Name: Stay Central Hotel
Address: 139 Cowgate, Old Town, Edinburgh, EH1 1JS, United Kingdom, 139 Cowgate, Lothian, EH1 1JS, UK
Price range: Prices for upcoming dates start at $150 per night (We Price Match)
Rating: 8.7

Room Info & Price Facilities House Rules The Fine Print Our Guests’ Experiences (1,399)

Stay Central Hotel

This neighborhood is a great choice for travelers interested in old-town exploration, history and atmosphere – Check location 139 Cowgate, Old Town, Edinburgh, EH1 1JS, United Kingdom – This neighborhood is a great choice for travelers interested in old-town exploration, history and atmosphere – Check location Excellent location – show map

*8.8* National Museum of Scotland: only 3 minutes away! (550 feet by foot)

*8.5* Edinburgh Festival Theater: only 5 minutes away! (1,200 feet by foot)

Edinburgh Waverley station: only 6 minutes away! (1,400 feet by foot)

*9.2* Museum of Scotland: only 3 minutes away! (550 feet by foot)

*8.5* St. Giles Cathedral: only 2 minutes away! (450 feet by foot)

*9.1* Royal Mile: only 4 minutes away! (850 feet by foot)

*8.9* Edinburgh Military Tattoo: only 4 minutes away! (1,050 feet by foot)

Traveler photo of Edinburgh

Germany · June 28, 2016

Lock in a great price for Stay Central Hotel – rated 8.7 by recent guests!

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Great location, nice staff, nice room. Got excellent recommendations for places to eat nearby.

First-timer, United States of America

Great place to stay close to everything you need to see .

Gary, Australia

Staff were friendly and helpful. The hotel is located beside a bar, I was worried it wouldn't be noisy a time night as the bar was very busy. But the room was so quiet, there was no noise issue at all.

Cat, Ireland

Beds were coming, location brilliant and the staff happy to help.

Marc, United Kingdom

The entire staff was super friendly. I love the fact that it's not a cookie cutter Hotel. It had a lot of individuality to it.

Bettyann, United States of America

It is very rare that one walks into a property, and instantly you know that this is/is the place where it is all going to be good. It was marvellous, and so I extended my stay to four days. The principal aspect I wish to stress is the helpfulness of the staff to a stranger. I apologise that I have forgotten the names of the three ladies at the reception who I met during my stay and who were so helpful. They represented to me the epitome of the Scottish hospitality that one hears so much about. I should add that there was no unacceptable noise level emanating from the pub downstairs. The shower was heavenly. I certainly intend to return to Stay Central during my next trip to Edinburgh.

Rakaus, India

Proximity to everything was great and it was essy to find. Staff extremely friendly and helpful.

Susan, Australia

The design of the room, attention to detail were both excellent. Good quality facilities, friendly staff. Would recommend and come back :)

Lisa, Germany

Large size of bed and bathroom. Clean. Teapot and teas, coffee. Sweet treat daily. Staff wonderful!! Breakfast good.

Barbara, United States of America

Fantastic Hipster Hotel, great modern look with humour and good design. Excellent location, right in the middle of the bars and Restaurants. Warm friendly staff.

Paul, United Kingdom

Stay in the Heart of Edinburgh – Excellent location – show map

Stay Central Hotel is just a 3-minute walk from the historic Royal Mile. In the Cowgate, this lively budget hotel is in Edinburgh's Old Town, within half a mile of Princes Street. It surrounds the Three Sisters bar, a pub and nightclub that hosts entertainment and lively events nightly.

Dating back to 1621, the Stay Central Hotel retains many original features and is accessed by an old cobbled courtyard. Its en suite rooms each have a flat-screen TV and on-demand movies, an iPod docking station, tea and coffee-making facilities and a bathroom with a rainfall-style shower.

Guests can relax outside the hotel, where there is an outdoor plasma screen and seating areas that are part of The Three Sisters cobbled courtyard and attracts a diverse mix of locals and tourists.

Within a mile’s walking distance from the hotel are Holyroodhouse Palace, Festival Theatre and the National Museum. Princes Street Gardens and Edinburgh Castle can be reached in 10 minutes on foot.

