Family Hotels in Edinburgh That Welcome the Dog
5 family-friendly hotels with pet friendly in Edinburgh . Handpicked for families who want the best.
Edinburgh is a brilliant city to visit with kids and a dog at the same time. The Old Town is walkable, Holyrood Park is a real hill in the middle of the city for off-lead walks, and the Water of Leith path runs for miles past parks and cafes. Hotels here generally take pets seriously: pet bowls in the room, baskets on request, ground-floor options for older dogs. The five places below all accept dogs, all have family rooms or apartments, and all are either close to green space or sit in their own grounds. Book early for July and August.
Edinburgh has the personality of a town that wears boots indoors. It is grand without being precious, the trams stop near the castle, the gulls argue on the Royal Mile, and you will see schoolchildren in tartan, students with backpacks, and Westies in tweed coats all on the same crossing. For families with dogs that means staff who do not raise an eyebrow at a wet labrador in reception. It also means you will spend a lot of time outside and that is mostly fine.
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🐕Why Edinburgh works as a family + dog city break
Edinburgh rewards families travelling with a dog because the city is small enough to walk, short on busy ring roads in the centre, and surrounded by hills and beaches. Holyrood Park, the Meadows, Inverleith Park, and Portobello Beach are all 20 minutes from the Royal Mile. Dogs are welcome on most buses and in plenty of pubs and cafes, which makes a rainy afternoon manageable when the kids want chips and the dog wants a nap.
The first reason Edinburgh works with kids and a dog is the geography. Holyrood Park is a 260-metre volcanic hill inside the city. You can walk Arthur's Seat with the kids in 90 minutes, the dog stays on lead near the cliffs but runs free on the lower paths, and you are back at the hotel for lunch. The Meadows and Bruntsfield Links sit just south of the Old Town and are flat, grassy, and full of dogs every morning. Younger children also love the ducks and swans on St Margaret's Loch at the foot of the hill.
The second reason is that Edinburgh hotels actually equip themselves for pets. Most of the hotels we picked provide bowls and a basket on request, several have ground-floor rooms with garden access, and a couple sit in their own private grounds where dogs can run off-lead before breakfast. That matters when you are travelling with a younger dog who needs movement before the kids start their day. Prestonfield House, a 17th-century mansion in 20 acres of parkland five minutes from Holyrood Park, even has peacocks on the lawn and offers pet bowls and welcome treats.
The third reason is transport. Edinburgh airport is 20 minutes by tram or taxi from the centre, the trains to North Berwick and the coast take 30 minutes, and the city itself is small enough to walk end to end. You do not need a car, which means the dog is not stuck in a hot boot while you queue for parking at the castle. Black Ivy in Bruntsfield is five minutes on foot from the Meadows, and its bistro garden lets dogs sit at your feet while the children eat.
The right base depends on whether you want the city on the doorstep or space for the dog. In the New Town, Kimpton Charlotte Square has family rooms in a Georgian townhouse, an indoor pool with family hours and kids' meals in its BABA restaurant, a short walk from Princes Street and the castle. Eden Locke on George Street is apartment-style, with kitchens and washing machines that cope with muddy paws and toddler outfits. Outside the centre, Melville Castle Hotel in Lasswade has 12 acres of grounds for off-lead walks, family rooms in a restored castle and free parking, about 30 minutes by car from the city.
Parent's take
With a dog and young children, I would book Prestonfield House, rated 9.6: its listing shows parkland for dog walks, Holyrood Park a 5-minute walk away, family suites and pet bowls with welcome treats. For a central base with more space, I would choose Eden Locke, an apartment-style hotel with kitchens, washing machines, pet bowls and a basket, three minutes from Princes Street.
Our Top 5 Picks
Hotels in Edinburgh with pet friendly, sorted by guest rating.
Prestonfield House
Priestfield (south of Holyrood Park)
Wonderful
500 reviews
A 17th-century mansion sitting in 20 acres of parkland five minutes from Holyrood Park, with peacocks on the lawn, family suites in the main house, and a Rhubarb restaurant that takes children seriously. Dogs are welcome in most rooms with bowls and treats provided and the parkland is the closest thing to a private estate you will get inside Edinburgh. Babysitting is available with notice.
From
€725/night
Why families love Prestonfield House
Parents call this the only Edinburgh hotel where you can let the dog run before breakfast without a lead, and that is not strictly true but it is the easiest. The 20-acre grounds are fenced, the peacocks ignore most dogs, and the family suites in the main mansion are huge and quiet. It is not cheap, the breakfast is a la carte rather than buffet, and Rhubarb at dinner is more grown-up than kid-led. A 10-minute taxi to the centre or a 20-minute walk through Holyrood Park.
