One Day London Train Trips to Edinburgh
Take a Sightseeing Day Trip from London to Edinburgh
Edinburgh is too fascinating to be seen in only 6 hours but if you are short on time yet high on enthusiasm, this unescorted day trip will give you a taste of Edinburgh's best attractions. And believe me, you will want to return for a longer break in Scotland's Capital City.
Day Trip from London to Edinburgh by train from £129 (return rail tickets, Hop-on Hop-off City Tour, entry to Edinburgh Castle).
In terms of comfort and convenience you cannot beat the ready-packaged Edinburgh Rail Day Trip from London which takes you from Central London (King's Cross train station) to the heart of Edinburgh and includes a return fast train ticket to London, admission to Edinburgh Castle and an open top city bus tour. Get into Edinburgh at 11.30am approx and start exploring:
- Visit Edinburgh Castle, Scotland's number one attraction, including the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Royal Palace and enjoy the breathtaking views of the City from the castle battlements.
- See all of the major attractions in Edinburgh from the popular Hop-on Hop-off open-top bus.
- Wander the historic streets of the Old Town, the Royal Mile and Princes Street with their excellent shops, restaurants, cafes.
- You have the freedom to plan your own visit in Edinburgh, whether it's sightseeing, shopping or just having a leisurely day.
Reviews from customers who took this trip from London
One of the highlights of our trip. Forget Rome and even Paris, though Paris is beautiful, Edinburgh has to be the most beautiful city we saw in our trip. Edinburgh Castle was amazing, the sights were great, and we even got to see the palace of Mary Queen of Scots. Of all the day tours we took, this was the best organized. While other day tours take you by bus and waste your time, this sets you on a fast train to Edinburgh, gives you a double decker bus to see the sights, and gives free entry to the most important sites. This tour was worth every dollar we paid and then some.
Excellent package. Be warned that most of the time is spent in the train going and getting back. If you are prepared for that you will definitely enjoy your day trip.
Considering the distance between London and Edinburgh, this tour is probably the better solution you can hope for. You must allow for 9-10 hours in the train, but you still have 5-6 hours to spend in Edinburgh. We visited Edinburgh Castle, took a coach tour of the city, and had additional free time to visit the main streets in the city centre, Princess Street and the Royal Mile, and do some shopping. Edinburgh would deserve an overnight stay, but in any case this tour permits a good overview of the capital city of Scotland.
The trip itself was wonderful. The train is quality all the way even in 2nd class. Time in Edinburgh was just enough to get a good feel of city, explore, and enjoy the castle. Would recommend this to anyone with limited amount of time in London who wants to also experience Scotland.
Find train times and cheap tickets for trains to Edinburgh.
What you need to know
- Prices start at £129 (children receive a £10 discount) and include all taxes and charges
- You receive instant confirmation voucher upon reservation
- This tour departs King's Cross daily, Monday to Thursday
Book the Edinburgh Day Trip now!
Other Bestselling London Day Trips
- Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Bath Day Trip from London from £65
- Paris Rail Day Trip from London from £149
- Leeds Castle, Canterbury and Dover from London from £65
Plan Your Own Cheap Day Trip to Edinburgh from London
The packaged day tour from London is the most convenient and hassle-free way to spend half a day in Edinburgh, but it's not cheap. If you are on a tight budget then planning your own trip can help you make some significant savings.
To organise this day trip to Edinburgh yourself, you only need three things:
- Book a return same-day train ticket from London. Take the first train to Edinburgh which departs London King's Cross at 6.15am and the last one back departing Edinburgh Waverley at 7.00pm. This gives you roughly 7 hours in Edinburgh. For the longest possible day trip choose the overnight sleeper train from London which arrives at 7.00am approx and gives you around 10 hours in Edinburgh.
- Buy a ticket for the popular Edinburgh City Hop-on, Hop-off tour (open top bus tour). The tour departs Waverley Bridge (as you come out from the train station) every 15-20 minutes (depending on season) and lasts approx 1 hour.
- Buy a fast track ticket to visit Edinburgh Castle, Scotland's number one attraction (buy it online to avoid queues). A complete tour of Edinburgh Castle can last anywhere between 1-3 hours, depending on how leisurely you like your tour to be.
Use any extra time you have to wander around the Old Town, shop on Princes Street or enjoy the amazing city views from Calton Hill, within short walking distance from the train station.
Edinburgh Day Trip Package from London from Rail Europe (for US and Canada visitors)
This package day trip is put together by Rail Europe, the specialist website on train travel in Europe. It includes a return train ticket, entrance to Edinburgh Castle and pass for the open top bus tour.
Your day trip to Edinburgh starts at 6:30am from London Kings Cross. The train journey lasts just under 4 and a half hours giving you 6 hours for:
- An open top bus tour around Edinburgh's City Centre covering most of the major attractions in the Scottish capital. This tour is included in the price of the trip.
- A tour of Edinburgh Castle, the most popular attraction in Edinburgh thanks to its history, the One o'Clock Gun and, most of all, the views of the city. The entrance to the castle is included in the price of the trip.
- Lunch and some shopping on Princes Street before your return rail journey to London.
The train back to London departs the Waverley train station at 5:30pm arriving in London at 10:15pm.
You can choose between a first class and second class train ticket for this trip. Children get a significant discount of about $100.
Book the Rail Europe Day Trip to Edinburgh from London now!.
>> Back to Edinburgh Day Trips and Tours guide index
All Edinburgh day trips and tours articles:
Photography walking tour A tour around Edinburgh's most impressive attractions any tourist should capture on camera.
Edinburgh Castle tour Best things to see when doing a tour of Edinburgh Castle.
North Berwick trip from Edinburgh A short 30 minute train journey from Edinburgh lies North Berwick, the ideal destination for a family day out.
Edinburgh day trip from London A quick day trip from London by train to see Edinburgh's most famous attractions.
London train break to Edinburgh Two days and one night short break by train from London to Edinburgh.
Orient Express Day Trips in the UK (to or from Scotland)
Orient Express day trips to Edinburgh A luxury one day train trip to Edinburgh with the Northern Belle, the Orient Express of the North.
Orient Express Edinburgh Tattoo Break - A luxury Orient Express weekend trip to Edinburgh to experience the world-famous Military Tattoo.
Trips on the Orient Express from Edinburgh - Choice of day trips and weekend trips from Edinburgh to experience the luxury of the Northern Belle train.
Also see:
Edinburgh tours and trips Different tours and trips available in and around Edinburgh.
