Name: Safestay Edinburgh Cowgate
Address: 94 116 Cowgate, Edinburgh, GB

8/10

Excellent

20 Jul 2026

Kaitlin

Perfect for a quick stop over in Edinburgh. Location was great, room was clean and felt safe. The only down fall is that there I a pub across the street that was quite loud late into the night, however, I stayed during the World Cup finals so it was understandable. I would stay again!

Self

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jul 2026

Adrienne

Great location. In the middle of downtown and it was very cute, cozy and accommodating. Would stay again

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jul 2026

Carlie

Staff were extremely helpful when I had forgotten to request a bottom bunk for my tired old bones with few if any climbing skills. They went above and beyond to help find me another room. Thank you!

Self

6/10

Pleasant

07 Jul 2026

Rhonda

If you just need a room with a bathroom for a couple nights this will work nicely. I was pleasantly surprised.
Staff, shops nearby,location were great and I would stay there again

Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jul 2026

Kenneth

Staff were really nice, check in/check out was straight forward. 6 bed dorm was great. Thanks for everything!

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

04 Jul 2026

aline

Clean room, friendly and helpful staff, so close to everything.

Could use a bathroom rug, and perhaps a desk or chair in the room.

Loud night club cross the window, but mostly just the sat night.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jun 2026

eduardo

Excellent ! Well located, super clean, definitely recommended

Friends

2/10

Poor

20 Jun 2026

Andrew

We had a four person (two bunk) room with basic en suite facilities for the same price as a room in a good 5 star London hotel. Appalling value for money for a hostel. Not sure how they justify the exceptionally high pricing.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jun 2026

Sanny

Good place to stay just walking distance to the place I visited plus not far from the train station

Self

6/10

Pleasant

12 Jun 2026

Xuyen

The rooms were clean and I like that the beds felt semi private since it covers your face. It is ideal to get a room with a private bathroom. The public one, I felt exposed since the top of the stall is open and both genders use it and it feels a bit dirty. It is very loud at night with the bar so bring ear plugs. The road to get to the front of the building feels desolate but when you turn the into the main corner of the street there are lots of stores to shop around.

Self

4/10

Poor

07 Jun 2026

Hailey

This property is in an excellent location. It is close to the Grassmarket where city tour busses can pick you up and get you where you need to go. The staff (in general) were helpful and were willing to answer questions.
If you want a clean environment look elsewhere. I don’t think the bathrooms were cleaned at all the whole week I was there. Trash piled up on the floors and next to the toilets, the showers had hair and mold. It was extremely loud due to the three sisters across the street throwing massive parties every night.
I know it was a cheap option and you get what you pay for but I wasn’t expecting this level of unclean. However, if you don’t mind any of what I said above then it’s perfect for you. Also, there are no lifts/ elevators. So, if you have difficulty with stairs it is not the right property for you.
All that being said I had an ok, visit. I, however, will not go back. As it did not leave a good impression.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

27 May 2026

brendon

Clean rooms and helpful staff. Bedding was clean. Rooms were quiet and secure. Bunk beds aren’t bad, but the ladders to the top bunks are pretty narrow, making it difficult to get down from. Hallways are a bit narrow, but it’s in an old building. The location is fine, it’s on the lower street so you have a few young drunk people walking around late at night. Shops are nearby. Overall an enjoyable stay.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

26 May 2026

Ryan

Great stay for the price, but we were in a private room and had no drug users en-suite. There definitely were profuse users in and around the property, but we did not have any issues.

Family_with_children

4/10

Poor

24 May 2026

Brendan

There was a dance club nearby with bass that permeated the room--it was loud enough to hear the vocals until well after 2:00 AM. I had a terrible sleep.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

12 Apr 2026

Alissa

Ok stay. Hostel close to things, but had a dirty ally cat feel. 4 person private room was so small. Basic metal bunk beds with a light on a power strip in the bunk. No handle to get up, no shelves or hooks to put things. Very tight quarters. Only 1 small rack of hooks in the room. Same for the community shower..4 hooks, no bench or shelf. Very small!! Rooms and bathrooms weren't super clean. There was something spilled down the head end of our bunk and the light fixure at me head hadn't been wiped in ages. Layer of black gunk around the lockers edges. Also, it was very noisy from the bar across the street to the squeaky door where people came in andout of all night long. We could hear ppl closings bathroom doorsand using the facilities at all times. Staff was friendly and there is a small foyer with sofas where a few ppl can hang out. Also a smalll dining area with 6 tables and benches where you could eat a sack meal.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 Apr 2026

Lina

I do recommend this hostel. It is in old town, Edinburgh, and it was awesome. The location is good. You will really enjoy it. The only thing I didn’t like is the way the showers they were facing the wall a very hard to get wet.

