FLATS>>

Once you have signed a contract with a venue, registered with the Fringe Society and written your 40 word blurb for the programme, the next thing to consider is where you are going to stay. This is another thing to think about early because the best flats get booked up quickly.

Assuming your cast and crew don't already live in Edinburgh (if they do, you're off the hook!) you are going to have to book rooms in a guest house or rent a flat. If you are performing for more than a few days the former is not very cost effective, so you are probably looking for a flat to rent (if you are going for a hotel or guest house, then the accommodation section at http://www.edinburgh.org is a good place to start).

Being a university town there are plenty of flats available for a summer letting, and some Edinburgh locals move out of their flats during the summer to earn some extra cash. Edinburgh's rents tend to double during August, which puts them pretty much on par with year round London rents. Therefore you will be looking to pay somewhere between £400 - £1200 per person for a month's rent depending on position, state of decor and how many people are sharing.

There are a number of property agencies who specialise in August lettings specifically for festival groups, and a number of websites including August letting classifieds. These include:

You should pick flats which sound of interest and contact the landlord or agent direct. If you have a friend based in Edinburgh it will be worthwhile asking them to have a look at the flat before you commit. To help you choose a location, we've got a round up of how the various bits of Edinburgh connect in a minute.

Each landlord will have their own lease contract - most will want some sort of payment on signing the contract and the rest of the rent plus a deposit (normally one week's rent) before you arrive in Edinburgh (generally the money will need to be cleared into their bank account to hold the property, and all monies will have to be cleared into their bank account before you move in, so if you're last minute you might need to make a CHAPS or cash payment). Make sure you negotiate rent, deposit and payment schedule at the outset, and that you get a contract and receipts for any monies paid. Make sure they don't try to add in any extra fees that will be deducted from your deposit (as a general rule festival lets are all in - ie there's no extra charge for utilities etc - but make sure it says that in the contract).

As a guide to where to stay, here is ThreeWeeks' guide to 'how Edinburgh works'. This covers the main areas in central Edinburgh which, unless you own a car, is probably where you want to base yourself during August. Most of the areas mentioned here are in walking distance from the centre of the city, although some are nearer than others (and Leith is at the bottom of a big hill which you'll be walking down when you're too drunk to notice, and up when you're battling a hangover the next day). For the lazy among you, bus services to all these areas are also generally quite good, and they are near enough that a late night taxi ride doesn't require taking out a mortgage.

Starting in the middle, you have the area known as the Old Town, built on the hill that runs between Holyrood Palace and the Castle. The Old Town has the Royal Mile at its heart (the collective name for the street that runs from the Palace to the Castle) and is in many ways the heart of the Festival. The Royal Mile itself houses the Tattoo (in the castle at the top), the International Festival's year round home The Hub (just next door) and the Fringe Society offices and box office (about half way down).

Just to the South of the Royal Mile, and still in the Old Town, are the Grassmarket and Cowgate. This is the bit of Edinburgh that is confusingly low down - it's a long road that runs parallel with the Royal Mile but several stories lower down. The Cowgate / Grassmarket houses a number of pubs and clubs, plus several venues, including the main base of the Underbelly. The Pleasance Courtyard, Bongo Club and Scottish Parliament (home of the Festival Of Politics) are also near by, and the main C Venue backs on to the Cowgate. Year round this part of town is late night pub and club land, and is especially popular with students, and it is that way during August too.

Flats in this part of town tend to be a bit more expensive because they are so central, and so convenient for the main Fringe venues, though there are also quite a lot of shabby student flats in this part of town which you might get for a more reasonable rate (reasonable in relation to the premium flats in this part of town - compared to what the students are paying outside August you're probably paying an extortionate rate!).

Just South of the Cowgate you find the main central campus of Edinburgh University, based around Bristo and George Squares, and this has become a real hub of the festival in recent years - with the Pleasance Dome, Gilded Balloon, Udderbelly and Spiegeltent all within falling over distance of each other. The area around the campus is known as Southside and there's quite a lot residential property in this part of town, and quite a bit of student accommodation too, so some of the best affordable lets are probably here. Though the Fringe veterans know this and will book all the good ones early!

North of the Royal Mile you find Princes Streets (lots of shops, very few flats), and North of that you have the New Town, which is the complete opposite to the Old Town - all the buildings and streets are set out in an orderly and elegant Georgian fashion, though it too is on a hill, this one running down to the Botanic Gardens. Festival wise, you will find the Assembly Rooms and Hill Street Theatre over here, and the Books Festival in Charlotte Square, though the Festival doesn't invade this part of town in the same way as it does the Old Town and, despite the above mentioned venues being located here, you could almost not notice a festival was going on when you're in this part of town. In terms of accommodation, flats here are normally a little more pricey (despite the fact you're not as convenient for many of the Fringe venues), though they are normally much more elegant as well, and staying in the New Town can be a good way to separate your quiet time from the mad bussle of the Old Town. Also very good if you like high street shopping - every chain is on Princes Street.

Even further from the centre of the festival, but even more lovely, is Stockbridge, which has a real villagey feel to it. Also likely to be quite pricey given the loveliness, and actually quite a hike from the centre of town. But good if you're not on quite so tight a budget (we'd stay there if the ThreeWeeks budget could run to a chauffeur for the publishers).

Next, Leith, which is the area running down (yes, another hill) to the Docks, to the East of Princes Street . It used to be famous as the rough bit of the Scottish capital but like most dockland areas it's become a lot more refined in recent years, and is certainly a lot less rough than some of the other areas on the outskirts of the city. Numerous redevelopments have taken place around the docks themselves meaning that property prices down there have soared and lots of nice bars and seafood restaurants with lovely menus have appeared (or in the case of the restaurants been rediscovered, because some of the best ones have been here all the time). By staying here you are a bus journey away from most of the Festival, but as a result (and it not being as posh as New Town) you will probably get a better deal on a flat. Though be careful with flats on or off Leith Walk. This is a very long road running from Princes Street right into the centre of Leith - depending which end your flat is will make quite an impact on how far from the hub of the festival you are.

Directly to the West of Princes Street you will find Tollcross - once a bit of a dive, and now something of Edinburgh's financial district! Quite a lot of festival stuff goes on here too - it being the home of Edinburgh's two main arthouse cinemas (Cameo and Filmhouse) and therefore the hub of the Film Festival, as well as housing the Kings and Lyceum Theatres, both part of the International Festival. And the Traverse and Sweet are here too - so there is some Fringe action. This is in walking distance from both the New Town and the Old Town hub of the festival, so is probably a good place to stay if you can find a well priced let.

Further West than Tollcross (down towards Haymarket and Fountainbridge) is also perfectly pleasant, but you are really dependent on buses or taxis to get you into the centre of town.

Back to the South side of town, and below the University you will find Newington, Marchmont and Sciennes - residential parts of town that house a lot of students year round so are therefore good for festival lets. This is a nice part of town perfectly walk-able from the main Old Town hub (20-40 minute walk depending on where you stay and how fast your walk), and the flats in this part of town tend to be quite roomy but not so expensive. This area is also well supplied with local shops and bars.

Further South still you have the Grange, and to the West, Bruntsfield and Morningside - all nice parts of town, but slightly further out (you will have to bus/taxi it) yet probably more expensive.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is our guide to the Festival city. We hope it helped.