How to Get to Edinburgh City Centre from Edinburgh Airport
Last updated on: 09 July 2024
You’re on your dream holiday to Scotland, you’ve landed at Edinburgh Airport, and now, how do you get to your accommodation in the city centre? Hopefully you’ve figured that out before you started your trip! In this blog post, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about getting to Edinburgh’s city centre from Edinburgh Airport!
Edinburgh Airport Map
We’re putting this Edinburgh Airport map below as we’ll be referencing the map at several points in this post.
Taxi
The fastest and most convenient way of getting from Edinburgh Airport to the city centre is by taxi.
Outside of the arrivals terminal, you will see a big sign for taxis. Capital Cars, which is a taxi private hire company, operates at the taxi rank. On the map, the taxi rank is the dark blue #3. You have the choice of a traditional black cab or a private hire vehicle.
In case you’re not sure what a private hire vehicle is, in simple terms, it’s basically a taxi that must be booked in advance of the journey, either through the phone or online. There is a wider range of private hire vehicle types than black cabs, and private hire companies’ fares are usually cheaper than taxis and often at fixed prices. Both taxis and private hire vehicles are subject to licensing and regulation to ensure passenger safety and quality of service.
Here are the quick facts about taxis from the airport:
Duration: It takes about 20 minutes, depending on traffic, of course.
Price: It costs around £25 - £35. It is an approximation because there is no flat fee to get from the airport to the city centre.
Payment methods: Most taxis will accept both cash and card payments.
If you’d like, you can also pre-book your taxi. You can choose to book via City Cabs, Central Taxis, another black cab company in Edinburgh, or Capital Cars, as a few options.
If you have pre-booked your taxi, then instead of going to the taxi ranks, make your way to the Pick-Up Zone, which is located on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park. On the map, the Pick-Up Zone is the dark blue #2.
There can be some confusion regarding the Pick-Up Zone, which we will clarify here. There are big signs indicating ‘Pick-Up Zone’ as you make your way to the multi-storey car park, but you have to get behind the metal barriers to be at the actual Pick-Up Zone. Check out 2:01 on our YouTube video below for a visual representation.
Uber
Uber does also operate in Edinburgh, and you can use the app to book a car to collect you from the Pick-Up Zone, as mentioned above.
One important thing to mention about the cost of an Uber is Edinburgh Airport’s drop-off and pick-up fee, which is one of the most expensive in the UK at a flat fee of £5 for drop-offs and £5 for pick-ups. This fee is chargeable in the Drop-Off/Pick-Up Zone, which is located on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park outside the terminal building (same as where you would get your pre-booked taxi, as indicated above).
If you want to avoid this fee, the airport has a free drop-off and pick-up area, which is at their Long Stay car park. At this time, there are no shuttle buses that run between the terminal and the car park, but it’s only a walk of approximately 5-7 minutes. To get there, head towards the taxi rank and you will start seeing signs and a walk path for the Long Stay car park.
Bus
The next way of getting to the city centre is by bus. There are three airport buses, the Airlink 100 and Skylink 200 and 400, but we will focus on the Airlink 100 because that is the bus that takes you straight to the city centre. On the map, the 100 bus stop is the green A.
Here are the quick facts about the Airlink 100 bus:
Frequency: The 100 bus is an express bus and runs 24/7. Departures from Edinburgh Airport are every 30 minutes between 01.00 and 04.30 and then every 10 minutes outwith those times.
Duration: It takes about 30 minutes to get to the city centre, with its final stop being South St David Street in New Town.
There are several different ticket options and prices, which we’ve listed in the table below:
| Airport Single (single journey to or from Edinburgh Airport on Airlink or Skylink) | Airport Open Return (return journey to or from Edinburgh Airport on Airlink or Skylink) | Network Day Ticket (unlimited travel on any bus and tram until 04.30 the following morning) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | £5.50 | £8.00 | £12.00 |
| Child (5-15) | £2.75 | £4.00 | £6.00 |
| Family (up to 2 adults and 3 children) | £20.00 |
There are three ways, as a tourist, to pay for the bus:
Cash, although exact change is needed
Contactless (which includes Visa, MasterCard, ApplePay, and GooglePay)
Purchase mobile tickets in advance with the Transport for Edinburgh M-Tickets app (downloadable from the Apple App Store and Google Play)
There is a new bus service called the Airport Express bus that also goes from Edinburgh Airport to the city centre. Details about fares and the frequency of the service can be found on their website.
Tram
The last way of getting to the city centre is by tram. On the map, the tram stop is the green #7.
Here are the quick facts about the trams:
Frequency: Unlike the 100 bus, the tram does not run 24/7. The first tram leaves the airport at 06.26 and the last tram leaves the airport at 22.48. They leave every 7 minutes.
Duration: It takes around 30 minutes to get to the city centre, with its final stop in the city centre being at St Andrew Square in New Town. (Do note that you can take the tram onward to Newhaven in the north of Edinburgh.)
There are a multitude of ticket options and prices, so we’ve listed the ones most relevant for the airport in the table below:
| Airport Single (airport & city zone; valid for one journey in all zones) | Airport Open Return (airport & city zone; valid for an open journey in all zones, return journey is open ended and can be used at any time on any day) | Network DAYticket (airport & city zone; valid for unlimited travel on any tram and bus in all zones) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | £7.50 | £9.50 | £12.00 |
| Child (5-15) | £3.80 | £5.00 | £6.00 |
| Family (up to 2 adults and 3 children) | £25.00 |
Additional ticket options can be found on the Edinburgh Trams website.
The important thing to remember for trams is that you must buy your ticket before you board. If you fail to buy tickets before you board, you’ll have to pay the £10 on-board fare per person to the attendant checking your tickets.
There are three ways to buy your tickets:
Ticket machines on the platforms, which accept coins and card
Purchase mobile tickets in advance with the Transport for Edinburgh M-Tickets app (downloadable from the Apple App Store and Google Play) and activate before you board
Pre-purchase on the Edinburgh Ticket website and display on your phone
If you have any other questions about getting to Edinburgh’s city centre from Edinburgh Airport, let us know in the comments below and we’ll be happy to help!
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