How to travel from London to Edinburgh

Sat, Mar 14
+ Add return
Travel by train, bus, flight with
LNER
Megabus
British Airways
Lumo
National Express
1,000+ more
LNER
Megabus
British Airways
Lumo
National Express
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

Compare train, bus, and flight for London to Edinburgh

Omio recommends booking the train as it is the most popular option from London to Edinburgh among Omio's users. If you are prioritising price take the bus with prices starting from €23. For those with little time consider booking a flight which can get you there in 3h 20m. In case you are seeking to minimise your carbon footprint the train is your best bet as it emits only 0.2 - 0.5kg. The ticket price range depends on the travel mode: a bus costs an average of €23, and a train costs an average of €49.

Distance: 534 km

Compare train with

Most popular
Train
Bus
Flight

€118

Average price

€44

Average price

Cheapest

€103

Average price

4h 52m

Average total duration

4h 22m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

6h 48m

Average total duration

6h 18m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

6h 20m

Average total duration

Fastest

3h 20m

Onboard

+

3h 0m

Additional time*

0.2 - 0.5kg

CO2 emissions

Lowest

0.5 - 1.3kg

CO2 emissions

1.6 - 3.2kg

CO2 emissions

LNER

Most popular train company

Megabus

Most popular bus company

easyJet

Most popular airline

Direct Options

Direct Options

Direct Options

Additional time: Average total travel duration to departure point, security checks and transfers.

Travel options
from London to Edinburgh

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

Our recommendation

bus

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

FlixBusFlixBus
12:25AM7h50
London, Finchley Road ("Subway" restaurant)
08:15AMEdinburgh, Bus Station
531One-way
0 transfers

Cheapest

FlixBusFlixBus
12:25AM7h50
London, Finchley Road ("Subway" restaurant)
08:15AMEdinburgh, Bus Station
531One-way
0 transfers

Fastest

easyJetU2603
03:10PM1h15
London Luton Airport
04:25PMEdinburgh Airport
1541One-way
0 transfers

Other options

Avanti West CoastW01949
09:50AM7h25
London Euston (EUS)
05:15PMEdinburgh Waverley (EDB)
1141One-way
0 transfers
Avanti West CoastW02421 · W01949
12:29PM4h46
London Euston (EUS)
05:15PMEdinburgh Waverley (EDB)
1571One-way
1 transfer
Avanti West CoastW02438
08:47AM5h24
London Euston (EUS)
02:11PMEdinburgh Waverley (EDB)
1671One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
11:59PM8h16
London, Victoria Coach Station
08:15AMEdinburgh, Bus Station
561One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus · FlixBus
12:25AM11h16
London, Finchley Road ("Subway" restaurant)
11:41AMEdinburgh, Drum Brae South
651One-way
1 transfer
FlixBusFlixBus · FlixBus
11:59PM11h42
London, Victoria Coach Station
11:41AMEdinburgh, Drum Brae South
681One-way
1 transfer
easyJetU2302
08:45AM1h20
London Luton Airport
10:05AMEdinburgh Airport
1501One-way
0 transfers
easyJetU2314
04:45PM1h15
London Stansted Airport
06:00PMEdinburgh Airport
1581One-way
0 transfers
easyJetU2605
07:25PM1h15
London Luton Airport
08:40PMEdinburgh Airport
1571One-way
0 transfers

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, bus, and flight 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.

Sun
Mar 15
Mon
Mar 16
Tue
Mar 17
Wed
Mar 18
Thu
Mar 19
Fri
Mar 20
Sat
Mar 21
Sun
Mar 22
Mon
Mar 23
Tue
Mar 24
Wed
Mar 25
Thu
Mar 26
Fri
Mar 27
Sat
Mar 28
Sun
Mar 29
Mon
Mar 30
Tue
Mar 31
Wed
Apr 01
Thu
Apr 02
Fri
Apr 03
Sat
Apr 04

General Information About the Journey from London to Edinburgh

There are a number of options between London and Edinburgh. The distance between the two major cities is 650 kilometres, and as such, flying is often the quickest option, taking an average 1.5 hours. The train usually takes around 5 hours, while the bus can take between 8 and 11 hours. Some overnight bus and train sleeper services are also available.

