Must see nightlife in Old Town

An atmospheric warren of stone-lined vaults houses this self-consciously 'alternative' club, which eschews huge dance floors and egotistical DJ worship in…

One of the city's best traditional-style pubs (it's not as old as it looks), serving a range of excellent real ales, Scottish craft gins and a vast…

Owned by a local arts charity, the weird and wonderful Bongo Club has a long history of hosting everything from wild club nights and local bands to…

A friendly cafe, bar and restaurant with a comprehensive menu including breakfasts, bar bites and substantial mains, Checkpoint is gaining a reputation as…

If you like your student bars grungy and unpretentious, with affordable left-field cocktails (Buckfast Daiquiri, anyone?), delicious vegetarian soul food…

The art college's Wee Red Bar has been around so long there’s a danger the authorities will slap a blue plaque on it and declare it a national monument…

A brass plaque outside this pub proclaims: ‘In the White Hart Inn Robert Burns stayed during his last visit to Edinburgh, 1791'. Claiming to be the city’s…

Housed in the former advertising offices of the Scotsman newspaper, attractively refurbished with red brick, artistically arranged timber offcuts and a…

The Edinburgh outpost of Scotland's self-styled 'punk brewery', BrewDog stands out among the sticky-floored dives that line the Cowgate with its polished…

A superstylish lounge bar with a Raffles of Singapore vibe – it’s all crystal chandeliers, polished wood and oriental art – Dragonfly has won rave reviews…

A cross between a traditional pub and a pre-club bar, Villager has a shabby-chic, laid-back vibe. It can be standing room only in the main bar in the…

Tucked off the Royal Mile, this independent hybrid combines great beer, food, and a shop next door selling around 400 beers to drink in or take away. Work…

This tiny espresso bar is perhaps the smallest coffee shop in the city, all exposed stone and brickwork with only half a dozen bar stools and a window…

Candlelight flickering off hectares of polished wood creates an atmospheric setting for this superb real-ale bar, with more than 20 taps pouring craft…

Set in a subterranean vault deep beneath Victoria St, the Liquid Room is a superb club venue with a thundering sound system. There are regular club nights…

A snug little howff tucked away down a close, the Judge exudes a cosy 17th-century atmosphere (low, timber-beamed painted ceilings) and has the added…

With outdoor tables on sunny afternoons and cosy candlelit intimacy in the evenings, this comfortably cramped Tuscan-style wine bar offers a tempting…

An elegant traditional bar lined with gleaming wood, mirrors and polished brass, the Royal Mile serves real ale (Deuchars IPA and Edinburgh Castle ale),…

A traditional-looking pub with dark wood and subdued tartanry, the Malt Shovel offers a good range of real ales and more than 40 malt whiskies, and serves…

The historic Beehive, a former coaching inn, is a big, buzzing party pub with a range of real ales, but the main attraction is sitting out the back in the…