Travel from Belfast to Edinburgh by Coach

How to get to Edinburgh from Belfast (Northern Ireland) with National Express coaches

Updated January 2010

You can get from Belfast to Edinburgh (or Edinburgh to Belfast) by taking the National Express NI 923 (Ulsterbus) coach. The journey is 7 hours and 30 minutes for the quickest direct buses. You travel across to Scotland by ferry, to Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway and then you continue your coach trip to Edinburgh. Traveling by National Express is a cheap way to get from Belfast to Edinburgh with economy apex return tickets (very cheap tickets) starting at £51.50. Also check the Belfast - Edinburgh flights page for quicker travel.

Tickets and timetables for Belfast - Edinburgh coaches.

There are 2 coaches a day between Belfast Bus Station (Europa Bus Centre) and Edinburgh Bus Station (St. Andrew's Square). National Express through its subsidiary Eurolines UK is the only coach company operating services between Belfast and Edinburgh.

Direct buses from Belfast to Edinburgh (journey time between 7 hours and 30 minutes)

	Weekdays					Weekend
	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Belfast to Edinburgh (NI923) (departs at 06:30, arrives at 14:05)	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	Book bus ticket
Belfast to Edinburgh (NI923) (departs at 10:45, arrives at 17:50)	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	Book bus ticket

Direct buses from Edinburgh to Belfast (journey time between 7 hours and 30 minutes)

	Weekdays					Weekend
	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Edinburgh to Belfast (NI923) (departs at 09:45 arrives at 17:05)	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	Book bus ticket
Edinburgh to Belfast (NI923) (departs at 15:00, arrives at 22:40)	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	Book bus ticket

NOTE: the schedule of buses may change without notice. Please double check with the National Express for the latest travel times for getting to Belfast or Edinburgh.

There is a direct early morning bus only from Belfast to Edinburgh (not the other way around). All other coaches are mid-morning and afternoon services. There are no other direct buses other than the National Express (Eurolines) services listed above. See below the section on non-direct buses.

Instant fares for cheap flights from Belfast to Edinburgh and Edinburgh to Belfast.

All Edinburgh - Belfast buses (National Express) with service times

Direct buses

Daytime coaches

• There are 2 direct daytime buses from Edinburgh to Belfast (bus service NI923 Eurolines Ulsterbus) which depart St Andrews Bus Station at 09:45 and 15:00 respectively; they arrive at Belfast Bus Station at approx 17:05 and 22:40 respectively.
• There are 2 direct daytime buses from Belfast to Edinburgh (bus service NI923 Eurolines Ulsterbus) which depart Belfast Europa Bus Centre at 06:30 and 10:45 respectively; they arrive at St Andrews Bus Station at approx 14:05 and 17:50 respectively.

Overnight coaches

There are no direct overnight coaches between Edinburgh, Scotland and Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Indirect buses

National Express/Eurolines do not operate any indirect coaches between Edinburgh, Scotland and Belfast, Northern Ireland.

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

The Belfast - Edinburgh bus takes between 7 hours and 5 minutes and 7 hours and 40 minutes depending on the time of day.

How much does the bus ticket from Belfast to Edinburgh cost

The Belfast - Edinburgh route is a National Express special offer route with Belfast Promo bus fares for return journeys starting at £51.50 (check availability now). These cheap bus tickets (amendable, refundable) are available only online when you book in advance.

Make sure to book in advance for travel on busy periods like Bank Holidays, Half-Term, Christmas Holidays and New Year's.

National Express bus fares between Belfast and Edinburgh

The cheapest National Express tickets for the Belfast coach are Belfast Promo tickets but you need to book these in advance.

Single fares

• Belfast Promo 2 Single: £38.00
• Eurolines Standard Single: £38.50
• Eurolines Single: £38.50

Return fares

• Belfast Promo 2 Return: £51.50
• Eurolines Standard Return: £61.00

Book Belfast - Edinburgh direct coach tickets

NOTE: Ticket prices may change without notice. Please double check with the National Express for up to date coach fares.

Where does the bus between Belfast and Edinburgh stop

Stops for direct buses

You can buy tickets for travel from any of these stops in Scotland or England to Belfast or Edinburgh.

The direct National Express/Eurolines NI923 bus goes via Stranraer and Glasgow. Full NI923 itinerary: Belfast, Stranraer (Stena Line ferry terminal), Ayr, Glasgow, Edinburgh.

National Express coach services - Web links

Bus Tickets, Timetables and Journey Planner
Use the form to get timetables and tickets for coach trips from Belfast to Edinburgh or Edinburgh to Belfast and anywhere else in the UK. Alternatively, you can buy your ticket from St Andrews bus station or Belfast coach station. Remember that the cheapest Edinburgh - Belfast bus tickets (funfare offers) are available ONLY online.

Address of Belfast Bus Station

Eurolines Coach Station in Belfast
Europa Bus Centre
10 Glengall St
Belfast
County Antrim
Tel: +44 (28) 90337007
Postcode: BT12 5AH

Address of Edinburgh Bus Station

National Express Coach Station in Edinburgh
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

Hotels in Belfast or Edinburgh

Edinburgh Hotels
Discount Edinburgh hotels and accommodation in the City Centre.

Belfast Hotels
Centrally-located Belfast hotels and accommodation.

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Origin of 'Edinburgh'

Tourists have problems with the name of Edinburgh. There are hundreds of ways people write it and the most common writings include 'edinburg', 'edinborough', 'edimburgh', 'edinbourgh', 'ediburgh', 'edinbugh', 'edinboro', 'edingburgh', 'edinbrugh', 'edimburg', 'edinburugh', 'edingurgh', 'edinbrough', etc.

According to the Scottish Place Names dictionary, the name Edinburgh means 'Fort of the Rock Face'. The 'edin' part comes from Scottish Gaelic and means 'rock face', while 'burgh' comes from Old English meaning stronghold.

Some more obscure (and quite funny) ways of writing Edinburgh include: edinburough, edingburg, edinbourg, edinburh, edinurgh, edenburg, edinbough, edinbourough, edinbrgh, edingborough, edenburgh, edinberg, edinborgh, edinborugh, edinburge, edinburhg, edingbourgh, etc.

Edinburgh is spelt Edimburgo in Spanish and Italian and Édimbourg in French.

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