Self

2/10

Poor

05 Apr 2026

Alan

2 shops local as well as a lively night club outside rooms 132 / 232 /332,
Fellow guests pretty annoying with the sleep patterns & noise with lockers

10/10

Exceptional

23 Feb 2026

James

the rooms were spotless and the staff were courteous

Self

8/10

Excellent

24 Dec 2025

OLIUL

Everything was good except the noise it was noisy till 4AM

Self

2/10

Poor

30 Nov 2025

Claire

I asked for an early check in and was not available on arrival. The staff were rude in regards to this. No customer service skills at all. We then came back around 4pm, got in our room with no electric. No pre warning even though the electric had been off since the previous day. We were told they couldnt do anything until someone arrived to fix it. Bare in mine we had 3 children. We then got given an extension lead under the door and a lamp. We had to get ready in the shared bathroom. When the electric was fixed our light bulb needed replacing. All this made us late for a reservation. We had no apology at all. We also had the worst sleep ever. People shouting, singing and running up and down corridors as well as music till almost 3am. Non of this was monitored. No signs to keep quiet or anything. Then at 3am i needed to use the bathroom and to my disgust someone was having sex in there. This is not family friendly in any way shape or form. Absolutely shocking.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

30 Oct 2025

Adam

good

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

29 Sep 2025

Vineeth

The only small hiccup was the shower water pressure, it felt a bit weak. Other than that, the place was clean, central, and the staff were friendly. overall great!

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

23 Sep 2025

Solange

Over all a comfortable stay. It could definitely use some renovating and the stairs are strong concrete but molded oddly in certain areas. But the staff was extremely helpful and the area was very convenient for walking old Edinburgh.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Sep 2025

ENRICO

Safe

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

01 Sep 2025

Rhojane

It was a great place. Near by at downtown.

8/10

Excellent

30 Aug 2025

Ganesh Pandian

Value for money except minor complaint.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

18 Aug 2025

Reygina

The property was easy to find ! The staff are all lovely and helpful ! Excellent location walking distance from everything ! A lot of toilets and washing facilities. Clean beds and lockers for your stuff ( bring your own lock ). Would recommend ear plugs because it’s right across from three sisters and they play live music until like 3 am but that’s no fault of the hostel at all! I was prepared by the reviews so I brought earplugs, eyelash and had a good night sleep. All in all good place and did the job 😁

Business_and_leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

16 Aug 2025

james

An ok place to stay if you love to party

The biggest thing that made my stay not so enjoyable,is that the bar across the street was so loud you heard the music in the room. Therefore it made it a bit challenging to go to sleep at night. Also outside of the hostel in the smoking area, the ashtrays were full. I asked the staff where I could empty the ashtrays. The staff said they would empty the ashtrays and they finally emptied them a day later.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

09 Aug 2025

Nadia

clean, spacious room and toilet. Not enough hanging hooks. Windows MUST be changed, loud music comes from the pub in front until 3 A.M !!!

Business_and_leisure Self

2/10

Poor

04 Aug 2025

Colin

I liked the closeness to pubs and clubs & the smoking area. I hated the bunk beds & the noise of the people in the room with me. I didn't sleep at all

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

30 Jul 2025

Sydney

The hostel was very close to the heart of the city, so it was near shopping, food, and activities. We didn’t need public transport for anything except getting to the airport. The hostel is directly next door to an outdoor bar/music venue, so there was noise at all hours of the day. Since there is no A/C, the windows needed to stay open, so we were constantly hearing whatever was going on across the street. It didn’t bother us any, but it may bother you if you are a light sleeper and/or are traveling with children. My one critique of the hostel is that the bathrooms were quite dirty, and they smelled pretty bad.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jul 2025

Darryl

Great location, perfect hostel for City Stays

Pleasant stay at the hostel. Having our own dorm was great and made it affordable for three people meeting up, visiting the City and just having a catch.

