Edinburgh - Plane, Train or Zed power...

[ewwimbledon]

I agree UK breaks can be £££ especially if you want a decent hotel (which you need in case it is raining...) or else you could have stayed at home.

But for a 2/3 day break taking the stress of airports out of it and just getting in the car is quite attractive. I am getting old, clearly.

 

[bigdog]

I seem to remember that when we stayed in Edinburgh. It was at a B&B close to downtown and had free or very cheap parking. I'll ask the wife to see if she can recall the name of the B&B. We didn't think it was to hard to drive around Edinburgh. We parked at the main train station & walked a couple of blocks to the Royal Mile high street. I really liked Scotland. I've traveled all over Europe & the Orient. Scotland's my favorite. Great folk up there & such beautiful scenery.

 

[original guvnor]

Have you ever been to Paris?

Paris in the spring is fantastic and you could get there in about the same time as the train to Edinburgh by getting a train to London and then the Eurostar. If you've never done the Eurostar it's worth doing once for the experience.

Whatever you decide enjoy your trip

 

[cj10jeeper]

Eurostar is great and I always use it London to Paris if I'm in the capitals

Issue is not Eurostar but for most you have to get into London first, cross it then get the Eurostar.
This is alway the problem of public transport. The middle bit's great. Each end is a pita vs car.

 

[ab7]

Did you see my post? Are you on virgin train lines?

Sorry(!) - yes, I'm Cheltenham so Virgin Trains go direct from here.

- the opportunity for a decent trip in the zed
- you don't fancy a long train journey
- flying is a hassle and/or expensive
- you want to use the hotel points
- you want a weekend away with the GF.

I am no travel agent but I would say that neither Edinburgh or Venice tick all of your boxes. In fact no city break would.

Hmm fair point although the zed aspect isn't part of the criteria... that was an afterthought after selecting Edinburgh and finding out the cost and practicality of the trains/flights.

As I mentioned from the previous posts, I think we'll defintately look at a separate road trip up to Scotland away from the cities - there are some very nice golf resorts etc. up there I've found as you suggested .

I'm quite happy to fly (I do so quite regularly and enjoy it!), the cost issue for me is if I'm going to spend that amount of money there are other places further afield we could go... like Venice.

First class from Cheltenham for me. Virgin from Brum see previous post

Yeh I think the train is going to win for Edinburgh 8)

Funny you should say that. We've stopped taking UK breaks as they cost upwards of £500 by the time you add fuel, hotel, meals, some sort of event or simple entertainment etc.

We've just booked flights, 3 nights hotel in Milan, and Bruce Springsteen @ the San Siro, for less than the train to Edinburgh!*.

Have you ever been to Paris?

Eurostar is great and I always use it London to Paris if I'm in the capitals
Issue is not Eurostar but for most you have to get into London first, cross it then get the Eurostar

Paris is another one we're considering, I went on Eurostar years back (when I was little) and I don't think you can beat it.

*I should point out btw, Hilton have announced a major devaluation of rewards points which kicks in in about a months time and hence I'm looking to burn my pile of them asap... I don't usually book 2 holidays a week lol...

 

[cj10jeeper]

Of course you'll be staying in Hilton Hotels. I lived in Paris and now work there and Milan on a regular basis. Probably in each 3 to 4 times a year. If you need any tips let me know.

Milan - my favourite is the Nhow hotel:

http://www.nh-hotels.com/nh/en/hotels/italy/milan/nhow-milano.html?nhagentid=10166&nhsubagentid=101660000000&oodc=3864&source=adwords&gclid=CPHS4OqG3LUCFUbKtAodNWoA6A

Crazy place in a giant old factory in the bohemian side of town. Has a model photographic academy there, so it's nice just to hang around and see what's going on

 

[Machine monkey]

Oxford airport has an air line flying to Edinburgh its a new start up apparently its good. My wife works at the airport and we are flying up on the 25th of May for our first wedding anniversary.

I am not 100% sure i think its £55 each way and because its a small airport you get there 30 minutes before you fly passport checked straight on to the plan. Easy nice drive from Gloucester to.

 

[RubyBlueZ4MC]

Oxford airport has an air line flying to Edinburgh its a new start up apparently its good. My wife works at the airport and we are flying up on the 25th of May for our first wedding anniversary.

I am not 100% sure i think its £55 each way and because its a small airport you get there 30 minutes before you fly passport checked straight on to the plan. Easy nice drive from Gloucester to.

£55 each way Oxf to Edinburgh I usually pay £100 return to fly to see my boyfriend in Stuttgart (with BA).

 

[Machine monkey]

Really you think that's expensive??? Bet the train is double that!! And fuel there and back would be £200 ish? And as its such a small airport get there 30 minutes before the plain is due to take off park car show passport on plain. So in the 2 hours i would spend in a airport waiting to get on the plan i am already there. Thats worth loads and the wife and i get a few free flights so we only pay the £26 tax!!

