Booking & Access
Where to Stay for the Genesis Scottish Open — North Berwick, Gullane & the East Lothian Coast
The Scottish Open lives at The Renaissance Club through 2030, and the accommodation maths on the East Lothian coast doesn't change year to year. Where to base yourself — North Berwick, Gullane, Dunbar or Edinburgh — whether you're coming for the tournament or the golf.
The Genesis Scottish Open has a fixed address. The DP World Tour confirmed in April 2026 that The Renaissance Club — Tom Doak's 2008 links on the Archerfield estate near Dirleton — hosts the tournament through 2030. So while the exact dates change each summer, the accommodation question never does: it's the same four miles of East Lothian coast, the same handful of towns, and the same squeeze when tournament week arrives.
One honest note before the useful part. The 2026 edition has been played — our event guide has the recap — and the 2027 dates have not yet been announced by the DP World Tour. The tournament's traditional slot is the week before The Open Championship each July, and ticket news for each edition comes via europeantour.com. We'll update this page when the 2027 dates are official. Everything below holds whichever July you're aiming at — and most of it holds if you're skipping the tournament entirely and just coming to play Scotland's Golf Coast.
The transport picture first
Where you stay on this coast is really a question of which railway station you can use. East Lothian is unusually well served for a golf destination:
- North Berwick station — direct ScotRail from Edinburgh Waverley in just over half an hour, trains roughly every half hour. During the Scottish Open, shuttle buses run from the station to The Renaissance Club in about 8 minutes.
- Drem station — the junction for the Gullane side of the coast, around 25 minutes from Waverley, then a 10-minute taxi to Gullane, Aberlady or Craigielaw.
- Dunbar station — on the East Coast main line, about 30 minutes from Waverley, serving the eastern end of the strip.
By car, the A1 east from Edinburgh then the A198 along the coast takes around 30 minutes in normal traffic — longer on championship days, when the sensible move is the train anyway. The upshot: this is one of the few Scottish tournament venues where going car-free genuinely works.
North Berwick — the obvious base
Four miles from The Renaissance Club, and the answer for most people. North Berwick is a proper coastal town, not a golf resort: two beaches, a working harbour, the Bass Rock offshore, enough restaurants that a non-golfing companion isn't stranded, and the West Links — one of the finest and strangest great courses in the world — starting a five-minute walk from the town centre. The Glen, the town's clifftop second course, sits on the east side.
The Marine North Berwick — the big Victorian hotel above the West Links, now run by the Marine & Lawn group — is the town's full-service option, and the one that goes first for tournament week. Below that sits a healthy layer of guesthouses and B&Bs, plus self-catering flats around the town centre. The town's capacity is real but limited: when the Scottish Open comes round, North Berwick fills first and prices firm up, though not to the levels an Open Championship inflicts on St Andrews. Book as early as you can once dates are announced, and favour anything with flexible cancellation if you're booking ahead of the official announcement.
Stays Nearby
Find a place to stay in North Berwick
Hotels, B&Bs and self-catering within easy reach of North Berwick. Tap any property to check rates.
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Gullane and Aberlady — the golfier, quieter option
Seven miles west of North Berwick, Gullane is a village organised almost entirely around golf: three numbered courses on the hill, Muirfield at the east end of the village, and a main street of pubs and restaurants that have been feeding golfers for a century. Greywalls — the Edwardian country house beside Muirfield with the Chez Roux restaurant — is one of the finest small hotels in Scotland and books out far ahead for any big golf week. The village also has a good spread of self-catering, and staying here puts you ten minutes from the Renaissance gates.
Down the coast, Aberlady is smaller and quieter still, with Kilspindie in the village and Craigielaw — which has its own lodge accommodation beside the course — just outside it. Both villages use Drem as their railhead.
If your week is more about playing golf than watching it, this side of the coast is the better base: you wake up between Muirfield and Gullane No. 1 rather than commuting to them.
Dirleton and the Archerfield estate
The closest beds to the tournament are on the Archerfield estate itself, which The Renaissance Club shares with Archerfield Links. Access to the estate's golf and accommodation runs through Archerfield House, and a stay here is a destination decision rather than a convenience one — you're buying the estate, its two courses and the short walk to the championship gates. Dirleton village, between Gullane and North Berwick, is the pretty, small-scale alternative with a castle, a green and a couple of places to stay — tiny supply, so it's a book-the-moment-you-decide option.
