High on North Bridge, where Edinburgh's Old Town tips into the cosmopolitan New, stands The Scotsman. For the best part of a century, the presses of The Scotsman newspaper thundered away in the basement and editors filled the middle floors, but today you're more likely to hear the clinking of champagne glasses than the clacking of keys. Reborn as a hotel in 2001, it's kept the bones of the original building – oak panelling, ornate ceilings, lots of green and white marble and a 190-foot tower – while incorporating 82 rooms, a clutch of bars and a, fascinatingly, a pocket-sized cinema. The location is also dreamy, with the Royal Mile a minute's walk away and the New Town, five.
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Because the 82 rooms were once newsrooms and offices, no two share the same footprint. Most, however, have blond wood panelling, elegant cream and feather-grey tones, and bathrooms that gleam in white. The corner rooms have windows that curve out over the city below and at the top, the duplex Penthouse (the former pigeon lofts!) climbs a spiral stair to a private balcony with full-frontal Castle views, a roll-top bath and its own sauna. For all rooms, there's a wee dram on arrival and room service is delivered through a discreet privacy hatch into your room, a lovely hangover from the newspaper era.
Waking in a corner turret room, the curtains thrown back on a window that frames Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town rooftops tumbling away below.
Take the Scotsman Steps, a 104-step shortcut down to Market Street. Turner Prize winner Martin Creed clad each one in a different marble and it's a free artwork most people glide straight over.
Because every room is a converted office, they vary wildly – some are grand and turreted, others small and inward-facing. It's worth asking for a higher floor with a view when you book, rather than taking pot luck.
Start with a recommended trip or create one from scratch
The Scotsman can be booked with Timbuktu as part of a tailor-made UK trip, rather than as a standalone room reservation. Start online, customising one of our recommended UK trips featuring The Scotsman or get advice and suggestions from one of our UK specialists who will design the trip around your dates, check availability and handle every booking for you.
Stays at The Scotsman start from around $130, or US$130, per person per night as part of a tailor-made trip. The exact price depends on your travel dates, room type and the shape of the rest of your itinerary. A Timbuktu travel specialist can give you an accurate quote for your dates.
Scotland’s alluring capital city of ancient architecture, charm, culture and cuisine in spades.
