How far is Edinburgh Airport from the city?
About 8 miles, or 13 kilometres. Allow roughly 30 minutes by road, more at the weekday peaks and considerably more during the August festivals.
Edinburgh Airport (EDI) · One terminal, 8 miles out
Taxi to Edinburgh Airport, and back, at a price you agree first.
Edinburgh Airport sits eight miles west of the city at Ingliston, and the price of getting between the two is settled before you pay rather than after you arrive. Leaving? The car comes to your door. Landing? The driver follows the flight in and waits in Arrivals holding your surname. Waverley, Haymarket, Leith, Murrayfield, St Andrews, Gleneagles or a cottage in Fife: one vehicle, one agreed figure.
- An hour of waiting, counted from touchdown
- Your surname on a board in Arrivals
- Child seats fitted free, on request
- Cancelling is free until 24 hours before
- Flight trackedThe real landing time, not the timetable
- Driver assignedName and mobile number sent over
- Waiting in ArrivalsYour surname, held on a board
In short
Taxi to Edinburgh Airport: the facts, in one block
Seven lines that answer most of what people ask before booking. Everything further down expands on one of them.
Short answer. Edinburgh Airport (EDI) is a single-terminal airport at Ingliston, about 8 miles west of the city centre, and a pre-booked taxi covers that journey in roughly 30 minutes at a price agreed before you pay.
- Where it is
- Ingliston, about 8 miles (13 km) west of Edinburgh city centre. Postcode EH12 9DN.
- Terminals
- One. Check-in, security, reclaim and the meeting point share a single building.
- Into the city
- Roughly 30 minutes by road. The tram takes about 35 minutes, the Airlink 100 bus about 30.
- Dropping off
- Reported at £8.50 for up to 10 minutes in the charged zone, then £1 a minute. A free zone in the Long Stay car park is reported to give 30 minutes, about a ten-minute walk away.
- Low Emission Zone
- Covers about 1.2 square miles of the city centre, not the airport. Taxis and private hire vehicles must meet Euro 6 to enter it.
- The busy month
- August. The Fringe alone runs 7 August to 31 August 2026 with 3,649 shows across 258 venues.
- Your fare
- Calculated for your own journey and shown on the booking page before you pay.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
Quick answers
Nine questions people ask before booking
Short answers to the nine things we are asked most about Edinburgh. Each one is covered in more depth further down.
How many terminals are there?
One. Everything happens under one roof, so there is no terminal to pick on the booking form and no wrong building to arrive at.
Where does the driver wait?
In the Arrivals hall, with your surname on a board. Your confirmation gives the meeting point and the driver’s mobile number.
What does dropping someone off cost?
Reported at £8.50 for up to 10 minutes, then £1 a minute, with a 2-hour maximum. The free Long Stay zone is reported to allow 30 minutes.
Who runs the taxi rank?
The airport says the rank is operated exclusively by Capital Cars, at the East Terminus, with fares set by the City of Edinburgh Council.
Can I just flag down a private hire car?
No. A private hire car has to be booked beforehand, which the airport describes as a City of Edinburgh Council licensing requirement rather than a company rule.
How long does the tram take?
About 35 minutes into the centre, roughly every 7 minutes, running until about 11pm. After that the Airlink bus or a car is the option.
Does the Low Emission Zone affect me?
Only if your address is inside the city-centre zone. The airport is well outside it, and the rule applies to the vehicle rather than to the passenger.
What if my flight is delayed?
Nothing is needed from you. We watch the flight number and move the collection to the actual landing time. Prices follow the date and the vehicle; yours appears on the booking page before you pay.
Our vehicles
Which of the nine vehicles fits your party
From a saloon through to a 50-seater coach, there are nine to pick from. The price buys the vehicle rather than the seat, so the number that really matters is how many bags are travelling.
Example model: Volkswagen Passat or similarSaloon taxi
4 passengers, 2 large bags
One or two people with normal suitcases.
