The Caves

Head down into the bowels of the Old Town and you'll find yourself in another world entirely. The Caves occupies a series of actual 18th-century underground vaults beneath Niddry Street—genuine bit of Edinburgh's foundations, basically. The soaring stone arches and flickering candlelight create an genuinely atmospheric setting that feels appropriately Gothic without trying too hard. It's the sort of place that makes you understand why people were drawn to Edinburgh in the first place, and why they've kept coming back to throw parties here.