Creative Commons licensePhoto by flickr user MonkeyMyshkin

Not just Scotland's capital city and an important centre of the late 18th-century Enlightenment, Edinburgh is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe (in Britain, second only to London), its rich history in evidence everywhere you look from the famous Castle, towering above streets of genteel, granite grey houses, to the startling new and wildly over-budget Scottish Parliament building. Attractions range from the Festival, held over three weeks every August when the population swells to double, to the Military Tattoo and Hogmanay street party, to say nothing of its excellent museums and galleries or stylish shops and restaurants. As you'd expect, there's a wide choice of accommodation, whether you plump for a luxury hotel in the shadow of the Castle or one of the bed-and-breakfasts that have sprung up around the city and are proving popular, good-value alternatives. The order of the hotels in this list bears no reflection on our preference.

Written by Fiona Duncan