Directions
Edinburgh is well connected to the rest of the UK and the world by road, rail and air routes.
By air
Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh International Airport is located eight miles west of the city centre.
There are flights into Edinburgh from London and other UK cities, as well as from elsewhere in Europe and some other parts of the world.
You can take the fast and frequent Airlink bus service into town, which arrives at Waverley Bridge, near the train station.
The one-way journey from the airport costs £3, with an open-dated round trip ticket costing £5.
Airport taxis are widely available, and may be a slightly cheaper and more convenient option if two or three people are travelling together, particularly if there is a lot of luggage.
Glasgow Airport
For those of you coming from places overseas which do not have direct flights to Edinburgh, Glasgow International Airport, located 50 miles west of Edinburgh, may be an option.
It has a very frequent express bus service connecting it to Buchanan Street bus station in Glasgow city centre.
Change buses there for the Citylink #900 bus to Edinburgh, which departs every 20 minutes.
There are also frequent trains from Glasgow's Queen Street rail station to Edinburgh. They run for most of the day at 15 minute intervals.
By train
Edinburgh's Waverley Station is located in the city centre, at the east end of Princes Street.
It has direct or connecting trains to all parts of Scotland and the rest of the UK.
There are particularly frequent services to Glasgow and also to cities on the east coast main line to London.
The use of student railcards and advance booking can substantially reduce the cost of rail travel.
By bus
Regular express buses serve Edinburgh from a number of UK destinations.
While not as fast as rail travel, buses can be substantially cheaper for travellers on a budget.
Student coach cards are available, and can result in savings of around 30% on regular fares.
Most long distance/express buses now arrive and depart at the new St Andrews Square Bus Station.
A few long distance services still arrive at Waterloo Place, at the east end of Princes Street, within 200 metres of the bus station.
By car
From Scotland
There are motorway links via the M8 to Glasgow and the west of Scotland; the M9 to Stirling and central Scotland; the M90 to Fife and Perth.
From Perth and Fife there are further links via the A9 to Inverness and the Highlands and the A90 to Dundee, Aberdeen and the northeast.
From the south and east
The A1 via Newcastle and Berwick is the main east coast route from the south, connecting south of Newcastle with the M1.
More scenic and possibly less busy routes from the Newcastle area northwards to Edinburgh include the A697 and A68.
From northwest England
Travellers from the northwest of England taking the M6 to Carlisle then have the choice of continuing to Edinburgh on the M74 (and then either the M8 or the A702, via Biggar) or alternatively taking the quieter and more scenic A7 through the Scottish Borders.
Arriving in Edinburgh at the start of the semester
For Pollock Halls
Those arriving by car should note that Pollock Halls is located about 1.5 miles south-east of the city centre, just off the A7 Dalkeith Road, behind the Commonwealth Pool.
The easiest way of avoiding heavy city centre traffic, especially when coming from the west, south and east, is to follow the A7 into the city from Sheriffhall Roundabout on the A720 City Bypass.
Some 2.5 miles north of Sheriffhall is Cameron Toll roundabout. Here, follow the A7 (signposted Old Town and St Leonard's) around under the rail bridge, and then immediately left onto Dalkeith Road.
Pollock Halls is just over a mile north of Cameron Toll, and is clearly signposted from Dalkeith Road.
For University flats
Virtually all blocks of University flats are located in the South Side, the area between Pollock Halls, the George Square campus (to the west) and the High Street (to the north.)
You should follow a similar route to that advised for Pollock, possibly also using the A701 from Straiton Junction on the City Bypass.
This article was published on Oct 31, 2008