Travel to Edinburgh
As Scotland’s capital Edinburgh is a major transport hub. Comfortable day and night coach services operate from major UK cities and Edinburgh’s Waverley train station is a main stop on East and West coast UK rail services as well as the Scottish rail network. Ferry services to Europe run regularly and Edinburgh International Airport receives flights from over 100 destinations including direct flights from the US and Canada. Visitors from the UK can easily travel by car and just under an hour away is Glasgow, which has even more national and international transport links.
By Coach – Looking to travel the cheapest and most eco-friendly way? Journey times from London can be around 10 hours, well worth the carbon and money savings with fares starting at just £18 return. Manchester is only 7 hours by coach, Aberdeen 3.5 hours and Newcastle under 3 hours away. Services operated by National Express and Megabus.
By Train – It’s easy, straightforward and environmentally-friendly to get to Edinburgh by train. London is just 4hrs 30mins away, Manchester 3hours away and Newcastle, Inverness and Aberdeen around 2 hours away. Glasgow is just 50 minutes train journey from Edinburgh and trains leave every 15 minutes for Scotland’s capital. A single rail connection makes Edinburgh accessible from almost every town in Britain and to Eurostar travellers in France and Belgium. For more information on travelling by train and to book tickets visit RailEasy for more
By Car – Start your festival early with a road trip to Edinburgh! Edinburgh is at the heart of the Scottish motorway network so it’s a pretty straightforward drive from anywhere in Scotland or the rest of the UK. Driving from Inverness will take about 3 hours, Aberdeen just over 2 hours away; Birmingham 5.5 hours, Manchester and York 4 hours and Newcastle a short 2.5 hour drive. Don’t just take our word for it though, make use of this handy route planner to plot your course to Edinburgh. Wherever you're travelling from, consider using money- and carbon-saving sharing services such as GoCarShare. If you’re renting a car to make the trip to Edinburgh’s Festivals most car rental companies have drop off and collection points in the city.
By Ferry – Car ferry passengers can travel from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Rosyth (just 30 minute drive from Edinburgh ) on daily crossings with Norfolkline. Ferries from Amsterdam sail to Newcastle and Irish visitors can sail from Belfast to Stranraer or Cairnryan. The drive time from those destinations is only 2hrs 30mins so it couldn’t be easier to sail into Edinburgh. For exact sailing times and more ferry information visit www.directferries.co.uk
By Plane – As one of Britain’s fastest growing airports Edinburgh International Airport has grown to accommodate over 40 different airlines flying to and from over 100 destinations. Many of these are low cost carriers flying to Europe providing affordable travel to those who book early enough. There are over 40 flights to London a day and the short trips takes about an hour. Direct flights from the US and Canada are also available and Glasgow International, Glasgow Prestwick and Newcastle International Airport have rail and road connections to Edinburgh with journey times of 2 hours or less. Edinburgh Airport is 8 miles (12km) from the city centre and there are regular bus and shuttle services as well as taxi service into the city. To lower the high carbon cost of air travel, we recommend taking one direct long-haul flight to the UK, and travelling by coach or train once here. For the best advice on cheap flights to Edinburgh, visit www.skyscanner.net .
Environmental Awareness: For more information on greener travel and accommodation, see Visit Scotland's Green Travel Guide or visit Greener Traveller's Scotland pages. You can also find out more about what we're doing to help our Festivals be environmentally responsible at our blog.
