Why You Should Stay at The Witchery in Edinburgh This Fall
The Witchery crowns the top of the Royal Mile, steps from Edinburgh Castle, and the whole place is practically made for October.
Once you step inside and take shelter from the brisk air, you’ll notice that the rooms glow by candlelight and the dinner murmurs rise softly from the restaurant below. The mood is both theatrical and intimate.
This fabulous 5-star hotel has been named one of the most romantic hotels in the world more than once, and it’s a crown that suits its darkly decadent style.
Suites That Tell Stories
The Witchery’s nine suites are as much characters as they are rooms. Each one has a name and a story stitched into its walls. They lean into gothic maximalism with velvet, paneling, and candlelight that can turn a night’s stay into something out of The Phantom of the Opera (wrong city, we know).
October only sharpens the effect when the skies darken early and the wind whistles through the chimneys. Slipping into one of these suites will allow you to close the door on the world outside, even though you’re right in the heart of it all.
The Guardroom is one of their most fabulous suites. It greets you with a black-and-gold hallway lined with Guardsmen uniforms, leading to a scarlet salon where a carved four-poster bed commands the room.
Its oak-paneled bathroom gleams with marble floors and a roll-top tub made for lingering after a walk through the Old Town’s chill.
The Library has a secret door that reveals a book-walled bathroom with a deep bateau tub. This is the kind of secret chamber you expect in a tale whispered by candlelight..
In terms of views, it’s hard to beat the Turret, the largest of the suites. Inside, narrow stairs will take you to windows that draw Edinburgh’s skyline into your room.
And, if we’re talking real grandeur, the Old Rectory stretches across the Royal Mile with seven windows framing the rooftops. You can even see the Fife coastline on a clear day.
The Heriot is filled with oak panelling salvaged from St Giles’ Cathedral and drapes its four-poster bed in green and gold velvet. Its chapel-like bathroom glows with gilded mirrors and a painted ceiling.
The other suites – the Vestry, Sempill, Armoury, and Inner Sanctum – continue the gothic fantasia with tapestries, silk-upholstered walls, and curiosities tucked into tidy corners.
Together, they form a collection that rewards repeat visits because each one tells a different story.
Dinner By Candlelight
Even if you never left the building, dinner at The Witchery would be enough to make the evening feel celebratory. The Original Dining Room is a rich, baroque space where you can watch the shadows dance across the cut glass in the candlelight.
There’s also The Secret Garden with its vine-traced, tucked-away glow. It captures the autumn moonlight under the glass, like a message in a bottle.
The menus change with the seasons; it’s all about Scottish ingredients delivered with a decadent hand. There are dishes on this menu you may never find again.
As with any famous dining room, you can’t escape the premium price tag, but the praise remains steady for the atmosphere and sense of occasion.
If you’re here to mark an anniversary or simply sink into the theatre of it all, the setting will deliver. For a lighter touch, you can even pair of starters and a bottle, then take dessert back to your suite as you savor the space.
Samhain Roots and Halloween Fires
Part of The Witchery’s charm in late October is how it sits inside Edinburgh’s ritual calendar. Halloween in Scotland goes all the way back to Samhain, the Celtic turning of the year, when bonfires were lit and the veil between the living and the dead was believed to be at its thinnest.
Today, the city marks the night with a firelit procession that tells the story of summer giving way to winter.
The Samhuinn Fire Festival 2025 is confirmed for the evening of October 31st. It’ll be set against the dramatic backdrop of Calton Hill and Holyrood Park.
If your taste runs more toward the theater, Edinburgh also stages candlelit performances in Old Town that week.
Edgar Allan Poe’s Ghost Stories x Moonlight Sonata by Candlelight pairs the macabre beauty of Poe’s tales with live piano, while the Halloween Double Bill: Haunted Opera / Candlelight Night transforms St Cecilia’s Hall into a gothic dreamscape.
How To Shape Your Witchery Weekend
Think of your stay as a play in three acts. Begin your afternoon by exploring the city: tour Edinburgh Castle before it closes, when the late sun drops a bronze wash over the esplanade.
Then, drift down Victoria Street for bookshops and curiosities. After that, warm yourself with a dram near the Grassmarket before heading back to the Royal Mile.
The second act belongs to the night. Anchor one evening with dinner in the Original Dining Room while its walls glow in the soft candlelight. Then, keep another night open for Edinburgh’s festivities.
If your visit aligns with Samhain, walk down for the fire festival and return “home” to the Witchery as the sparks begin to fade from the hill.
We have plenty more ideas on how you can shape your Edinburgh stay in our destination guides.
The third and final act should be slow and indulgent. Order breakfast in bed, let the coffee steam on a silver tray, and watch the morning light slip through the curtains.
A late checkout means you can linger a little while longer, and stretch the weekend into a memory that feels longer than it is. In autumn, Edinburgh itself is a stage, and The Witchery is the best seat in the house.