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Edinburgh Hookup Spots

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When you first arrive in Edinburgh, you of course need to visit Edinburgh Castle, and the Museum of Scottland. There are other big sights to see, but those are the big ones that must be seen. After that, whatever you see is gravy. One of the city's most underrated attractions is its nightlife, and specifically its hookup scene. Check out our directory below to find out where the best hookup spots are in Edinburgh. it would be a shame to have that fancy hotel room booked, and nobody to share it with, wouldn't it?

History of the Edinburgh Hookup Scene

If you've been reading any of our other UK Hookup Spot directories, you'll be familiar with this story. The hookup scene of Edinburgh owes everything to the explosion of its music scene starting as far back as the 1800s when immigrants brought their culture to the UK, and then moving forward, exploding as music became the tool that youth used to protest the government.

Though some of the city's biggest players in the local music scene say that the music scene in Edinburgh is dead, we feel like it's just waiting for someone to resurrect it. Young and energetic singles with hopes, dreams, and incredible sex drives are all out there in the clubs and bars, supporting bands and DJs every week. Their passion for the music scene is second only to their passion for snogging all night instead of getting their studies done.

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The power of dance and music as reasons to go out to clubs doesn't seem to be as diminished as promoters want to lead us to believe. Just because they aren't making as much money as they were in the 80s, doesn't mean that Edinburgh youth isn't out hooking up like they used to. There's always a change of tide, and this feels like what we might be going through right now. Edinburgh is still one of the UK's most active hookup scenes.

Best Time To Go Out And Days To Go Out

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Like anywhere, your best bets to find the most singles out looking for some action is on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Edinburgh has a lot of students, so there are some afternoon hookup opportunities in student bars, but most choose to study during the day, and get their groove on at night in the clubs.

Edinburg Hookup Spots Directory

The best Edinburgh hookup bars can be tricky to find if you don't know where to look. But ezhookups.com has created a directory of the best hookup spots. With this directory, you'll look almost like a true local navigating the Edinburgh Hookup Scene

The Best Edinburgh Hookup Bars

Edinburgh's club scene is massive, but over recent years, their hookup bar scene has also grown a lot. Some old favourites have had makeovers, got new DJs, or updated their drink menus to compete with the younger bars. Surprisingly (and thankfully), we fully endorse all of these hookup bars if you're looking to have a more personal and intimate hookup. Some of them are also great spots to meet up with some older singles if you're not a spring chicken anymore.

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Planet

Type
Gay bar
Space
Bar, tables, pool table, and video games
Crowd
Young to Mature Gay Men (and allies)
Address
6 Baxter's Pl, Edinburgh EH1 3AF United Kingdom
Website
Any Notes
Cash and cards accepted. Karaoke nights are a favorite
Brief Description
Planet is a great hookup bar to start with. It's one of Edinburgh's favourite gay watering holes, and and one of the best Edinburgh hookup bars. Even though Planet is primarily a gay bar, welcomes allies and offers a good place to part The crowd is very friendly and ready to lift a drink to you. it a safe space to find hookups. It's a good spot for a rum and coke or three before going out and hitting up one of the cities bigger gay dance clubs.
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The Street

Type
Bar and pub
Space
Gastropub, two floors, tables, dance floor in the basement
Crowd
Young to Mature Adults (leaning towards older)
Address
2B Picardy Place, Edinburgh EH1 3JT, United Kingdom
Website
Any Notes
A great spot for food during the day. Cash and cards accepted. Open 7 days a week.
Brief Description
Nutrition on the main floor, and party in the basement. The first time we ate at The Street, we overheard the dance party that was happening downstairs, which piqued our interest. After finishing our steak, we went downstairs to find one of the most laid-back and fun dance parties that we'd found in the area. There's plenty of seating in the basement as well, so you don't have to worry about dancing all night long; though you just might, whether you like it or not, because the club's DJs are excellent, and play a fun mix of genres to appeal to everyone. Lots of people wander downstairs, not expecting to have as good a time that night as they do. There are lots of cute singles who swear by The Street as their favorite dance club too, so it's a tremendous hookup spot
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Dragonfly

