Edinburgh airport (www.edinburghairport.com), also known as Turnhouse, is just outside the city to the west. You will most likely fly in over the Firth of Forth so if you are on the left side of the plane you will get a view of Edinburgh and if you are on the right side a view of the Forth Bridge and Fife.
Other airports within relatively easy reach are Glasgow (www.glasgowairport.com about 2 hours away) and Prestwick (www.glasgowprestwick.com about 2.5 hours away).
Travel to and from Edinburgh Airport
You can travel between the airport and the centre of Edinburgh by one of these ways. To get to the venue in Portobello you would need to take a second 'local travel' trip (see below)
The Airlink 100 bus runs between Edinburgh Airport and the centre of Edinburgh. This is the quickest and cheapest way between Edinburgh and the airport. The journey time is about 30 minutes and the buses run every 10 minutes during the day. A single ticket costs £4 and an open return costs £7. You can also buy an airport day ticket but this only makes sense if you are arriving and leaving on the same day. You can buy your ticket from the driver with cash and, unlike the other buses, the drivers give change. There is also a ticket kiosk at the airport. http://lothianbuses.com/services/airlink
The Tram runs between the airport and the city centre. It is operated by the same company that runs most of the buses (including the Airlink 100). Travelling to or from the airport costs £5 for a single, or £8 for an open return. The trams run about every 10 minutes and take 35 minutes to reach the city centre. There are vending machines at the stops and you must buy your ticket before you board. daytickets are valid for travel on the tram but not for travel to or from the airport). http://edinburghtrams.com
The Lothian bus 35 also runs between the airport and the city centre, but being a local bus it takes a lot longer (about 1 hour). The advantage is that it costs just £1.50 for the trip and (£3.50) Daytickets are valid for travel to and from the airport. Buy a ticket from the driver, but you will need the correct amount as no change is given. Get off the bus in the centre of Edinburgh before it continues its journey north to Leith. http://lothianbuses.com/
Late at night the Lothian nightbus N22 goes between the airport and the city. This may be the best way to go to the Airport if you have an early morning flight. Travel on a nightbus costs £3, but you can use more than one for this ticket. You can also buy a day&night ticket for £3.50 on a regular Lothian bus after 6pm, which also allows you unlimited travel on Lothian buses for the remainder of the day. http://lothianbuses.com
Taxis in Edinburgh are relatively expensive and are not particularly quicker than public transport. Expect to pay about £20 for a taxi between the city centre and the airport. When the traffic is busy the price may be more. www.edinburghairport.com/transport-links/taxis
Local travel
Local buses in Edinburgh are quite cheap and frequent. You should be able to get everywhere you need to using Lothian buses. Services 15, 26 and 45 go between the city centre and Portobello. The 26 service is most frequent - with less than 10 minutes between buses at peak times. The cost of a single journey is £1.50 and a dayticket will allow travel all day on Lothian buses and the tram for £3.50. These do not apply for travel to the airport, except on the number 35 bus. http://lothianbuses.com
For maps of the bus routes see lothianbuses.com/plan-a-journey/route-maps
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| The route of the 26 bus |
For more information on tickets see lothianbuses.com/plan-a-journey/fares-and-tickets
The Tram runs between the airport and the city centre. It is probably not useful to you unless the route goes near your hotel. It is operated by the same company that runs most of the buses and the fares are the same (£1.50 per journey) unless travelling to or from the airport. There are vending machines at the stops and you must buy your ticket before you board. Daytickets are valid for travel on the tram (except to the airport). http://edinburghtrams.com
There are two train stations in Edinburgh centre: Waverley and Haymarket. There is a train station near Portobello called Bruntstane, but this is about 30 minutes walk from the venue.
There is car parking at the venue.