Dunbar — the value end of the coast
Twelve miles east of North Berwick, Dunbar is the base most visitors never consider, which is exactly why it works. It has a main-line railway station with fast trains from Edinburgh, an honest old links dating from 1856 hard against the sea, and accommodation that doesn't carry a golf-coast premium. During tournament week you'd train or drive the 20 minutes along the coast. For a budget trip that still touches everything, Dunbar plus a railcard is a quietly excellent answer.
Haddington and inland East Lothian
Ten miles inland, Haddington is the county's market town — comfortable, unglamorous in the best way, and noticeably less event-priced than the coast. It suits drivers happy to commute 20 minutes for a calmer, cheaper bed. The inland villages (Gifford, East Linton) offer the same trade at a smaller scale.
Edinburgh — the deep fallback
Thirty miles west, with thousands of hotel rooms at every price point and none of the tournament surcharging. The direct train from Waverley to North Berwick takes just over half an hour, which makes a city base entirely workable for one or two championship days — and gives a non-golfing companion a capital city rather than a beach town to fill the days with. Stay near Waverley or in the New Town for the easiest morning departures.
Self-catering — the group answer
For a four-ball or two staying the week, a house beats hotel rooms on cost and on breakfast-table logistics. The East Lothian coast has a real supply of holiday cottages and houses across North Berwick, Gullane, Aberlady, Dirleton and Dunbar — and for tournament week it gets absorbed early, because groups book golf trips further ahead than couples book weekends. Snaptrip compares East Lothian cottages across the agencies with a best-price guarantee, which saves doing the cross-checking yourself.
Stays Nearby
Stays on the Gullane side of the coast
Hotels, B&Bs and self-catering within easy reach of Gullane. Tap any property to check rates.
Rates and availability via Stay22. We may earn a small commission if you book — at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work.
When to book
No invented urgency here, just the pattern this coast follows. North Berwick and Gullane fill first, and tournament week compresses their supply hard — the practical move is to book cancellable accommodation as soon as you decide to come, rather than waiting for the DP World Tour's date announcement to fire the starting gun for everyone else. Dunbar, Haddington and Edinburgh hold availability much later. And if you're building a playing trip around the spectating, the three-day North Berwick itinerary covers which courses to book first — the West Links is the one that sells out, tournament or no tournament.
The Renaissance Club's hosting deal through 2030 was announced by the DP World Tour in April 2026. 2027 tournament dates were unannounced at the time of writing (July 2026) — check europeantour.com for official dates and tickets, and verify prices directly with any property before booking.
Common questions
Where is the best place to stay for the Genesis Scottish Open?
North Berwick. It's four miles from The Renaissance Club, it's a real town rather than a resort, and during the tournament a shuttle runs from the railway station to the course. Gullane (seven miles) is the quieter, golfier alternative; Edinburgh is the fallback with the deepest hotel stock and a direct train to North Berwick in just over half an hour.
When are the 2027 Genesis Scottish Open dates announced?
They haven't been announced yet. What is confirmed — by the DP World Tour in April 2026 — is that The Renaissance Club hosts the tournament through 2030. The event's traditional slot is the week before The Open Championship each July. Register for updates at europeantour.com and treat any specific 2027 dates you see elsewhere as unofficial until the Tour publishes them.
Can I do Scottish Open week without a car?
Yes, more easily than at most Scottish golf events. North Berwick has a direct ScotRail service from Edinburgh Waverley in just over half an hour, and during the tournament shuttle buses run from the station to The Renaissance Club in about 8 minutes. Drem station serves the Gullane side of the coast — about 25 minutes from Waverley, then a short taxi. A car only becomes necessary if you're basing in a village with no station and playing courses on both ends of the coast.
Is Edinburgh a realistic base for the Scottish Open?
Entirely. The city has thousands of hotel rooms at every price point, none of them tournament-priced, and the train to North Berwick takes just over half an hour. If you're attending one or two days rather than the whole week — or you couldn't get anything on the coast — Edinburgh is the sensible answer rather than the consolation prize.
About the author
Gary
Editor and founder of Birdie Brae. Based in Glasgow, 14.5 handicap, playing since 2022. Has played 40+ Scottish courses and started this site because most Scottish golf content is written by people trying to sell you a package holiday.
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