Edinburgh Airport to city centre: tram, bus or car
The tram and the Airlink bus make the trip from Edinburgh Airport to city centre hotels simple. Trams leave every 7 minutes in the daytime and take about 30 minutes to the centre, and the Airlink 100 runs around the clock to Waverley Bridge in about the same time. For a light traveller staying near Princes Street or St Andrew Square, either is a sensible choice.
A private car takes about 25 minutes for the 13 km to the centre, and goes to the door. In Edinburgh that counts for more than in most cities: the Old Town is built along a ridge, with steep closes and stairs, and the walk from a tram stop to a hotel off the Royal Mile is uphill with your cases. Your driver meets you in arrivals at Edinburgh Airport, and the price is fixed for the whole car however many of you travel.
Heading for the coast or the golf courses later in your trip? We also drive from Edinburgh to St Andrews, from the airport or from your city hotel.
| Pickup | Edinburgh Airport (EDI) |
|---|---|
| Drop-off | Any hotel, villa or address in Edinburgh city |
| Distance | About 13 km by road |
| Journey time | 25–40 min, depending on traffic |
| Best for | City |
| Busiest season | Year-round |
| Availability | 24/7, including late-night and early-morning flights |
The drive from EDI to Edinburgh city
From the terminal, your driver heads out past the tram stop to the A8 Glasgow Road, the main road into the city from the west. It runs east past the Gogar roundabout, becomes St John's Road through Corstorphine and then Corstorphine Road, passing Edinburgh Zoo on the slopes of Corstorphine Hill and the turn for Murrayfield, home of Scottish rugby. At Haymarket the West End begins, and the driver goes on to the New Town, the Old Town or Leith by the shortest legal route.
There are no tolls. The A8 is slow on weekday mornings from about 07:30 to 09:30 and in the evening rush, when the 25-minute trip can take 40 minutes, and on match days at Murrayfield. Between Haymarket and the West End the tram runs along the street, and traffic moves at its pace. Late at night the drive is quick.
The city centre is a Low Emission Zone, enforced since 1 June 2024. It covers the area from Tollcross and Palmerston Place to Queen Street, Picardy Place, Abbeyhill and the Pleasance, and bars petrol cars older than the Euro 4 standard and diesel cars older than Euro 6. Modern cars meet those standards, so it does not stop you being dropped at a hotel door inside the zone.
Inside the Old Town, many flats and some hotels sit up closes and stairways that no car can enter, and parts of the Royal Mile close to traffic during the August festivals. Your driver plans the approach to your address around them.
Schematic, not to scale. Route line © OpenStreetMap contributors
Pickup · 0 min
Edinburgh Airport (EDI)
Your driver meets you in arrivals and loads the luggage.
About 10 min · 7 km
Edinburgh Zoo
Corstorphine Road runs past the zoo’s gates on the slopes of Corstorphine Hill, about 15 minutes from the airport in normal traffic.
About 15 min · 9 km
Murrayfield
The turn for Scottish Gas Murrayfield, the national rugby stadium. On match days and big concert nights, the A8 here is very busy.
About 15 min · 10 km
Haymarket
Haymarket station and the start of the West End. Hotels in the New Town and Old Town are five to ten minutes from here.
Arrival · 25–40 min · 13 km
Edinburgh city
The New Town’s great street, facing the Castle across the gardens. Your drop-off is your hotel door, anywhere in the city.
EDI to Edinburgh city: one fixed price for the whole car
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Meeting your driver at Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport has one terminal. After baggage reclaim, go into the arrivals hall, where your driver waits holding a sign with your name. Private hire cars collect passengers from the airport's pick-up car park rather than the forecourt, so the driver walks you a few minutes to the car.
Edinburgh Airport has a single terminal, so there is only one arrivals hall to find. Your driver waits there with a sign showing your name. Pre-booked cars collect passengers from the airport's pick-up zone rather than the terminal kerb, so the driver walks you a few minutes to the car on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park; groups in a minibus are collected from the coach park.
We track your flight, so the pickup moves with any delay at no extra cost, and your 60 minutes of free waiting start when you actually land.
For your departure, the driver collects you from your hotel and waits up to 15 minutes from the agreed time. For an Old Town address up a close, we agree a pickup point on the nearest street.
Arriving here for somewhere else? See every Edinburgh Airport transfer we run.
Where we drop off in Edinburgh
Every address in Edinburgh is door to door, inside the Low Emission Zone or not. In the Old Town, some hotels and many apartments sit up closes and stairs off the Royal Mile where no car can go, so the driver stops on the nearest street. Tell us the address when you book and we will plan the closest stop.
