Travel from Aberdeen to Edinburgh by Bus

Cheapest way to get from Edinburgh to Aberdeen by bus

Updated January 2010

You can get from Aberdeen to Edinburgh (or Edinburgh to Aberdeen) by taking the Megabus (Scottish Citylink) buses. The journey is 3 hours and 10-30 minutes approx. Travelling by bus is the cheapest way to get from Aberdeen to Edinburgh with very cheap tickets:

Starting at £2 for Megabus/Citylink return tickets made up of 2 super single tickets.
Megabus/Citylink have the cheapest one-way bus fares, £1 (super single tickets). These are limited in number but most Megabus/Citylink singles for this route cost between £5-£7 if booked far enough in advance.

It's cheaper to travel between Edinburgh and Inverness by bus than it is to travel by train. The cheapest Off-Peak Return train ticket is £48.50. Even the cheapest possible return rail ticket made up of two single fares is £20.60, at least twice as expensive as travelling by Megabus.

Tickets and times for Megabus/Scottish Citylink bus services between Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Bus timetables for transport between Edinburgh and Aberdeen

The is a frequent service with buses leaving from Guild Street Bus Station in Aberdeen or St. Andrews Bus Station in Edinburgh every hour. Megabus/Citylink operate a daytime and evening bus service. There are no night buses operating on this route.

Megabus/Citylink Aberdeen buses

Bus times from Aberdeen to Edinburgh (day/evening buses)

	Weekdays					Weekend
From Aberdeen (buses approx every hour)	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
First bus to Edinburgh	06:35	06:35	06:35	06:35	06:35	06:35	06:35	Book bus ticket
Last evening bus to Edinburgh	19:15	19:15	19:15	19:15	19:15	19:15	19:15	Book bus ticket

Bus times from Edinburgh to Aberdeen (day/evening)

	Weekdays					Weekend
From Edinburgh (buses approx every hour)	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
First bus to Aberdeen	08:35	08:35	08:35	08:35	08:35	08:35	08:35	Book bus ticket
Last evening bus to Aberdeen	20:45	20:45	20:45	20:45	20:45	20:45	20:45	Book bus ticket

NOTE: the schedule of buses may change without notice. Please double check with the Megabus/Scottish Citylink for the latest travel times for getting to Aberdeen or Edinburgh.

First and last buses to Aberdeen (Megabus/Citylink)

First buses to Aberdeen

The first bus to Aberdeen (weekdays and weekends) leaves St Andrew's Bus Station at 08:35 and arrives at Guild Street Bus Station at 11:45.

Last buses

The last bus to Aberdeen (weekdays and weekends) leaves St Andrew's Bus Station at 20:45 and arrives at Guild Street Bus Station at 24:00.

Night buses

There are no night buses to Aberdeen from Edinburgh

First and last buses to Edinburgh (Megabus/Citylink)

First buses to Edinburgh

The first bus to Edinburgh (weekdays and weekends) leaves Guild Street Bus Station at 06:35 and arrives at St Andrew's Bus Station at 09:50.

Last buses

The last bus to Edinburgh (weekdays and weekends) leaves Guild Street Bus Station at 19:15 and arrives at St Andrew's Bus Station at 22:25.

Night buses

There are no night buses to Edinburgh from Aberdeen

How long does it take to get from Aberdeen to Edinburgh by bus

The journey is 3 hours and 10-30 minutes approx.

How much does the bus ticket from Aberdeen to Edinburgh cost

You can buy your Megabus (Scottish Citylink) bus ticket online.

Megabus/Scottish Citylink Bus fares

Single ticket: starting at £1 (super single ticket). Limited in number, though most singles start at £5-£7
Return ticket: starting at £2 (2 super single tickets). If £1 super singles are sold out then the return bus fare is between £10-£14.

Booking fee of 50p applies.

