There are a multitude of wee towns and cities close by Edinburgh that are great for day trips. As we don’t have a car, we’ve done all of our day trips from Edinburgh by train (and bus, if applicable)! Here we break down, in no particular order, 5 of the best day trips by train from Edinburgh:
1. North Berwick
North Berwick is a lovely little seaside town in East Lothian just over 30 minutes by train from Edinburgh. It’s a very quaint town to the east of Edinburgh, perfect if you’re looking for just a day of relaxing and not doing much.
There is Milsey Bay Beach, which is great to sit around at if the weather and temperature allow!
Northeast of North Berwick, out on the water, is Bass Rock, an uninhabited volcanic rock that is home to a large colony of gannets (a type of seabird). Boat trips are available to Bass Rock though they do not come cheap (over £100 per person)! You can also view the birds through the remote cameras at the Scottish Seabird Centre.
2. St Andrews
Located northeast of Edinburgh in the Kingdom of Fife, St Andrews is about 1 hour by train (to Leuchars Train Station) and then a 15-minute bus ride into St Andrews. There are a few main attractions in St Andrews, all within walking distance of each other.
The first is St Andrews Castle, a ruined castle that has an underground mine and countermine, previously used in sieges. It also has a “bottle dungeon”, an infamous airless chamber prison cut out of solid rock.
Address: The Scores, St Andrews KY16 9AR
Hours: 09:30 – 17:30 (01 April to 30 September); 10:00 – 16:00 (01 October to 31 March)
Price: Free for Historic Scotland members and Explorer Pass holders; £6 per adult for Castle only or £9 per adult including St Andrews Cathedral
The second is St Andrews Cathedral, another place that is now ruined, that was built in 1158. It used to be one of Scotland’s most magnificent medieval churches.
You can climb up 33 metres (108 feet) to the top of St Rule’s Tower for great views of St Andrews and beyond.
Address: The Pends, St Andrews KY16 9QL
Hours: 09:30 – 17:30 (01 April to 30 September); 10:00 – 16:00 (01 October to 31 March)
Price: Free for Historic Scotland members and Explorer Pass holders; £5 per adult for Cathedral only or £9 per adult including St Andrews Castle
As St Andrews is a seaside town, it does have West Sands Beach, great again if the weather and temperature allow you to relax on it!
And like most Scottish towns, there is the High Street. It’s always nice to stroll through the wee city centre of these towns.
3. Falkirk
Falkirk is a town northwest of Edinburgh with a few different attractions to keep you busy. By train, it is about 35 minutes from Edinburgh and it is most cost effective to also buy the PlusBus ticket with your train ticket. As the attractions are all located in different areas, you’ll need the bus to get around.
The Falkirk Wheel is the world’s only rotating boat lift that connects the Union Canal with the Forth and Clyde Canal.
You can take a 50-minute boat ride to experience the rotating boat lift, but most of your time is spent in the rotations, so there is not much actual “boat” time. It is cool to try once if it’s something you’re really interested in though.
Address: Lime Road, Tamfourhill, Falkirk FK1 4RS
Hours: 10:00 – 17:30 (March to October, 7 days); 11:00 – 16:00 (November to March, Wednesday to Sunday)
Price: £13.50 per adult
A nice modern green area to walk around or cycle in and is “Home of The Kelpies” (more about that below) is Helix Park. It was created for the communities of Falkirk and Grangemouth to come together.
Address: The Helix Park, Falkirk FK2 7ZT
As mentioned above, Helix Park is home to The Kelpies, which are horse-head sculptures that were created by artist Andy Scott.
If you don’t know, kelpies are mythological shape-shifting beasts with the strength and endurance of 10 horses. It is meant to celebrate the horse’s role in developing the Scottish industry and economy.
Address: The Helix Park, Falkirk FK2 7ZT
Price: Free
4. Perth
We have an entire blog post dedicated to Perth as it was our most recent day trip from Edinburgh, so you can read all about it here.
