How to use the shuttle bus to get to Edinburgh

[tartanexile81]

hello ladybentley, I would advise taking a taxi back to South Queensferry after the tattoo. It only costs around £25 - £30 for up to 5 people and you could book it in advance to pick you up at an agreed location. Our volunteers on the ship or on the pier could tell you more about that. Taxis are plentiful in Edinburgh.

 

I definitely wouldn't take the train as the walk from Dalmeny station back to the pier in the dark wouldn't be an easy one. The local bus stops about 10 minutes walk from the pier and it's a pleasant stroll through the village with great views of the bridges. We always advise cruisers to take the 40A into Edinburgh and get the 40 back. This is an example of the bus timetable but you would have to check out the timings nearer the time.

 

https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/Timetables/East%20Scotland/40%2040a%2029.09.15%20web.pdf

 

The shuttle bus from the pier is operated by a local company but is day time only. I've never known any cruise line run a regular shuttle service into Edinburgh other than the Edinburgh on your own tour which most do but again it is day time only.

 

The easiest thing of course would be to sign up for the HAL tour :)

[Ladybentley]

Many thanks for your helpful information. We're quite happy to book and pay for a taxi to take us back to the ship. Where would be the best place to book a pick up? That would suit us very well. The only worry we have is when the tenders will stop running. I emailed HAL who said we wouldn't be told until after boarding (a bit late to buy Tattoo tickets then!) and they usually stop around 8-10pm. But presumably they must run later than that if they have a ship's excursion returning from the Tattoo. Would you know anything about what time they run till?

 

Yes, we would consider taking a ship's tour but we understand the buses drop everyone off over a kilometre from the castle and you have to walk up that steep hill. Unfortunately I have an arthritic knee and damaged lungs so that's not really an option. We would prefer to take the shuttle into the city during the day, have dinner, take a taxi up to the castle and then another one back to the ship afterwards. We're hoping that will work out. Any more advice would be welcome. :)

[tartanexile81]

I'm sorry I can't help with the time of the last tender as we're never on the pier at night but if you know for sure that the ship is running a tour then the tender will have to keep running till all the buses are back to South Queensferry. As a small group you would be able to get on your way quicker. However Edinburgh is a hilly city and at the Festival there are road closures around the castle so even a taxi would not get very close. The closest you would get, IMO, would be the junction of the High Street and George IV Bridge and then you'd walk up the Lawnmarket. It's probably about 400 metres uphill. Have a look at google maps.

 

You wouldn't have to book a taxi to get to the Tattoo if you were already in town but just hail one on the street. There are several mini-cab companies in Edinburgh which would be easiest to pre-book and they would advise you on the best place for pick-up and at least it would be downhill to walk after the Tattoo. Here are a couple of numbers / websites

Capital Cars - http://www.capitalcarsscotland.co.uk - 0131-777-7777

Edinburgh City Private Hire http://www.ecph.cab - 0131-555-5555

Good Luck!

Edited August 6, 2016 by tartanexile81

[Ladybentley]

Thanks very much for all your helpful information. We'll consider our options but it sounds doable.

[love2cruise99]

There haven't been any posts for a while but we're hoping you are still helping people. We are thinking of going to Stirling Castle but want to see a little of Edinburgh as well. All of the tours we've seen (as well as the one offered by NCL) are all day tours which wouldn't leave any time for Edinburgh. Is there easy transportation from our ship (docked at Newhaven) to Stirling and then to Edinburgh? If we spend a couple hours in Stirling, is it feasible to have time left over for the Royal Mile? Our ship is in port on July 28 from 8:00 to 6:00.

 

Thanks for your help.

[tartanexile81]

hello love2cruise99

 

Personally I think it would be challenging but this is how it would work out.

 

Newhaven is North of the city centre in Edinburgh. It would take at least 20 minutes to be tendered ashore as you will be at anchor quite a distance off-shore.