View vehicle →
Example model: Mercedes E-Class or similarExecutive car
3 passengers, 2 large bags
A higher-specification car for clients, directors or an arrival that needs to look right.
View vehicle →
Example model: An estate taxiEstate taxi
4 passengers, 3 large bags
Four passengers whose luggage will defeat a saloon boot.
View vehicle →
Example model: 6-seater MPV people carrierPeople carrier
Takes 5 or 6 people with 4 to 5 large bags
A family of five or six, with the pram still fitting.
View vehicle →
Example model: A 7 seater taxi7 seater taxi
7 passengers, 7 cabin bags
Seven people who packed sensibly.
View vehicle →
Example model: An 8 seater taxi8 seater taxi
Takes 8 people with 6 to 8 large bags
Eight passengers, or six with a lot of golf between them.
View vehicle →
Example model: A 16 seater minibus16 seater minibus
Takes 16 people with around 14 large bags
Wedding guests, touring parties and visiting teams.
View vehicle →
Example model: A 30-seater coach30-seater coach
30 seats
Conference delegates moving together.
View vehicle →
Example model: A 50-seater coach50-seater coach
50 seats
Festival parties and incentive trips planned months ahead.
View vehicle →| Extra | What to know |
|---|---|
| Child seats | Infant, child and booster seats are fitted on request at no charge. Across Great Britain a child seat is expected until the age of 12 or a height of 135 cm, with narrow exemptions for taxis and private hire, so the booking needs each child’s age. |
| Golf clubs, skis, bikes | Carried happily when we know beforehand. Put the item and its length on the booking and a vehicle with the space is allocated to you. |
| Wheelchair-accessible vehicles | Request it on the booking so we can check a suitable vehicle is free for your route and date. |
Every vehicle is shown on our fleet page. The models shown are representative of their class and the quote states what is actually offered. Give the party size and the bag count so the correct vehicle is sent.
Reviews
In our passengers’ own words
Ratings and reviews as shown by our review widget on 29 September 2026. Every comment below was left by somebody who travelled with us at one of the airports we serve. This is a selection of them, and each stays published where its author wrote it.
Write a review
Excellent4.9453 reviewsShowing all 10 reviews
- Paul Phillips22 Sep 2026Google
Excellent service...arrived at terminal and driver was waiting...helped with luggage to the car...smooth drive...perfect overall
Very reliable and easy to get a hold of. I was very confused leaving the airport - user error haha - and they were super helpful. My flight was also delayed and the guy who picked me up was on top of it.
Super affordable and professional service! The pricing was very clear from the start, with no hidden charges, which I really appreciated. Everything went smoothly, and the professionalism of the global airport taxi service stood out. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a hassle-free and budget-friendly option.
- Christina Bundrick20 Sep 2026Google
Amazing taxi service to the airport! Our driver was friendly, on time, and made the whole trip so easy. The car was clean and comfortable, and we got to the airport right on time. Would definitely use this service again!
- AnonymouslyProvenExpertProvenExpert
Excellent service , driver waited for us as flight was delayed, clean car and smooth ride
I would totally recommend Global Airport Taxi to anyone needing a taxi service for their airport commute. I decided on way to the airport that I was flying out of that I will need a cab service at LHR. They were quick to respond to and accommodated some of my last minute schedule change requests after I had landed at LHR. Totally reliable and willing to be flexible. Outstanding customer support provided by Jennifer and Root. Keep it up guys !!
- Sarah Finch22 Sep 2026Google
This was a brilliant service our driver was excellent he was friendly and helpful. Used again for the return journey and driver was professional and ensured we made it to the airport on time with heavy traffic
The service was extremely reliable. My cab arrived exactly on time for my early morning flight, which was a huge relief. Everything went smoothly, and I felt confident choosing this service. Highly recommend global airport taxi for stress-free airport transfers!
Amazing customer service, on time driver helped with cases. A pleasant experience Thank you
- BarhamK11 Apr 2026Yell
Very clean car and on time very polite driver will use them again
The rating is drawn from every airport on the network rather than Edinburgh alone. The widget comes from Trustindex and no review has been altered.
