Hostel nearby. Infact you will have to go to the High Street Hostel to get food etc.

Royal Mile was the one I plumped for first because of its groovy sign, location on the Royal Mile and entrance up stone steps - but I couldn't stay as i had a British passport (some way of excluding possible Scottish bums or something? - Which I am not!)

Anyway, years later I got in - its tiny, so sort of exclusive feel. It is the main booking office / reception for MacBackpacker Tour Buses around Scotland. So if you are booked on one this is your place. If you are doing your own thing its not, and you'll likely get put up in the High Street hostel.

Unique Quality: Brilliant entrance, small and cosy.

No real kitchen, just a sort of tea/ breakfast/microwave section to the common room.

I felt it wasn't really a hostel lilke the others - seemed to be only for tour bus people - so I don't know how useful it is.

Certainly great location - It made me think of these small malt whisky distilleries which are now owned my big multinational drinks corporations who distill the whisky in modern factory processes but retain the "regional distilleries" for branding, marketing and image.

Directions: Royal Mile - High Street
But Will You Stay Here?

My stay was very nice there. Reasonably quiet. It was right in the middle of most everything. This was the one excellent benefit. The staff are very friendly. Especially since the one attendant was a friend of my fiance's friend.

The one drawback is the setup for meeting people. It is quite small with little space to sit and relax. The very interesting thing was the 'library' they had there. It consisted of books were you could trade your book for another book on the shelf. This way there was always a constant stock of books. The hostel nearby, Castle Rock, frequently held get-togethers (movies, etc...) in their large open space. Here was an excellent place to meet people. In fact I met a French traveler here and subsequently met with later to eat and have drinks.

Unique Quality: Friendly staff
Quiet for sleeping
Clost to everything

The only thing I would like to say is that Edinburgh is not a very big city, most everything is within walking distance.

I would recommend staying at Castle Rock if you had the chance. More opportunity to meet people and really close to the Edinburgh Castle. BTW, this castle, IMO is much better than the Tower of London Castle. Smaller, but less touristy and more authentic.

Directions: Walk away from the Edinburgh Castle. While walking in this direction, it will be on your left.