Getting Around Edinburgh
The bus is the chief method of transportation. The fare you pay depends on the distance you ride, referred to as "stages." A stage is not a stop but a distance of about half a mile with a number of stops. Children 5 to 15 are charged a flat rate but teenagers 13 to 15 must carry a teen card as proof of age, and children 4 and under ride free. Exact change is required if you're paying your fare on the bus. A family ticket for two adults and four children is available at a reduced rate. The Edinburgh Freedom Ticket allows 1 day of unlimited travel on city buses at a set price. Tickets and further information are available in the city center at the Waverley Bridge Transport Office, Waverley Bridge (tel. 0131/554-4494; Bus: 3, 31), open daily 6:30am to 10:30pm, or at the Hanover Street office (Bus: 3, 31), open daily 9am to 7pm. For details on timetables, call tel. 0131/555-6363.
Frequent LRT Airline buses run from Waverley Bridge near the train station to Haymarket and the airport, taking 35 minutes. Other bus services are frequent and cheap, and most leave from either St Andrew Square bus station or Waverley Bridge. Two main companies, Lothian Regional Transport and Scottish Motor Traction, compete on some services and their tickets are not interchangeable.
Trains:
Edinburgh does not have its own separate rail network. Trains running through the city are part of the national rail system. Trains heading west and north link Waverly station with Haymarket. A less costly alternative is to catch a bus down Princes St. There are regular trains west to Dalmeny and east to North Berwick.
The East Coast line is the fastest inter-city railway in Britain, and links Edinburgh's Waverley station with London and Europe. ScotRail, Railtrack and West Coast lines link the city with northern and western Britain, and the latter are ideal for side trips to the English Lakes, Chester or Bath.