Enjoy your day with our exclusive guide to the Festival venues

The performers take centre stage at Festival time, but it's the venues which provide the backdrop.  If you're "doing" the Festival this year, you'll be spending most of your days in theatres, waiting rooms and bars.

For the last two years, FringeGuru's venue reviewers have criss-crossed the city, taking in show after show in a whirlwind of entertainment.  But while the rest of the audience have their eyes on the stage, we poke round the box office, the bar and the foyers.  We visit as you will - as paying members of the audience - and we test out all the venues have to offer.  And right here, we spill the beans on it all.

Why you can trust FringeGuru's venue reviews

We're proud to be independent.  We don't have a newspaper to sell, we don't have a show to promote, and we're not linked to any Festival or venue.

We pay for our own tickets.  So, just like you, we queue at the box office, test out the websites, and call the phone lines.

We don't race off after the show.  We're all Festival enthusiasts and we love to hang out in the venues' cafes and bars.

But best of all - unlike most newspaper reviewers - our mystery shoppers don't warn the venue that they're coming.

Save time and effort with our comprehensive ticket maps 

This is also where you'll find our unique FringeGuru ticket maps - demystifying the Festival's numerous box offices, and showing you exactly where in Edinburgh you can pick up tickets for your show.

Don't schlep across the city to get the tickets you want, when you could just go round the corner.  FringeGuru understands the Festival's complex network of box office chains and alliances - and we've combined all the details into straightforward maps, highlighting the options for each venue.

FringeGuru's City Guide is back in July.