International Travel:Getting There by AirContinental Airlines flies from Edinburgh and Glasgow to the USA (website:
www.continental.com).
British Airways flies from London, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and Southampton to Edinburgh and Glasgow (website:
www.britishairways.com); a number of low-cost airlines such as
easyJet (website:
www.easyjet.com) and
bmi (website:
www.flybmi.com) also fly to Scotland.
Departure TaxNone.
Main AirportsEdinburgh (EDI) (tel: 0870 040
0007; website:
www.edinburghairport.com) is located 12km (8 miles) west of the city center.
To/from the airport: Lothian Buses (tel: (0131) 555 6363; website:
www.lothianbuses.co.uk) operates between the airport and the city center, and there is a night bus. Taxis are available (journey time - 25 minutes).
Glasgow (GLA) (tel: 0870 040 0008; website:
www.glasgowairport.com) is located 14km (9 miles) west of the city center.
To/from the airport: Paisley’s Gilmour Street station is 3km (2 miles) from the airport. It is easily reached by taxi or bus. For further information, contact
National Rail Enquiries (tel: 0845 748 4950). All buses depart from outside the main airport terminal.
Scottish Citylink (tel: 0870 550 5050; website:
www.citylink.co.uk) runs regular services to the city center. Scottish Citylink’s coach services also operate. Taxis are available from the rank on the terminal forecourt (journey time - to city center 20 minutes; to Paisley station 5 minutes).
Facilities: Edinburgh and Glasgow airports are both of a high international standard and include bank/bureaux de change, duty-free shops, car hire, restaurants and bars.
Aberdeen (ABZ) (tel: 0870 040 0006; website:
www.aberdeenairport.com) is located 11km (7 miles) northwest of the city center.
To/from the airport: Aberdeen and Inverness trains stop at Dyce station, which is a short taxi ride from the airport. There are frequent bus services from the city center to the airport. For details, contact
First (tel: (01224) 650 065).
Stagecoach Bluebird services also run to the airport (tel: (01224) 212 266). Taxis are available from the airport (journey time to city center - 20 minutes).
Inverness (INV) is the major airport serving the Highlands, with transfer connections available to airports in the north of Scotland. It is located 14km (9 miles) east of the city center.
To/from the airport: Taxis and buses run.
Facilities: ATM, bar/restaurant and bookshop.
There are several smaller airports in the north of Scotland that are served by flights from Glasgow and, in some cases, from Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh as well. These include
Barra,
Benbecula,
Kirkwall (Orkney),
Sumburgh (Shetland),
Stornoway and
Tiree. For further information, contact
Glasgow Airport (see above).
Getting There by WaterMain ports: Aberdeen,
Cairnryan,
Lerwick,
Oban,
Rosyth and
Stranraer.
Ferry services operate between the mainland and all the Scottish islands.
Caledonian MacBrayne (tel: 0870 565 0000; website:
www.calmac.co.uk) operates the largest network of ferries on the river Clyde and west coast, serving many islands, including the Inner and Outer Hebrides.
Northlink Ferries (tel: 0845 600 0449; website:
www.northlinkferries.co.uk) operates services to Orkney and Shetland; from Aberdeen to Lerwick; and from Scrabster to Stromness (journey time – 1 hour 30 minutes).
Other routes include
P&O Irish Sea ferry service between Cairnryan and Larne (journey time – 1 hour; tel: 0870 242 4777; website:
www.poirishsea.com); and
Stena Line’s service between Stranraer and Belfast (journey time – 1 hour 45 minutes) (tel: 0870 570 7070; website:
www.stenaline.com).
Smyril Lines (tel: (01595) 690 845; website:
www.smyril-line.com) runs a service between Hanstholm (Denmark) and Lerwick, continuing to the Faroe Islands and Iceland. The ferry goes via Bergen (Norway) in the summer.
Superfast Ferries (tel: 0870 234 0870; website:
www.superfast.com) operates services between Rosyth (just outside Edinburgh) and Zeebrugge (Belgium).
Getting There by RailThere are two main-line routes into Scotland from England: from London Euston up the west coast to Glasgow Central and beyond to Perth and Inverness; and from London King’s Cross up the east coast to Edinburgh and beyond to Dundee and Aberdeen. For details, contact
National Rail Enquiries (tel: 0845 748 4950; website:
www.nationalrail.co.uk).
There are good services connecting all the main towns, particularly in the Edinburgh–Glasgow area. Many of the routes that pass through the Highlands (such as: Perth-Inverness; Inverness-Kyle of Lochalsh; Glasgow-Fort William-Mallaig) are very spectacular. The network extends right up to Thurso and Wick in the extreme north of the country. Sleeper services are available on
First Scotrail’s Caledonian Sleeper connecting London Euston with Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William nightly (tel: 0845 601 5929; website:
www.firstscotrail.com).
Getting There by RoadScotland is connected to the main UK road network by good trunk roads, and has several internal motorways. Main access from England is via the A74/M74 (Carlisle to Glasgow), the A696/A68 (Newcastle to Edinburgh via the Cheviots) and the A1 (Newcastle to Edinburgh via the coast). The main motorways within Scotland connect Edinburgh with Glasgow (M8), Edinburgh with Stirling (M9), and the Forth Bridge, near Edinburgh, with Perth (M90). In general, the internal trunk road network is better and more direct on the east coast, and roads north of Inverness tend to be slower and often single track. Snow is common in winter, especially in the Highlands, and motorists are advised to follow local advice concerning weather conditions. The main cross-country road, the A9, connects Perth with Inverness and Thurso.
Car hire: Self-drive cars are widely available in the major centers.
Getting Around Towns and CitiesAll the major towns and cities have
bus services. Glasgow also has an
underground and a
suburban train network.
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