From EDI sans car
May 22, 2016 7:24 PM   Subscribe

What's the best way from Edinburgh Airport to the Old Town without a car? Difficulty: 2 adults, 2 kids, luggage.
posted by Chrysostom to Travel & Transportation around Edinburgh, Scotland (5 answers total)
 
Here's an outline of the options.

Personally, with kids and luggage, I'd take a taxi or use Uber.
posted by netsirk at 8:44 PM on May 22, 2016


It kind of depends exactly where in the Old Town you want to go and how far you're willing to walk with your luggage. Taxi or Uber will get you right to the door of where you want to go and probably cost about £25-£30. The tram runs directly from the airport to Princes Street, are pretty easy to navigate with luggage and will cost about half as much for two adults and two kids - but you'd then have to find your way to wherever you're staying on foot which would be a pain if you have a lot of luggage
posted by neilb449 at 11:38 PM on May 22, 2016 [1 favorite]


I'd go for taxi too. There's a taxi rank at the airport well signed from Arrivals and you don't usually need to wait long.

Otherwise I prefer the airport bus over the tram (it's quicker, with lots of luggage space) but will only take you as far as Waverley Bridge, from where it's an uphill walk or another bus fare up into the Old Town.

If you're travelling within Edinburgh once you're here, you can get a family dayticket for £8.50 that'll give you a day's worth of unlimited travel on both buses and trams within the city, just not out as far as the airport.
posted by Catseye at 12:27 AM on May 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


As Catseye says, getting from Princes Street (where public transport from the Airport drops off) up to the Old Town is a short but impressively steep uphill slog which obviously doesn't show on street maps. So to help you gauge the amount of swearing this may or may not cause you and your family with your luggage: The main routes up would be one of the following four options: The Mound (pic shows about a third of the hill), Playfair Steps, followed by the top third of The Mound, Cockburn Street (again, only about a third or half of the hill shown) or the deliciously-named Fleshmarket Close (maybe twice as long as shown in this pic. It's a monster even without luggage).
posted by penguin pie at 12:21 PM on May 23, 2016


I would take the Airport bus to Waverley Bridge where you will find a taxi rank right opposite the bus stop, it's then a short (and so affordable) taxi trip up the hill to wherever you are going in the old town.
posted by Lanark at 1:59 PM on May 23, 2016


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