East, Edinburgh: neighborhood guide

East Edinburgh is a band of residential and former industrial districts between Holyrood Park, Leith and the coast, running out to Musselburgh. It is not a sightseeing quarter. Two pockets matter to visitors: Portobello, a Victorian seaside resort with a promenade and a long sandy beach, and Duddingston, a small hamlet on the south side of Holyrood Park with a loch and a historic church.

Portobello grew from a cottage built in 1742 and named after Porto Bello in Panama, then expanded on local clay into brick, tile and pottery works. Sea-bathing made it a resort in the 19th century, with a promenade and a lido. Because most of its visitors came for the day from the city and nearby mining towns, it never built the dense guesthouse strip you find in other British resorts — which is why accommodation here is thinner and often cheaper than in the centre.

The rest of the area is ordinary city: Craigentinny, Joppa, Brunstane, Niddrie and Newcraighall, plus retail parks and the A1 corridor. Useful if you are driving in from the south, dull if you are on holiday.

Choose East if a beach within walking distance, quieter nights and lower room rates beat being five minutes from the Royal Mile. Portobello is the only part with a real visitor feel; Duddingston has almost no beds. Both need a bus or a long walk to reach the Castle, the stations and the festival venues.

Skip it on a first trip of two or three nights, during the August festivals when you will be in the centre every evening, or if you plan to walk home after dinner. In those cases base yourself in Old Town or New Town and treat Portobello as a half-day trip on a sunny afternoon.

Portobello's High Street and the promenade have cafés, ice-cream shops, fish and chip takeaways and a few pubs, plus a cluster of brunch places that fill up on weekend mornings. It is everyday food rather than destination dining, and several kitchens close early on weekdays (check).

Duddingston has a pub beside the loch and a small café near the church, useful after a walk in Holyrood Park. Elsewhere in the east you are in residential territory: local bakeries, takeaways and supermarkets rather than restaurants. For a serious dinner, ride into Leith or the centre.

Lothian Buses run the city network, with most routes passing Princes Street near the main bus and rail stations. Bus 26 runs every 15 minutes from the west of the city through Haymarket and Princes Street to Meadowbank, Portobello, Joppa and on to Musselburgh; X26 is faster at peak times and N26 runs hourly overnight. Bus 19 links Granton, Princes Street, Craigentinny, Portobello and Brunstane. Bus 12 loops south of the centre to Duddingston and Portobello, and bus 21 runs along Ferry Road to Leith, Craigentinny and Portobello. Check exact stops and fares before you travel.

By car, the A1 London–Edinburgh road arrives through Newcraighall and Brunstane before breaking into city streets. Cyclists cannot use the A1 until it becomes single carriageway at Brunstane; use the old route, now the A199, through Tranent, Musselburgh and Brunstane instead. Newcraighall station has a Park & Ride costing 50p for 24 hours plus the train fare into the centre (check).

Within the area, walking works for Portobello and Duddingston; between districts you will want a bus. Taxis and ride-hailing from the centre to Portobello are a short hop but cost more than the bus.