Make your New Year's unforgettable with six days of Scottish adventure, city exploring and Highland magic! Start your trip in the heart of Edinburgh with welcome drinks, a Scottish whisky tasting and tasty nibbles, before joining a traditional Scottish ceilidh party. Join a traditional Scottish Folk Dance party at Castle Rock Hostel in Edinburgh. ​ Explore Scotland's capital on a guided Edinburgh walking tour, discovering the city's winding Old Town streets, fascinating histo

In honour of the late and great Dolly Parton, our backpackers donned their rhinestone cowboy hats and took to the cobbles of Edinburgh last night for an evening of live music, karaoke, drinks and new friends. Guests who stay at Castle Rock Hostel, High Street Hostel or Royal Mile Backpackers get to join our FREE weekly bar crawl all around the city's best watering holes when they stay on a Thursday night.

As great as August in Edinburgh can be, a few days of the jam-packed Royal Mile can leave anyone ready for a breather. If you want to step away from the festival crowds without throwing your travel budget out the window, heading north into the Highlands is easier - and far cheaper - than most people realise. A trip to a backpackers hostel on Loch Ness might be just what the doctor has ordered.

If you didn't know it was happening, Edinburgh hosts the world's largest arts festival every August - the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It's an incredible opportunity for backpackers to explore some incredible comedy, theatre, music and more - and with shows on offer with free tickets - can even be really affordable if you play your cards right.

Want to get the most out of your backpacking trip to Edinburgh without the fuss? For backpackers on a budget and on a mission to do as much as possible with their time, there's nothing better than our new STH Experiences page. It puts everything directly onto a single, live-updated dashboard. You can instantly filter through daily events, compare prices, and check exact departure times for local walking tours, live music gigs, whisky tastings, and group pub crawls...

If you're a backpacker or budget traveller looking to tick off some of the most classically Scottish sights and experiences in one day, the Highland Cows & Scotland Castles 1 Day Tour from Macbackpackers is exactly what you're looking for. Leaving with from the doorstep of Castle Rock Hostel, this 10-hour itinerary packs in all the magic of the Highlands without the fuss.

This exclusive deal won't be found on third party booking platforms or apps, just here on the Scotland's Top Hostels website. There's no promo code, no fuss, just put your dates in, see what's available at our affordable, social hostels, and you'll unlock 10% off your stay.

Were you with us on our last FREE weekly Edinburgh backpackers' pub crawl? Got FOMO? Want to see if you can find that picture of yourself from last night before things got a wee bit blurry? Or that stunning group pic?

If you're short on time but want to pack in some of Scotland's most iconic sights during your trip to our wee country, Macbackpackers has the answer for you. The new Highland Cows & Castles Day Trip is a jam-packed 10-hour adventures designed for budget travellers and backpackers aged 18-35 who want a taste of the Highlands without the overnight stay.

Good news! We're bringing down prices for selected dates the rest of this June at our central, vibrant, social Castle Rock Hostel. With 3 large lounges catering to all vibes from social to laid-back, daily social events including a free Solo Traveller Meet-Up, a well-equipped kitchen, and free tea & coffee 24/7, it's the perfect backpacker stay in the city centre.

Looking at a last minute city break this June? Backpacking around Europe and not sure what your next stop should be? Edinburgh, the Scottish Capital, can sometimes be a pricey place to stay, but with cheap Ryanair & Easyjet flights from most of Europe landing in the city, it's certainly an affordable place to get to.

We're not usually the ones to blow our own bagpipes, but when the global travel community speaks, it's rude not to. Our Edinburgh hostels have consistently won Hostelworld's HOSCARs, among the most well-recognised awards in the backpacking industry, for their inclusive atmospheres, incredible buildings, commitment to sustainability, central location, and welcoming staff.

So you want to visit the Scottish Highlands, you open up Google Maps and look for the best way to head from Edinburgh up North, and maybe you wonder if you're missing something? That was certainly my case when I first looked at travelling up North, it felt like it should just be easier to visit the top destinations like Loch Ness, the Isle of Skye, and Glencoe than having to bus-hop endlessly.

A picture might be worth a thousand words, but when it comes to our free Edinburgh backpackers pub crawl, a picture is usually worth about three discount Jägerbombs, two new best friends from the other side of the world, and a slightly blurry memory of singing 500 Miles at the top of your lungs.

Castle Rock Hostel in Edinburgh has built up a reputation for being one of Europe's biggest and best social backpackers hostels. From winning awards at the Hostelworld HOSCARS consistently every year, through to the thousands of reviews mentioning engaging staff, fun organised events, and a great atmosphere each evening, you'll be sure to get the most of your backpacking trip to Edinburgh with a stay at Castle Rock.

Heading to Edinburgh on your backpacking trip and looking for the best bars where you can meet people without breaking the bank? Whether you're looking for cheap pints, live music, late-night dancing, or a place to chill out, we've got you covered.

If your backpacking trip is taking you to Edinburgh and you're looking for a hostel where it's actually easy to meet people, you'll likely find Castle Rock Hostel popping up on Hostelworld and elsewhere. Set right in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle in the middle of the Old Town, it's known for its huge and varied common areas, relaxed social atmosphere, and daily social events that bring travellers together naturally - where that's over drinks, games, pub crawls, Scottish danc

Planning a backpacking trip around Scotland? Want to make the most of your experience without breaking the bank? Where you stay can shape the whole experience - Edinburgh is a bustling backpacker hub full of museums and history, while the Highlands offers scenic views alongside incredible activities from hiking Ben Nevis to kayaking on Loch Ness.

Known as one of the most social backpackers hostels in the city, Castle Rock also offers the kind of flexible spaces and relaxed atmosphere that make it surprisingly workable for digital nomads. If you’re looking for a place where you can log on, get your work done, and then actually have people to hang out with afterwards, here’s what it’s really like to stay here.

Looking for an affordable place to stay in Edinburgh without ending up somewhere dull, cramped, or far from the action? The good news is in Scotland's capital, you don’t have to choose between price and experience.