Last updated: August 2026
The Old Town starts right above Edinburgh Waverley, so drop the case before you climb. You have three realistic options within a few minutes of the platforms: the staffed left-luggage desk at Waverley itself, the self-service lockers at Edinburgh Bus Station on the New Town side, or a shop or hotel drop point booked online. Sort the bag first, then walk up to the Royal Mile.
Waverley desk, bus station lockers, or a shop
| Option | Where | Rough cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waverley staffed desk | Calton Road entrance, near Platform 2 | Pay at the counter | Arriving by train with no booking |
| Edinburgh Bus Station lockers | St Andrew Square, New Town | About £5 to £10 | Coach passengers; oddly timed drops |
| App-booked shop or hotel | Across the Old Town and beyond | From around £2.99 per bag per day | Booking ahead near your walking start |
Around Waverley: the station desk and the bus station lockers
If you have just stepped off a train, the closest option is the station’s own left-luggage desk. It sits at the Calton Road entrance near Platform 2, which is the lower exit toward the Old Town rather than the Princes Street ramp. You pay at the counter and collect later the same way. It is the natural choice when you have arrived without booking anything and just want the bag off your shoulder before the climb.
A short walk north, on the New Town side, Edinburgh Bus Station at St Andrew Square runs a bank of more than 100 self-service lockers. Expect somewhere in the region of £5 to £10 depending on size and how long you leave the bag. Lockers suit you if you would rather not queue at a counter, or if your drop and collection fall at awkward hours. They are also handy if you are arriving or leaving Edinburgh by coach, since you are already there.
Both of these are worth knowing because they need no advance booking. You turn up, you pay, you walk.
Old Town and the Royal Mile: booking a shop drop online
The other route is to book a drop point through an app before you arrive. These are ordinary businesses, shops, cafes and hotels, that accept bags for a fee and hand them back later. Several services operate in Edinburgh, and the useful thing about them is coverage: you can often find a drop point within a couple of streets of where your walk actually starts.
A handful of names cover the city. Bounce is strong if you want to book from your phone at the last minute and see a nearby point light up on a map. LuggageHero uses hourly pricing at some locations, which works in your favour if you genuinely only need an hour or two before a specific appointment. Radical Storage runs a flat daily rate and a wide international network, useful if Edinburgh is one stop on a longer European trip.
Stasher sits in the same category. Its page for luggage storage in Edinburgh lists 90+ locations, with prices from around £2.99 per bag per day (a few hosts list lower). The network includes hotels as well as shops, Premier Inn branches among them, and booking is done online through the website or app, with an ID-checked handover and a numbered tag at drop-off. Cover runs up to £10,000 per booking with a £1,000 maximum per bag, at no extra charge, though valuables like electronics and travel documents sit outside that. Cancellation is free right up until you drop the bag.
One thing to weigh: Stasher isn’t the cheapest way to store a single case for a full day in Edinburgh. At from around £2.99 per bag per day it can run a little above the lowest counter or locker rates, and if you are carrying two or three bags that adds up per case. What you are paying for is the choice of location and the online booking, not a rock-bottom price. If cost is the only thing that matters and you are already at the station, the staffed desk or the bus station lockers may work out cheaper.
One structural point: Stasher is a booking platform rather than a chain of storage rooms. The drop points are third-party shops and hotels, not premises it staffs itself, so opening hours follow each host’s own hours. Check the host’s window before you book, because a shop that shuts at 6pm is no use if your walk runs late.
The walking route: Waverley up to the Castle and down to Grassmarket
With the case gone, the Old Town opens up on foot. From the Waverley Calton Road exit, head up toward the Royal Mile, the long spine that runs from Holyrood at the bottom to the Castle at the top. Turn uphill.
Walk the Royal Mile westward and it climbs steadily past St Giles’ Cathedral and the closes that branch off on either side. The whole stretch to the Castle esplanade is roughly a 15-minute walk from the station, longer if you stop, and you will want to stop. Edinburgh Castle sits at the top; buy timed entry ahead in summer, as walk-up slots go fast.
From the Castle, drop down the steps or streets on the south side into Grassmarket, the wide old market square under the crag. It is a good place to sit with a coffee or a pint and look back up at the rock. From there you are a few minutes from the Grassmarket shops, Victoria Street’s curve of colour, and back up to George IV Bridge. Loop back to Waverley when you are ready to collect the bag, keeping the host’s closing time in mind if you booked a shop drop.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the left-luggage desk at Edinburgh Waverley? It is at the Calton Road entrance, near Platform 2, which is the lower Old Town exit rather than the Princes Street side. You pay at the counter and collect the same way.
Are there luggage lockers near Waverley? Waverley itself is a staffed desk rather than lockers. The nearest self-service lockers are at Edinburgh Bus Station on St Andrew Square, a short walk into the New Town, with 100+ lockers at roughly £5 to £10.
How much does it cost to store a bag before walking the Old Town? The station desk and bus station lockers are priced at the point of use. App-booked shop drops in Edinburgh start from around £2.99 per bag per day with Stasher, and a few hosts start lower, so a single case for a day is usually a few pounds.
Do I need to book a bag drop in advance? The station desk and lockers take walk-ups. App-booked points like Bounce, LuggageHero, Radical Storage and Stasher work best booked online first, since it confirms a spot and the host’s hours before you arrive.
Is a bag safe if I leave it for the day? Staffed desks keep bags behind a counter; lockers keep them locked. App-booked drops sit inside a host shop or hotel. Stasher adds cover up to £10,000 per booking with a £1,000 per-bag maximum, though electronics and travel documents are excluded, so carry those with you.
Bag first, then the Royal Mile
For a day on foot in the Old Town, deal with the bag at Waverley first. The staffed desk near Platform 2 and the bus station lockers take you as you are, no booking needed. An app-booked shop drop makes sense when you want a point right by the start of your walk and you have booked ahead. Then it is a straight climb up the Royal Mile to the Castle and down into Grassmarket, hands free.