Edinburgh Transport Guide
Buses and Trams
How do I get around Edinburgh?
What are the best public transport options in the city?
This journey planner might help:
www.lothianbuses.com/live-travel-info/journey-planner/
Here you will find the network map:
www.lothianbuses.com/maps-and-times/network-maps/
Where can I buy tickets for buses and trams?
Tickets can be purchased at tram stops, online, or directly from bus drivers using exact change or contactless payment. The cheapst way to travel is by using a card or phone (and always using the same card or phone). If not download the Lothian buses app and buy a day ticket (only really useful for families)
Are there any tips for using Edinburgh’s transport system?
For adults, make use of the taptapcap system. It is applied automaticaly and so you do not need to do anything. Just make sure you use the same device (card or phone) for contactless payments. For adults travelling individually, you will not pay more than £5 .60 (June 2025) regardless of how many trips you make in a day. For families with children, it is a little more complicated: see below.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT FROM WAVERLEY STATION TO THE HOUSE
For adults, the good news is that the easiest and cheapest way to use public transport in Edinburgh is to use your credit or debit card and to rely on the Taptapcap system.
Each adult has to purchase his or her own ticket using the same device for all trips and you will not pay more than £5.60 for all the trips that you take in a day.
- Sciennes Road from Waverley Station by Bus.
Go to Hanover Street or the Mound
Arrival at Waverley Station: walk up to Hanover Street from Waverley station and take the N° 9 bus (the modern version).
a) For adults. Use the Taptapcap system. (For families with children see the separate section “b” below). The cost of an Adult Day pass is the same as the cost for using the capcaptap system. The simplest, as a result, is to just use the Taptapcap system and pay by phone or by card. Make sure you consistently use the same payment method (card or phone).
Your card or device is your ticket, so one per person, one card, one telephone. In central Edinburgh, use the same card or device all day/night (until 1 in the morning). Once you have reached one of the daily or weekly caps, which run from Monday to Sunday, you will not pay any more for the rest of the day or, if you are staying for longer, for the rest of the week.
To use Taptapcap:
On Lothian Buses, just tap your contactless payment card or device when you board. Please state your destination to the driver before tapping. There’s NO NEED TO TAP OFF and no need to ask for a ticket. Be careful to use the same device (either a card or your phone) for all journeys. On the buses, you do not need to tap off and you will not have to pay for any additional trips once you have accumulated £5 of fares in a day.
On Edinburgh Trams, you must TAP ON AND TAP OFF – tap your contactless card or device to the platform validator before you get on the tram and tap it again on the platform validator when you get off to complete the journey. Once you have reached £5.60, you are no longer charged for any additional trips that day. Be careful to use the same device (either a card or your phone) for all journeys.
b) If you are travelling as a family, download the Lothian buses app and purchase the Family City Day pass:
Bus & Tram App
For a family travelling by public transport in central Edinburgh, children’s fares are not capped. Hence, it might be worth getting the Family City Day pass, which costs £12 for unlimited travel in central Edinburgh (it depends on how many people are travelling).
Unfortunately, for a reason that escapes me, the Family City Day pass does not allow travel from the airport on trams. It is only valid from the first stop after the airport, Ingilston.
2. Just Use a Taxi or an Uber
If the ticketing system for public transport is just too complicated, get a taxi. This would be my advice if you are travelling with children (from the airport in particular).
In June 2025, the cost of an Uber from Hanover Street to 3 Sciennes Road was between £8 and £10 (for 1-4 people). This is less than the Family City Day pass (if you are not thinking of using public tranport once you arrive at Sheens House).
Remember that you can use Google to plan your journey on public transport:
Once You Are at the House
The Best bus route to the centre from the House is the number 9 bus (and the next best alternative is the 24). If you have the Lothinan Bus app, this will make your life easier.
www.lothianbuses.com/app/
Here’s a timetable for the n° 9:
https://moovitapp.com/index/en-gb/public_transportation-line-9-Scotland-402-1832702-133948189-1
These are some of the main stops going towards the centre (and, obviously, coming back is in the opposite direction). You will probably be using the Hanover Street stop to come up to the house by bus and you will get off at Roseneath Street/ Warrender Park Road.
Roseneath Street/ Warrender Park Road, (1 minute from the house). They are the same destinations.
Sciennes
Victoria Street, (stop for the Old Town and the High Street)
The Mound, (stop for Princes Street and National Gallery)
Hanover Street, (stop for the New Town)
Thistle Street, Edinburgh
Royal Botanic Garden (so possible to go directly by bus)
FOR THE HOP ON AND HOP OFF bus, see guiden tours here.