How to travel from Aberdeen to Edinburgh

Fri, Dec 12
+ Add return
Travel by train, bus with
Megabus
ScotRail
LNER
CrossCountry
FlixBus
1,000+ more
Megabus
ScotRail
LNER
CrossCountry
FlixBus
1,000+ more
QR-Code
Scan to get our free app
Use our app to get live travel updates and book mobile tickets for trains, buses, flights, and ferries.
App Store
rate4.9
42K ratings
Google Play
rate4.6
136K reviews

Travel Information to Edinburgh from Aberdeen

Distance148 km
Available travel modesTrain or coach
Ticket price range€9 - €10
Cheapest modeCoach • €9 • 2 h 57 min
Fastest modeTrain • €10 • 2 h 21 min
Popular travel companiesMegabus or ScotRail

Take a train or coach to travel 148 km from Aberdeen to Edinburgh. The most popular travel providers which serve this route are Megabus or ScotRail among others. Travellers can even take a direct coach or train from Aberdeen to Edinburgh.

Travel options
from Aberdeen to Edinburgh

How to get from Aberdeen to Edinburgh by train, bus or flight.

Our recommendation

bus

The best way to travel from Aberdeen to Edinburgh is by taking a bus because it’s the best combination of price and speed.

FlixBusFlixBus
01:30PM3h30
Aberdeen, Guild Street
05:00PMEdinburgh, Bus Station
131One-way
0 transfers

Cheapest

FlixBusFlixBus
01:30PM3h30
Aberdeen, Guild Street
05:00PMEdinburgh, Bus Station
131One-way
0 transfers

Fastest

ScotRailY66010
01:11PM2h17
Aberdeen station (ABD)
03:28PMEdinburgh Waverley (EDB)
591One-way
0 transfers

Other options

LNERY23304
09:52AM2h33
Aberdeen station (ABD)
12:25PMEdinburgh Waverley (EDB)
391One-way
0 transfers
ScotRailY66013
01:59PM2h26
Aberdeen station (ABD)
04:25PMEdinburgh Waverley (EDB)
371One-way
0 transfers
ScotRailY66003
09:05AM2h20
Aberdeen station (ABD)
11:25AMEdinburgh Waverley (EDB)
591One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
03:30PM3h25
Aberdeen, Guild Street
06:55PMEdinburgh, Bus Station
131One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
05:30PM3h30
Aberdeen, Guild Street
09:00PMEdinburgh, Bus Station
131One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus · FlixBus
11:30AM4h36
Aberdeen, Guild Street
04:06PMEdinburgh, Drum Brae South
201One-way
1 transfer

Find all the dates and times for this journey by train, bus, flight, and ferry .

Compare prices and tickets Prices for trains, buses and flights

Compare train and bus prices over the next three weeks. See the best deals at a glance, find the lowest fares, and choose the option that fits your budget.

Fri
Dec 12
Sat
Dec 13
Sun
Dec 14
Mon
Dec 15
Tue
Dec 16
Wed
Dec 17
Thu
Dec 18
Fri
Dec 19
Sat
Dec 20
Sun
Dec 21
Mon
Dec 22
Tue
Dec 23
Wed
Dec 24
Thu
Dec 25
Fri
Dec 26
Sat
Dec 27
Sun
Dec 28
Mon
Dec 29
Tue
Dec 30
Wed
Dec 31
Thu
Jan 01

How to Travel from Aberdeen to Edinburgh

One of Scotland's most popular business routes, the trip south from Aberdeen to Edinburgh offers a choice of train or bus travel, with direct connections seven days a week. Train journeys offer the fastest route to the capital, taking around two hours and 30 minutes on average to reach Edinburgh. Bus journey times for the road trip south take a little over three hours for most direct services and longer for indirect connections. 

What is the Cheapest Way To Get from Aberdeen to Edinburgh?

The bus usually offers the lowest priced fares for travel from Aberdeen to Edinburgh, but occasionally rail fares booked well in advance can be the more economical option. National Express and budget bus company Megabus both provide direct bus and indirect services to Elder Street terminus in Edinburgh, with the fastest bus taking three hours to reach the capital. London North Eastern Railway and Cross Country Trains provide some daily direct trains from Aberdeen to Edinburgh Waverley, although Scotland's national rail operator Scotrail provides the majority of direct connections on this line, with journey times averaging about two hours and 30 minutes. 

What is the Fastest Way to Travel from Aberdeen to Edinburgh?

Scotrail's direct late-morning train from Aberdeen to Edinburgh Waverley offers the fastest travel option to the capital, taking two hours and 21 minutes to cover the 120-mile route southwest, with other direct train journeys taking about ten to 15 minutes longer. The fastest direct bus connection to Edinburgh is a direct Megabus service taking just under three hours. Other Megabus indirect services with a change at Dundee Seagate Bus Station take about ten minutes longer. National Express indirect services via Perth or Glasgow take around five hours to reach Edinburgh. 