New Town and Princes Street
Hotels on Princes Street, George Street, Queen Street and around St Andrew Square, in the Georgian grid north of the gardens. Easy door-to-door drop-offs.
Old Town and the Royal Mile
Hotels on the Royal Mile, the Grassmarket and the Cowgate, below the Castle. Some are up stairs or closes, a short walk from where the car can stop.
West End and Haymarket
Hotels around Haymarket station, Lothian Road and the West End, the first part of the city you reach from the airport, about 20 minutes away.
Leith and the Shore
The old port, with restaurants along the Shore and the Royal Yacht Britannia at Ocean Terminal, about 30 to 40 minutes from the airport.
Southside and the Meadows
Guest houses and apartments around the Meadows, Bruntsfield and the University of Edinburgh’s central campus, south of the Old Town.
When to book your Edinburgh city transfer
August is Edinburgh's busiest month by far. The Festival Fringe runs from 6 to 30 August 2027 and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo from 6 to 28 August 2027, alongside the Edinburgh International Festival. Hotels fill, Old Town streets close or slow, and the airport is at its busiest, so book your transfer when you book your room.
Winter has its own peak. Edinburgh's Christmas fills Princes Street Gardens and George Street from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, and the Hogmanay celebrations run from 29 December to 1 January, with the Street Party on Princes Street on 31 December. Scotland's Six Nations home games at Murrayfield are on 6 and 13 February and 5 March 2027.
June evenings stay light until about 22:00, while winter days are short. We track your flight, so your pickup moves with any delay at no extra cost.
Private transfer vs other ways to reach Edinburgh city
| Option | Door to door | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Private transfer | 25–40 min | Straight to your door, fixed price per vehicle, driver waiting in arrivals. |
| Edinburgh Trams | About 30 minutes + walk | Trams leave from outside the terminal every 7 minutes in the daytime and every 10 minutes early and late, stopping at Haymarket, Princes Street and St Andrew Square. Easy with luggage, then you walk. |
| Airlink 100 bus | About 30 minutes + walk | Runs 24 hours a day to Waverley Bridge, at least every 10 minutes in the daytime and every 15 to 20 minutes overnight. Quick and frequent, and it stops beside Waverley station. |
| Taxi from the rank | 25–40 minutes | Taxis and private hire cars wait at the East Terminus, across the plaza from the terminal. You queue on arrival, and the meter rises in traffic. |
Skip the changes: door to door to Edinburgh city
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Vehicles, prices and what's included
You pay one fixed price for the vehicle, not per seat, quoted for your date and group before you book. Tolls, fuel and parking are in the price, and so is waiting time: 60 minutes from your actual landing, or 15 minutes at a hotel or address pickup.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Luggage | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Couples and solo travellers |
| Executive sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Mercedes E-Class or similar |
| Minivan | Up to 7 passengers | 6–7 suitcases | Families and golf or ski bags |
| Minibus | 8–16 passengers | One suitcase each | Groups, weddings, events |
Exact models vary by local partner. Tell us about oversized luggage, golf bags, skis or strollers and we will size the vehicle to fit.
Not included: waiting beyond the free time, and stops or detours added on the day. Planned stops are fine: ask for them with your quote and they are priced in. Tipping is up to you.
Who the Edinburgh city transfer suits
Festival visitors in August
With the Fringe, the Tattoo and the International Festival on at once, a booked car avoids the taxi queue and takes you to your flat or hotel, performance kit and all.
Families
Child seats fitted before pickup, and no climb from the tram stop with a pushchair. One price for the whole car, not per person.
Golfers and rugby fans
Clubs in the boot for a few nights in the city before St Andrews, or a hotel near Murrayfield for a Six Nations weekend.
Late arrivals
The last tram leaves the airport before 23:00, and night buses run less often. A driver waiting in arrivals takes you straight to the door, however late you land.
Plan the rest of your Edinburgh stay
- Edinburgh now has a visitor levy: for stays from 24 July 2026 booked from October 2025, hotels add 5% to the room cost for the first five nights.
- Book Edinburgh Castle tickets online for a timed slot and go early. The Castle is at the top of the Royal Mile, a steep walk from most of the New Town.
- Pack comfortable shoes and a waterproof. The Old Town is all hills, cobbles and steps, and the weather changes quickly.
- In August, book restaurants and Fringe shows before you travel, and allow extra time to cross the Old Town, where the crowds on the Royal Mile slow everyone down.
- Flying on to Ireland or London? See our Dublin Airport to city centre transfer and the rest of our UK airport transfers.
- For your flight home, leave the city centre about two hours before a domestic or European flight and three hours before a long-haul one. Allow more in August and on Friday evenings.