Buses from London to Edinburgh

Megabus and National Express are the main bus providers of this route. Megabus offers a low-cost service from Victoria Coach Station to Edinburgh Bus Station. Daily services leave in the morning, afternoon and evening. Afternoon services arrive in the early hours of the following morning at North St. David Street, due to Edinburgh Bus Station being closed between 1:00 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. Services that depart London in the evening will arrive the following morning in Edinburgh. National Express also offers services from Victoria Coach Station as well as the option of overnight travel, leaving Victoria late at night and arriving in Edinburgh the following morning. Both companies offer between two and six services per day, with journeys taking between 8 and 11 hours.

Trains from London to Edinburgh

Virgin Trains East Coast operate between 2-3 services per hour from London Euston and London Kings Cross stations. The journeys take between 4-5 hours and can be either direct or with one change. The Caledonian Sleeper train leaves Euston every evening after 11:00 p.m., excluding Saturdays, and takes approximately seven and a half hours to reach Edinburgh, travelling overnight.

Flights from London to Edinburgh

A number of airlines offer flights from London to Edinburgh Airport, including Ryanair, easyJet, British Airways, FlyBE and Virgin Little Red. There are roughly 50 daily direct flights taking between 1-1.5 hours. Flights depart from London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted, London Luton and London City airports.

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

Trenitalia
Easyjet
Deutsche Bahn
SNCF

FAQs: Travel from London 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 London to Edinburgh.

FAQs
There are 3 options to travel between London and Edinburgh including taking a train, bus, and flight.
The cheapest way to travel from London to Edinburgh is a flight with an average price of €19.

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

A flight is €4 less than a bus for this route with tickets for a bus from London to Edinburgh costing on average €23.

A flight is €29 less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from London to Edinburgh costing on average €49.

The fastest way to travel from London to Edinburgh is by flight with an average journey time of 1h 15m.

Other travel options to Edinburgh take longer:

Train takes on average 4h 7m.

Bus takes on average 7h 50m.

The London to Edinburgh distance is approximately 534 km.
The average frequency per day from London to Edinburgh is:
  • Around 36 flights per day.
  • Around 23 buses per day.
  • Around 10 trains per day.

However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your route between London and Edinburgh as scheduled services by train, bus, and flight can vary by season or day of the week.

These are the most popular departure and arrival points from London to Edinburgh:
  • Flights mostly depart from London Heathrow Airport and arrive in Edinburgh Airport.
  • Trains mostly depart from London Kings Cross (KGX) and arrive in Edinburgh Waverley (EDB).
  • Buses mostly depart from London, Victoria Coach Station and arrive in Edinburgh, Bus Station.
If finding a good deal is your main consideration for your trip from London to Edinburgh, then we'll help you find the best value travel companies for you:
  • Travel with British Airways, Cityflyer (British Airways 2), Ryanair, BAR Aviation , Brussels Airlines to go to Edinburgh by flight.
  • Travel with Megabus, National Express, FlixBus, Scottish Citylink to go to Edinburgh by bus.
  • Travel with LNER, Lumo, Avanti West Coast, easyJet, CrossCountry, Caledonian Sleeper, TransPennine Express, Lumo to go to Edinburgh by train.
Yes, there are direct services available from London to Edinburgh with the following travel companies:
  • 26 direct flights per day with British Airways, Cityflyer (British Airways 2), Ryanair.
  • 13 direct buses per day with Megabus, National Express, FlixBus, Scottish Citylink.
  • 7 direct trains per day with LNER, Lumo, Avanti West Coast, easyJet, Caledonian Sleeper, Lumo.
Omio customers who travel from London to Edinburgh often also extend their vacation to go to Glasgow, Inverness, Manchester, Paris, Aberdeen. Omio can help you plan your trip by finding the best connections between Edinburgh and these popular destinations at a great price.
HomeTravelTravel to EdinburghHow to travel from London 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