Edinburgh Airport is located approximately 6 miles or 9 kilometres from the city centre. When flying in, bus and tram airport transfers to the city are available for passengers. There are some interesting quirks to these services that are worth mentioning.
Airport Transfers by Bus
The Airlink service which is timetabled as Route 100 operates between Edinburgh Airport and Waverley Bridge in the middle of the city. This bus service operates every 10 minutes or more throughout the day. There is a reduction to half hourly between 1am and 4am which is understandable.
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- Big blue Airlink 100 bus! Image via Lothian Buses
Services are timetabled to take approximately 21 minutes each way which is quite a snappy journey time. Tickets are priced at £7.50 return and the buses are operated by coaches which have ample space for passengers and their luggage.
Airport Transfers by Tram
Edinburgh Trams have a terminus at the airport and service commenced in 2014. This runs from the airport to York Place in the city centre which is very close to hotels such as the Holiday Inn Express and The Glasshouse.
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- Comfortable interior in an Edinburgh tram
Journey times are around 37 minutes end to end and tickets are £8.50 return. The tram has many stops which may be more convenient for your hotel and it does connect to rail stations along the way.
Overall Thoughts
What is interesting to me is the tram takes longer than the bus and costs more. In most places in the world I have visited, any kind of rail connection is usually faster than travelling by road and often cheaper. Despite this, I recommend either service. The bus is quick, convenient and popular while the tram does not take much longer and is just as convenient while not being as busy.
Scotland is a wonderful place to visit with both Edinburgh and Glasgow having very different scenery and nightlife to enjoy. There is also the highlands and Loch Ness and many other sights to see and experience. Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions please leave them below.
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Featured image via Edinburgh Trams.
I visited Edinburgh twice and both times I’ve taken the Airlink Bus. It’s a super convenient way to get to the city centre, and I’d probably do it again. Does the tram have a holding area for luggage? Does it get crowded halfway through with regular passengers who are taking the tram to the city centre? One of the reasons why the Airlink appealed so much to me is that after a trip across the pond, I just want to get to the hotel ASAP with my luggage. The tram looks very comfortable, though. I supposed I’d be more inclined… Read more »
You are right, I think I got the tram at times of the day when it was quiet – plus I only had hand luggage. It would make sense if you are going to Edinburgh from an international destination to take the bus – especially with luggage. Without luggage, not so much – or, if you were going to a hotel that was served by the tram. Thanks for the comment!
To get from downtown to Edinburgh airport, how’s the scenery by bus different from that by tram? Or it’s almost the same?
Quite hard to decide the way to commute between the airport and downtown since the traveling time and cost is similar.
The scenery is different, but not much as they both go the same way to get to the city. The bus will go from the airport with just one stop to the city, whereas the tram will make multiple stops. I found the trams to be much less busy than the bus. My suggestion is to take the bus one way and the tram the other – that way you’ll have tried both and will know for next time what you prefer 🙂