Find and Book with Omio the Best Tickets from Aberdeen to Edinburgh

The Omio travel booking platform allows passengers to make a comprehensive comparison between rail and bus fares, departure times, and journey durations, and book the best option for their trip to Edinburgh from Aberdeen.

Travel from Aberdeen to Edinburgh by Train

Travellers heading to the capital by train can choose services from London North Eastern Railway, Cross Country Trains, and Scotland's national rail operator Scotrail. Weekday and Saturday timetables feature departures roughly every hour from early morning to mid-evening, with average journey times of around two hours and 30 minutes. There is a reduced schedule on Sundays, with no early morning services, direct trains every two hours from late morning to early evening, and journey times that are about 15 minutes longer. Trains from Aberdeen stop at Haymarket station in the west of Edinburgh before arriving at the central Waverley Station. 

Travel from Aberdeen to Edinburgh by Bus

Passengers opting for bus travel to Edinburgh can use direct services with the budget bus company Megabus. Their daily schedule offers hourly departures from Aberdeen Guild Street terminus to Edinburgh from early morning to mid-evening. Most departures are direct and take around three hours, while some indirect connections via Dundee Seagate Bus station only take about ten minutes longer. National Express provides indirect buses to the capital from Aberdeen, via Perth or Glasgow, with journey times ranging from four hours and 45 minutes to five hours. Bus services from Aberdeen arrive at Elder Street in the centre of Edinburgh. 

More than 1,000 travel companies trust us to sell their tickets all in one place.

Trenitalia
Easyjet
Deutsche Bahn
SNCF

FAQs: Travel from Aberdeen to Edinburgh

Travel to Edinburgh easily. Whether you want fast, cheap or something entirely different, our travel experts have collected everything you need to know so you can find the best option from Aberdeen to Edinburgh.

FAQs

There are 2 travel options from Aberdeen to Edinburgh: train or coach.

The cheapest way to travel to Edinburgh from Aberdeen is a coach with an average price of €9.

This is compared to other travel options from Aberdeen to Edinburgh:

Taking a coach costs €1 less than taking a train, which costs on average €10 for the same trip.

The fastest way from Aberdeen to Edinburgh is by train with an average journey time of 2 h 21 min.

There are alternative travel options to Edinburgh that take longer:

Taking a coach requires on average 2 h 57 min of travel time.

The distance from Aberdeen to Edinburgh is approximately 148 km.

The average frequency per day from Aberdeen to Edinburgh is:

  • 55 coaches per day.
  • 6 trains per day.

However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your trip from Aberdeen to Edinburgh as scheduled services by train or coach can vary by season or day of the week.

These are the most popular departure and arrival points when travelling from Aberdeen to Edinburgh:

  • Most travellers who book a coach ticket from Aberdeen to Edinburgh depart from Aberdeen, Guild Street to Edinburgh, Bus Station.
  • Most travellers who purchase a train ticket from Aberdeen to Edinburgh depart from Aberdeen to Edinburgh Waverley.

Omio works with many trusted partners that can help you travel the best way from Aberdeen to Edinburgh:

  • You can take a coach from Aberdeen to Edinburgh with Megabus, FlixBus, Scottish Citylink or Ember. Cheap tickets can be found for €9 with FlixBus from Aberdeen to Edinburgh.
  • You can travel by train to Edinburgh from Aberdeen with ScotRail, LNER, CrossCountry, Caledonian Sleeper or Cross Country, and you can find CrossCountry Aberdeen to Edinburgh tickets for €10 on Omio.

Yes, there are direct routes from Aberdeen to Edinburgh with the following travel companies:

  • You'll find 29 direct coaches a day to Edinburgh with Megabus, FlixBus, Scottish Citylink or Ember.
  • You can find 6 direct trains per day to Edinburgh with ScotRail, LNER, CrossCountry, Caledonian Sleeper or Cross Country.

Direct services to Edinburgh tend to save you time and add more convenience as you won't need to transfer at another stop in between, so it's worth paying attention to before booking tickets for your route.

Looking to extend your trip from Aberdeen to Edinburgh? Many Omio customers who go from Aberdeen to Edinburgh usually extend their holiday to explore other popular destinations like London, Glasgow, Inverness or Manchester. If you're looking to explore London, Glasgow, Inverness or Manchester from Edinburgh, let Omio find you the best connections available at an affordable price.

Popular countries

HomeTravelTravel to EdinburghHow to travel from Aberdeen to Edinburgh

The Omio App Makes Travel Planning Easy

We’ll get you where you want to go. From live train updates to mobile tickets, our innovative app is the ideal way to plan and keep track of your travel.

ios-badge
android-badge
Hand With Phone