Travel from Inverness to Edinburgh by Bus
Cheapest way to get from Edinburgh to Inverness by bus
Updated September 2011
You can get from Inverness to Edinburgh (or Edinburgh to Inverness) by taking the Megabus (Scottish Citylink) buses. The journey is 3 hours and 35 minutes approx. Travelling by bus is the cheapest way to get from Inverness 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-£10 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. See our Scottish Megabus / National Express coaches in-depth coach guide.
Tickets and times for Megabus/Scottish Citylink bus services between Edinburgh and Inverness.
Bus timetables for transport between Edinburgh and Inverness
The is a frequent service with buses leaving from Farraline Park Bus Station in Inverness 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 Inverness buses
Bus times from Inverness to Edinburgh (day/evening buses)
| Weekdays | Weekend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Inverness (buses approx every hour) |
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
| First bus to Edinburgh | 07:10 | 07:10 | 07:10 | 07:10 | 07:10 | 07:10 | 07:10 | Book bus ticket |
| Last evening bus to Edinburgh | 18:55 | 18:55 | 18:55 | 18:55 | 18:55 | 18:55 | 18:55 | Book bus ticket |
Bus times from Edinburgh to Inverness (day/evening)
| Weekdays | Weekend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Edinburgh (buses approx every hour) |
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
| First bus to Inverness | 08:35 | 08:35 | 08:35 | 08:35 | 08:35 | 08:35 | 08:35 | Book bus ticket |
| Last evening bus to Inverness | 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 Inverness or Edinburgh.
First and last buses to Inverness (Megabus/Citylink)
First buses to Inverness
- The first bus to Inverness (weekdays and weekends) leaves St Andrew's Bus Station at 08:35 and arrives at Farraline Park Bus Station at 12:10.
Last buses
- The last bus to Inverness (weekdays and weekends) leaves St Andrew's Bus Station at 20:45 and arrives at Farraline Park Bus Station at 00:20.
Night buses
- There are no night buses to Inverness from Edinburgh
First and last buses to Edinburgh (Megabus/Citylink)
First buses to Edinburgh
- The first bus to Edinburgh (weekdays and weekends) leaves Farraline Park Bus Station at 07:10 and arrives at St Andrew's Bus Station at 10:45.
Last buses
- The last bus to Edinburgh (weekdays and weekends) leaves Farraline Park Bus Station at 18:55 and arrives at St Andrew's Bus Station at 22:25.
Night buses
- There are no night buses to Edinburgh from Inverness
How long does it take to get from Inverness to Edinburgh by bus
The journey is 3 hours and 35 minutes approx.
How much does the bus ticket from Inverness 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-£10
- Return ticket: starting at £2 (2 super single tickets). If £1 super singles are sold out then the return bus fare is between £10-£20.
Booking fee of 50p applies.
Book Inverness - Edinburgh bus tickets
Where does the bus between Inverness and Edinburgh stop
The Megabus/Citylink buses go via Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Kinross, Perth, Pitlochry, Dalwhinnie, Kingussie, Aviemore and Inverness.
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),
- Luncarty Northbound Bus Bay on A9,
- Birnam (for Dunkeld) Opp. Birnam Hotel,
- Kindallachan Road End Bus Stop,
- Ballinluig Road End Bus Stop,
- Pitlochry (Aldour Bus Stop, Fishers Hotel),
- Blair Atholl Atholl Arms,
- Calvine Road End Layby No.56,
- Dalwhinnie Road End Lay-by,
- Newtonmore (Clan McPherson Museum, Waltzing Waters),
- Kingussie (Duke of Gordon Hotel, High St, north end Bus Stop),
- Kincraig (Highland Wildlife Park, War Memorial),
- Dalraddy Opp. Caravan Park Entrance,
- Aviemore (Cairngorm Hotel opp Rail Station, Burnside Bus Stop),
- Tomatin Road End Lay-by,
- Inverness (Farraline Park 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 Inverness and Edinburgh leave from the following bus stations:
Address of Farraline Park Bus Station
Farraline Park
Margaret Street
Inverness
Scotland
Postcode: IV1 1NH
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 - Inverness by bus Cheap way to get from Inverness to Glasgow and return by Megabus (Scottish City Link).
- Inverness - Edinburgh Airport by bus
Visitor Comments on Edinburgh Attractions
Museum of Childhood
Located on High street, this was a gem of a find. It was just like stepping back in time. Set in 5 seperate galleries this tour took you from teddies to trains, through games and dollshouses. There is something for all ages here, and all for free. The visit for us took about 1hour and we shared the experince with more adults than children! It is said to be the noisiest museum ever, and during school holidays I would imagine it to be so. We were quite quiet! This is one of several good museums within a very small area, and really great way to spend some time. The staff were really friendly and there is a small shop at the entrance.
Palace of Holyroodhouse
I was really pleased that we could find the time to visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Personally, I think this is a even much more interesting site to visit than Edinburgh Castle. Since this palace is the official residence in Scotland of Her Majesty The Queen, everything is very well maintained and the palace is so beautifully decorated. Besides, this was also the home of Queen Mary, so everything was excellent preserved, looked just like 450 years ago. A fabulous place, definitely recommended to visit.
Our Dynamic Earth
Overall it was a great attraction for kids - and adults too! I think they could improve the presentations given by some staff in certain areas. It seemed a bit rushed (there were some field trips going on) and they tended to be talking before everyone was in the area. Worth the visit though!
Greyfriars Kirkyard
Greyfriars Graveyard is just off of Candlemaker Row in the centre of Edinburgh. It is the final resting place of that most loyal dog Greyfriars Bobby, situated just opposite his statue on George IV Bridge. The Graveyard is has some very beautiful views of the Castle and is a little oasis of calm in the centre of Edinburgh. One of my favourite features of this graveyard are the frequent skeleton motifs on the gravestones, an ancient morbid convention. The church at the centre of this graveyard is one of the oldest Edinburgh buildings, with building beginning in 1602. It is the only Church of Scotland church to still perform a Sunday mass in Gaelic.
» Back to Edinburgh Coach Travel guide index
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- Glasgow - Edinburgh by Bus
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- Dundee - Edinburgh by Bus
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Also see:
- Edinburgh coach tours Suggestions for tours from and to Edinburgh by private or public coach.
- Glasgow - London coach travel Cheap fares and online tickets for getting from Glasgow to London by bus.
- Edinburgh travel guide How to travel to and from Edinburgh by different means of transport.