The Ultimate Edinburgh Pub Crawl Route (Cowgate & Grassmarket)

The best thing about a pub crawl in Edinburgh is the geography. The Grassmarket and the Cowgate sit end to end in the Old Town, so you can run a whole night on one downhill stretch without a taxi in sight. Here is a route that flows the way a good night should: a relaxed start up top, building to the late bars and clubs at the bottom.

Start in the Grassmarket

Begin in the Grassmarket, the wide square under the Castle that is ringed with pubs. It is the civilised start: a pint in the late-afternoon light before things get going. Duck up Victoria Street, the curved, colourful row, and stop at The Bow Bar for a proper Scottish whisky before you head down the hill.

Work down to the Cowgate

From the Grassmarket, the Cowgate runs east under the bridges, and this is where the night steps up. It is a dense run of bars a couple of minutes apart.

• The Three Sisters is the natural big-group anchor: a huge pub with a courtyard, booths and karaoke pods.
• Keep moving east and the bars get later and louder, rolling straight into the clubs.

Finish in the clubs

By the bottom of the Cowgate you are among Edinburgh's late venues, so the crawl ends where the nightclubs begin: The Hive, Cabaret Voltaire and the rest are right there. No need to move the group across town, it is all on the same street.

Or let someone else lead it

Running a crawl for a big group is harder than it looks: the pacing, the queues, keeping everyone together. That is exactly what our guided pub crawl is for. A local walks your group between the right bars, skips the door queues, and keeps the night moving so you do not have to herd anyone.

See the full night out in our best bars and nightclubs guides, and roll it all into a package. Get a quote or talk to a planner.