Getting Around Edinburgh

Edinburgh on Foot

Edinburgh City Centre is quite small and you can get a more full experience of the city by just walking between the various attractions. For longer distances, or perhaps when arriving or departing with luggage, you might need transport. Here are some suggestions

Ednburgh by Bus

Lothian Buses is the main bus company and they offer a reliable and frequent service. At the bus stops there are line drawings of each route naming the stops. They have a flat rate of £1.10 for all adult journeys, although if you're doing a lot of travelling around, a £2.50 day ticket (which can be bought from the driver) would be a good investment. FirstBus is the other bus company, with fewer routes, some of which duplicate the Lothian Buses ones, and some of which serve outlying areas.

Edinburgh by Taxi

Edinburgh uses the "black cab" type of taxi and they are quite plentiful - but not cheap. If you want to order one you can call City Cabs on 0131 228 1211

Edinburgh by Car

Having a car in Edinburgh City Centre can be more trouble than it's worth - streets are busy and parking is very expensive during the day (except Sundays). Also, the chances are that the right bus will take you nearer to most of the attractions and shops than anywhere you could leave the car.

Take advantage of the Open Top Tour ticket

The open top tour is expensive but you can hop on and off your chosen tour all day - so if you want to travel between attractions and you were going to do the tour anyway, you could use that bus through the day.

Edinburgh by Bike

If you've brought your bike (or hire one), you can make good progress around the city by bike. There are a lot of cycle paths, but not all have been intelligently laid out. Also be warned that the city is not flat (place names like Calton Hill, the Mound, Castle Rock should be a clue!). Having said that, I cycle in the city most days and find it a rewarding experience.

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