Travelling to Edinburgh
Wherever you're coming from, however you choose to travel, getting to Edinburgh is easier than you might think. Whether you choose to take a train, plane, car, coach or boat to the city, Scotland's capital is within your reach.
Excellent rail links throughout the UK make the train a great way to get here allowing you to fly into other major UK airports and travel by rail to Edinburgh. There are also numerous direct scheduled flights from major airports, both in the UK and overseas.
By Air
Edinburgh International Airport Flights
Edinburgh is one of the UK's fastest growing airports, offering direct and connecting flights from many UK, European and International airlines.
The flight from London takes around an hour and there are over 40 flights from London airports every day. Regular services arrive in Edinburgh from other major UK cities and there are frequent scheduled flights from 40 European airports, including Amsterdam, Paris, Munich, Frankfurt and Zurich. Continental Airlines offers a daily direct service from New York's Newark airport, while Delta Airlines offer a daily direct flight between Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Edinburgh. Further transatlantic flights arrive at Glasgow International Airport, one hour's drive away.
Edinburgh International Airport is 8 miles (12km) west of the city centre.
The Airlink 100 operates a frequent bus service (every 10 minutes at peak times) between Edinburgh Airport and the city centre, with designated stops en route. Journey time is about 25 minutes and tickets cost £3.50 single and £6.00 return. www.flybybus.com
The Edinburgh Shuttle operates a frequent, on-demand mini-coach service between Edinburgh Airport and the city centre. Departs every 10 - 20 minutes to any address within the city centre zone. www.edinburghshuttle.com
Taxis are also widely available at the airport and cost around £15 to the city centre.
By Bus
Bus Travel to Edinburgh
If you're on a budget then buses are a great travel option. And because Edinburgh is well placed on the Scottish motorway network, getting here by bus or coach could be quicker than you might think. There are regular coach services to Edinburgh from all major UK cities.
The following companies can provide more information:
Linking Edinburgh to England:
National Express contact number - 08705 80 80 80.
Linking Edinburgh to England and to cities across Scotland:
Mega Bus contact number - 0900 160 0900
By Train
Travelling to Edinburgh Train Station
Edinburgh is easy to reach by train, in fact, the National Express line is the fastest intercity railway in the UK, with a journey time of just under 5 hours between Edinburgh (Waverley) and London (King's Cross).
ScotRail operate an overnight service, the Caledonian Sleeper, between London (Euston) and Edinburgh on all 7 nights of the week.
Edinburgh train station has great rail links to other major cities too. York, Newcastle, Inverness and Aberdeen are all about 2 hours away by train, and Glasgow is just 50 minutes away on the First ScotRail shuttle service, which leaves Waverley train station every 15 minutes.
For all your timetables and fares UK wide:
National Rail Enquiries contact number : 08457 48 49 50
Waverley Train Station is approximately one mile from Holyrood Park.
By Car
Because Edinburgh is located at the heart of the Scottish motorway network, it can be surprisingly quick and easy to get here by car. If you're travelling from the north of Scotland, for example, Edinburgh is only 3 hours from Inverness and just over 2 hours from Aberdeen. Journey times from England are just as good; you can get here from Birmingham in about 5.5 hours, from Manchester and York in about 4 hours, and the city is just 2.5 hours from Newcastle.
Please note that Holyrood Park is a city centre venue and there will be no event car parking available. Public car parking is available in the public car parks surrounding the venue.
By Ferry
It's easy to get to Edinburgh by sea, and with Norfolkline launching a new ferry service in Spring 2009: Rosyth to Zeebrugge it will be even easier.
Rosyth is about half an hour's drive from Edinburgh, so getting to the city is plain sailing. You can also reach Edinburgh easily by road from the continental ferry ports of Newcastle and Hull and the Irish ferry ports of Stranraer and Cairnryan.