Type
Cocktail bar
Space
Bar, tables, dance floor, and balcony
Crowd
Young Adults
Address
52 West Port, Edinburgh EH1 2LD, United Kingdom
Website
Any Notes
Cash and cards accepted. Open 7 days a week.
Brief Description
One of Edinburgh's first cocktail bars, and situated in the very touristy Grassmarket area, it's a sure thing that Dragonfly is going to be busy no matter what night you go in for a drink. The quality of the cocktails, and the high number of tourists in the bar offers a big boost to the quality of Dragonfly's chances to hookup. There isn't anything fancy about it, but it's undeniably one of the best hookup bars in Edinburgh.
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Panda & Sons

Type
Speakeasy-style bar
Space
Cocktail bar with lots of great antique decorations, using a barbershop and pandas as its two biggest inspirations
Crowd
Young to Mature Adults
Address
79 Queen St, Edinburgh EH2 4NF, United Kingdom
Website
Any Notes
Accepts cash and cards. A little more expensive than other cocktail bars, but Panda and Sons is undeniably a cooler space.
Brief Description
If you were to walk by Panda and Sons without knowing what it was, you'd think it was a barber shop. When you go inside, you're met with another mystery. You have to figure out how to open the hidden bookstore shelf, which will take you into the bar that feels like it's out of an Asian Wes Anderson film. Once you've been to the bar, if you can afford it, you're compelled to come back with friends so that they can see it. So much of the bar's clientele is young and attractive, so strike up a conversation, and see where it goes.
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CC Blooms

Type
Gay bar
Space
Bars, tables, and two different levels (each with its own dance floor)
Crowd
Young to Mature LGBT Adults
Address
23-24 Greenside Ln, Edinburgh EH1 3AA, United Kingdom
Website
Any Notes
Named after a Bette Midler character, which alone brings in a sizeable gay audience to the bar.
Brief Description
CC Blooms used to be a no frills gay bar, but went through a bit of a redesign, and now attracts just as upscale a crowd as some of the city's newer gay bars attracts. It's interesting to see how the redesign changed things for certain regulars, but for the most part, CC Blooms remains one of Edinburgh's coziest and enjoyable gay bars. If you ever roll through on a night that one of their drag shows is happening, be sure to stay. They're among the yes we've ever seen.
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Cafe Habana

Type
Gay bar
Space
Bar, lounge, tables and balcony
Crowd
Mixed LGBTQ crowd
Address
22 Greenside Place, Edinburgh EH1 3AA, United Kingdom
Website
Any Notes
Has a great karaoke night every week (usually on Wednesdays)
Brief Description
A lot of people who plan on starting their night at Cafe Habana before heading out to a bigger club, find themselves spending their whole nights at Habana because of how charming the crowd and atmosphere is. When they realize that the music that the DJ is playing has them dancing, the drinks are cheaper, and they can actually see a couple people that they're potentially interested in... They just don't see the need to go elsewhere.

The Best Edinburgh Hookup Clubs

If you like your nights big, loud, and covered in sweat, then you're in luck, because Edinburgh's Hookup Clubs are all that and more. The line-ups at the bars might be longer at the clubs than they are at the above bars, but the music is undeniably more powerful when it's pushed through a sound system that cost more than you make for a year's work.

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The Bongo Club

Type
Dance club and live music venue
Space
Basement dance club with a great bar
Crowd
Young Alternative Adults
Address
66 Cowgate, Edinburgh EH1 1JX, United Kingdom
Website
Any Notes
Cash and cards accepted. Weekends are the best time for hookups.
Brief Description
If you're looking for an eclectic mix of tunes to dance to, and a unique space to do it in, this is where you want to be. The Bongo Club isn't just in any basement (we've all seen basement bars before). It's in the basement of the Central Library. Don't worry if you have late fees on any books, the librarians have all gone home by time the real party starts.
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Liquid Room

