Getting to Edinburgh city centre from Edinburgh airport
By bus
There are a number of bus services at the airport, including the Airlink 100 express bus service which operates a 24-hour shuttle service between Edinburgh Airport and Waverley Bridge (near Princes Street and the main rail and bus stations), with designated stops en route. The service is frequent – every 10 minutes at peak times – with a journey time of about 25 minutes.
By taxi
Taxis at Edinburgh Aiport include official airport taxis, pre-booked private hire taxis and city black cabs are all available, each with separate ranks. Many taxis are wheelchair-accessible and the journey time is around 25 minutes, although this may be longer during rush hours.
Car hire and driving
For driving from Edinburgh Airport, vehicles can be hired from all major companies at the airport’s car rental facility close to the main terminal building. For satellite navigation systems, the postcode to use for the airport is EH12 9DN.
By tram
Edinburgh trams are the latest addition to Edinburgh’s existing range of first-class public transport. The high-quality and efficient tram network now runs between Edinburgh Airport and the city centre with 15 stops along the route, including Princes Street and Haymarket Station.
Single or return tickets can be purchased for journeys to or from Edinburgh airport. Tickets can be purchased from vending machines at every tram stop. You can pay using your debit or credit card as well as coins, but please note that no change is given.
Find more information about trams, including pricing and timetables, with our guide to travel around Edinburgh.
By train
At present, there is no direct rail access between central Edinburgh and the airport.
Moving around Edinburgh
Basically speaking, Edinburgh City centre consists of two main parts:
- Old town, which is the heart of the city and the oldest part of Edinburgh (purple).
The main street is Royal Mile (yellow), which is a mile long street connecting the Edinburgh Castle and Palace of the Holyroodhouse (official residence of British Monarchs in Scotland). - New town, which is a major city expansion from the 18-century (pink).
The southernmost street of New Town is Princess Street which has buildings only on one side and large gardens on the other, overlooking the Edinburgh Castle and the Old town.
Old town and New town are connected by the North Bridge, which is a street going over the Weaverly train station and Princess st. gardens.
Major city landmarks
The main two city landmarks visible from the large parts of the city are:
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Edinburgh Castle, which is a large fortified castle in the centre of Edinburgh, next to Princess st. gardens and at the end of Royal mile.
Arthur’s seat, which is a 150ft high hill on the east side of the city.
Various tips
- The main form of transportation in Edinburgh are buses. The bus fares are for one ride only and cost £1.5. The daily ticket (for unlimited number of travels) is £4.0.
- to be updated over time
Getting to conference venue from A100 airport buss shuttle dropoff