£100 return is a great deal. I guess only big airlines can do that as they can absorb the cost of 1 or 2 empty flights easier.

 

[RubyBlueZ4MC]

Really you think that's expensive??? Bet the train is double that!! And fuel there and back would be £200 ish? And as its such a small airport get there 30 minutes before the plain is due to take off park car show passport on plain. So in the 2 hours i would spend in a airport waiting to get on the plan i am already there. Thats worth loads and the wife and i get a few free flights so we only pay the £26 tax!!

£100 return is a great deal. I guess only big airlines can do that as they can absorb the cost of 1 or 2 empty flights easier.

I haven't flown domestic much. I flew to Plymouth once for a course, forget how much it was now. That was quite expensive. I also don't have much experience with long distance train journeys in the UK. I often fly to continental Europe and flights are really not much depending on time of year and destination. Stuttgart and Zurich are always relatively cheap. I've used Germanwings too, smaller airline and that was about £100 return. I guess I always assumed flying domestic would be cheap. Agreed fuel to and from Edinburgh in the ///M would be a lot, but then I get the joy of

 

[Machine monkey]

Driving would be a good road trip. The fact that Oxford airport are now fling to a few destinations is great for me. Just the convenience and time saving Gatwick is an hour and a half and Heathrow Bristol Birmingham are all about an hour. So just going ten minutes down the road feels like luxury and the fact you might see some F1 Stars there is a bonus.

 

[Z4Bob]

I am not 100% sure i think its £55 each way and because its a small airport you get there 30 minutes before you fly passport checked straight on to the plan. Easy nice drive from Gloucester to

Passport? Has Scotland declared independence? Too late to celebrate? 8)

 

[ronk]

Passport? Has Scotland declared independence? Too late to celebrate? 8)

Hope it never will ( Thats upset the nationalists)

 

[ab7]

Interesting to hear about the Oxford option, but we've definately decided on the train.

£55 each way Oxf to Edinburgh I usually pay £100 return to fly to see my boyfriend in Stuttgart (with BA).

This was my point earlier in the thread, £100 will get you to plenty of places further afield than Edinburgh! Edinburgh is a very nice, but it faces some competition when it's in the same price bracket as many major Eurpoean cities!

Really you think that's expensive??? Bet the train is double that!! And fuel there and back would be £200 ish?

Train is £60-80 standard, £105 first class from here.

Fuel wise for me in a 3.0si, I'd be looking at £120ish, I imagine an M will be a fair bit more! Of course with the oxford option there's still 70miles of fuel in addition to the flight for me.

 

[Machine monkey]

Not a great option then never mind. I am pleasantly surprised at the cost of train ticket.

 

[ab7]

Not a great option then never mind. I am pleasantly surprised at the cost of train ticket.

Thanks anyway though, Oxford would have worked fairly well so it was a nice idea, but if we can get the train direct in 1st for less then I can't win that argument with the GF!

Should point out the train prices I've quoted are with a 16-25 rail card and the cheapest I could find... if it was full adult fares we'd be flying lol

 

[MalcMac]

If you want someplace nice to eat in Edinburgh then the best there is can be found down in Leith The Kitchin
It has 1 Michelin* and was best UK restaurant in 2011 and best Scottish restaurant 2012.
It is very expensive but they do a great value set lunch for £26.50 but you must book well in advance.

Another recommendation is The Withchery up by the castle, it's also expensive but their set lunch is only £15.95
Again early booking is a must

Not so grand as the above is The Dome which is in a converted bank building. Booking is essential for the main restaurants but you can usually walk into the Club-room Bar and order a meal. You may have to wait in line for a table or you could just stand at the bar and wait for your table while you have a drink.

We now have a new Jamie Oliver restaurant in Rose Street Jamie's Italian
We've tried twice to get in at lunch time but to no avail - you must book ahead online.

After these I would say try Café Rouge, Bella Italia and then Pizza Express or there's hundreds of others plus all the pubs.

I forgot to mention Harvey Nicols Forth Floor if you can get a window seat you'll get a great view of Edinburgh.

 

[Machine monkey]

Any recommendations on where to stay MalcMac. Witch part of the city hotels?

 

[MalcMac]

I never have to stay over - I am only 1 hour away from Edinburgh.

There are lots of B&B places on Corstorphine Road towards the airport.
Buses go straight into Princes Street.

Or try these Travelodges in the west end within walking distance of the centre.
http://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/book/edinburgh-hotels?page=2&perPage=5

 

[Ross D]

Can i suggest avoiding Jamies Italian. I think its an over hyped chain and Edinburgh has so many other eating options. The Galvins (famous london chefs) have a new restauraunt in the Waldorf Astoria (ex Caledonian hotel). The fine dining is very expensive but the bistro offers good value. You are spoilt with choice for eating and drinking options and i would suggest it may be the most beautiful city you can visit. Coming from a Glaswegian that is praise indeed