Old Town is a great choice for travelers interested in old-town exploration, history and atmosphere.

This is our guests' favorite part of Edinburgh, according to independent reviews.

Couples in particular like the location – they rated it 9 for a two-person trip.

We speak your language!

Stay Central Hotel has been welcoming Booking.com guests since Sept 24, 2009

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Most Popular Facilities

Parking

Free WiFi

Family Rooms

Non-Smoking Rooms

Facilities for Disabled Guests

Room Service

Good for couples – they rated the facilities 8 for two-person stays.

Guests Love...

“wonderful staff”
215 related reviews

“location was great”
196 related reviews

“beautiful building”
133 related reviews

Breakfast Info

Continental, Full English/Irish

Free WiFi
Guests consistently rate the WiFi as excellent

Great area for shopping!

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Rooms

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Fits	Room Type
	Double Room 1 full bed	Show prices
댴 Private bathroom Room Size: 161 ft² This room with a private bathroom has a flat-screen TV and tea and coffee-making facilities. Room Facilities: Shower, Safe, Air conditioning, Hairdryer, Desk, Ironing facilities, Sitting area, Free toiletries, Toilet, Bathroom, Heating, Flat-screen TV, Wake-up service, Electric kettle, iPod dock, Wardrobe/Closet Free WiFi is available in all rooms. Someone just booked this Check-in / / Check-in Date Check-out / / Check-out Date Rooms Adults Children
× 6	Large 6 Bed room 2 twin beds and 1 full bed and 1 bunk bed or 4 twin beds and 1 bunk bed	Show prices
댴 Private bathroom Room Size: 237 ft² 6-bed room, which can accommodate 6 people. Room Facilities: Shower, Safe, Air conditioning, Hairdryer, Desk, Ironing facilities, Sitting area, Free toiletries, Toilet, Bathroom, Heating, Flat-screen TV, Wake-up service, Electric kettle, iPod dock, Wardrobe/Closet Free WiFi is available in all rooms. Check-in / / Check-in Date Check-out / / Check-out Date Rooms Adults Children
	Executive Double or Twin Room - Room Only 1 queen bed or 2 twin beds	Show prices
댴 Private bathroom Room Size: 194 ft² This en-suite room features a flat-screen Sky TV, GHD hair straighteners, tea and coffee making facilities, a day bed, a bathrobe, and slippers. Room Facilities: Shower, Safe, Air conditioning, Hairdryer, Desk, Ironing facilities, Sitting area, Free toiletries, Toilet, Bathroom, Heating, Flat-screen TV, Wake-up service, Electric kettle, iPod dock, Wardrobe/Closet Free WiFi is available in all rooms. Check-in / / Check-in Date Check-out / / Check-out Date Rooms Adults Children
	Double or Twin Room 1 full bed or 2 twin beds	Show prices
댴 Private bathroom Room Size: 194 ft² This room with a private bathroom has a flat-screen TV and tea and coffee-making facilities. Room Facilities: Shower, Safe, Pay-per-view channels, Air conditioning, Hairdryer, Desk, Ironing facilities, Sitting area, Free toiletries, Toilet, Bathroom, Heating, Flat-screen TV, Wake-up service, Electric kettle, iPod dock, Wardrobe/Closet Free WiFi is available in all rooms. Check-in / / Check-in Date Check-out / / Check-out Date Rooms Adults Children
× 6	Private Dormitory Room (6 Adults) 6 bunk beds	Show prices
댴 Private bathroom Room Size: 323 ft² This party bedroom has bunk beds with individual, built-in TVs. The room also has a sitting area with a flat-screen TV, Playstation, Xbox 360, and Smeg fridge. The large private bathroom has 2 shower rooms and complimentary toiletries. Room Facilities: Shower, Safe, Air conditioning, Hairdryer, Desk, Ironing facilities, Sitting area, Free toiletries, Toilet, Bathroom, Heating, Guest bathroom, Flat-screen TV, Wake-up service, Electric kettle, iPod dock, Wardrobe/Closet, Game console - PS3, Coffee machine Free WiFi is available in all rooms. Check-in / / Check-in Date Check-out / / Check-out Date Rooms Adults Children
	Quadruple Room 4 twin beds or 2 twin beds and 1 full bed	Show prices
댴 Private bathroom Room Size: 237 ft² Standard Quadruple Room; sleeps up to 4 guests. Room Facilities: Shower, Safe, Air conditioning, Hairdryer, Desk, Ironing facilities, Sitting area, Free toiletries, Toilet, Bathroom, Heating, Flat-screen TV, Wake-up service, Electric kettle, iPod dock, Wardrobe/Closet Free WiFi is available in all rooms. Check-in / / Check-in Date Check-out / / Check-out Date Rooms Adults Children
	Single Room 1 full bed	Show prices
댴 Private bathroom Room Size: 161 ft² This single room has a tea/coffee maker and electric kettle. Room Facilities: Shower, Safe, Pay-per-view channels, Air conditioning, Hairdryer, Desk, Ironing facilities, Sitting area, Free toiletries, Toilet, Bathroom, Heating, Flat-screen TV, Wake-up service, Electric kettle, iPod dock, Wardrobe/Closet Free WiFi is available in all rooms. Check-in / / Check-in Date Check-out / / Check-out Date Rooms Adults Children
	Stay 2 Nights save 10% 1 full bed or 2 twin beds	Show prices
댴 Private bathroom Room Size: 161 ft² Please request Twin/Double when booking. Room Facilities: Shower, Safe, Pay-per-view channels, Air conditioning, Hairdryer, Desk, Ironing facilities, Sitting area, Free toiletries, Toilet, Bathroom, Heating, Flat-screen TV, Wake-up service, Electric kettle, iPod dock, Wardrobe/Closet Free WiFi is available in all rooms. Check-in / / Check-in Date Check-out / / Check-out Date Rooms Adults Children

