Travel to Edinburgh
Flying to Edinburgh
A number of different carriers offer flights to Edinburgh from the UK and USA including British Airways, easyJet, Flybe, KLM, Jet2.com and Ryanair, meaning prices can be competitive. American Airlines, United, and Delta operate direct flights from the USA. Friday nights, New Year, and the summer festival season in August are among the most expensive times to fly to Edinburgh, so book well ahead if you’re planning to travel at these times.
Flight times
From London: 1 hour 20 minutes
From New York: 7 hours
From Los Angeles: 13 hours 25 minutes (including stopover)
From Toronto: 6 hours 40 minutes
From Sydney: 25 hours (including stopover)
Travel by road
Traffic in the UK drives on the left. The speed limits are 113kph (70mph) on motorways, 97kph (60mph) on single-lane main roads and 48kph (30mph) in built-up areas. The speed limit is gradually being reduced to 20mph (32kph) on many Edinburgh streets. Roads are mostly in good condition.
Non-British national driving licences and International Driving Permits are valid in the UK for up to one year; drivers must be at least 17. Insurance is mandatory. Overseas visitors bringing their own cars should carry registration documents and check with their insurance company as to whether a Green Card is needed.
Breakdown service, traffic updates and general motoring information are available from the AA (0343 316 4444, www.theaa.com) and the RAC (0800 015 6000, www.rac.co.uk).
Emergency breakdown services
Contacts for emergency breakdown services in the UK:
AA: 0800 88 77 66
RAC: 0800 82 82 82
Routes
Edinburgh is linked to Glasgow by the M8 motorway and from there to England and Wales by the M74 and on to the A74 (M) and M6 further to the south (towards Manchester). The A1 east out of Edinburgh leads into the A1(M) and M1 to London.
Coaches
National Express (0871 781 8181, www.nationalexpress.com) operates regular daily coach services from both London and other English cities to Edinburgh.
Scottish Citylink (0871 266 3333, www.citylink.co.uk) is the main provider of intercity coach services in Scotland, with a comprehensive network of destinations. There are frequent services to Glasgow (journey time - 1 hour 20 minutes) and Aberdeen (journey time - 2 hours 50 minutes).
Cheap pre-booked tickets between Scotland's major cities are available from Megabus (0141 352 4444, www.megabus.com). All coaches leave from the bus station on St Andrew Square.
Time to city
From Glasgow: 1 hour 10 minutes
From Manchester: 4 hours 10 minutes
From London: 7 hours 30 minutes
From Aberdeen: 2 hours 45 minutes
Travel by Rail
Services
Edinburgh has two mainline railway stations - Waverley Station (located in the heart of the city, at the east end of Princes Street) and Haymarket Station (a mile to the west of the city centre).
Edinburgh is well connected by train with the rest of the UK, with frequent direct services to most major cities, including half-hourly departures to London and quarter-hourly trains to Glasgow. Timetables and fares are available from National Rail Enquiries (0345 748 4950, www.nationalrail.co.uk).
Operators
ScotRail (0345 811 0141, www.scotrail.co.uk) operates all services within Scotland, as well as the overnight sleeper between London and Edinburgh (and further north). Lner trains (0345 722 5333, www.lner.co.uk) provides the service from London and cities on the East Coast line.
Virgin Trains (0871 977 4222, www.virgintrains.co.uk) and First TransPennine Express (0345 600 1671, www.tpexpress.co.uk) operate routes from North Wales, western England and the Midlands.
Journey times
From Glasgow: 50 minutes
From Inverness: 3 hours 30 minutes
From Aberdeen: 2 hours 30 minutes
From London: 4 hours 45 minutes
From Birmingham: 4 hours 25 minutes
From Manchester: 3 hours 30 minutes
