Taxi avaliablity in the Port of Newhaven Scotland

[JarlaR]

Hello fellow cruisers. My husband and I booked a 12-day Iceland to Reykjavik, Norway and Iceland cruise for this May.  We are thinking about taking a taxi to the Royal Mile and do our own exploring.  The transfer offered from NCL seems to be a little expensive for just a transfer from the Port of Newhaven.  Has anyone had any experience with this and could offer words of wisdom in regards to availability at the port and cost.  Thank you all in advance and happy cruising.

[fruitmachine]

25 minutes ago, JarlaR said:

Hello fellow cruisers. My husband and I booked a 12-day Iceland to Reykjavik, Norway and Iceland cruise for this May.  We are thinking about taking a taxi to the Royal Mile and do our own exploring.  The transfer offered from NCL seems to be a little expensive for just a transfer from the Port of Newhaven.  Has anyone had any experience with this and could offer words of wisdom in regards to availability at the port and cost.  Thank you all in advance and happy cruising.

Taxis are available, but in very short supply until around 9:30, by which time they have finished their contract work.  Uber is usually pretty good, but can be thin on the ground when there is a significant event happening in Edinburgh or the surrounding area.  A taxi will be about £15 into the Royal Mile, Uber a little less.

I usually direct people to the tram (https://edinburghtrams.com/) which is about a 300m walk away or the number 11 bus (https://www.lothianbuses.com/) which passes Newhaven Harbour.  The tram is normally every 7 minutes and the bus every 12.  Both are the same price (£2 for a single journey), and a DAYticket (£5) on one will get you on the other.  Buy the tram ticket at the machine on the platform or the bus ticket (ask the driver before paying) as you board.  Payment by contactless card or coins (no change given).

You can also tap a contactless bank card or device (as long as you have one each) on the bus.  You don't get a paper ticket, and are charged once at the end of the day for all trips that day, with a maximum cap of £4.80.

 

Both the tram and 11 bus require a short uphill walk from Princes Street to get to the Royal Mile.  The number 7 bus starts from a stop a 3-4 minute walk from the harbour, but crosses the Royal Mile, so is an alternative with the walk at the start of your journey.

On the day, speak to any of the CruiseForth volunteers next to the harbour (https://www.cruiseforth.com/content/about/).  They'll have purple coats and shirts on; you can't miss them.  Usually there are one or two manning an information desk on the ship.  They arrive on the first tender.

Enjoy your day in Edinburgh!

Edited February 15 by fruitmachine

[JarlaR]

Thank you so much for that amazing information, that is exactly what we were looking for.  We will definitely go those routes!!  Again, thank you so much.  Looking forward to visiting this beautiful place.

[edinburgher]

5 hours ago, JarlaR said:

Has anyone had any experience with this and could offer words of wisdom in regards to availability at the port and cost.

There is a dedicated website with transport options from all four possible docking or tendering ports for Edinburgh.

 

Go to

https://www.cruiseforth.com/ then "ind my ship" to be certain no change has been made, followed by "getting around" which will confirm the excellent info supplied by fruitmachine.