Royal Oak

A folk pub may conjure up images of earnest beard-stroking types singing incomprehensible Rabbie Burns songs (only partly true), but the Royal Oak is one of those pubs you really should visit for a unique Edinburgh experience.

Real ales aplenty, a fine selection of malts and a fiddle or two: stick them in a couple of box rooms and you have the Royal Oak. Some of Edinburgh's best traditional music is to be found at the Wee Folk Club that runs downstairs on Sundays; head upstairs, meanwhile, for the more populist stamp-your-feet brand of folk. There's a regular open mic night, and when the person on the stool next to you stands up to sing a shanty it’s hard not to get drawn in. A great spot to end the night with a couple of late whiskies.