Edinburgh is very accessible from all over the world - mainly by air, but also conveniently by train from other British cities.

Thanks to a well-connected transport network, it's also easy to get here by long-distance buses or when travelling by car around Scotland. The airport is close to the city centre, train services are frequent and bus stations are located right in the city centre.

By plane

Edinburgh has one main international airport , Edinburgh EDI, located approximately 13km west of the city centre. It is the second busiest airport in Scotland (after Glasgow GLA) and offers direct flights to over 150 destinations in Europe, Asia and North America.

The most frequent connections are London, Dublin, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris and Dubai.

Compare prices for flights to Edinburgh

Flights tend to be cheapest outside the main festival season (July-August). As well as international flights, there are domestic flights from Glasgow, London (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton), Manchester, Bristol and Belfast.

By train

Edinburgh has two main railway stations, with Edinburgh Waverley situated right in the city centre, between the Old and New Towns. Most long-distance and regional services terminate or pass through here.

Edinburgh is easy to get to:

• From London - LNER-operated services run from King's Cross every 30-60 minutes, a journey of approximately 4.5 hours
• From Glasgow - services depart from both Queen Street and Central stations every 15-30 minutes, the journey takes approximately 50 minutes.
• From Inverness, Aberdeen or Stirling - regular services several times a day.
• The Caledonian Sleeper night train connects Edinburgh with London and other cities.

Tickets are best bought through a well-known comparison site: trainline.com.

By bus

Long-distance buses run to Edinburgh from all over Scotland and England. The most common carriers are FlixBus, National Express and Megabus, which offer low-cost services mainly from Glasgow, London, Manchester, Leeds or Birmingham. In some cases, buses tend to be cheaper than trains but slower.

Examples of journey times:

• London → Edinburgh: approx. 9 hours (overnight), prices from £15
• Manchester → Edinburgh: approx. 5-6 hours
• Glasgow → Edinburgh: approx. 1.5 hours, frequent connections
• Inverness → Edinburgh: approx. 4.5 hours

The main Edinburgh Bus Station is located right in the city centre, by St Andrew Square, just a few minutes walk from Princes Street or Waverley Station.

Book tickets online for the lowest prices at least 2 weeks before departure via the bus companies' websites:

• nationalexpress.com
• flixbus.com
• megabus.com