Edinburgh is a compact city and navigable on foot for much of the centre, but its tram line and bus network are genuinely useful — particularly for the airport connection, the route along Princes Street, and reaching the suburbs and Leith. The city's two main surface transit options are Edinburgh Trams and Lothian Buses, both part of a shared ticketing system that makes moving between them straightforward.
Edinburgh Trams: the airport to Newhaven line
Edinburgh's tram network is a single line, opened in 2014 and extended northward to Newhaven on the Firth of Forth in 2023. It runs from Edinburgh Airport in the west, through the city centre along Princes Street and York Place, and out through Leith to the waterfront. For visitors, this covers several of the most useful journeys in one go.
Key stops along the line include:
- Edinburgh Airport — tram departs from directly outside the terminal
- Gogar / Edinburgh Gateway — interchange with ScotRail services (useful for connections to Fife)
- Haymarket — major rail station and interchange hub
- Princes Street — the heart of the city centre
- St Andrew Square — for the New Town and bus connections
- York Place — edge of the New Town, close to Broughton
- Picardy Place — near Leith Walk
- Leith — the port district, with restaurants and the Royal Yacht Britannia
- Newhaven — the northern waterfront terminus
Trams run from early morning until around midnight, with a frequency of roughly every 7 to 10 minutes during the day. The journey from the airport to the city centre (Princes Street) takes about 30 to 35 minutes. See the Edinburgh airport to the city guide for a full comparison of the tram, the Airlink bus and other airport transfer options.
Tram tickets and fares
Tram tickets are bought from machines on the platform before boarding — you cannot pay on the tram itself. Machines accept card and cash. A single fare is set by distance band (airport journeys are more expensive than short in-city hops); a return to the airport is available and saves over two singles if you are making the round trip.
Trams and Lothian Buses share a ticketing system. A day ticket bought from the tram machine or on a Lothian Bus covers unlimited travel on both networks for the rest of the day, which is excellent value if you plan to move around the city. The ticket is activated when bought and is valid until midnight.
Lothian Buses: the backbone of the city
Lothian Buses is Edinburgh's city bus operator, running an extensive network of routes across the city and out into the surrounding area. For most in-city journeys — Old Town, Stockbridge, Morningside, Portobello, Corstorphine — the bus is the most direct option. The network is dense and frequent on main corridors; many routes run every 10 minutes or better during the day.
Key routes for visitors include:
- Princes Street routes (many services) — the main east–west spine through the city centre
- Route 35 / 36 — connecting the Royal Mile area and Holyrood with the New Town and beyond
- Route 29 — useful for reaching Marchmont, Bruntsfield and Morningside from the centre
- Route 26 — runs between the Old Town and Leith, useful alongside the tram
- Airlink 100 — a premium express bus between the airport and Waverley Bridge, for those who prefer not to use the tram (see the airport guide for detail)
Lothian Buses: how to pay
Lothian Buses accept contactless card and mobile payment directly on the bus — tap the reader beside the driver as you board. This is the easiest and most convenient method, and contactless single fares are capped daily if you use the same card for multiple trips.
You can also buy a day ticket from the driver for unlimited travel on Lothian Buses all day (and it covers trams too if you buy the combined version at a tram machine or via the Lothian Buses app). Cash is accepted for single fares, but exact change is required — the driver does not give change.
The Lothian Buses app sells m-tickets (mobile tickets) including single, day and multi-day passes. For a stay of two or more days, a multi-day pass or a bundle of tickets saves money over paying per journey.
Lothian Country Buses and First Edinburgh
Beyond the city boundary, Lothian Country Buses covers routes into East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian — useful for reaching the coast at North Berwick or villages south of the city. First Edinburgh operates some suburban and rural routes. For journeys outside the city, check timetables on the Traveline Scotland platform, which covers all operators.
Getting to the Old Town, New Town and key sights
Edinburgh's two historic neighbourhoods sit on either side of Princes Street Gardens:
- The Old Town (Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood) is best reached on foot from Waverley station, or by bus along the Royal Mile (routes 35, 36). The tram does not serve the Old Town directly — the nearest stop is St Andrew Square, a short walk away.
- The New Town (Georgian streets, Charlotte Square, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery) is directly along the tram route at Princes Street and St Andrew Square, and served by almost every north–south bus through the centre.
- Leith is served by both the tram (extended line to Newhaven) and several bus routes (route 16, 22 and others). The Royal Yacht Britannia is at Ocean Terminal, Leith — the tram stops at Newhaven, a short walk away, or take the bus directly to Ocean Terminal.
Night buses
Lothian Buses runs a Nightbus network on Friday and Saturday nights, covering main corridors through the small hours when regular services have stopped. Night buses have a slightly higher flat fare. The tram does not operate as a night service — last tram from the city centre is around midnight. Taxis and Uber/Bolt are the practical alternative for very late journeys.
Cycling and walking
Edinburgh is hilly — the Old Town in particular involves some significant climbs — but the city centre is compact enough that many visitor journeys can be done on foot. Cycle hire is available through the Just Eat Cycles (formerly oBike/Serco) docked bike scheme, with stations across the city. The Meadows and the Water of Leith Walkway offer pleasant off-road cycling routes.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Edinburgh tram good value for getting from the airport to the city?
Yes, particularly compared with a taxi. The tram takes about 30 to 35 minutes to Princes Street and is fast, predictable and comfortable. A single fare from the airport to the city centre is significantly cheaper than a taxi. The Airlink 100 express bus is slightly cheaper still and nearly as fast — see the airport guide for the comparison.
Can I use the same ticket on trams and buses?
Yes. A Lothian day ticket purchased on a bus or from a tram machine covers both Edinburgh Trams and Lothian Buses for the rest of the day. Single tickets are mode-specific — a tram single is only valid on the tram, a bus single only on the bus.
Does the tram go to Leith?
Yes. The 2023 extension took the tram from York Place through Leith Walk and out to Leith and Newhaven on the waterfront. The journey from Princes Street to Leith takes about 15 minutes.
What is the best way to get from Edinburgh Waverley to Edinburgh Castle?
Walk — it is a ten-minute uphill climb along the Royal Mile, and by far the most straightforward approach. Alternatively, several buses run along the base of the Royal Mile, though traffic can slow them during busy periods. There is no direct tram stop for the castle.
Sources and further reading:
- Tram routes, timetables and fares: Edinburgh Trams (edinburghtrams.com).
- Bus routes, tickets and the Lothian app: Lothian Buses (lothianbuses.com).
- Multi-operator journey planning: Traveline Scotland (travelinescotland.com).
- Bike hire: Just Eat Cycles Edinburgh.