Eden Locke
George Street (New Town)
Excellent
500 reviews
An apartment-hotel on George Street with kitchens in every room, a washing machine for muddy paws and toddler outfits, and a Hyde Bar in the lobby that works as a daytime cafe. Pet bowls and basket are provided, the building is a converted Georgian block with a lift, and Princes Street Gardens are three minutes away for the morning circuit. No breakfast is included so plan kitchen breakfasts or walk to a cafe.
From
€536/night
Why families love Eden Locke
Eden Locke is the Edinburgh apartment-hotel I would choose with a dog and children. Every room on George Street has a kitchen, there is a washing machine for muddy paws and toddler outfits, and pet bowls and a basket are provided. Princes Street Gardens are three minutes away for the morning walk. Breakfast is not included, so plan to cook or head to a cafe, and book the one-bedroom over the studio for a family of four.
Kimpton Charlotte Square by IHG
Charlotte Square (New Town)
Excellent
500 reviews
A Georgian mansion on Charlotte Square in the New Town, with an indoor pool, a small spa, and a kitchen that does proper kids meals. Pet bowls and a basket appear on request and the front desk arranges dog walkers if you want a child-free dinner at BABA downstairs. Princes Street is a five-minute walk and Inverleith Park is a 25-minute walk for the morning run.
From
€476/night
Why families love Kimpton Charlotte Square by IHG
Parents like that the pool has a family hour from 9 to 11 and that the room layout in the family suites separates the cot from the dog bed by a wall. Kimpton's pet policy is unusually generous and includes pet bowls, a welcome treat, and no breed or weight restriction. The downside is parking, which is valet only at a New Town surcharge, so we recommend trams from the airport. Older kids will spend an hour staring at the gold-leaf ceilings in the ballroom while the dog sleeps in reception.
Melville Castle Hotel
Lasswade (south Edinburgh, near Dalkeith Country Park)
Excellent
500 reviews
A Scottish castle hotel in Lasswade, 30 minutes south of central Edinburgh by car, with 12 acres of grounds, a turret family room, and a billiards room kids actually want to play in. Dogs are welcome in standard rooms and there is plenty of space outside for off-lead walks before breakfast. Free parking which matters for families arriving with car seats and luggage.
From
€416/night
Why families love Melville Castle Hotel
Parents who want a base outside the city and a real Scottish castle experience choose this one over a townhouse in town. The grounds run down to the South Esk river, the food is solid pub-castle rather than fine-dining, and the staff genuinely like dogs. The trade-off is that you need a car or taxis to reach the Royal Mile, the trip into town takes 35 minutes in summer traffic, and there is no pool. We send families with two kids and a labrador here without hesitation.
Black Ivy
Bruntsfield (Whitehouse Loan)
Excellent
500 reviews
A four-star bistro hotel in Bruntsfield, five minutes from the Meadows on foot and 15 minutes from the Royal Mile by bus or walk. The bistro has a garden where dogs sit at your feet, family rooms include cots and pet bowls, and the breakfast room serves until 10am which suits late-rising teenagers. Whitehouse Loan is a quiet residential street.
From
€340/night
Why families love Black Ivy
Parents like Black Ivy because the location is residential rather than tourist, the price drops by a third compared to the New Town, and the Meadows are the best dog park in the city for a 7am walk. The bistro is dog-friendly at lunch and dinner which means you do not have to leave the dog in the room while you eat. Family rooms are tight by Edinburgh standards but the quiet at night is the trade-off you want with younger kids and a tired dog.
💡Practical tips for booking with kids and a dog
- 1Email the hotel before booking to confirm its pet fee and whether it applies per night or per stay, since policies differ from one hotel to the next.
- 2Ask for a ground-floor or first-floor room if your dog is older or large because Edinburgh hotels are often in tall Georgian townhouses with narrow stairs and the lift is sometimes only big enough for a buggy.
- 3Pack a folding water bowl and a long-line lead because cafes will often let you sit outside and many parks ask dogs to be on lead in spring when ground-nesting birds use the grass and rangers do check.
- 4Time Arthur's Seat for early morning before the school groups arrive at 10am because parking at Holyrood is tight, the dog can run on the lower paths, and you will be back for the breakfast cut-off if you stay nearby.
- 5Check whether your hotel has a garden or terrace because that single thing makes the difference at 7am when the dog needs out and you do not want to wake the kids dressing for the rain.
- 6Choose a hotel with its own grounds if your dog needs space. Prestonfield House has 20 acres of parkland near Holyrood Park and Melville Castle Hotel has 12 acres in Lasswade, so the first walk of the day happens before breakfast without crossing a road.
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