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Made famous by its higgledy-piggledy old town, summer arts festival and ancient university, Scotland’s windy city is a heady mixture of new and old, of the staid and avant-garde.
Head to Edinburgh in August and you’ll find the city packed with writers, performers, musicians and tourists, opt for a winter visit and you’ll discover an altogether more intimate welcome.
Perched between the rolling Pentland Hills and the misty Firth of Forth, the city of Edinburgh sits dramatically atop a series of extinct volcanoes and rocky outcrops. Proud, austere, mysterious and majestic, Scotland’s first city is shot through with the ghosts of Scotland’s past.
Nowadays it’s a lively cosmopolitan place, packed with restaurants, galleries and the head offices of Scotland’s banks and law firms. Head up the Mound and you’ll know you’re in a premier university town too with bookish students mingling with the ubiquitous tourists, business people and locals.
Edinburgh is Scotland’s busiest airport handling just short of 8.6 million each year. The airport site is located at Turnhouse, six miles West of Edinburgh and just off the main M8 motorway.
The airport is currently owned and operated by BAA, the Spanish-owned group who also run Heathrow, Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow and Aberdeen airports.
The current airport terminal building was built in 1977 and has recently undergone a renovation programme to bring it into the 21st century. With new airport parking facilities, an extended arrivals hall and a new control tower which was completed in 2005, Edinburgh is now a state of the art international airport.
There are plans to continue expanding the airport to support a growth in passenger numbers to 26 million by 2030.
Destinations and airlines
You can fly all over the world from Edinburgh nowadays, both on charter and scheduled airlines. With over 100 destinations and 40 airlines to choose from, you’ll never be short of inspiration for a holiday or business trip either.
Flying from Edinburgh and budget conscious? You can take your pick from a whole host of low budget carriers which include Ryanair, easyJet, Flybe, Germanwings and Jet2.com. If comfort is more important to you than price, you might like to go for a flight with BMI, BA or Lufthana or Air France instead.
Often the airline you choose is dictated by your destination, and from Edinburgh these range from the domestic - Stornoway, Manchester, Leeds and London - to the exotic - Sharm el Sheik, Orlando and Reykjavik.
Airport facilities
With its newly developed terminal and motto ‘shop, eat, relax, enjoy’, Edinburgh Airport has much to offer travellers.
For shopaholics there are boutiques aplenty, selling a variety of great value gifts and treats from Scotland’s best-loved brands. Indulge your love of beauty products and perfume, pick up a hi-tech gift for someone, shop your favourite fashion label or peruse a stunning array of local whiskies – the choice is yours.
If all that shopping has given you an appetite, why not take the weight off at one of the airport’s many cafes and restaurants? From light-bites in Costa to lobsters and champagne in Thermidors, there’s something here for every taste and budget.
While you wait for your plane to be called, Edinburgh Airport also offers you the chance to grab a last minute massage or beauty treatment in Inside & Out or a quick peek at some local art in The Airport Gallery.
Transport links
While Edinburgh Airport isn’t currently served by its own train station, the city’s two main train stations Haymarket and Waverley offer a dedicated airport bus service in the Airlink 100. Journey times to the airport on the Airlink 100 are usually 25 minutes in normal traffic.
For travellers coming from Fife, there’s a direct bus link to the airport from Inverkeithing station. If you plan to come this way, ask for the AirDirect 747 service.
By road, Edinburgh Airport is easily accessible from the A8 Glasgow Road and M8 and M9 motorways, with the A8 airport junction located between the Gogar and Newbridge roundabouts.
If you're coming from Edinburgh, join the A8 from the city bypass and head towards Glasgow. If you're coming from the north or west, join the A8 at the Newbridge roundabout and head towards Edinburgh, then follow signs for the airport.
The postcode to use for satellite navigation systems is EH12 9DN.
Thanks to a great deal of investment over the last few years, parking at Edinburgh Airport is now a slick and professional operation. There’s a quality range of airport parking providers to choose from, offering deals which range from cheap park and ride packages to luxury Meet and Greet parking.
If you’re planning to fly from Edinburgh Airport, why not search and compare the best Edinburgh Airport parking deals now?!
To get started, just visit our Airport parking search page, input your dates of travel and scroll through the results.
Every vendor we include has been thoroughly vetted to ensure they meet our strict security and customer service standards - so you can book with complete peace of mind.
Book your Edinburgh Airport car parking now!
When it comes to choosing a hotel in Edinburgh, you’ll be seriously spoiled for choice as the capital has a huge amount to offer visitors of all tastes and budgets.
If you plan to throw caution to the wind and really splash out, why not try luxury boutique hotel The Glasshouse Hotel. Famed for its floor to ceiling windows and staff who simply can’t do enough for you, The Glasshouse is a unique experience in a very central spot.
Equally upscale is the stylish Bonham Hotel which is spread across a series of handsome Victorian buildings in Edinburgh’s New Town. Packed with bold colours and contemporary art, the Bonham is fun, spirited and sumptuously comfortable place to stay.