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An Inside Look at Stay Central Hotel

We have aimed a little higher than just providing you with a good nights sleep. We want you to tell your great great grandchildren about us. Heck, we want to be included in your memoirs. We want to be known forevermore as that wee hotel in the middle of Edinburgh that blew your socks off. Located in the heart of Edinburgh’s eclectic Cowgate, STAY Central is surrounding the famous lively Three Sisters bar and courtyard and is short stroll from everywhere, at STAY Central we aim a little bit higher than just providing you with a good night’s sleep. We have 37 fresh and refurbished bedrooms simple arranged by size. They go S, M, L, XL, XXL and then there is the private DORM, a room so awesome it can sleep up to 9 guests. We like to look after you and free Wi-Fi is a must for our guests. Each of our bedrooms have large flat screen TV’s, iPod docks, rain fall style showers to get lathered up in and lots of little extras you won’t expect...

Stay Central Hotel takes special requests – add in the next step!

Area Info – This neighborhood is a great choice for travelers interested in old-town exploration, history and atmosphere – Check location Great location - show map

Closest Landmarks

The Edinburgh Sheriff Court 0 miles
National Library of Scotland 0.1 miles
Central Library 0.1 miles
St. Giles Cathedral 0.1 miles
National Museum of Scotland 0.1 miles
Museum of Scotland 0.1 miles
The Real Mary King's Close 0.1 miles
Edinburgh Law School 0.1 miles
Brass Rubbing Center 0.1 miles
Gladstone's Land 0.1 miles

Closest Airports

Edinburgh Airport 6.7 miles
Glasgow Airport 48.4 miles

Shopping Nearby – All Within 500 Yards!

Grassmarket Market

What Travelers Love About This Location

“Great location, nice staff, nice room. Got excellent recommendations for places to eat nearby.”

First-timer

United States of America

“location, friendly staff, food is excellent”

Rorymac1988
Ireland

Ireland

“Great place to stay close to everything you need to see .”

gary

Australia

Are you missing any information about this area? Yes / No

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5 Reasons to Choose Stay Central Hotel

Manage your bookings online

1395 independent reviews

The staff speaks English

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Good to Know

Check-in

From 2:00 PM

Check-out

Until 11:00 AM

Cancellation/
prepayment

Cancellation and prepayment policies vary according to room type. Please enter the dates of your stay and check what conditions apply to your preferred room.

