The Balmoral Guesthouse is a friendly, family guesthouse close to Edinburgh's bustling city centre and the New Town, providing bed and breakfast accommodation within a short walking distance of Edinburgh's major tourist destinations. We are a small family run guest house and we are highly recommended in the Lonely Planet Scotland and Europe editions, the Let's go (Edinburgh) guide and a number of online reviews. Please browse through our website to find out more about our Edinburgh bed and breakfast accommodation.

The Balmoral Guesthouse is an early Victorian family house which offers great bed and breakfast accommodation for visitors coming to Scotland’s Capital City, Edinburgh. Our guest house is in the North East sector of Edinburgh within a short walking distance of Edinburgh’s main visitor attractions. Pilrig St is a pleasant residential street which has a mix of traditional Georgian and Victorian townhouses. Our guesthouse would have been home to a typical merchant family around the mid 1850’s when Edinburgh and Leith were booming during the industrial revolution. We are close to excellent restaurants, pubs and shops. The Edinburgh Tram network now links York Place directly to Edinburgh Airport. We are about 10 minutes walk from York Place tram stop.
Our lovely Edinburgh Guest house sits on the edge of Edinburgh’s New town district and about 1 mile from the old Port of Leith where the Famous Royal Yacht Britannia is now permanently berthed .

Edinburgh's New Town

Edinburgh's New Town is not that “new”, it was built in the mid-to-late 1700’s in response to overcrowding and poor sanitation in Edinburgh’s Old Town district. Edinburgh's New Town is a masterpiece of urban planning, combining superb architecture with spacious and luxurious housing. Nearly all New Town buildings were built in the neo-classical style with prominent pillars on the outside and tall ceilings with decorative plaster works on the inside. Many of the New Town residences have now been converted into modern flats and offices but strict conservation rules have ensured that the original character of the Georgian era New Town, with its cobbled roads, pillars, and sandstone facades is preserved today. Most New Town residences were built along pleasant communal gardens and attractive views which makes walking through Edinburgh such a pleasant experience.

Edinburgh's Old Town

The Old Town part of Edinburgh is only a 20 - 25 minute walk away from the Guesthouse and has preserved many of its historic buildings. One end is marked by the imposing structure of Edinburgh Castle and the other end by the Queen’s residence better known as Holyrood Palace. The two are connected by the Royal Mile, a main artery also known as The High Street. Minor streets branch off the Royal Mile leading into tiny “closes” and “wynds”. One of the Royal mile’s most famous “close” is St Mary’s close. Many of the Old Town properties built between 1500’s and 1700’s are typified by tall, many storied narrow stone buildings. At the time, the Old Town population was reluctant to build outside the protection of the city and Edinburgh Castle. A large number of these original buildings were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1824. Most of the existing buildings were built on the original foundations of the medieval houses and have kept many of the original passages and vaults which can still be visited today.The Old Town is also home to interesting “Kirkyards” or graveyards. Greyfriars kirkyards is perhaps the most famous due to its association with Greyfriars Bobby and the story of Burke and Hare. It is also alleged to be home to a “poltergeist”. Other places of interest nearby include St Giles Cathedral and the Royal Museum of Scotland.