|
|
|
Travelling to and around Scotland Flights to Scotland Most trans-atlantic flights to the UK arrive at London Heathrow, but there are a few airlines which offer direct flights to Edinburgh (EDI) and Glasgow (GLA). Direct flights to Glasgow/Edinburgh from New York/Chicago/Toronto usually take about 6-7 hours. US cities/airports with direct flights include: New York (Newark, EWR) - Continental Airlines operate daily flights to Glasgow and Edinburgh. Air Canada operate daily flights during the summer months from Calgary, Halifax & Vancouver, and daily flights from Toronto year round. Emirites operate services from Australia and New Zealand to Glasgow via Dubai. Glasgow and Edinburgh both have direct flights from all the the major European capitals and hub airports. The other Scottish airports - Aberdeen, Prestwick and Inverness - also have some international flights, for example Eastern Airways operate direct flights from Norway (Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger) to Aberdeen, and Scandinavian Airlines operate a flights to the UK from Oslo, Bergen and Copenhagen). Low-cost airlines like Easyjet operate services to Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Inverness from many European cities. RyanAir also operate daily flights from many European cities to Prestwick (PIK) which is 40 miles south-west of Glasgow, and also to Edinburgh airport. Note that Prestwick airport is also known as 'Glasgow International', which is confusing when it is not really that close to Glasgow. Ferries to Scotland If you want to come to Scotland from Europe with a car, NorfolkLine operate a service from Zeebrugge to Rosyth (just north of Edinburgh). This means you can arrive in Scotland without having the extra drive up from the ferry ports in Newcastle or Hull in England. There are currently three services per week from both ports. Trains There are hourly train services from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh, the journey takes about 4 hours. This service is now operated by National Express (formerly GNER). Virgin Trains operate frequent services from London Euston to Glasgow up the west coast line. This journey usually takes an hour longer than the service via the east coast line. If you plan to travel around Scotland by train, it is worth considering Scotrail 'Rover' or 'Freedom of Scotland Travelpass' tickets. (You can also get similar TravelPass tickets which cover train services throughout the rest of the UK and Ireland). These tickets can be purchased from main stations in the UK or in some Travel Agents in the USA and Europe. If you are phoning from within the UK:
Buses There are frequent bus services throughout Scotland. Scottish Citylink, run most of the buses between the major towns and cities. Visit their website or phone 08705 50 50 50. from within UK, or +44 141 332 9644 from outwith for timetables. Ferries If you want to visit any of the Hebridean islands off the West Coast, contact Caledonian MacBrayne regarding ferry services, Tel: +44 1475 650 100. Fax: +44 1475 637 607. Visit Traveline Scotland for online timetables for most bus, train and ferry services in Scotland. Or telephone +44 870 6082608 during UK office hours. Last update 10th February 2009. If you find that any of the above information is incorrect, please contact us with details so we can keep this page up to date. |