Edinburgh by car, or train???
Discussion
Hi
We're currently in Northumbria and are thinking of a day trip to Edinburgh
Alnmouth station is 20 mins away, the train takes just over an hour and costs £70 for 3 of us.
Google maps and Waze reckon its 80 miles but will take 2h (outside of peak hours) which makes me think the train is the better option but I cant ignore the difference in price.
Whats the reality of driving into the city centre by car please and would you advise against it, or not?
Cheers
I can't help with your particular conundrum other than saying the cost and stress of parking is removed when catching the train.
I used to drive in and out of London - now I never do. The train is quicker and when you add parking, congestion charging, petrol... it's probably a bit cheaper too. Plus, you get right into the centre too.
I used to drive in and out of London - now I never do. The train is quicker and when you add parking, congestion charging, petrol... it's probably a bit cheaper too. Plus, you get right into the centre too.
I live about 70 miles from Edinburgh and since they recently built a new railway near us, do a mixture of train and car.
Roads from us to the outskirts are both quiet and fun, so always take the car and park in a park and ride if buying stuff. City centre isnt great for driving or parking, so if we're doing something touristy, especially if it's involving food/drink, take the train.
Remember Scotland has lower drink driving limits than England, so even a large glass of wine with your lunch is a risk.
Roads from us to the outskirts are both quiet and fun, so always take the car and park in a park and ride if buying stuff. City centre isnt great for driving or parking, so if we're doing something touristy, especially if it's involving food/drink, take the train.
Remember Scotland has lower drink driving limits than England, so even a large glass of wine with your lunch is a risk.
Train.
If you don't *need* to have a car in Edinburgh, avoid it. It's a royal PITA.
I'm in Edinburgh a lot, and the only time I drive is where I actually need to have the car with me.
Another option is using the park and ride at Ingliston (near the airport) and getting the tram into town. Very painless.
However, the train is a no brainer in this case.
If you don't *need* to have a car in Edinburgh, avoid it. It's a royal PITA.
I'm in Edinburgh a lot, and the only time I drive is where I actually need to have the car with me.
Another option is using the park and ride at Ingliston (near the airport) and getting the tram into town. Very painless.
However, the train is a no brainer in this case.
If you are travelling at the weekend on Saturday/Sunday there are usually plenty of places to park south of Queen Street towards Stockbridge. You just have to be prepared to have a 10 minute walk up to George St/Princess Street. If you want to visit the Royal Mile then the same goes for the just north of the meadows.
However if you are travelling during the week then the train would probably be the best bet.
George
However if you are travelling during the week then the train would probably be the best bet.
George
We live in Lincolnshire and spent 3 nights there on a short holiday last week (me, wife and 4 year old daughter). We got the train. 
Alnmouth was one of the stops on the way back. It's a station you don't really notice unless you actually stop there.
Edinburgh looked to be a bit of a pain for cars. As others have said, train is the best. Whilst staying there we commented on the lack of space should we go in a car.
Don't spend a lot of time there so can't give much useful advice. Train was fine for us, even with a 4 year old. Plenty of good walking to be done. It's not a massive city so you don't really need a car. Plenty of bus services too. We stayed on Learmonth Terrace and walked everywhere.
On a day trip I guess you'll want to do Princes street, the Royal Mile and the Castle? Whisky experience thing near the castle is quite good, if that is your thing. There is a nice street behind Princes street called Rose street(?) which has some food and drink outlets etc.
Alnmouth was one of the stops on the way back. It's a station you don't really notice unless you actually stop there.
Edinburgh looked to be a bit of a pain for cars. As others have said, train is the best. Whilst staying there we commented on the lack of space should we go in a car.
Don't spend a lot of time there so can't give much useful advice. Train was fine for us, even with a 4 year old. Plenty of good walking to be done. It's not a massive city so you don't really need a car. Plenty of bus services too. We stayed on Learmonth Terrace and walked everywhere.
On a day trip I guess you'll want to do Princes street, the Royal Mile and the Castle? Whisky experience thing near the castle is quite good, if that is your thing. There is a nice street behind Princes street called Rose street(?) which has some food and drink outlets etc.
Edited by funkyrobot on Tuesday 30th October 21:37
If you're just doing the city centre in a day, train every time plus it's a nice run up the coast so quite scenic. The A1 isn't the nicest of roads to drive, especially at this time of year and not particularly pretty either unless you deviate from the main route. Edinburgh by train is great, it's slap bang in the centre so even if it's crap weather, it's not a big deal.
Super Slo Mo said:
Alternatively take the car but leave it at ingliston Park and ride. Tram into the centre is cheap and fairly quick. That’s what I do these days, as others have said, driving in Edinburgh is painful. The traffic light sequencing seems designed to cause as much disruption as possible.
Ingliston Park & Ride is at the opposite side of the city form the A1. Better to use either Newcraighall (where there's a rail station and a link into the city) or Sherriffhall (A720/A68) where there are frequent buses into the city centre.I live just outside Edinburgh and never, ever take the car now. If I do, I park on the east side (Portobello) and get the bus from there. Otherwise, it's the train every time.
P.S. Parking in city centre at a "meter" can cost £1 for 15 minutes, and you have to move within 2 to 4 hours. Even getting into multi-storey (they demolished one a few years ago and never replaced it) can be difficult and equally not cheap. Cost me £8 for an hour and 5 minutes two years ago.
grumpyscot said:
Super Slo Mo said:
Alternatively take the car but leave it at ingliston Park and ride. Tram into the centre is cheap and fairly quick. That’s what I do these days, as others have said, driving in Edinburgh is painful. The traffic light sequencing seems designed to cause as much disruption as possible.
Ingliston Park & Ride is at the opposite side of the city form the A1.. That’s probably because I always go to Edinburgh from the west and almost never go to the A1 side of it.
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