How to travel from London to Edinburgh

Thu, Jan 29
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Travel by train, bus, flight with
LNER
Megabus
easyJet
Lumo
National Express
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LNER
Megabus
easyJet
Lumo
National Express
1,000+ more
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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 €34. For those with little time consider booking a flight which can get you there in 1h 50m. 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 €34, and a flight costs an average of €27.

Distance: 534 km

Compare train with

Most popular
Train
Bus
Flight

€137

Average price

€59

Average price

Cheapest

€159

Average price

5h 43m

Average total duration

5h 13m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

8h 18m

Average total duration

7h 48m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

4h 50m

Average total duration

Fastest

1h 50m

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
08:00AM9h35
London, Finchley Road ("Subway" restaurant)
05:35PMEdinburgh, Bus Station
371One-way
0 transfers

Cheapest

FlixBusFlixBus
08:00AM9h35
London, Finchley Road ("Subway" restaurant)
05:35PMEdinburgh, Bus Station
371One-way
0 transfers

Fastest

easyJetU2314
04:25PM1h15
London Stansted Airport
05:40PMEdinburgh Airport
1341One-way
0 transfers

Other options

LNERC41058
09:30AM4h08
London Kings Cross (KGX)
01:38PMEdinburgh Waverley (EDB)
871One-way
0 transfers
LNERC41049
08:03AM4h27
London Kings Cross (KGX)
12:30PMEdinburgh Waverley (EDB)
1751One-way
0 transfers
LNERC41053
09:03AM4h29
London Kings Cross (KGX)
01:32PMEdinburgh Waverley (EDB)
1751One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
07:30AM10h05
London, Victoria Coach Station
05:35PMEdinburgh, Bus Station
371One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
01:05PM8h40
London, Finchley Road ("Subway" restaurant)
09:45PMEdinburgh, Bus Station
411One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
12:30PM9h15
London, Victoria Coach Station
09:45PMEdinburgh, Bus Station
411One-way
0 transfers
easyJetU2302
08:45AM1h20
London Luton Airport
10:05AMEdinburgh Airport
631One-way
0 transfers
easyJetU2304
11:55AM1h20
London Luton Airport
01:15PMEdinburgh Airport
801One-way
0 transfers
easyJetU2310
08:50AM1h20
London Stansted Airport
10:10AMEdinburgh Airport
831One-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

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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.

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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 €27.

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

A flight is €7 less than a bus for this route with tickets for a bus from London to Edinburgh costing on average €34.

A flight is €27 less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from London to Edinburgh costing on average €54.

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 11m.

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 35 flights per day.
  • Around 21 buses per day.
  • Around 9 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 easyJet, British Airways, Cityflyer (British Airways 2), BAR Aviation , Ryanair, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa 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, Caledonian Sleeper, CrossCountry, TransPennine Express, Lumo to go to Edinburgh by train.
Yes, there are direct services available from London to Edinburgh with the following travel companies:
  • 25 direct flights per day with easyJet, British Airways, Cityflyer (British Airways 2), Ryanair.
  • 12 direct buses per day with Megabus, National Express, FlixBus, Scottish Citylink.
  • 6 direct trains per day with LNER, Lumo, Avanti West Coast, 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.
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