Arriving to Edinburgh Airport

Welcome to Edinburgh

As you prepare to arrive at Edinburgh Airport, you are on the cusp of experiencing one of Scotland's most vibrant and historic cities. Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is renowned for its stunning architecture, rich cultural heritage, and warm hospitality. Whether you are here for business, leisure, or a mix of both, Edinburgh has something to offer everyone.

Touching Down at Edinburgh Airport

Arrival Procedures

Upon landing at Edinburgh Airport, you will begin your journey through the airport's efficient and well-organized arrival procedures.

Here are a few key points to keep in mind:

• Walking: There is a lot of walking, sometimes up staris carrying your luggage, and sometimes you'll deplane down the stairs of the airplane outside. So it is best to minimize your carry-on and have a jacket handy.

  
  

  

  Departing Dublin for Edinburgh, but we deplaned down the stairs in Edinburgh.

  
  

• Passport Control and Customs: After disembarking, proceed to the passport control area. If you are a UK, EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen, you can use the automated ePassport gates. Otherwise, join the relevant queue for manual passport checks. Following passport control, you may need to go through customs, especially if you have items to declare or are bringing goods above the duty-free allowance.

  
  

  

  
  

• Baggage Claim: Once you have cleared passport control and customs, head to the baggage reclaim area. The airport has clear signage indicating which baggage reclaim hall your luggage will be in. Check the screens to find out which hall is designated for your flight.

Airport Facilities

Edinburgh Airport is designed to make your arrival as smooth as possible. Here are some of the key facilities you can expect:

• ATMs: These give you the best exchange rate. But your bank will charge you a fee, so I typically make two withdraws. An ititial small one (50 - 80) in the local currency, then a larger one later when I figure out more about what I'm doing and what I need. You just don't want to be walking around as a tourist with a bunch of cash.

  
  

• Dining and Shopping: The airport offers a diverse range of dining options, including restaurants like Wetherspoon Express, Pret a Manger, and cafes such as Starbucks and Caffè Nero. Shopping outlets include WHSmith, World Duty-Free, and other retail stores.

I get cash first, then go to a shop and get a coffee, fruit or a snack bar so that I have change.

The Layout of Edinburgh Airport

Terminal Design

Edinburgh Airport operates from a single, efficiently designed terminal. Here’s what you need to know about navigating the terminal:

• Butterfly Configuration: The terminal is laid out in a unique "butterfly" configuration, with the central security checkpoint acting as the body and the check-in and baggage claim areas forming the wings. This design allows for efficient passenger flow.

  
  

• Clear Signage: The airport features a network of over 800 strategically placed digital signage displays, providing passengers with clear and dynamic wayfinding information. The terminal's floor plan incorporates color-coded zones, each with its own distinct visual identity, to help passengers easily navigate and identify different functional areas.

Always "LOOK UP." Most of the time, the signs are near the ceiling.

Getting to the City Center

Private Driver

Having your travel agent arrange a private driver for you as part of the booking is absolutely the best way to get picked up from an airport and delivered to the door of your hotel. They are professional drivers who offer a safe and comfortable ride.

I used to try to do it all on my own but on this last trip, I mostly arranged transfers for myself and my friend who was traveling with me. They are worth the extra money but not always perfect. For example, we had arranged the drivers through the hotel and her driver had my name when I was arriving later in the day. But they worked it out.

Note: You will need the app, What's App, installed on your phone for the driver to be able to reach you.

If you are not working with a travel agent, contact me so that I can help you.

Bus, Tram, Ride Share or Taxi?

What is the easiest way to get from Edinburgh airport to Edinburgh City Center? Well, it depends on if you want easy at the beginning or the end and where you are going in the city center.

Don't use the Currency Exchange, use the ATM instead

Bus

The bus is the easiest to find at the airport because it is right outside the door and they take credit cards (if you forget to get cash in Pounds at an ATM). But the bus is kind of overcrowded and stops a lot. And it could be quite a walk (or a taxi) to your hotel from where the bus drops you off.

Tram

It is a bit of a walk at the EDI airport to get to the Tram but it may be the most comfortable (less crowded than a bus, and not as scary as a taxi), although it could also be more of a walk again at the end (or a taxi) to your hotel.

---

Ride Share

Ride Share (like Uber) may be the easiest if 1) you use it at home, 2) you already have it set up on your phone, 3) with a credit card that works and 4) your phone works when you land at the airport. And I don't know where they pick you up at the airport.

---

Taxi

It is also a bit of a walk at the EDI airport to get to the taxi, but it is going to be an easy way to find your hotel.  Keep going past the Tram stop, up a ramp and finally you get to where the taxis are lined up.

When we took the taxi, a lady working there stopped us and asked where we were going. We told her and told her that we needed to use a credit card. She said that would be no problem and it was a fixed price of 29GBP. But the driver kept asking if we had cash, Pounds, Euros, Dollars... anything! He was saying he didn't know if his card reader would work at our hotel.  We were staying outside of town at the Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club so we told him he could run it before we got there since it was a fixed price.

He was a terrible driver. The whole time he kept messing with his card reader and not paying attention to traffic. He ran the card before we got to the hotel and tried to charge us more than 29GBP and I corrected him, then he charged us 29.50 GBP. Jerk. I would not recommend taking a taxi unless you just don't want to deal with public transportation.