Edinburgh Travel Answers

Finding accommodation in Edinburgh at any time of the year is not easy and it is expensive - during the Festival is always very difficult and even more expensive. Edinburgh is extremely busy at this time of year. I don't know quite what you mean that it is expensive to find travel tickets during Festival time. If this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit Edinburgh, then I would say it is worth it. However, there are a lot of other places in the United Kingdom that are equally as interesting and with probably more character than Edinburgh - the real place tends to be overwhelmed with visitors. August is peak season for vacations and you will have to search carefully for suitable accommodation if you choose to go to either Edinburgh or some other popular destination. I hope you have already arranged your accommodation in London. Good sites to try are booking.com, alpharooms.com or the visitlondon website. Or the websites of travelodge, premier inn, express by holiday inn, easy hotel. Or just knuckle down and keep on searching on the internet.

We were in Edinburgh during the Festival during our trip to Scotland, and accomodation was extremely expensive, even away from the downtown area. We were planning to see some of the shows at the Fringe, so this was something we had planned on. The Fringe really takes over the downtown and a large portion of the Royal Mile. Lineups of tourists (including us) for the usual places were quite long and some of the things we wanted to do had no availability. If you absolutely have to see Edinburgh, just grin and bear it. Otherwise, there are lots of places nearby that are wonderful to visit too. We particularly liked Sterling Castle, which was not far from Edinburgh.

I'm afraid you have left it rather late for a good choice of places to stay during Festival time and, as you have found, prices are very high. Like Hawkhead, I think that if you have no chance of returning to the UK then it might be worth trying to find somewhere which you can afford. It's really a matter of trawling through the sites she has suggested. But if you can visit again in the future, then I would save Edinburgh until then (either do not visit in August or book your Edinburgh accommodation much earlier...around Christmas is a good time to start looking!). There are lots and lots of places which you can easily visit from London...York is the obvious one which springs to mind, a fascinating and hugely historical city...but there are many others. So really it's a matter of you deciding whether you *must* visit Edinburgh this time round (and paying high prices for accomm) or whether you would prefer to go elsewhere.

I know it is difficult and expensive, but the Royal Edinburgh Tattoo is a wonderful event and, in my opinion, worth some effort. One option would be to stay in Glasgow and take the train or bus to Edinburg. There is frequent service and the train takes about an hour and costs around 12 GBP.

Yes, that is a good option. Accomm in Glasgow is likely to be a little more available and possibly a little cheaper too. Train times, details and fares on www.nationalrail.co.uk There is also a regular bus service: citylink.co.uk/timetables/Su... But if you decide to go because of the Tattoo then you should perhaps first check whether you can get tickets on your available dates. http://www.edintattoo.co.uk/

Or you could take the coach, which would cost at best £2 return but the normal return fare is about £8 - Scottish City Link website will tell you. Takes 50 minutes form Buchanan Street Bus Station to the bus station in Edinburgh, which is very central. Unless you are lucky enough to get a "return", and these are scarcer than hens' teeth, then you won't be able to see the Royal Military Tattoo - each year, it sells out more or less as the tickets go on sale. Perhaps with a group outing but that would still be rare.

We always used to stay in North Berwick - its a 30 minute train ride but a beautiful coastal town to the east of Edinburgh. There will be affordable accommodation here and if you check the Scotrail site you will be able to find ticket prices, times etc.