Edinburgh Train Travel

General rail travel information

Edinburgh is an excellent base for exploring Scotland. If you are considering taking long distance rail journeys from Edinburgh, it's best to book your tickets at least two weeks in advance to get the best possible fare.

Buying train tickets in advance also means your seat is reserved which is very handy on early morning or evening peak time trains. Avoid booking your train tickets through a foreign agent in order to get the cheapest fares possible.

Using local booking systems is very easy and convenient although choosing the right type of train ticket can be tricky. Tickets are not mailed out to you. You must collect them from the Waverley railway station in Edinburgh.

For short distance train journeys from Edinburgh you can buy your tickets on the day you travel from the Travel Centre at Waverley Station. If you're in a hurry, you can buy your ticket on the train as it leaves Edinburgh but remember that you don't benefit from any ticket discounts and you pay the full single fare. Paying two full fares is more expensive than a cheap return ticket.

If you're in Edinburgh for more than a couple of days then you might consider one or two short train trips to some local places. The villages and towns around Edinburgh are quite extraordinary and you'll get a chance to see the quiet side of modern Scottish life.

• Tickets are not interchangeable, you cannot travel with Virgin Trains if you have a GNER ticket or vice versa.
• You can normally take your bicycle on the train but you must make reservations for the cycle space. This is usually free of charge.
• Frequent Intercity train services to and from Edinburgh are usually on time and delays may appear occasionally on the longer distance rail journeys. If you happen to miss one, however, you can always catch another one.

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