 

It will be 15-20 minutes by taxi into Waverley Station. Trains to Stirling leave every 30 minutes and the journey takes about 55 minutes. I assume when you say Stirling you will either want to visit Bannockburn, Stirling Castle or the Wallace Monument as they are the most important tourist attractions. I would allow 2 hours for Stirling Castle or Bannockburn. You'd then need a taxi back to the station and the same in reverse. To be honest I'd only consider doing it by booking a private hire to get to Stirling and back to Edinburgh.

 

There is so much to see in Edinburgh. Just the Royal Mile is such an historic street with so much to see either side you wouldn't do it justice by having a quick dash down it.

 

Hope that makes sense to you. Please think about it and ask me more questions.

Edited January 1, 2017 by tartanexile81

[arl_nocaps]

What about the port of Newhaven ??? Do not see that mentioned much from tour operators. The Oceania Marina will be docking there this summer.

[tartanexile81]

Newhaven is being used increasingly. The harbour itself was dredged a couple of years ago but it is still fairly shallow so ships anchor quite a distance off-shore - well certainly compared to Queensferry. I think was only 2 years ago that it really started being used.

 

If you look on Google maps Pier Place Edinburgh you will get an idea where it is in relation to the city centre. BTW there are no facilities there. It's just a dropping-off point but you can easily get into the city centre by bus, taxi or hop-on, hop-off bus. This is our volunteers' website so you can read a bit more

http://www.cruiseforth.com

[love2cruise99]

hello love2cruise99

 

Personally I think it would be challenging but this is how it would work out.

 

Newhaven is North of the city centre in Edinburgh. It would take at least 20 minutes to be tendered ashore as you will be at anchor quite a distance off-shore.

 

It will be 15-20 minutes by taxi into Waverley Station. Trains to Stirling leave every 30 minutes and the journey takes about 55 minutes. I assume when you say Stirling you will either want to visit Bannockburn, Stirling Castle or the Wallace Monument as they are the most important tourist attractions. I would allow 2 hours for Stirling Castle or Bannockburn. You'd then need a taxi back to the station and the same in reverse. To be honest I'd only consider doing it by booking a private hire to get to Stirling and back to Edinburgh.

 

There is so much to see in Edinburgh. Just the Royal Mile is such an historic street with so much to see either side you wouldn't do it justice by having a quick dash down it.

 

Hope that makes sense to you. Please think about it and ask me more questions.

 

Thanks for your response. I am thinking we need to save Stirling and its surroundings for our next trip to Scotland and concentrate on Edinburgh this time. We will purchase the Explorers Pass and should have quick entry into Edinburgh Castle. Perhaps we should do that first thing before the crowds get any bigger? And is there a way to reserve a spot with the Explorers Pass? Then walk down the Royal Mile and if the queen isn't there, tour Holyrood Palace. I have also been reading about free walking tours of Edinburgh. Is there one you recommend? What other suggestions do you have for our day in Edinburgh?

 

Thanks again.

[phabric]

Thanks for your response. I am thinking we need to save Stirling and its surroundings for our next trip to Scotland and concentrate on Edinburgh this time. We will purchase the Explorers Pass and should have quick entry into Edinburgh Castle. Perhaps we should do that first thing before the crowds get any bigger? And is there a way to reserve a spot with the Explorers Pass? Then walk down the Royal Mile and if the queen isn't there, tour Holyrood Palace. I have also been reading about free walking tours of Edinburgh. Is there one you recommend? What other suggestions do you have for our day in Edinburgh?

 

Thanks again.

 

I would suggest for Edinburgh Castle walk to the top to see the jewels and work your way down to beat the crowds (read about this from past Cruise Critic passenger).

 

Try to arrive before the Castle opens and wait in line for it to open.

 

I arrived before opening, had the Explorers Pass, showed to ticket agent and walked in, walked to the top and made my way to the bottom.