5. Linlithgow
About 20 minutes west of Edinburgh by train is the quaint town of Linlithgow. It is home to Linlithgow Palace, another ruined place, which was also the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. (She is well-known because at six days old, her father, King James V, died and she was given the throne.)
The Palace used to be used by royals as a rest stop when they travelled between Edinburgh and Stirling Castles. It’s always fascinating walking around ruined places and finding its little nooks and crannies.
Address: Kirkgate, Linlithgow EH49 7AL
Hours: 09:30 – 17:30 (01 April to 30 September); 10:00 – 16:00 (01 October to 31 March)
Price: Free for Historic Scotland members and Explorer Pass holders; £6 per adult
And of course, there is the High Street to roam about in.
Have you taken any of these day trips from Edinburgh? Are there any others that you like? Let me know in the comments!
I love this list! I saved it for next time!! Thank you for sharing!
You provided a great list here. Thanks for sharing information! Let me forward this to my fellow traveler friends 🙂
Awesome list. Beautiful photos. Someday I will get to visit.
Great information and the pictures are very beautiful. Ill definitely keep this in mind.
I would absolutely love to visit St Andrews. That castle looks incredible. Silly question but is it the same St Andrews where the golf course is? Edinburgh is another place I would not have thought of as seaside but it looks charming. I just love the old architecture and history of these places.
Yes, Scotland’s St Andrews is the home of golf! Edinburgh does sit by the water but I suppose it’s not generally known to be a seaside city and yes, it is absolutely stunning! I also agree about the architecture and history of these places, especially being from a relatively modern city (Vancouver).
I love Scotland, but have not seen much of it except for Glasgow and Edinburgh. Would love to do the train journeys to the wee towns you’ve mentioned. Thanks for sharing. Saved this post for future reference.
Love this list! I can’t wait to travel!
Beautiful! I would go to the beach first for sure. Lovely there!
It’s such an informative list. A great guide that I am saving for further visit to Edinburgh.
I’d like to experience Falkirk wheel. Sounds so much fun to me! 😊
I was thinking the exact same thing! It would be fun to be there at least once.
I live in Peebles, not too far from any of those places. I enthuse about Scotland all the time. We have such a beautiful country – the scenery is spectacular and the architecture amazing.
I last went to St Andrews a couple of years ago after winning a night’s stay at the Old Course Hotel. Way out of my league if we’d had to pay for it, but wow, it was gorgeous. We had dinner in the Tailend Restaurant. I’d have another trip to St Andrews just to have fish and chips their again! Delicious.
my wife is scottish and wants to visit so this is an amazing article for her and our daughter thanks and i will show her this. continue to do an awesome job.
jerry godinho\
fourcolumnsofabalancedlife.com
Ooh you should definitely visit, especially since your wife is Scottish!
Great travel tips for navigating without a car and still seeing beautiful parts of Scotland. Makes me want to hop on a plane and plan a visit!
I just subscribed to your blog. I love all your adventures in Scotland. Happy spring, Kippi #kippiathome
believe it or not, I was looking for something like this to do next summer!! gonna save and pin this great content thanks!
One of the things I miss about U.K is it’s deep historical facts and its monuments. Also, the ease of transportation is a no brainer.
Such a good list Ashley! Reading this made me reminisce, as I’ve been to all of the places you mentioned. With the exception of St. Andrew’s though, but I’ll hopefully do that when I’m next in Edinburgh 🙂
All of these places seem lovely! Beautiful photos
I visited Edinburgh with my parents when I was a kid, and I have it in my heart since then and in my wish-list. I truly loved the style of your pictures and your suggestions.. dreaming of a vacation now 🙂
I want to visit all of these places! So much history and the stories you mentioned have me so intrigued. I can already picture myself walking around St Andrew’s Castle.
Returning to Scotland is at the top of my travel list! I will be bringing my golf clubs with me so I can play while I’m there. That is my dream. It’s such a beautiful place to visit. Definitely a favorite of mine.
I have never traveled by train ever, and I cannot wait to do that someday. All these travel blogs I’m getting to see her making me realize just how much of the world I still have yet to see and time is really running out.