Getting Around Edinburgh

Let’s get this out of the way early: Lothian Buses are genuinely excellent. They’re municipally owned by the City of Edinburgh and the surrounding councils, the fleet is modern and well-maintained, the routes are logical, and the drivers are broadly decent. For a UK city bus network, that puts them in the top handful nationally.

Flat fare of £2 per journey. Day ticket (Daysaver) is £4.50 and covers unlimited bus travel across the full Lothian network. The Contactless cap means you won’t pay more than £4.50 in a day if you tap in and out each time. Get the Lothian Buses app – it’s reliable for live tracking and mobile ticketing.

Key routes to know: the 23, 27 and 45 run along the main spine through the city; the 36 goes to Portobello; the 6 and 26 connect Leith to the city centre. Night buses run until around 3-4am on weekends.

Line 1 now runs from the Airport all the way to Newhaven on the Leith waterfront – the extension from York Place to Newhaven opened in 2023. It’s a single line but it’s a useful one, threading through Haymarket, Princes Street, St Andrew Square and out through Leith. Tram stops are well-spaced for the city centre sections, and the vehicles are modern and clean. Same flat fare as the bus for city-centre sections; longer journeys to the airport cost more. An integrated Lothian Trams/Buses day ticket covers both.

Edinburgh rewards walking more than almost any UK city outside London. The Old Town and New Town are full of closes, wynds and hidden stairways that you simply won’t find any other way. The walk from Waverley Station up the Royal Mile to the Castle is only about 800 metres. Stockbridge from the West End is 20 minutes. The Water of Leith Walkway is a continuous off-road route from Balerno all the way to Leith – you can pick it up at Dean Village, five minutes from Princes Street.

The hills are real though. The Old Town sits on a volcanic ridge; Calton Hill and Arthur’s Seat are actual summits. Edinburgh is hilly – but in the best possible way. Wear sensible shoes.

Getting better, slowly. The city has invested in dedicated lanes along Leith Walk, George Street and some of the main radial routes. The Innocent Railway Path (following an old Victorian railway line) runs from the Meadows out to Duddingston and is entirely off-road. The Water of Leith path is multi-use and excellent. Just Eat Cycles is Edinburgh’s docked hire scheme – stations across the city centre and Leith, app-operated, reasonable for short trips. E-bikes are available in the fleet.

Black hackney cabs are plentiful and can be flagged on the street. Uber and Bolt both operate in Edinburgh. City Cabs and Central Taxis are the main local firms for booked jobs. Late-night queues at Waverley or on Princes Street after gigs can be long – book ahead or walk to a quieter spot to get picked up.

If you’re staying in the city centre: don’t bother. Parking is expensive, permit zones cover most of the residential streets, and the road layout – particularly in the Old Town – is confusing and often pedestrianised. A car earns its keep only if you’re doing day trips into the Borders or up to the Highlands. Otherwise, leave it at a park-and-ride and use the tram or buses.