 

When I left a couple of hours later, there was a long lineup at the ticket booth and crowds at each building.

Edited January 2, 2017 by phabric

[tradingspaces]

We are arriving on the Caribbean Princess on Saturday June 3, 2017 from 7:00am to 7:00 pm. Tendering to South Queensferry (Hawes Pier). Thinking of taking a independent shuttle from the pier to Edinburgh. We would like to start at Edinburgh Castle with tickets purchased in advance online and be in line to get in before 9:30 when it opens and then walk the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse taking in all the sites along the way with a lunch/pub/shopping stops along the way. Then catch the shuttle back to the ship.

 

Questions:

 

What is the current return cost of the shuttle to Edinburgh?

Does the shuttle still drop off at Charlotte Square?

How often do these shuttles return to the pier?

How far is the walk from Charlotte Square to entrance to the Castle?

Is there a bus from Holyroodhouse to Charlotte Square for the return shuttle to the pier?

 

Thank you so much for any help.

 

 

Laura

[tartanexile81]

Thanks for your response. I am thinking we need to save Stirling and its surroundings for our next trip to Scotland and concentrate on Edinburgh this time. We will purchase the Explorers Pass and should have quick entry into Edinburgh Castle. Perhaps we should do that first thing before the crowds get any bigger? And is there a way to reserve a spot with the Explorers Pass? Then walk down the Royal Mile and if the queen isn't there, tour Holyrood Palace. I have also been reading about free walking tours of Edinburgh. Is there one you recommend? What other suggestions do you have for our day in Edinburgh?

 

Thanks again.

 

What Fabric says makes good sense. Book in advance and start at the castle as soon as it opens then make you way down the Royal Mile. The Queen won't be in residence when you're in Edinburgh so you would be able to visit the Palace of Holyrioodhouse. I've used Sandeman new Europe Tours which were pretty good and you just pay what you think the tour's worth. As in all things a to depends on the guide. I've also done Mercat Tours and we had a very good guide there too. They show you areas you wouldn't know about as a tourist.

There are various buildings you could visit like St Giles Cathedral, several museums, underground old streets, as well as numerous tourist shops.

 

Not too far away there are the art galleries, Princes Street Gardens, take a walk up Calton Hill with its various monuments and fantastic views .... etc. Edinburgh is a fairly compact city and it is easy to walk between the places I have mentioned. However you might want to limit yourself because the castle and Palace are quite a lot in themselves

 

I would suggest for Edinburgh Castle walk to the top to see the jewels and work your way down to beat the crowds (read about this from past Cruise Critic passenger).

 

Try to arrive before the Castle opens and wait in line for it to open.

 

I arrived before opening, had the Explorers Pass, showed to ticket agent and walked in, walked to the top and made my way to the bottom.

 

When I left a couple of hours later, there was a long lineup at the ticket booth and crowds at each building.

[tartanexile81]

We are arriving on the Caribbean Princess on Saturday June 3, 2017 from 7:00am to 7:00 pm. Tendering to South Queensferry (Hawes Pier). Thinking of taking a independent shuttle from the pier to Edinburgh. We would like to start at Edinburgh Castle with tickets purchased in advance online and be in line to get in before 9:30 when it opens and then walk the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse taking in all the sites along the way with a lunch/pub/shopping stops along the way. Then catch the shuttle back to the ship.

 

Questions:

 

What is the current return cost of the shuttle to Edinburgh?

The new season won't start till May but last year it was £10 / $15/ 15 Euros per round trip. Cash only, payable at the bus.

Does the shuttle still drop off at Charlotte Square?

It did last year and I don't imagine it will be changing.

How often do these shuttles return to the pier?

There are several buses used and they come back continuously (when they're full) all day. The last one is usually 4:00 p.m. to avoid rush-hour traffic.

How far is the walk from Charlotte Square to entrance to the Castle?

