Edinburgh City Guide - Nightlife

The days when Edinburgh's nightlife was a bit tame and local punters went through to Glasgow for a decent night out are long gone. Edinburgh is booming and its nightlife is following suit with well-heeled locals fuelling a scene that is bolstered by a steady stream of tourists throughout the year. There is no one set area for nightlife with George Street in the New Town, the High Street area of the Old Town, the university sector and the Grassmarket all popular haunts.

Broughton Street tends to attract a 'mixed' clientele, while the seaside quarter of Leith is popular with the trendy set. The city's pubs range from traditional taverns with hundreds of years of history behind them, to slinky modern style bars. After pub closing time, Edinburgh's club scene offers everything from easy listening to the latest dance music, via 1970s and 1980s revival evenings. Live music can be heard everywhere from intimate pubs to the huge Murrayfield Stadium.

Some clubs may require smart dress and alcohol can normally be purchased until 2300, though many pubs and bars are open until 0100, or even 0300 (and until 0500 during the festival). The legal drinking age is 18. Drink prices vary enormously, depending on the venue - beer varies between £2-3 per pint. 

Note: Smoking in enclosed public spaces is banned throughout Scotland.

Bars: Some good traditional pubs are Bow Bar, 80 West Bow, and Café Royal Circle Bar, 17 West Register Street (which also features great seafood). There are plenty of pubs lining Rose Street (a pedestrianised road behind Princes Street), but the Victorian grandeur is often blighted by hen and stag parties. Also worth trying is The Canny Man's, 239 Morningside Road, with its highly unusual bric-a-brac décor - beware as cameras are banned. More stylish places to hang out include the Malmaison Hotel Bar, 1 Tower Place, Leith, Ricks, Frederick Street, the Opal Lounge on George Street, and Indigo Yard, Charlotte Lane.

Depending on your favourite tipple, go to the Malt Shovel, Cockburn Street, or back to the Bow Bar, to sample whisky and the Cask and Barrel, 115 Broughton Street, for real ale. A popular trendy meeting place is the Villager, 49-50 George IV Bridge. Leith offers everything from raffish old pubs like the Port o' Leith, 58 Constitution Street, that are not for the faint-hearted through to bright style bars like Bar Sirius, Dock Place. The Oxford Bar, Young Street, is an essential stop for fans of Ian Rankin as both the author and his fictional Inspector Rebus are regulars.

Clubs: Edinburgh's club scene is lively and clubs quickly fall in and out of fashion. Espionage, 4 India Buildings, Victoria Street (website: www.espionage007.co.uk), offers five fun-filled floors of clubbing action, while Cabaret Voltaire, 36-38 Blair Street (website: www.thecabaretvoltaire.com), is more hip and exclusive. The Opal Lounge, 51 George Street (website: www.opallounge.co.uk), and Po Na Na, 43B Frederick Street (website: www.eclecticbars.co.uk/ponana), are also popular, the latter with an emphasis on funky beats. Indie kids should head for the studenty Citrus Club, 40-42 Grindlay Street (website: www.citrusclub.co.uk). During the festivals in August a number of impromptu events spring up.

Live Music: The Royal Oak, 1 Infirmary Street, is an unpretentious folk bar, while Sandy Bell's, 25 Forest Road, also has informal folk sessions. Eighty Queen St, 80 Queen Street and Henry's Jazz Cellar, 8 Morrison Street, both feature live jazz while Bannermans, 212 Cowgate, regularly features new bands. Whistlebinkies, 4-6 South Bridge, is a well established live music bar, with bands playing every night.