Inside Edinburgh’s Most Enchanting Hotel, The Witchery

29th January 2025 | By Astrid Carter

Tumbling turreted staircases, a restaurant lit entirely by candlelight and gothic elegance beholding every corner, Edinburgh’s world-renowned The Witchery by the Castle is a hotel like no other. The Handbook’s Astrid Carter checked in for a unique and utterly indulgent night in the shadows of the capital’s famous castle.

What sets it apart

From the outset, you know a hotel with a name like ‘The Witchery’ is going to be something different. I’d seen the pictures of its renowned candlelit restaurant (the hotel is really more a restaurant with full covers pretty much every night and eight entirely unique rooms nestled above) and the Instagram reels of tourists capturing the magical, cobbled alleyway that leads up to the front door, but I had no idea just how special this place would be. 

Witchery sign.
Photograph: David Cheskin


Every inch of the place is filled with gothic romance and dramatic theatrics, in fact, you really do feel like you’ve stepped back in time in this 16th-century building with bones that probably haven’t changed all that much since. 

From the outset you know a hotel with a name like ‘The Witchery’ is going to be something different.


The history adds another dimension to the idiosyncrasies and may leave some feeling a little spooked. The medieval building once played host to public burnings of hundreds of women and men burned at the stake having believed to be witches – hence the name.  

The rather macabre fact is hard to comprehend and, at times, lets your imagination run wild (read: this place must be haunted), but it adds to the drama of the place, and it’s pretty impressive to be standing, eating, sleeping or having a wee dram in the same place as so many before.

In more recent times, the property was taken on by restauranteur James Thomson in 1979 and has become one of the most celebrated hotels the Scottish capital has to offer. It’s no wonder the likes of Margot Robbie, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Emma Thompson, as well as many other A-listers, are fans. 

The location

Edinburgh Castle

You will not find a better location than that of the Witchery by the Castle. As the full name suggests, it’s a stone’s throw from the iconic Edinburgh Castle, just yards from the cobbled hill leading up to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s slap bang in the heart of the city’s Old Town with views out the bedroom windows that look out to sea and the bustling tourist-lined streets below and walking distance from all of the capital’s main attractions. 

Food & drink

First and foremost The Witchery is a restaurant. The menu is a celebration of Scottish produce, from fresh lobsters and langoustines to rich seasonal deer and plump Scottish water oysters. We ate hand-dived Orkney scallops, buttery and rich with a Mediterranean-inspired romanesco and olive sauce; and a homemade shellfish bisque which was without doubt the star of the show.

Before tucking into delicate lemon sole smothered in a tartar buttery sauce and peppered with caviar; as well as perfectly pink cutlet of Glensfishie Estate red deer with hospice cabbage and uncoils dauphinoise. 

The food here isn’t cheap with mains ranging from £30 to £65 and, to be honest, Edinburgh plays host to some incredible new and old restaurants doing things better for less but you are playing for the experience. The dining room feels like something out of a period drama but tastefully done, lit only by hazy candlelight, with dark imposing wooden walls that envelope you and high-backed theatrical chairs. There is magic and an undeniable romance to the place and a strong contender for one of the world’s prettiest restaurants. It’s definitely a place to bookmark for a special occasion you want to remember. 

Witchery Restaurant Dining Room

There is magic and an undeniable romance to the place and a strong contender for one of the world’s prettiest restaurants.

It’s also worth noting their Lighter Lunch menu that’s priced at a more affordable £34.50 for two courses available from noon until 4.30 pm daily. 

Drinks-wise, there is no bar at The Witchery, it simply doesn’t have the space for it. But if you’re lucky enough to be bedding down for the night in its historical walls, its enchanting rooms are where you’ll want to spend most of your time. 

The rooms

Where does one start with the rooms at The Witchery? I’ve seen some seriously special hotel rooms in my time but The Witchery’s decor brings to life the history and the concept of this unique hotel like few others. 

After check-in, we were escorted up the tiny, spiralled stone stairway – a bona fide health and safety risk with a suitcase – to The Rectory, one of the hotel’s nine unique suites. Jaw-drops ensued as we were faced with a scarlet red room, a ginormous Gothic bed made from an antique pulpit, a leopard-print daybed in a cosy dark nook of the suite and sun-drenched windows letting in light from the famous Royal Mile. 

Armory Witchery, Edinburgh.04.2021.Photograph David Cheskin..
bedroom at the witchery

Every corner of the room has been styled within an inch of its life, whether it’s the bust that side-eyes you from the dressing table, the original Busby hat perfected on a tailor’s dummy by the window or the free-standing silver bath that occupies the centre of an outlandishly decadent bathroom. There are hidden cupboards covered in wallpaper to look like secret doors, a full dining table set up with an ice bath and Champagne and silver crockery (every room comes with a bottle of The Witchery’s own-brand champagne) and cabinets filled with royal memorabilia of The Queen which no doubt satisfies the many American guests that check-in each year. It’s part hotel room, part dressing-up box, part film set but full-time magic and a room you will remember for the rest of your life. 

Turret sitting room at the witchery


Amidst the pomp and glamour and sheer bonkersness of it all, you’ll find all the tech you’d expect for a luxury hotel, from the GHD straighteners and Dyson hairdryer (nice touch) to the fluffy robes, an Alexa to play tunes on demand and indulgent Penhaligon’s toiletries. 

Things to do nearby 

There’s a large part of me that recommends just staying in the room the entirety of the stay – it really is that special – but that would be a shame in the UK’s second most tourist-visited city. 

If you can muster the courage to leave the envelope of Edinburgh’s most indulgent bed, some of the capital’s big pulls are within 10 minutes walking distance. From the iconic Edinburgh Castle, which sits proudly at the top of the hill, to the impressive National Galleries of Scotland, as well as the pubs and boutiques on and around Rose Street, to the after-hours ghost tours of the Old Town. 

If you can muster the courage to leave the envelope of Edinburgh’s most indulgent bed, some of the capital’s big pulls are within 10 minutes walking distance.

I would, however, blast that in one or two days and then head north (about a 25-minute walk) to Stockbridge, essentially Edinburgh’s answer to Clapton or Stokey, where you will find cosy local pubs with roaring fires, an abundance of small plate restaurants, excellent charity shops ready for a rummage and decent coffee shops. For food, make a stop at Sotto for Italian-inspired small plates, silky bowls of pasta and an incredible wine list before heading to the local Bailie Bar for cosy nooks and good Guinness with locals rather than tourists. 

And if there is one thing I would implicitly recommend when visiting The Witchery – if time and budget allow – is ending the trip with a final stay at the hotel’s sister hotel, Prestonfield House. Located 15 minutes from Edinburgh city centre, the five-star 1687-build residence is an antique-filled, roaring-fire-in-every-room, country escape nestled beneath an imposing Arthur’s Seat, with highland castle in the grounds and a warm Scottish welcome that makes your lungs sigh and your shoulder’s drop as soon as you step foot inside. It’s also just won The Best Hotel In Scotland 2025 by The Good Hotel Guide, and I couldn’t agree more. 

How to get there & book

From London, you can take the train (just under 5 hours), fly (1.5 hours), or drive to Edinburgh (8 hours). Once there, The Witchery couldn’t be mroe centrally located, a 10 minute walk from Edinburgh Waverley Station – right by the Castle. Room rates at The Witchery start from £575 per room, per night and include breakfast. Check availability and rates at www.thewitchery.com.


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