Travel from Birmingham to Edinburgh by Coach

How to get to Edinburgh from Birmingham with National Express buses

Updated January 2010

You can get from Birmingham to Edinburgh (or Edinburgh to Birmingham) by taking the National Express coaches. The journey is 7 hours and 20 minutes for the quickest direct buses. Travelling by National Express is the cheapest way to get from Birmingham to Edinburgh with NX funfare tickets (very cheap tickets) starting at £10 one-way. Also check the Birmingham - Edinburgh flights page for quicker travel.

Instant timetables and tickets for Birmingham - Edinburgh coaches.

There are up to 5 coaches a day between Birmingham Coach Station (Digbeth) and Edinburgh Bus Station (St. Andrew's Square). There are three direct Birmingham - Edinburgh buses a day (each way) while the other coaches are indirect National Express services via Newcastle upon Tyne and Leeds (2 changes). National Express is the only coach company operating services between Birmingham and Edinburgh.

Direct buses from Birmingham to Edinburgh (journey time between 7-9 hours)

	Weekdays					Weekend
	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Birmingham to Edinburgh (NX536) (departs at 11:00, arrives at 19:30)	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	Book bus ticket
Birmingham to Edinburgh (NX539) (departs at 13:45, arrives at 21:05)	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	Book bus ticket
Birmingham to Edinburgh (NX336, overnight) (departs at 22:30, arrives at 07:30)	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	Book bus ticket

Direct buses from Edinburgh to Birmingham (journey time between 7-9 hours)

	Weekdays					Weekend
	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Edinburgh to Birmingham (NX539) (departs at 07:00, arrives at 14:25)	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	Book bus ticket
Edinburgh to Birmingham (NX536) (departs at 09:15, arrives at 17:55)	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	Book bus ticket
Edinburgh to Birmingham (NX336, overnight) (departs at 21:30, arrives at 06:45)	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 Birmingham or Edinburgh.

There is a direct early morning bus only from Edinburgh to Birmingham (not the other way around) and a late evening (overnight) direct coach between Birmingham and Edinburgh (each way). There are no other direct buses other than the National Express services listed above. See below the section on non-direct buses.

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

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

Direct buses

Daytime coaches

• There are 2 direct daytime buses from Edinburgh to Birmingham (bus services NX536 and NX539) which depart St Andrews Bus Station at 07:00 and 09:15 respectively; they arrive at Birmingham Coach Station at approx 14:25 and 17:55 respectively.
• There are 2 direct daytime buses from Birmingham to Edinburgh (bus services NX536 and NX539) which depart Birmingham Coach Station at 11:00 and 13:45 respectively; they arrive at St Andrews Bus Station at approx 19:30 and 21:05 respectively.

Overnight coaches

• There is one direct overnight bus from Edinburgh to Birmingham (bus service NX336) which departs St Andrews Bus Station at 21:30 and arrives at Birmingham Coach Station at approx 06:45.
• There is one direct overnight bus from Birmingham to Edinburgh (bus service NX336) which departs Birmingham Coach Station at 22:30 and arrives at St Andrews Bus Station at approx 07:30.

Indirect buses

Daytime coaches

• There are up to 2 indirect daytime coaches from Edinburgh to Birmingham (2 changes in Newcastle upon Tyne and Leeds). The earliest indirect bus departs St Andrews Bus Station at 09:45 while the last daytime bus leaves at 12:30.
• There are up to 2 indirect daytime buses from Birmingham to Edinburgh (2 change in Newcastle upon Tyne and Leeds). The earliest indirect bus departs Birmingham Coach Station at 08:40.

Overnight coaches

There are no indirect overnight buses between Birmingham and Edinburgh.

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

The direct buses take between 7 hours and 20 minutes (daytime) and 9 hours (overnight) but the the non-direct Birmingham to Edinburgh bus services to St Andrews Bus Station or Birmingham Coach Station include waiting times in Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne of around 80 mins. Given the choice, always go for the direct coach services.

How much does the bus ticket from Birmingham to Edinburgh cost

The Birmingham - Edinburgh route is a National Express funfare route with bus fares for one-way journeys starting at £10-£15 (check availability now). These cheap bus tickets (non-refundable) are available only online when you book in advance. Funfare prices are only available on direct bus journeys, all the more reason to avoid the coaches which change in Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne.

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 Birmingham and Edinburgh

The cheapest National Express tickets for the Birmingham coach are NX funfare tickets but you need to book these in advance.

Single fares

• Economy Apex single ticket: £50.90
• Standard single ticket: £51.20
• Best Deal, ideal for budget travellers - funfare ticket: from £10

Return fares

• Economy Apex return ticket: £66.40
• Standard return ticket: £66.80
• Best Deal, ideal for budget travellers - combined single NX funfare tickets (£20 cheapest)

Book Birmingham - 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 Birmingham and Edinburgh stop

Stops for direct buses

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

The direct National Express NX536 bus goes via Wolverhampton, Carlisle and Glasgow. Full NX536 itinerary: Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Carlisle, Glasgow, Edinburgh.

The direct National Express NX539 bus goes via Penrith, Carlisle and Glasgow. You can buy tickets for travel from any of these stops in Scotland or England to Birmingham or Edinburgh. Full NX539 itinerary: Birmingham, Penrith, Carlisle, Glasgow, Edinburgh.

The direct National Express NX336 bus (overnight) goes via Manchester (including Manchester Airport), Preston, Carlisle and Glasgow. Full NX336 itinerary: Birmingham, Hanley, Manchester (including Manchester Airport), Salford, Preston, Lancaster, Carlisle, Glasgow, Edinburgh.

Stops for buses changing in Newcastle Upon Tyne and Leeds

Birmingham, Lichfield, Derby, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Meadowhall Interchange, Leeds (change at bus station), Harewood, Harrogate, Ripon, Catterick, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle Upon Tyne (change at bus station), Morpeth, Alnwick, Berwick-upon-Tweed, 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 Birmingham to Edinburgh or Edinburgh to Birmingham and anywhere else in the UK. Alternatively, you can buy your ticket from St Andrews bus station or Birmingham coach station. Remember that the cheapest Edinburgh - Birmingham bus tickets (funfare offers) are available ONLY online.

Address of Birmingham Coach Station

National Express Coach Station in Birmingham
Mill Lane
Digbeth
Birmingham
Postcode: B5 6DB

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

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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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