Edinburgh Before Your Road Trip: The Traveller's Guide to Scotland's Capital

Edinburgh City Guide: What to Do Before or After Your Scotland Campervan Trip

🏰 The smart people arriving in Edinburgh to pick up a campervan, arrive two or three days early and treat the city as the opening act it deserves to be.

Edinburgh is compact, walkable, dramatically beautiful and packed with world-class attractions — and it's the perfect place to shake off long-haul travel before you head into the Highlands. This guide is designed for travellers picking up or dropping off a campervan in Edinburgh, covering everything from the airport to the best hotel in the city you've probably never heard of.

✈️ Getting from the Airport to the City

Edinburgh Airport is 13km (8 miles) west of the city centre — one of the most conveniently connected airports in the UK. Most DriveNow partner depots (McRent, Bunk, Just Go and Apollo) are located near the airport in Broxburn/East Mains Industrial Estate — approximately 10 minutes from the terminal by taxi. - fares correct at time of publishing 30 April 2026.

Option	Journey Time	Cost (approx.)	Notes
Tram (Edinburgh Trams)	~35 min	£7.90 single / £9.50 return	Departs every 7–10 min, 06:26–22:48. Luggage racks onboard. Stop right outside terminal.
Airlink 100 Bus	~30 min	£6.00 single / £8.50 return	24/7 service. Drops at Waverley Bridge. Good for late/early flights.
Taxi / Black Cab	~25 min (traffic dependent)	£35–£65	Metered. Night/weekend surcharge applies. Up to 5 passengers.
Private Transfer	~25 min	£50–£100+	Pre-book for groups or early/late arrivals.

 

💡 Recommendation: The tram is the easiest option for most travellers. It's covered, reliable, runs directly from the terminal door to St Andrew Square in the heart of the New Town, and leaves every 7–10 minutes. For groups of three or more with heavy luggage, a taxi is comparable in cost and door-to-door. The Airlink 100 bus is the budget option and runs 24/7 — useful for very early or very late arrivals.

 

🚂 Getting Here by Train

Edinburgh Waverley Station is one of the most beautifully situated train stations in Europe — sitting in a valley between the Old Town and the Georgian New Town, a 5-minute walk from Princes Street and 10 minutes from Edinburgh Castle. It's not just a station; it's a reason to arrive by train.

• From London Kings Cross: LNER and Lumo high-speed services, approximately 4.5 hours. Overnight option: the Caledonian Sleeper from London Euston — wake up in Scotland.
• From Glasgow Queen Street: 50 minutes, frequent services throughout the day.
• From Inverness: approximately 3 hours via Perth — a scenic Highland journey in its own right.
• Airport note: No direct train from Edinburgh Waverley to the airport — take the tram from St Andrew Square or the Airlink 100 bus from Waverley Bridge.

🛏️ How Long Do You Need in Edinburgh?

For Australian and Southern Hemisphere travellers — flying 20+ hours with one or two connections — Edinburgh is genuinely one of the best jetlag recovery cities in Europe. It's stimulating enough to keep you awake through the day (the critical jetlag reset), walkable enough to do so without a car, and easy enough to navigate that you won't be overwhelmed when running on empty.

One night: Better than nothing. Enough for the Royal Mile, a castle view from Princes Street Gardens, and dinner. But you're essentially passing through.

Two nights (minimum recommendation): Enough for the Castle, a walk up Arthur's Seat, the Royal Mile in both directions, the National Museum of Scotland (free and unmissable) and a proper evening in a restaurant or whisky bar. Most road trippers find this the right balance.

Three nights: The sweet spot for long-haul travellers. Day 1 is gentle — arrive, walk, stay awake. Day 2 is full — castle, museum, Old Town, Calton Hill at sunset. Day 3 is for Leith (Royal Yacht Britannia, the Shore for dinner) or a day trip to the Rosslyn Chapel or East Lothian coast. Collect your campervan on Day 4 feeling genuinely ready.

 

🌏 Jetlag note: Arriving from Australia, the best strategy is to book hotels in walkable, stimulating areas (Old Town or New Town) — not near the airport. Force yourself to stay awake until 9–10pm local time on arrival day. Edinburgh's extraordinary density of things to look at while walking is genuinely useful for this. A 3pm walk up Calton Hill will do more for your body clock than any medication.

 

🏨 Where to Stay: Boutique & Special Hotels

Edinburgh has no shortage of characterless chain hotels. These are not those. Every hotel below has a reason to be specifically chosen — a building, a concept, a setting, or an experience that you'll still be talking about when you're driving through Glencoe.  

⭐ Top pick for the 'most Edinburgh' stay: The Witchery by the Castle for gothic drama, Fingal for something genuinely unique, or Prestonfield House for old-world opulence. If you're only in Edinburgh for one or two nights and want it to count — book one of these.

🗺️ Sights, Attractions & Events

Edinburgh rewards walking above all else. The Old Town and New Town are UNESCO World Heritage sites and every street offers something. Below is a practical reference table — links are placeholders for the editor to confirm before publishing. The descriptions are intentionally brief: Edinburgh's attractions are well-served by their own websites and visitor guides, and your job here is to direct readers there rather than compete with them.

 

🎪 Festival warning: If your road trip arrival or return coincides with August — specifically the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Military Tattoo period — book accommodation 4–6 months in advance. Edinburgh in August is extraordinary but accommodation prices triple and availability evaporates. The Fringe runs for three weeks; the Tattoo runs concurrently on the Castle Esplanade nightly. Both are worth planning around rather than avoiding.

🦶 Getting Around Edinburgh

The city centre is entirely walkable. The Old Town and New Town are both compact — the Royal Mile is less than 2km from castle to Holyrood, and Princes Street Gardens sits in between. Edinburgh's hills are real (Calton Hill, the Mound, the closes of the Old Town) but very manageable on foot.

 

• Lothian Buses cover the whole city and are excellent value. A day ticket is around £4.50.
• The tram runs from the airport through the city centre out to Leith and Newhaven — useful for the Leith section of your stay.
• Taxis: plentiful in the centre. Ride-hailing (Uber, Bolt) also operates.
• ⚠️ No car needed: Do not hire a car for central Edinburgh. Parking is expensive, limited, and unnecessary. If your itinerary requires a car beyond the city, collect it the day you depart — not before.

🚐 Campervan note: When you're ready to pick up your vehicle, the depot isn't in the city centre — it's near Edinburgh Airport (Broxburn area, approximately 10–15 minutes by taxi from the city). On collection day, take a taxi or tram to the airport area and collect from there. Most depots open between 9am–4pm for collections — check your confirmation.

Image Credit:  Visit Scotland and Kenny Lam