In general Edinburgh can be considered a safe destination for visitors, but like all other major cities, it pays to remain attentive and use some common sense.
Try not to get too drunk: if you have had too much, it might be wise to get a taxi home. There are taxi ranks all around the City Centre.
Night buses (http://www.nightbuses.com/) which depart from Waverley Bridge next to the train station are affordable and safe alternatives to taxis, but stay on the lower deck. Night buses cost £3.00 for unlimited travel on a single night, so for groups of three or more travelling moderate distances, taxis can be more cost effective for single journeys.
Like most other cities, there are some rundown areas. For its size, Edinburgh does not have many, but there are still some suburbs that are better avoided by anyone unfamiliar with the area such as the following: Niddrie and Craigmillar in the southeast of the city. Sighthill and Wester Hailes in the west. Muirhouse and Pilton in the north.
In emergency, dial 999 preferably from a landline, a free call from any phone including payphones, 112 also works. For advice on non-emergency medical problems, you can ring the 24-hour NHS 24 service on 0845 424 2424.
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
The R.I.E. hosts the main Accident and Emergency A&E facility for the city.
cash machines
Almost all cash machines in Edinburgh will dispense Scottish bank notes, but there are a few listed here that usually have Bank of England notes, which may be convenient if you are leaving Scotland, for more info see Scotland#Currency.
HSBC
118 Princes StNatWest
8 George StBarclays
1 St Andrew Sq this one has been known to stock Scottish notes on occasion
pharmacy
During normal shopping hours M-F 9AM-5:30PM, Sa 9AM-12:30PM, you won't have any problem locating a pharmacy as they are dotted all around the city. Any row of local shops will usually include one. Common brands include Boots city centre branches in the New Town at St James Shopping Centre, 11 Princes St, 101-103 Princes St and 48 Shandwick Pl; in the Old Town at 40-44 North Bridge, Alliance and Numark.
Outside of these hours you will face more of a challenge. There are no 24 h pharmacies in the city. In the city centre the best option is probably the Boots branch at 48 Shandwick Pl western extension of Princes Street, M-F 7:30AM-8PM, Sa 8AM-6PM, Su 10:30AM-4:30PM.
Some of the major supermakets include a pharmacy counter, but note that the pharmacy does not necessarily follow the same opening hours as the supermarket itself. The pharmacy counter within the Tesco supermarket at 7 Broughton Road in Canonmills is quite close to the city centre and opens M-Sa 8AM-8PM and Su 10AM-5PM.
Internet
Multiple internet cafés and hotspot venues exist throughout Edinburgh see district articles for details.
Many of the municipal libraries (http://www.edinburgh.gov....) throughout the city have PCs with free internet access. Some of the most prominent are listed in the relevant district articles.
Mossco Internet Cafe
The city's largest independent internet cafe is Mossco Internet Cafe, located near Haymarket Station 18 West Maitland Street, (http://www.edinburgh-inte...).
Laundry
Bendix Self-Service Launderette
Direct Dry Cleaning
Offer an interesting service for travellers where they will take your suitcase, unpack it, wash all the clothes and repack the case before handing it all back to you.
Consulates
Canada
Italy
China
Denmark
France
Germany
Ireland
Australia
Japan
Monaco
New Zealand
Poland
Russia
Spain
Sweden
Ukraine
USA
Clothing repairs
Oscars
Repairs, Zip replacements, hems shortened etc.
Huttons Shoe Repairs
Traditional cobblers established since 1923. The present proprietor is the 3rd generation of his family to run the business.