How to get to the city from Edinburgh Airport? Here are some Top Tips using our own Local Knowledge! At our Boutique Hotel Edinburgh, this remains our most common question and there are lots of little tips and tricks to help you understand Edinburgh like a local. Edinburgh Airport → Edinburgh city centre — all leave from directly outside the arrivals hall and are well-signposted.
DOWNLOAD A Complete EDINBURGH AIRPORT MAP:
🚖 1) Taxi / Uber – Fastest and Simplest (most popular)
Best for: door-to-door, transporting your luggage, convenience after a long day of travel, safety
- ⏱️ Time: 25–30 minutes (If traffic is a problem, the Tax will have the ability to re-route to bypass).
- 💷 Price: roughly £35 – £45 (remember, the more people you are travelling with, the cheaper this is on a per person calculation).
👉 Taxi rank is directly outside arrivals.
It is important to note the difference between the 2 types of Taxis pictured above. The type on the left are known as (Private Hire Cars) and have stitched up a deal with (Uber) to be the only source for all Uber hires! Uber is a huge United States tech giant corporation, used widely around the world however in the U.K, we try to avoid using them. We prefer to support local business rather than Tech Giants. However, Edinburgh Airport put their own Taxi Rank out to tender and it was Private Hire who bid the highest price to make their Private Hire Cars the type of Taxi lined up at the Taxi Rank.
The Taxi on the right is a traditional Black London Taxi type or (Hackney Taxi). In the U.K, these are the only Taxi type you are permitted to hail from the street. We like to support this traditional style taxi, as they are custom built – like limos, very comfortable to ride in and feel special. Pricing is the same no matter which company you use, so why not use the type of taxi, you will enjoy more?
The problem at the airport, is you have to specify to the the attendant that you want the (Traditional Black London Taxi), or else they will order you the Private Hire Car (normal sedan). To get around the U.K Law, the attendant uses a large toushscreen to order your Private Hire Car as they are not allowed to be simply (waved down) from the kerb.
How to get to the city from Edinburgh airport? Nothing beats the traditional Black London Hackney Taxi experience!
🚊 2) Tram — fun & easy to navigate if you have time to kill
Best for: lots of luggage space, predictable timing
- ⏱️ Time: ~35 minutes
- 💷 Price: ~£7.90 single (Prices change often, please check their direct website for updates: https://edinburghtrams.com/)
- 🕒 Frequency: every 7–10 min
- 📍 Stops: Murrayfield → Haymarket → Princes Street → St Andrew Square (Does not get affected by traffic! However, inconvenient if your Hotel is not directly next to a stop, especially with luggage or if you are tired from a long travel day).
👉 Exit arrivals → walk straight ahead to the tram platform (covered 1-minute walk). How to get to city centre from Edinburgh airport
Tip: More fun than a bus and also unaffected by traffic.
DOWNLOAD Edinburgh Trams Map:
Of course to go from the city centre to Edinburgh Airport, you catch a city stop and work backwards, return ticket purchase is availble for the Edinburgh Trams.
🚍 3) Airlink 100 express bus – How to get to city centre from Edinburgh Airport
Best for: Direct, runs all night, good for a single person with light luggage.
- ⏱️ Time: ~30 – 50 minutes (Traffic will significantly affect travel time, unlike a taxi, the bus is not permitted to change route).
- 💷 Price: about £6–£8.50 single at the time of writing this, go Direct to their website for all updated info. (https://airlink100.co.uk/)
- 🕒 Frequency: every ~10 min daytime, 20–30 min overnight (24/7)
- 📍 Stops: Haymarket → Princes Street → Waverley Bridge (next to the main train station – annoying if your hotel is still further away, Taxi could be better for this reason)
👉 Exit arrivals → turn slightly right → blue Airlink bus stop. – How to get to city centre from Edinburgh airport
Why use it ? Door-to-centre public transport and runs through the night (ideal for late flights and single travellers).
Edinburgh Airport to the City?
- Most comfortable (and easiest): Taxi
- Most fun: Tram
- Single Traveller (light luggage): Airlink bus
What about the best way to Edinburgh Airport from the city? One word — (TAXI).