Children and Extra Beds

All children are welcome.

Free! All children under 2 years stay free of charge when using existing beds.

Free! All children under 2 years stay free of charge in a crib.

There is no capacity for extra beds in the room.

Pets

Pets are not allowed.

Groups

When booking more than 5 rooms, different policies and additional supplements may apply.

Cards accepted at this property

Hover over the cards for more info.

Or, take a look at these appealing alternatives:

Motel One Edinburgh-Royal has a review score of 9

See the 30 best hotels in Edinburgh, based on 193,827 verified hotel reviews on Booking.com.

The Fine Print

The cancellation policy shown on this page is based on an arrival time of 14:00 (GMT).

Payment is required at the time of check-in.

Noise from the bar and courtyard can affect some rooms.

Please note breakfast is served in The Three Sisters bar, which is adjoined to the hotel.

See all guest reviews for Stay Central Hotel

Newest Reviews for Stay Central Hotel

July 26, 2017

First-timer
United States of America

1 helpful vote
7.1

“Nice location, room & staff but noisy late at night”
- • Leisure trip
- • Family with young children
- • Quadruple Room
- • Stayed 4 nights
눉Noise (loud music) from the co-located pub with outdoor bar right under our room (the pub closed at 1AM). Couldn't sleep. I complained to the desk person who at first offered me ear plugs but later talked to the manager of the pub asking them to turn the music down. The hotel staff tried but it seems people should be warned about the loud music. We only had the continental breakfast once (£5.00) not the "full Scottish breakfast". It is located in the pub on the ground floor and is very minimal. The full breakfast for the same price may be better.
눇Great location, nice staff, nice room. Got excellent recommendations for places to eat nearby.
July 21, 2017

Alison
United States of America

1 helpful vote
9.2

Wonderful
- • Leisure trip
- • Family with young children
- • Large 6 Bed room
- • Stayed 2 nights
- • Submitted from a mobile device
눉Parking is far from hotel.
July 21, 2017

Kawthar
United Kingdom
8.3

Very Good
- • Leisure trip
- • Family with young children
- • Quadruple Room
- • Stayed 1 night
눉The entrance to the hotel was the outside sitting area for the bar, so the smell of alcohol was a bit overwhelming (I think a festival was being held at the time. And also, we don't drink so the smell was something new). The simple room and the friendly staff compensated for this.
눇The staff were very friendly. We were able to request a taxi, and get free ice cream! We requested a room away from the bar area and that's what we got; so we had a very good night. The room was simple and worth the price we payed for. But the aesthetics makes it feels like more of a hotel you'd stay over with your friends than family.
July 21, 2017

Ruther
Philippines
6.3

Pleasant
- • Leisure trip
- • Family with young children
- • Large 6 Bed room
- • Stayed 1 night
눉Breakfast area is a bar by night. Smell of alcohol is very much present
눇Staff is very friendly. Very modern.
July 18, 2017

Rorymac1988
Ireland

2 helpful votes
8.8

“Great spot, excellent location”
- • Leisure trip
- • Solo traveler
- • Double Room
- • Stayed 2 nights
눇location, friendly staff, food is excellent
July 16, 2017

Cheryl
Canada
7.9

“Great location to Royal Mile attractions!”
- • Leisure trip
- • Couple
- • Double or Twin Room
- • Stayed 2 nights
눉The website photos are accurate, but the 'main entrance' is not actually on or easily visible from the street. You need to walk through a large, high-fenced outdoor seating / bar area filled with a lot of young people to get to the main entrance. We were pleasantly surprised at how quiet our room was given the surroundings. Would stay again but there are more economical places to stay that offer the same or better amenities within the same walking distance. The hotel is close to the Waverly station but some streets are quite steep if travelling with luggage.
눇We liked the location - it was close to the Royal Mile attractions as well as Waverly Station. We walked throughout our stay in Edinburgh - this location worked for us! The Wifi actually worked in our room! can't say the same for many other accommodation sites during our month tour of the UK!
July 13, 2017

