Last Minute Tips
Decided on a last minute festival fling? Even during Edinburgh’s busiest times, there’s always a room at the inn, hotel, B&B or hostel. Here are our top tips for late arrivals in the festival city.
Broaden your horizons – Two of Edinburgh’s trump cards are that it’s pretty compact and has an excellent public transport system. Use these to your advantage when looking for a place to stay. Areas like Corstorphine, Leith, Portobello and Stockbridge are short bus and taxi rides from the city centre and many have festival venues local to them. It’s also worth checking out Glasgow and Fife both less than an hour away. From here a trip in and out of Edinburgh often takes less time than it would to cross London.
Think outside the box – Travelling with a friends or a family? Then skip the hotel listings and search for short-term apartments to let. Many will cater for stays as short as a weekend and if you’re lucky will do you a deal to fill up midweek dates
Find a forum – Message boards can be invaluable when trying to source somewhere to stay in Edinburgh during peak season. A numbers of Edinburgh’s festivals have accommodation listings from the general public on their message boards so it’s worth checking them for any last minute additions. The most popular of these are on Edinburgh Festival Fringe website. Gumtree postings and web forums are also worth a visit.
Be flexible – There will always be availability for the flexible traveller. You may not be able to book a full week in one place so travel light and be prepared to break up your stay. A change of hotel or B&B is a painless solution to getting the festival break you want.
Ask and you shall receive – If you’re finding it difficult to secure last minute accommodation then enlist some help. Tapping into local knowledge and asking for recommendations are sure fire ways of solving your stay over situation. Pick up the phone and try hotels that may have extra rooms available that are not listed online. Even if they are fully booked they may know a suitable alternative, and, if they have any cancellations they know whom to call. The Tourist Information Centre on Princes St (+44 131 473 3800) also keeps a list of last minute availability.