Great location and close to the Cities parkrun that takes place on Saturday

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jul 2025

Melanie

Great experience, exceeded my expectations over value for money. The bunks have privacy screens around the head and feet of the bed, which made sharing a room feel less invasive. Music can be heard from the bar around the front of the building (it’s summer, so we had the windows open) but it wasn’t an issue, my days were so packed with walking and exploring that I slept really well! I found the bed comfy. Showers did the job, I brought my own towel. Would recommend bringing a padlock for your locker if you are concerned about valuables, but it would better serve not bringing ‘valuables’ (if possible) in the first place.
I love Edinburgh and a place like this really encourages me to visit more regularly. Thanks Safestay!

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jul 2025

Calvin

Perfect place thank
You

Business_and_leisure

8/10

Excellent

11 Jul 2025

Elisabeth

The location is amazing. Staff is very nice. The shared bathroom was not perfectly clean and a bit smelly, that's why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.

Business_and_leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

11 Jun 2025

Stephen

The only downside was the noise from the doors outside our room banging, and the conversations being had outside our room late at night and early in the morning. But for £40, what would we expect? We'd stay again, though.

Leisure Friends

6/10

Pleasant

24 May 2025

Verified traveler

It was clean but everything is a money grab, 5£ here 6£ there. It felt like I was going to get asked to bring my own toilet paper

Self

8/10

Excellent

16 May 2025

Jerilyn

Felt safe and clean. Will definitely stay again if ever in Edinburgh.

10/10

Exceptional

11 May 2025

SUTHASINEE

Really near market, castles, museum and compare with the price I’ll give it 10/10

Leisure Self

4/10

Poor

14 Apr 2025

Karen

April 2025 stay at Cowgate safestay

I like the location in old town. However it was very hot inside the rooms there were no fans and the windows did not open. The first room I was put into was so small before bunks that I could barely move and they put me on a top bunk which I requested a bottom bunk. I was very unhappy about this and asked to be moved. The initial response was no that they were full in fact overbooked and I was told they did not know where everyone was going to steep that night. This was disturbing news to me. What are the staff came back and offered to move me to a six bunk room someone had not checked in and there was a mix up. This was a completely satisfactory bed and there was room in the room to move however again it was hot and stuffy and the windows did not open. I found the continent of breakfast to be very expensive for what was offered. I was also not very impressive there was nowhere to store food in a cooler or fridge. It was quite noisy with a bar two bars across the street however I dear plugs in the noise didn't bother me. The slamming of the doors did. Although I really like the location I would not stay here again. It is not close to the tram from the airport however I did not mind the walk. I also felt nickled and dimed. Even though I had a reservation for that day they charged me for luggage storage and after I checked out and had a few hours to spare the charged me another few pounds. There's a lot that could be done to improve the services offered here.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

08 Jan 2025

Muhammad

Duvet was very small

Friends_and_family Friends

6/10

Pleasant

11 Nov 2024

Brittney

No individual charging port, only had a power strip that had to be charged. No shelf or light in the bunks. No bathroom in the room, had to use a communal bathroom. Which would have been fine but two of the three showers were out of order and the toilet didn’t have toilet paper. Location was good.

Self

2/10

Poor

19 Oct 2024

Justin

Outdated, not clean, hot water didn’t work. Loud, way better options around

Leisure Self

2/10

Poor

08 Oct 2024

Helen

I had a worst experienced in this hostel, its a small space and too noisy because the building is accross the pub bar and the toilets are so dirty and the showers terrible it won’t shut off and the water that came out was too hot! I am not gonna recommend this hostel to anyone!

Leisure Self

2/10

Poor

23 Sep 2024

Meret

Massive facility that's poorly kept. No toilet paper, soap or toilet seats in the bathroom! Only sell (don't rent) towels for 6 pounds if you dare use their showers. Loud club across the street. We rented a private and were told when we checked in that the room wasn't available and we had to take a shared room instead. No solutions were available bc the manager wasn't onsite. If you like not sleeping, loud music and no safe place to lock up your stuff, then this is the place for you.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

08 Sep 2024

Karen

The bunk beds were rough.
Saturday nights are noisy but other nights were quiet.

Leisure Friends

2/10

Poor

22 Aug 2024

Rebecca

Lousy storage, have to pay for a lock. Poor room layouts. So loud opposite the pub