Expedia vs Hotels.com in Edinburgh
Edinburgh's compact Old Town walks easily in a weekend — the Royal Mile end-to-end is 1.6km, and Arthur's Seat is a 45-minute climb from Holyrood. August brings the Fringe, Military Tattoo, and International Festival simultaneously: hotel prices jump 3–4× and inventory inside the Old Town disappears 6+ months out. Outside festival season, the value window is September through November and February through April, when Old Town stays drop below £100/night midweek. The New Town (Georgian grid north of Princes Street) is quieter and walkable to everything, while Leith on the Forth has the best food scene at sharper prices and a 15-minute tram into the centre. Edinburgh Airport tram lands in Princes Street in 30 minutes. Headline rate in Edinburgh runs £80–£240/night — both sites pull from the same inventory, so the price you see for a given property is almost always the same. Differences come from coupon stacking and member-only rates.
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Which site to use for Edinburgh
- Just want the cheapest hotel — check both; cheapest wins. Coupon promotions in Edinburgh typically run on one site or the other (rarely both), so a 30-second compare often saves £5–£15/night.
- Adding flights from the UK — Expedia. Their flight + hotel package to Edinburgh typically saves 10–30% versus booking separately.
- Wanting full cancellation flexibility — Hotels.com's "Fully refundable" filter is faster to apply at the results-page level. Both sites honour the same merchant policies once you book.
- Want activities in Edinburgh too — Expedia carries tours and experiences for Edinburgh in the same booking flow. Hotels.com doesn't.
Top picks in Edinburgh
- Royal Mile
- Edinburgh Castle
- Arthur’s Seat
Background on Expedia vs Hotels.com
Both sites are owned by Expedia Group and share inventory. The difference is the storefront — search filters, sort defaults, loyalty surfacing. We covered the full side-by-side in our flagship Expedia vs Hotels.com comparison.