Type
Dance club and live music venue
Space
Bar, dance floor, balcony, second venue for smaller events
Crowd
Young and Trendy Adults
Address
9C Victoria St, Edinburgh EH1 2HE, United Kingdom
Website
Any Notes
Cash and cards accepted (but machines sometimes go down, so be safe and bring cash)
Brief Description
Another basement dance club? This one is in an old church though. If you haven't noticed, Edinburgh has a way of finding unique spots, and making them their own. The acoustics int he basement aren't as good as they are in the actual church on Sunday mornings when the choir sings, but there's something exciting about listening to some old dub tracks that take you back to your college days, while waiting making eyes with a cutie from across the bar. The unique nature of the club's location manages to pull in some pretty big bands and DJs to perform there.
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Cabaret Voltaire

Type
Performance art and live music venue
Space
Bar, tables, couches, stage, and large dance floor
Crowd
Young Adults (Many of them art students)
Address
36-38 Blair St, Edinburgh EH1 1QR, United Kingdom
Website
Any Notes
An eclectic program, so make sure you're going to be into whatever's going on there that night.
Brief Description
If you're into artists, then Cabaret Voltaire is going to be the hookup club for you. It's a nice little performance space that has grown thanks to Edinburgh's Do-It-Yourself arts scene, and you'll sometimes catch a performance by a band or artist that you've never heard of, and become an instant fan.
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Lulu

Type
Dance club
Space
Bars, a dance floor that lights up, couches, and VIP area
Crowd
Young to Mature Adults (leaning younger)
Address
125B George St, Edinburgh EH2 4JN, United Kingdom
Website
Any Notes
Prices vary depending on what time it is.
Brief Description
If you're looking for a little bit of silliness with your clubbing, you'll probably enjoy Lulu. Their light up dance floor is one of the cities' most enjoyable floors to cut a rug on. We dare you to try dancing on it and not humming Billie Jean to yourself.
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Sneaky Pete's

Type
Bar and live music venue
Space
Bar, stage, chairs, and dance floor
Crowd
Young to Mature Adults
Address
73 Cowgate, Edinburgh EH1 1JW, United Kingdom
Website
Any Notes
Cash and cards accepted. Lots of hot new bands play here.
Brief Description
Sneaky Pete's is one of the prime spots that Edinburgh's musicians want to play, because it's known around the city as being a place where bands are discovered. Some of the the city's best shows have happened here, and the music scene's fear of missing out is going to make sure that the club is packed most nights. Though older music lovers to come through occasionally, it's probably always going to be a young person's club, so if you're looking for hookups in the 20s to 30s range, there's going to be a wealth of hipsters around looking for the same.
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The Wee Red Bar

Type
Dance club
Space
Bar and dance floor with limited seating
Crowd
Young Adults (mostly students)
Address
ECA Main Building and Hunter Building, 74 Lauriston Pl, Edinburgh EH3 9DF, United Kingdom
Website
Any Notes
Accepts cash and cards.
Brief Description
Imagine going to an arts college, and then not having to leave campus for anything, because your favorite small dance club is located on campus? Students at Edinburgh Arts College are lucky enough to have that very scenario be a reality. Because it's such a small venue, it's probably best to get there early, and to stay hydrated, because it gets warm once you start dancing. Since it's a student bar/club, there are great deals for cheap drinks. The most frugal of single students will show up well in advance of midnight, take advantage of the cheap drinks, and then head back to their evening's hookup's apartment before they have to pay full price for their vodka-cran.

Where to Visit Next?

We hope that EZHookups.com's directory of Edinburgh hookup spots has been a help in getting you some action during your stay. We're working at becoming THE spot that people keep coming back to when they need to know what the hookup scene in a city they're visiting So check out some of our other hookup spot directories for the United Kingdom's biggest and most happening cities for those in search of a hookup (whether you're visiting on work or vacation, or live there, and aren't as in the loop as you wish you were) here:

-Manchester
-Bristol
-Brighton
-London
-Sheffield
-Leeds
-Birmingham
-Glasgow

And now bookmark the index page, since you know that this is all going to come in handy to a great degree during your future hookup travels.

The Best Edinburgh Hookup Spots Directory - ezhookups.com

The best Edinburgh hookup bars can be tricky to find if you don't know where to look. But ezhookups.com has created a directory of the best hookup spots.

The Best Edinburgh Hookup Spots Directory - ezhookups.com