If you look back to the beginning of this thread, you will see photos of the route and approximate timings. Probably 20 -25 minutes total.

Is there a bus from Holyroodhouse to Charlotte Square for the return shuttle to the pier?

You could get #6 bus from close to the Palace down onto Princes Street and from there it would be a short walk back to the shuttle

 

Thank you so much for any help.

Laura

 

I can also give you some volunteer 'insider' information that a local tour company will be offering guided tours of Edinburgh from and back to the pier. Don't know any more than that at present but will be able to post more about it once we've had our briefing for the season.

[Alaskanb]

We are arriving on the Caribbean Princess on Saturday June 3, 2017 from 7:00am to 7:00 pm. Tendering to South Queensferry (Hawes Pier). Thinking of taking a independent shuttle from the pier to Edinburgh. We would like to start at Edinburgh Castle with tickets purchased in advance online and be in line to get in before 9:30 when it opens and then walk the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse taking in all the sites along the way with a lunch/pub/shopping stops along the way. Then catch the shuttle back to the ship.

 

Questions:

 

What is the current return cost of the shuttle to Edinburgh?

Does the shuttle still drop off at Charlotte Square?

How often do these shuttles return to the pier?

How far is the walk from Charlotte Square to entrance to the Castle?

Is there a bus from Holyroodhouse to Charlotte Square for the return shuttle to the pier?

 

Thank you so much for any help.

 

 

Laura

Several of the roll call on your cruise are heading into Edinburgh independently and booking castle tickets in advance. Hope you will consider checking out the thread.

[Alaskanb]

I can also give you some volunteer 'insider' information that a local tour company will be offering guided tours of Edinburgh from and back to the pier. Don't know any more than that at present but will be able to post more about it once we've had our briefing for the season.

Good news indeed!

[2forTravelin]

Thank you for all the great information on this thread. I do have questions about the taxis.

 

We are arriving on the Zuiderdam on Saturday, July 1, from 10am to 11pm and tender in to South Queensferry. There are 5 of us and I understand that the last shuttle bus leaves Edinburgh for the port at 4pm. If we want to stay in Edinburgh for dinner, can most taxis accommodate 5 of us? Or should I make arrangements for a larger taxi in advance of the cruise?

 

Thank you for your help.

 

Cindy

[tartanexile81]

Most black cabs accommodate 5 people Cindy so it wouldn't be a problem. Your restaurant would ring one for you or you can just flag one down in the street. There are some excellent restaurants in Edinburgh as well as something to suit every taste and budget. There's also The Boat House and Orocco Pier in South Queensferry which have great views over the river.

 

If you want you can also pre-book a mini-cab and that would be slightly cheaper. There are 2 large reputable companies

www.capitalcarsscotland.co.uk - 0131-777-7777

www.ecph.cab - 0131-555-5555

[2forTravelin]

tartanexile81,

 

Thanks for your help. After a long day walking around the city, it might be fun to sit by the river and relax over a nice meal.

 

Cindy

[roothy123]

About Rosyth: I think I read that the folks in the port arrange for a shuttle bus to Dumfermline. However, if you take the train from there, it appears that it goes to Queen Margaret - is that a station in Edinburgh, or what? I'm OK taking the train in from Inverkeithing to Edinburgh, but was a bit curious about whether that Queen Margaret stop or station would be of any use.

 

Also, I'm laughing at the comment about taking the train in South Queensferry. We saw those steps uphill (very uphill!) and they looked a bit intimidating to me. Then the through a neighborhood and around to the train station bit sounded a little iffy. I'm not a good navigator, so I was happy that I had found a friend in South Queensferry who would take us to Edinburgh. I didn't see the shuttle bus when we were there, but others reported it WAS available. This was maybe 4 or 5 years ago, however!

 

We mostly used one of the HoHo buses to see much of Edinburgh. We were there during the Fringe Festival - not too bad in terms of crowds and traffic.

