Edinburgh's pub crawl scene is real, not rebranded. Two established crawls work the Cowgate strip nightly, starting outside The Hive on Niddry Street and finishing at Club Love on 69 Cowgate by 3am. Prices start at £10. The crawls are student-run and lean into that: expect free shots, loud music, and a group of fifty strangers who become temporary best friends by midnight. The Old Town closes do the rest.
Edinburgh's pub circuit concentrates on the Grassmarket and Cowgate in the Old Town, which share a geography: Cowgate runs below Grassmarket and the two zones connect via a short staircase. The clubs at the foot of Cowgate, including Hive and Lulu, are where the night extends past the pub-closing window. Lothian Road, running toward the west end, handles the more mainstream club venues and the cinemas-turned-clubs that have operated for years.
A pint in Grassmarket pubs runs £3.50 to £5. Cowgate bars are similar. Club entry at Hive on Niddry Street runs £3 to £7 depending on the night and how early you arrive; Lulu and The Bongo Club charge £5 to £12. Lothian Road clubs are higher at £8 to £15. Budget £30 to £50 for a full Grassmarket-to-Cowgate evening including drinks and club entry. Edinburgh is notably cheaper than London for an equivalent night. Prices verified April 2026.
Thursday is the student night in Edinburgh; the Cowgate clubs run reduced entry and the Grassmarket pubs fill from 9pm. Friday is peak for the older working crowd and out-of-towners. Saturday is the stag and hen capital of Scotland: the Grassmarket is loud and full from 7pm onward, which can make the pub-circuit feel less navigable than Thursday. August during the Fringe pushes all of this to a different level entirely.
This student-run pub crawl visits four bars and one club, with free shots and drink deals included. The crawl starts at The Hive Nightclub on Cowgate and moves through a mix of student bars and underground venues. Entry to all venues is covered, and the night ends at Club Love, where you can carry on until 3am. It’s a great way to meet other travellers and locals.
Check availabilityA more structured crawl that focuses on Edinburgh’s Old Town, this tour visits historic pubs and hidden closes. It includes a local guide, drink discounts, and entry to a late-night club. The group size is smaller, so it’s less chaotic than other crawls. The crawl ends at a venue on Cowgate, where you can stay until closing time.
Check availabilityReal pub crawls with a local guide. Live prices, ratings, and availability updated weekly.
The Original Edinburgh Pub Crawl costs £10, which covers entry to all venues and includes free shots at each stop. The City Explorers crawl runs at £12 and offers a smaller group and a local guide who knows the closes. Both are solid value given that entry to Club Love alone can hit £10 on a weekend.
Budget around £20–30 on top of your crawl ticket for drinks. Pints at The Banshee Labyrinth and The Hive run £5–6; cocktails at The Jazz Bar on Chambers Street drop to £4 during the 5–7pm happy hour. If you pre-load at your hostel bar, £15 covers a comfortable night out in the clubs.
Thursday and Saturday are the strongest nights. The City Explorers crawl only runs on those days, and the student crowd peaks on Thursday. August sees the city swell for the Fringe, when crawl groups double in size and the Cowgate gets genuinely chaotic. January and February are quiet, smaller groups, faster service at the bar.
Upcoming events worth timing your trip around.
Club Love on Cowgate at midnight: the line moves fast on crawl nights, entry is covered in your £10 ticket, and the laser show starts when the floor fills up.
Kick Ass Hostels Edinburgh scores 9.1 and beds start from €13.77. It sits close enough to Cowgate that the walk home after Club Love is under five minutes. Kick Ass Greyfryers is slightly cheaper at €11.47 and rates 9.0. See our pick of the best party hostels in Edinburgh.
