**Grassmarket** The heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, the Grassmarket is one of the city’s most colourful and vibrant destinations. It’s a place of stark contrasts - you’ll find the famed historical statue of Greyfriar’s Bobby at the top of Candlemaker Row to the east side of the street and the famed ‘Pubic Triangle’ of strip clubs to the west. For some daytime exploration the Grassmarket is the best location for some of the city’s best shopping with a wide range of independent designers, vintage shops and artisan food on offer. However, the pubs of the street are where the action really is, with live music leaking out of tavern doors and plenty of crowd-pleasing pub grub and pints of craft beer to go around. An afternoon can quickly turn into an all-nighter in this market street.

Leith

Although you might not often actually find ‘Sunshine on Leith’ (it is Scotland after all), Leith has rapidly become of Edinburgh’s most exciting neighbourhoods. Once the underdog neighbourhood of the city, Leith was known as the inspiration for Trainspotting but its recent regeneration hasn’t made it lose its edge. Leith Walk hosts some of the capital’s best boozers - teaming with friendly locals, cheap pints and music - and it only takes a short wander from this main strip to find some of the capital’s best microbreweries. The Shore runs along the Water of Leith and you can’t miss out a visit to one of its unbelievably fresh seafood serving restaurants - a trip to Leith isn’t complete without a stop-off at a water-front bar.

Stockbridge

Just a ten minute walk from Edinburgh’s city centre you’ll find a village within a city in the shape of Stockbridge. Home to the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Scottish National Museum of Modern Art, Stockbridge is a bohemian neighbourhood soaked in culture. Basement bars serving cocktails, pokey vinyl shops and artisan delis hosting classes fill the sandstone streets making the leafy suburb the perfect escape for some stag do downtime. Hit the neighbourhood at the right time of year and you can find some of the country’s best food (and drink) festivals.

Cowgate

Don’t let the gloominess of the Cowgate fool you with first impressions - this is in fact Edinburgh’s party street. During the day you won’t see much action apart from locals using it as a shortcut, but once the sun sets, the city’s locals congregate on this shadowy street to let their hair down. Clubs come in the shape of underground warrens hidden behind otherwise normal street doors — whether it’s a techno-pounding sweat box or a classic rock fuelled party, the Cowgate’s cavernous clubs play host to it all. As the street floods with people at the 3am curfew expect to see street performers entertain the masses as the festivities head outdoors.