Student bars in Edinburgh: the best pubs for cheap drinks in Scotland’s capital

As important as it is to learn about Adam Smith or post-structuralism, it's great to have a few years before real adult life kicks in, where you can enjoy the privileges of being over 18 without taking on all of the responsibilities. 

To help you from going completely bankrupt in your first semester, here's a list of some of Edinburgh's most popular and best-priced student spots. 

Banshee Labyrinth

(29-35 Niddry St,  EH1 1LG)

While the night for dressing up as sexy cats and murderous clowns comes but once a year, Banshee Labyrinth is brimming with ghouls and gothic vibes all across the calendar.

Scotland's most haunted bar has horror built into it – from the dungeon cells and historical details of its dark past to the urban legends concerning the banshee scream that haunted its construction. 

Aside from the undead activity, with seven rooms, three bars, pool tables and a cinema, it's got more going on than almost any bar in Edinburgh. 

Boozy Cow

(17 Frederick St, EH2 2EY)

The Boozy Cow is a great student spot, but you would be selling yourself short by sticking to the typical staples of shots and mixers. The Boozy Cow offers a vast array of complex cocktails and boozy (and non-boozy) milkshakes, containing everything from banana rum to pineapple vodka and Irn-Bru. 

They also run a 'burn the bill' promotion, and guests can play a game of pass the pigs where customers roll two pigs and aim to have them landing both snout down. If a table is successful the bill is then burnt and you walk away without paying a penny.

It can't be used with any of their other deals, such as unlimited wings but it's always worth a try.

• READ MORE: 17 of the best cheap places to eat in Edinburgh

Bar Salsa

(3 Cowgatehead,  EH1 1JY)

Blasting (mostly non-salsa) music until 1am and serving up a stream of super-cheap drinks, Bar Salsa is the quintessential student party bar – trading in the volume in every way. 

With £1 shots, £1.50 bombs and £2.50 mixers, you would be hard-pressed to find a cheaper place to settle your nerves after a hard day buried amongst the bookshelves.

Describing itself as “Coyote Ugly v From Dusk till Dawn”, it's a down-and-dirty, cheap thrills establishment that packs the place out and turns up the music. 

The Hanover Tap

(112 Hanover St,  EH2 1DR)

The woody, warmly-lit Hanover Tap has the feel of a mountain cabin, making it the perfect place to hide from the cold and relax with a pint. 

It has a great range of draught offerings, as well as a beer fridge stocked with all kinds of hoppy nonsense. Best of all, that crafty beer (alongside selected cocktails and bottles) are on offer from Tuesday to Thursday. 

For those not looking to stick to a liquid diet, the Tap has a menu full of enticing deals, with a different bar staple on promo every day of the week, not to mention their student specific deals. 

The Pear Tree

(38 W Nicolson St,  EH8 9DD)

Once you've emerged from your winter cocoon and are ready to soak up the sun once more, The Pear Tree's beer garden is the place to be. 

Coming out of your last exam, you really can't do better than grabbing a pint or a pitcher and heading for the Pear Tree's beer garden, especially if there's something playing on its massive outdoor screen.

If all that has you feeling peckish, the menu features a great range of bar bites – why not indulge in a celebratory haggis bon bons?

Pilgrim Bar

(3 Robertson's Cl, EH1 1LY)

Pilgrim Bar on Cowgate is the perfect place for weary students.

Whether it's for a post-presentation pint or a cheap and cheerful meal, Pilgrim has a good selection of drinks from cocktails to pitchers, even serving sharing buckets of VK-based cocktails.

And we can't forget to mention the bar offers 15% off on food for students, with additional deals on offer with a valid student ID.

Finnegan's Wake

(9b Victoria St,  EH1 2HE)

For students looking for a literary flex, why not head to the pub named after James Joyce's mind-melting doorstop, Finnegan's Wake?

The Victoria Street joint is a quintessential Irish pub. They pour their Guinness right and have a gantry filled with whiskies to accompany it and with live music every night, the place is always buzzing - especially with their student offers. 

It won't necessarily get you any extra marks on your modernism essay, but at least your parents will be proud when you tell them you spent four hours last Saturday lost in Finnegan's Wake. 

The Tron

(9 Hunter Square, Edinburgh EH1 1QW)

A burger and a pint from £9.45! A lunch and a drink from £6.75! Gin and tonic from £4!

Let's talk plainly – Edinburgh is an expensive place to be. So when you see a good thing, you've got to jump on it, and the deals at The Tron are some of the best going. 

A laid-back bar with a great range of drinks, it’s the perfect place for a casual pint, a post-exam bonanza or to take in the big game. 

The Chanter

(30 - 32 Bread St, Edinburgh EH3 9AF)

With 9 TV screens, The Chanter is another excellent place to watch a game. 

The Lothian Road spot is a traditional sports bar with a wide selection of spirits and a great range of beers. 

For food, they've got all your comfort-eating favourites at comfortable prices. For drink expect student and weekly offers such as Tequila Tuesday. 

Open early and shutting late, rounded out with retro video games and pool tables, this just might be your new term-time home. 

Frankenstein

(26 George IV Bridge,  EH1 1EN)

This broody bar offers something a little darker with vats of bubbling liquids and classic monster movies playing in the background. 

And down below the spooky bar is… a traditional German beer cellar. Don't concern yourself with the logic behind that combo, just grab a stein (that's two pints in one glass, guys) and fill it up with a foamy serving of high quality German beer. 

Whether you're there for the strudel or the scares, Frankenstein always offers something a little different.