Edinburgh Travel Guide

If you're planning a visit to Edinburgh, either for business or pleasure, then getting here is relatively easy as is getting around.

Travel To Edinburgh

You can travel to the city by all major means of public transport - train, plane and coach - as well as driving yourself. There are good road, rail and air transport links to major cities in Scotland and England including London and Glasgow.

Edinburgh Airport, situated just a few miles to the West of the city, handles both domestic and international flights. The Airlink 100 express bus runs into the city centre and one day we might even have a tram link.

If you're coming by train then Waverley railway station has good rail links up from London. There are also frequent services between Edinburgh and Glasgow. As always, be cautious of Britain's dreadful privatised railway system, especially if you're brave enough to travel on a Sunday or Bank Holiday.

If you're on a tight budget then Edinburgh bus and coach station is situated right in the heart of the city just off the east end of Princes Street in St Andrew Square. Currently (March 2012) the bus station services National Express and Scottish Citylink as well as Greyline Tours.

Local Transport

Once you're here, getting around town is pretty easy. Edinburgh has historically been a compact city based around the Royal Mile. This means that most of the popular tourist attractions are within walking distance of the city centre, although you can expect plenty of your walking to be uphill! There are also numerous hotels, eating places and pubs also within a few minutes walk of the city centre.

If you want to go a little further afield then Edinburgh has a bus system better than many other cities in the UK. The main bus services are run by Lothian Buses and at the time of writing (May 2012) a single ticket almost anywhere costs only £1.40, with an unlimited Day Ticket coasting £3.50 (Be aware that some services such as the Night Buses are excluded from these prices). Other bus services are run by First Bus and a couple of smaller companies. In addition there are the hop-on-hop-off bus tours that leave from outside Waverley station.

Should you not want to get to grips with the bus system then Edinburgh has traditional style black cabs that you can flag down. Renting a car is probably also possible, but driving in the centre of town is not a joyous prospect even for locals.

In a couple of years we might also have a local tram system, however that's still in progress (currently due to open in 2014). When talking with locals, "Don't mention the trams" is good advice!