Gary
Australia
8.3

“LOVED THIS PLACE”
- • Leisure trip
- • Couple
- • Double or Twin Room
- • Stayed 3 nights
눉Room was not as big as we thought but still big enough for 2
눇Great place to stay close to everything you need to see .
July 11, 2017

Mayleen
United States of America
5.0

Fair
- • Leisure trip
- • Group of friends
- • Double or Twin Room
- • Stayed 2 nights
눉While we did know that there was a bar across the courtyard were were unaware that the courtyard was also the pub. The courtyard was packed with patrons Fri and Sat night till 3AM, Sat morning at 8AM for a Rugby game. Luckily I brought ear plugs or I would not have gotten any sleep. Our rooms faced the back of the hotel where trash was dumped all night and employees congregated. Public parking that was supposed to be nearby was actually 7 blocks away.
눇The room was small but clean and modern. Staff was friendly and helpful
July 8, 2017

Kathleen
United Kingdom
9.2

Wonderful
- • Leisure trip
- • Couple
- • Double Room
- • Stayed 2 nights
- • Submitted from a mobile device
눉Windows in room didn't open and drinks in bar very expensive
July 5, 2017

Cat
Ireland
8.3

Very Good
- • Leisure trip
- • Couple
- • Executive Double or Twin Room - Room Only
- • Stayed 2 nights
- • Submitted from a mobile device
눇Staff were friendly and helpful. The hotel is located beside a bar, I was worried it wouldn't be noisy a time night as the bar was very busy. But the room was so quiet, there was no noise issue at all.
July 5, 2017

Elaine
United Kingdom
8.8

Excellent
- • Leisure trip
- • Couple
- • Double Room
- • Stayed 1 night
- • Submitted from a mobile device
눉Having to come in through busy court yard while event was on
눇Location
July 5, 2017

Anonymous
United States of America
10

“Great place to stay ”
- • Leisure trip
- • Family with young children
- • Large 6 Bed room
- • Stayed 1 night
- • Submitted from a mobile device
눇the staff was very accommodating
July 4, 2017

Tracy
Ireland
Age group: 35 – 44
9.6

Exceptional
- • Leisure trip
- • Group of friends
- • Quadruple Room
- • Stayed 2 nights
- • Submitted from a mobile device
눉It's was lovely,and I'll stay again ,just didn't realise the 4 single we're bunk beds .
July 3, 2017

Anonymous
United Kingdom
8.8

“Comfortable stay in convenient location in a friendly, lively place.”
- • Business trip
- • Couple
- • Double or Twin Room
- • Stayed 5 nights
눉Shower drainage needs addressing.
눇Staff cheerful and helpful. Deceptively quiet accommodation in a busy area
July 3, 2017

Marc
United Kingdom
10

“Brilliant”
- • Leisure trip
- • Group of friends
- • Large 6 Bed room
- • Stayed 2 nights
- • Submitted from a mobile device
눇Beds were coming, location brilliant and the staff happy to help.

Stay Central Hotel

Stay in the Heart of Edinburgh – Excellent location – show map

Most Popular Facilities

Guests Love...

Lock in a great price for your upcoming stay

Availability

See availability Area Info – This neighborhood is a great choice for travelers interested in old-town exploration, history and atmosphere – Check location Great location - show map

Closest Landmarks

Most Popular Landmarks

Closest Airports

Shopping Nearby – All Within 500 Yards!

What Travelers Love About This Location

5 Reasons to Choose Stay Central Hotel

See availability Facilities of Stay Central Hotel Great facilities! Review score, 8.4

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Newest Reviews for Stay Central Hotel

First-timer

Alison

Kawthar

Ruther

Rorymac1988

Cheryl

Gary

Mayleen

Kathleen

Cat

Elaine

Anonymous

Tracy

Anonymous

Marc

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Area Info – This neighborhood is a great choice for travelers interested in old-town exploration, history and atmosphere – Check location Great location - show map

Facilities of Stay Central Hotel Great facilities! Review score, 8.4

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