[tartanexile81]

Yes the Volunteer group arrange a shuttle bus to go to Dunfermline Roothy123 but it is not to take cruisers to the railway station but to provide an alternative for people who don't want to go to Edinburgh and who haven't booked a ship's tour. It is a free service to allow you to see Dunfermline, the ancient Capital of Scotland and birth place of Andrew Carnegie. Later in the morning we find that it's popular with crew who may only have an hour or two off. There's nothing at all in the port area which is very industrial.

 

There are two railway stations in Dunfermline and I don't know where you're reading about Dunfermline Queen Margaret. It's the station on the outskirts of Dunfermline to serve the Eastern end of town and the local hospital. It is on the same line as Dunfermline Town. the line is called which is called the Fife circular. It starts and ends in Edinburgh and there are two routes - one clockwise and one anti-clockwise. Apart from the fact Inverkeithing is much closer to the port, it also has significantly more trains than Dunfermline QM which only has 2 trains per hour in each direction.

[FritzG]

I can also give you some volunteer 'insider' information that a local tour company will be offering guided tours of Edinburgh from and back to the pier. Don't know any more than that at present but will be able to post more about it once we've had our briefing for the season.

 

Hi, are these tours being offered this summer?

[tartanexile81]

Hi, are these tours being offered this summer?

 

Unfortunately not FritzG. There is a new kid on the block - Rabbie's Tours - and they operate small vans, starting from Waverley Bridge. Otherwise there's a tour that stops where the shuttle bus drops off. It's the Edinburgh Tour and the buses are yellow and green. I like it because it has a live commentator and so it fits perfectly with what you're seeing. The other 2 are: the Majestic Tour which covers more miles visiting the Royal Yacht and Botanic Gardens; and City Sightseeing (red) again a city centre tour.

 

So are you doing the B2B like you did in 2014? We've done a few TAS since then but haven't been back on Princess sadly because of nothing's really appealed from Southampton.

[FritzG]

Unfortunately not FritzG. There is a new kid on the block - Rabbie's Tours - and they operate small vans, starting from Waverley Bridge. Otherwise there's a tour that stops where the shuttle bus drops off. It's the Edinburgh Tour and the buses are yellow and green. I like it because it has a live commentator and so it fits perfectly with what you're seeing. The other 2 are: the Majestic Tour which covers more miles visiting the Royal Yacht and Botanic Gardens; and City Sightseeing (red) again a city centre tour.

 

So are you doing the B2B like you did in 2014? We've done a few TAS since then but haven't been back on Princess sadly because of nothing's really appealed from Southampton.

 

Yes, we're doing the Caribbean Princess British Isles/TA. We wanted a TA that ended in NYC because we can drive home, but we couldn't find an itinerary we liked. We sailed this same itinerary in 2015, but liked all of the ports so we're fine with repeating ports.

[roothy123]

Didn't read whole thread, so don't know if this has been mentioned. However, there is a little boat that offers tours of the area of the Firth (river) of Forth, including a side trip to the little island and abbey you may see from your ship. See fortthtours.com to get more information. I don't know what the timing is from South Queensferry back to Edinburgh, but it's possibly a way to get to Edinburgh Waverley (train) station and have a nice little tour as well. (Of course, some of the tour might be repetitive if you are up on deck as the ship approaches Queensferry.)

[tartanexile81]

Didn't read whole thread, so don't know if this has been mentioned. However, there is a little boat that offers tours of the area of the Firth (river) of Forth, including a side trip to the little island and abbey you may see from your ship. See fortthtours.com to get more information. I don't know what the timing is from South Queensferry back to Edinburgh, but it's possibly a way to get to Edinburgh Waverley (train) station and have a nice little tour as well. (Of course, some of the tour might be repetitive if you are up on deck as the ship approaches Queensferry.)

 

It doesn't operate when Caribbean Princess is in port because the pier becomes restricted zone