6 Best Social Hostels with Events in Edinburgh
6 top-rated hostels with social events in Edinburgh Handpicked for travelers who want the best.
Edinburgh's hostel social scene is unusually tight — six independent Old Town houses, all within 5 minutes' walk of each other, all running their own version of the evening ritual. The six hostels below cover the full spectrum: the pod-luxury social (CODE - The Court), the atmospheric backpacker classic with free haggis night (Castle Rock), the transit-smart self-catering option (Princes Street Hostel), the boutique folk-pub neighbor (Royal Mile Backpackers), the loudest in-house-bar party house (Kick Ass Grassmarket) and the 1984-original budget classic (High Street Hostel). Pick based on how organized you want the social to be.
Edinburgh socializing runs on a vertical axis: the Royal Mile at the top, Cowgate at the bottom, and the Grassmarket on one side. Every serious hostel pub crawl either starts at Kick Ass Grassmarket or walks past it, heads downhill into the Cowgate (Bannerman's for rock, Sneaky Pete's for techno, Whistlebinkies for live bands), and ends at The Hive on Niddry Street around 2 am. The Original Edinburgh Pub Crawl partners with CODE, Castle Rock, Kick Ass and High Street Hostel — entry to The Hive is included and skips the Saturday queue. Hostels not in the Grassmarket loop (Royal Mile Backpackers, Princes Street Hostel) run smaller informal crawls or send guests to the bigger houses' meetups. It's a 10-minute walk between the furthest two hostels on this list.
🎉Why Edinburgh is Perfect for Social Events
Edinburgh's Grassmarket-Cowgate loop is a tight pub circuit with a 15-minute perimeter. Hostel pub crawls exist because the Cowgate after 2 am is a rowdy stag-do pressure cooker — solo travelers don't walk it alone, so hostels fix that by staging organized departures from 9 pm, queue-skipping at The Hive, and a staff escort back to bed around 2 am.
The Original Edinburgh Pub Crawl runs from Kick Ass, Castle Rock, CODE and High Street on Fridays and Saturdays. Entry is free if you're booked at those hostels; non-guests pay £10. The crawl includes Dropkick Murphys, Biddy Mulligan's, Maggie Dickson's and ends at The Hive with a free shot. It's cheaper than doing it solo and saves the 30-minute Saturday queue at The Hive.
Traveler's take
“I stayed two nights at CODE - The Court for the location, two at Castle Rock for the fireplace and the haggis night, one at Kick Ass Grassmarket for the on-site bar, one at Royal Mile Backpackers for the kitchen, one at Princes Street Hostel for the early train out, and one at High Street Hostel for the sheer character of the 40-year-old graffiti walls. CODE's basement pub crawl is the most-organized (9 pm meetup, staff-led, Hive entry included); Castle Rock's Monday haggis night is the most-Scottish (free, in the Red Room with whisky at £3); Kick Ass is the most-chaotic (in-house bar plus happy hour plus karaoke); Royal Mile Backpackers is the most-intimate (38 beds makes the whole hostel one social space); Princes Street is the most-practical (a 2-minute walk to Waverley, perfect for the 5 am train); High Street is the most-legit (1984 continuity and a Sunday shared-pot dinner). Pick one, or pick two for a four-night weekend.”
Our Top 6 Picks
Hostels in Edinburgh with social events, sorted by guest rating.
CODE - The Court, Edinburgh
Old Town (Parliament Square)
Excellent
7,869 reviews
Pod-style hostel on Parliament Square, literally next to St Giles' Cathedral and 90 seconds' walk from Edinburgh Castle. Converted from a building attached to the Court of Session, with 250-ish pods across four floors plus a vaulted basement bar. The most central address of any hostel in Edinburgh.
From
€42//night
Why travelers love CODE - The Court, Edinburgh
“Reviewers consistently call out the location as unbeatable (Parliament Square is as central as Edinburgh gets), pod engineering as better-than-budget (mattresses, sockets, soundproofing), and the basement bar as atmospheric but loud on weekends. Staff-led pub crawl is the most-mentioned social activity.”