Book Aberdeen - Edinburgh bus tickets

Where does the bus between Aberdeen and Edinburgh stop

The Megabus/Citylink buses go via Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Kinross, Perth, Dundee, Forfar, Arbroath, Montrose Stonehaven and Aberdeen.

Full list of bus stops for this route:

Edinburgh (St Andrew Square Bus Station, Queensferry St at 9/11, Barnton Junction),
Forth Road Bridge Bus stop at Slip Road,
Ferrytoll Park & Ride Car Park,
Dunfermline (Bus Station, Bus Bay opp. Carnegie College),
Duloch Park Fife Leisure Park Bus Stop,
Kinross (Park & Ride Car Park, High St at Kirklands Hotel, Bank of Scotland, Loch Leven Health Centre),
Milnathort opp Royal Bank,
Perth (Edinburgh Rd opp Tesco's, Edinburgh Rd opp South Inch Car Park, Perth Broxden Park & Ride, Leonard St Bus Station, South St at The Tavern),
Inchture East Road End,
Dundee (Seagate Bus Station),
Forfar A90 underpass near McDonald's,
Arbroath (outside Red Lion Caravan Park, Arbroath Bus Station),
Montrose High St at Woolworths,
St Cyrus A92 at Ecclesgreig Rd,
Inverbervie Chip Shop Bus Bay,
Stonehaven Terminus Barclay St,
Aberdeen (Guild St Bus Station),

NOTE: The bus may not stop at some of these on certain services.

Where do the buses leave from?

The Megabus/Scottish Citylink buses travelling between Aberdeen and Edinburgh leave from the following bus stations:

Address of Guild Street Bus Station

Guild Street
Aberdeen
Scotland
Postcode: AB11 6NJ
Tel: +44 (1224) 597 590

Address of St Andrew's Bus Station

St Andrew's Square
Edinburgh
Scotland
Tel: +44 (131) 5556363
Tel: +44 (131) 2253858

No exact postcode has been found for St Andrew's Bus Station in Edinburgh

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Also see:

Glasgow - Aberdeen by bus Cheap way to get from Aberdeen to Glasgow and return by Megabus (Scottish City Link).

Visitor Comments on Edinburgh Attractions

Museum of Scotland

The museum was fantastic. I didn't have time to see everything in it (who would, it is a huge museum), but there was something for everyone there. It's a great free rainy day activity, which is good because there are plenty of rainy days in Edinburgh. The layout is nice and you get a good chronological snapshot of the history of the area. Overall I was quite impressed.

Royal Yacht Britannia

You have to go into the Ocean Terminal shopping centre and then up to the top floor to buy tickets and start the tour. I wouldn't say that it's a highlight of an Edinburgh trip but if you've done the castle, Royal Mile etc., and have some time left it's nice to poke around in the Queen's bedroom! It's a self-guided tour and quite fun. You could speed around in an hour but closer to 2 hours is more realistic. You don't have to take the Majestic tour bus -- you can take a local bus for 1.10 and it goes to exactly the same place.

Camera Obscura

Undoubtedly the best views available from the city centre, especially through the free-to-use high power binoculars. The galleries of illusions & visual oddities added intrigue to a thouroughly worthwhile couple of hours.

For anyone aged from 8-80 this provides wonderful entertainment,so much variety and great value for money and great views from the rooftop...so if the weather is a little damp or queues too big at the Palace pass an hour or two in here...you won't be disappointed.

Georgian House

This was our first tour stop in Edinburgh and it was worth the money. They provide multi-lingual descriptions of each room and item in the rooms as it was used. There are about 10-rooms to view and each was well preserved and together provided a unique view into Edingburgh middle class history. The staff on hand are willing and ready to give you more insight into any item in the room.

Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Excellent entertainment - something that the Scots do well!

My husband & I attended the 2009 tattoo and having travelled all the way from NZ we were not disappointed. Hubby (who is a piper) said it was the "best show he has ever been to" so was well worth the trip. The mass band sound made the hair on my neck stand up, just brilliant.

>> Back to Edinburgh Coach Travel guide index

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