Public Transport in Edinburgh

Hop on hop off bus, tram and public transport in Edinburgh

All information about hop-on hop-off buses, trams and public transport options in the center of Edinburgh Scotland.

Transport in Edinburgh

The good thing about an Edinburgh city trip is that most of the attractions are within walking distance of each other in the neighborhoods of Old Town and New Town, so you don't have to use public transport thta much. The only popular attraction further out of the city center is the Royal Yacht Britannia in the harbor district of Leith; this is almost a four-kilometer walk from the center, so many tourists buy a ticket for the Majestic bus that Leith has included in its route.

1. Public Bus & Tram

If you still want to use the bus, there are two bus companies with an extensive network of buses, namely Lothian and First. The most common airline is Lothian (website for all Lothian routes) and a one-way ticket costs £1.70 and a day ticket only £4. You can easily buy the tickets (with card) from the driver.

Opposite the airport terminal you will also find the Edinburgh Tram stop, from where trams will take you to the centrally located St. Andrews Square in New Town (the tram even goes all the way to the harbor of Leith with the Royal yacht Brittania, view the full route). Make sure you have always purchased your ticket before boarding the tram.

2. To and from Edinburgh airport?

You have three options for getting from the airport to the center of Edinburgh, namely by bus, tram and taxi. In this article you read all about the transfers between the airport and the city center.

More about airport transfers

3. Hop on hop off bus tours

As in any tourist city, you will not miss the various providers of tourist hop on hop off buses in Edinburgh. When purchasing your ticket, it is important to know that there are different bus routes, each with their own type of ticket:

• City Sightseeing Tour (red route): The standard tourist route that passes all the highlights of New Town and Old Town, such as the castle and Holyroodhouse. You can do this route with the standard tickets for the hop on hop off bus, where you have the choice of a ticket for 24 or 48 hours (more info and tickets).
• Majestic route (blue route): This route goes via the Royal Botanic Garden to the harbor district of Leith. In Leith you can then disembark to visit the popular 'Royal Yacht Britannia'. You do need to buy the slightly more expensive ticket for the hop on hop off bus, which gives you access to three bus routes (more info and tickets).