Even if you’ve never been to Edinburgh, it’s hard not to recognise the Balmoral. The Victorian hotel — now run by Rocco Forte — has made many media appearances, spanning Laurel and Hardy in 1932 to an episode of Top Gear in 2009 and has welcomed high-profile guests from Paul McCartney to the Queen Mother, who was a big fan of its restaurant’s lamb.

The Witchery is one of the city’s most famous destinations and couldn’t have a more unique address: it’s located next door to Edinburgh’s famous medieval castle. The exclusive hotel occupies a building that dates back to the 16th century and is decorated by low-lit interiors with wood panelling, four-poster beds and tassels for miles.

While the gothic facade of this former church hints at the hotel’s history, its whisky-themed rooms and suites are as contemporary as can be, with floor-to-ceiling windows peering out across the city or Calton Hill.

This family-run hotel won the Best Boutique Hotel Experience at the Scottish Thistle Awards in 2020. Thirty-five spacious bedrooms are spread across two grand townhouses, a short walk from Edinburgh’s city centre in the residential area of West Coates (close to Murrayfield Stadium).

The site on which the Edinburgh Grand sits has a curious history. Originally a hotel in the early 1800s, it was rebuilt in 1936 by the National Bank of Scotland. Fast forward to 2006 it was transformed back into accommodation and, today, the building is made up of 50 serviced apartments with many of the original art deco features retained.

Pub lovers, this Royal Mile hotel could be just the place you’re looking for. With nine modern bedrooms, The Inn on the Mile, as the name suggests, is also home to a lively pub and kitchen.

Malmaison Edinburgh is in a converted Seaman’s mission dating back to 1883. Perched right on the docks, this was the chain’s first hotel and set the tone for its glamorous cool vibe.

One for regular visitors, this Stockbridge-set Georgian manor house takes you far from tourist territory deep into suburban Edinburgh, putting you a short walk to the Royal Botanic Garden and the unmissable weekly farmer’s market.

It’s hugely rewarding — if a little left field — to stay in a 1960s Northern Lighthouse Board steam tender anchored beside the Royal Yacht Britannia in the Port of Leith.

Even West End locals often don’t know about the existence of this art-stuffed bolt hole in easy walking distance to the city centre. It’s a sanctuary from Princes Street, hunkered in a sprawling townhouse with the sort of elegant fixtures and fittings you’re scared to touch.

Little more than a restaurant with rooms with acclaimed chef Paul Kitching’s mind-boggling menus as the focal point — haggis with grapes and yoghurt, or smoked salmon with curried banana, are standard.

This large red sandstone building at the west end of Princes Street first opened in 1903. It was originally a railway hotel, and while the Princes Street Station it was next to no longer exists, you can see part of the original concourse in The Peacock Alley.

Formerly the offices of The Scotsman newspaper, the hotel of the same name occupies one of Edinburgh’s most iconic buildings. You’ll spot its ornate façade from a distance with its intricate and very beautiful stonework.

Towering over Waverley train station, this hotel amid the spires and steeples of the heart of Edinburgh has the Old Town in its DNA — the cracked stone walls are a tip of the hat to the city’s Unesco heritage.

A Tunnock’s teacake’s throw from the main tourist sights and shopping of Edinburgh city centre, this hotel benefits from a cluster of trip-making bars and restaurants on the doorstep.

If you’re looking for a serene place to stay — but still want to be in the centre of Edinburgh — this beautifully decorated aparthotel could be just the spot. Light-filled rooms, pastel-coloured walls and dreamy modernist furniture create a calm and picture-worthy spot. Plus the studio apartments are excellent value for money.

Set on refined George Street, Tigerlily is as dressed-to-the-nines as a hotel in Edinburgh gets. It’s all about the in-your-face decor — from mirrored tiles to plush velvet chairs — and the vibe screams every day is Saturday; the idea being that guests can really let their hair down.

The name alone conjures up images of a secluded Highland estate, even if this out-of-town retreat is located moments away from the runways of Edinburgh airport.

In the belly of Edinburgh’s Old Town is this tiny boutique hotel which is a bastion to excess and extravagance. It has just three rooms: one inspired by Versailles, one harking back to the Orient Express and a third, ‘The Suite’, which includes a spectacular freestanding roll-top bath.

Dodge the thrum of tourists in the centre of Edinburgh and escape to this neighbourhood hotel overlooking Bruntsfield Links. Black Ivy has 21 bedrooms, decorated with welcoming splashes of colour.

The typical windy, wet weather of the Scottish capital is your excuse to escape into another world at this luxurious and romantic self-catering cottage in Leith.

There are few more characterful places to sup a pint in Edinburgh than The Canny Man’s in Morningside, and it helps that the pub’s owners are behind this family-run hotel nearby.

Kimpton Charlotte Square is spread across seven interconnected Georgian townhouses and makes the most of its exclusive address. The hotel has paid special detail to its decor with lots of quirky flourishes.

This series of 75 one, two and three-bed open-plan residences are beautifully designed, especially if you splurge on the Walter Scott-era two-bedroom townhouse, with vaulted gothic roof, candle-lit copper bathtub, Dracula drapes and stone steps.

Many Edinburgh hotels are located on historic cobblestone streets, but none are located so close to time-stopped Dean Village, the city’s forgotten cluster of 19th-century mills and crooked houses where the past ghosts into the present.

The idea of a ‘personal hotel’ is bandied about more often than it should be, but in the case of this intimate guesthouse in Newington it’s completely true.

Individually designed rooms pay homage to other landmark cities around the world, with the likes of Berlin, Los Angeles, Cairo, Sydney, Moscow and Rio all conjured into being through themed wall art, handpicked furniture and bedspreads.