Tigerlily is another of Edinburgh’s most luxurious destinations. Dubbed ‘one of the coolest 65 hotels in the world’ and ‘one of the world’s top 100 hotels’ by Conde Nast Traveller and Times Traveller Magazine respectively, it offers exquisite, individually designed rooms and personality in buckets.
Staying in Edinburgh’s not all about parting with huge amounts of cash though, as there are plenty of reasonably priced hotels and B&Bs to choose from in the city centre.
If you’re looking for predictability and reliability, go for Express by Holiday Inn on Picardy Place or the city centre Novotel on Lauriston Place. If you’d prefer to go independent, try Ten Hill Place or Ardenlee Guest House on Eyre Place.
Ask anyone who knows about food where to eat in Edinburgh and they’ll most likely tell you to head to Kitchin in Leith. Winners of numerous foodie awards, including Best UK Restaurant 2010 in the mighty Observer Food Monthly Awards, Kitchin does Scottish food at its freshest and seasonal best.
If you’re looking for a city centre table however, try The Tower above the Museum of Scotland. Serving up amazing views over the city along with outstanding seafood, grills and game, it’s a favourite with celebrities and local alike. The Witchery by the Castle is another outstanding Old Town dining room, complete with gothic panelling, ancient tapestries and medieval glamour.
For snacks and cheaper eats, head for Barioja on Jeffrey Street. A nice little Spanish tapas bar, it serves a top selection of light nibbles and more substantial dishes right around the clock.
And if you’re in need of a hot filling meal for under a fiver, you need to pay the famous Baked Potato Shop on Cockburn Street a visit. Purveyors of the most enormous jacket potatoes imaginable and and even larger selection of fillings, this place has quite rightly become legendary.
When it comes to deciding how to spend a couple of days in Edinburgh, it can often be tough to know where to start. Generally a spot of sightseeing is a good first port of call, delving into Edinburgh’s rich historic past and coming up all the more informed as a result.
Historic sights not to miss include Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Park and The Museum of Scotland. The city’s Old Town is also a must-see with its amazing medieval architecture and mysterious winding closes. Get a closer view and some spooky stories to boot with one of the famous Old Town Witchery walking tours.
Once you’ve seen the sights, you might like to soak up a little of the art and culture that the capital is famous for, if so, try The Fruitmarket Gallery, The Royal Scottish Academy, or The Scott Monument.
If you’re more into sports, you might be lucky enough to catch a rugby or football match if any of the city’s teams are playing at home. Edinburgh lays claim to two Scottish Premier League teams in Hearts and Hibernian, and a leading rugby team who play at the city’s Murrayfield Stadium.
No trip to Scotland would be complete without a visit to the Scottish Whisky Heritage Centre either. Located a stone’s throw from the castle, the centre offers a fascinating interactive insight into the history of the national drink, along with ample opportunities to sample the golden nectar itself.
Edinburgh is a seriously sophisticated shopping destination with designer stores aplenty. Shop big names like Stella McCartney, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Mulberry and more, all in the historic grandeur of the city’s beautiful New Town.
If you’re after something a little more affordable, make for the city’s largest shopping street, Princes Street. Packed with big high street names like Zara, Top Shop, H&M and Debenhams, a walk along Princes Street will also give you a spectacular view of the city’s astounding castle perched up high on its rock.
For gifts, antiques and more unusual items, try the areas of Stockbridge or Bruntsfield. Both have a quirky boho vibe and a wealth of second-hand and independent shops.
If vintage clothing is your bag, you’ll be in your element in Edinburgh. The city’s full of quality vintage stores, stocking everything from pricey Victoriana to cheap and cheerful 60s and 70s gear. Try Herman Brown or Armstrongs in the Grassmarket for starters.
If you’re staying in the Old Town and fancy a trip to a traditional Edinburgh boozer, try Bow Bar on Victoria Street. Nestled behind an unassuming façade, it’s a lovely little pub with a host of period features and a great selection of real ales and whiskies. The Royal Oak on Infirmary Street and The Jolly Judge in James Court are also great little old-school drinking holes.
The New Town and West End are also great for imbibing, offering numerous smart, sophisticated watering holes for the discerning tippler. Café Royal is a great favourite with visitors and locals alike thanks to its beautiful Victorian décor, tiled portraits and famous oyster bar. Former pub of the year, The Blue Blazer on Spittal Street, meanwhile serves up the best selection of real ales in the city.
Once you’ve got a few whiskies inside you, you may well feel like a night on the tiles. If so, why not head to one of Edinburgh’s many nightclubs or late bars? Lulu’s on George Street is ever popular with a lively crowd, or you might like to try Club Ego on Picardy Place which plays host to Glasgow club Optimo once a month.
If a film or a show sounds more your cup of tea, there are plenty of theatres and cinemas to choose from. For an independent cinema with a lovely bar and café, try the Filmhouse on Lothian Road or the Cameo Picturehouse on Home Street. Both show a great range of foreign, independent and art-house films.
If you’re looking for a theatre, you won’t have to look very far with a huge range to choose from around Edinburgh’s centre and surrounding suburbs. The pick of the bunch are often thought to be The Traverse, which is noted for all things modern and the avant-garde, and The Royal Lyceum which plays host to more mainstream works.