Castle Rock Hostel
Old Town (Johnston Terrace, below the Castle)
Excellent
1,611 reviews
220-bed backpacker classic run by MacBackpackers, wedged directly under Edinburgh Castle on Johnston Terrace. The kitchen window looks up at the castle wall. Free haggis tasting Mondays, nightly events, shared kitchen, Red Room lounge with a working fireplace. 18+ only.
From
€28//night
Why travelers love Castle Rock Hostel
“Reviewers consistently call Castle Rock the friendliest hostel in Edinburgh and the one with the most authentic Scottish atmosphere — fireplace, haggis night, and MacBackpackers hospitality all get named. Older building hardware (squeaky bunks, bathroom queues) is the common downside.”
Princes Street Hostel
New Town (West Register Street, off Princes Street)
Very Good
2,066 reviews
130-bed hostel on West Register Street, the first lane off Princes Street. Two minutes' walk to Waverley Station, five minutes to the Royal Mile. Georgian building with a proper shared kitchen, chill-out lounge, and the best transport-hub address in Edinburgh.
From
€32//night
Why travelers love Princes Street Hostel
“Reviewers consistently praise the location as the most practical in Edinburgh (Waverley, Airlink, Royal Mile all within 10 minutes), the shared kitchen as well-equipped, and the staff as transit-savvy. The five-flight stair climb and Princes Street tram noise on front-facing rooms are the common downsides.”
Royal Mile Backpackers
Old Town (Royal Mile, High Street)
Very Good
1,739 reviews
38-bed boutique backpacker on 105 High Street — the Royal Mile itself. Small, cosy, family-run hostel tucked above a tartan shop with a beamed-ceiling kitchen, a tiny lounge, and the most authentic Royal Mile address of any small hostel in the city.
From
€30//night
Why travelers love Royal Mile Backpackers
“Reviewers consistently highlight the Royal Mile location, the small-hostel intimacy, and the friendliness of the family-run staff. Older building (narrow stairs, no lift, street noise) and the lack of on-site bar are the most-cited downsides.”
Kick Ass Grassmarket
Old Town (Grassmarket, 2 West Port)
Very Good
10,469 reviews
220-bed 18+ party hostel on the Grassmarket corner, at the foot of the steps up to Edinburgh Castle. In-house bar, free breakfast, nightly events, the loudest pub crawl meetup in the city. The hostel that built its reputation on Grassmarket nightlife.
From
€29//night
Why travelers love Kick Ass Grassmarket
“Reviewers consistently highlight the location on the Grassmarket, the active social programme, and the easy friend-making at the in-house bar. The noise level (especially on weekends) and the morning bathroom queue are the commonly-flagged downsides, but most bookers knew what they were signing up for.”
High Street Hostel
Old Town (Blackfriars Street, off the Royal Mile)
Very Good
2,321 reviews
Edinburgh's oldest backpacker hostel, open since 1984 on 8 Blackfriars Street — a half-lane off the Royal Mile. 150-bed 18+ Old Town classic with a shared kitchen, a cobbled back courtyard, and the lowest Old Town dorm rate in the city.
From
€26//night
Why travelers love High Street Hostel
“Reviewers consistently call High Street Hostel authentic, atmospheric, and cheap — in that order. Older building hardware, smaller lockers, and the stair climb (five floors, no lift) are the common downsides, but almost no one complains about the atmosphere.”
💡Tips for Choosing a Hostel with Social Events in Edinburgh
- 1Book a Grassmarket-loop hostel (Kick Ass, Castle Rock, High Street) if your weekend is pub-crawl focused — all three put you on the Grassmarket-Cowgate-Royal Mile loop in under 3 minutes.
- 2Book CODE - The Court if you want pod privacy plus curated social — the 9 pm basement crawl is staff-led and the pub crawl is bundled with Hive entry, best value of any Edinburgh hostel crawl.
- 3Book Royal Mile Backpackers or Princes Street Hostel if you want quieter social — smaller properties, no on-site bar, hostel-friendship through the kitchen not the bar.
- 4During the Fringe (first three weeks of August) prices triple, the Royal Mile is a wall of crowds, and every hostel on this list books out. Reserve at least 90 days ahead or pick the week before or after Fringe.
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