Now, Edinburgh in summer is a veritable festival of festivals. There's the Edinburgh Festival, an esteemed Film Festival , a book festival , a comedy festival , a military tattoo with a zillion bagpipers piping, and the momma of them all, the Festival Fringe , which alone hosts over 600 companies performing some 1,350 shows. If there's a spare plot of land in town, it becomes a stage. At that rate, even frugal travelers can feel the pinch in a few days. And woe become the tourist who doesn't plan an August trip months in advance.
Availability becomes nil and prices skyrocket.
If you want to see the show on a budget, you're going to need some help. Lodging Before you think about another thing, even airfare, get your accommodation squared away, since that's the biggest challenge. Until recently, the only affordable accommodations on the Rock, right at the ground zero of the Royal Mile and South Bridge, were acceptable only for backpackers. Those are still around for those who don't mind sacking out in a dorm with a lot of smelly Australians, but they lose a certain charm for those aged above 26. Still, you can book a dorm bed about three weeks out and still be fairly assured of having somewhere to sleep.