The airport
Edinburgh Airport at a glance
Short answer. Edinburgh Airport (EDI / EGPH) is Scotland’s busiest airport, with 16,980,588 passengers in 2025, one terminal, a tram stop at the door and no railway station of its own.
- 16,980,588passengers in 2025, a record for any Scottish airport
- 1terminal building
- 8 mileswest of the city centre, at Ingliston
- Name and codes
- Edinburgh Airport, EDI / EGPH
- Address
- Edinburgh Airport, Ingliston, Edinburgh EH12 9DN
- Where it sits
- Eight miles (13 km) west of the city centre, off the A8 and close to the M8 and M9
- Terminal
- A single building for all flights
- Passengers in 2025
- 16,980,588, which the airport reported as a record and the first time a Scottish airport had reached that level
- Tram
- Edinburgh Trams from a stop outside the terminal; reported at about 35 minutes to the city centre, every 7 minutes or so, until about 11pm
- Bus
- Airlink 100 to Waverley Bridge, reported as running 24 hours a day, roughly every 10 minutes in the daytime
- Rail
- No station at the terminal; Edinburgh Gateway and Edinburgh Park are the nearest, reached by tram
- Taxi rank
- At the East Terminus, operated exclusively by Capital Cars according to the airport, with council-set fares
- Private hire
- Must be booked in advance to meet City of Edinburgh Council licensing rules
- Drop-off
- Charged zone reported at £8.50 for 10 minutes; a free zone in the Long Stay car park reported at 30 minutes, around a ten-minute walk
- Next door
- The Royal Highland Centre, about a mile away, which hosts the Royal Highland Show and arena events
- Our fares
- Worked out for your own journey on the booking page, before you pay
Distances and journey times are typical road figures; traffic changes them, and August changes them a great deal.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
What it costs
How much is a taxi to Edinburgh Airport?
No page can give you one honest number, because the number depends on things only your booking knows. What a page can do is show you what moves it.
Short answer. There is no flat rate. A metered taxi from the terminal to the city centre is put at roughly £20 to £40 in published guides, plus a reported £5 airport pick-up charge, while a pre-booked car shows you its own figure before you pay.
| What feeds in | What it changes | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Where you start and finish | Distance and roads do most of the work in the figure | Give the full address, not the district |
| The day and the hour | A 05:00 departure, a Friday evening and the Fringe do not price alike | Enter the real collection time |
| Which vehicle | Saloon, estate, executive, people carrier and minibus each price separately | Count the suitcases, not only the seats |
| The airport charge | A charge applies at the terminal forecourt and is itemised in your summary | Ask whether a rival quote includes it |
| The Low Emission Zone | Only relevant when an address sits inside the city-centre zone | Check whether your hotel is inside or outside |
| Waiting and extra stops | An hour from landing is included; more than that, and a second stop, is quoted | Raise both at booking so the figure already holds them |
| Child seats and golf bags | Seats are free; bulky items decide which vehicle comes | Give ages, and the number of golf bags |
What the rank costs
Published guides put a metered taxi from the terminal to the city centre at roughly £20 to £40, plus an airport pick-up charge reported at about £5. Rates are set by the City of Edinburgh Council and apply to every taxi working the rank, so the variable is the traffic rather than the operator.
What a booked car costs
The order is reversed: the figure appears first and you decide afterwards. It buys the whole vehicle rather than a seat, and a jam on the A8 does not add to it. Two fixed quotes are only comparable once you know what each includes.
Why no price table appears here
Any single headline number would be wrong for most readers, because it quietly assumes a date, an hour and a vehicle. Instead, every row of the destination table below opens the booking page, which calculates the figure for your own journey.
The metered range above comes from published guides and is not our price. Ours is calculated for your journey on the booking page.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
Arrivals and the forecourt
Where we meet you, and what the Edinburgh forecourt charges
One terminal makes the meeting simple. The forecourt rules are stricter than most visitors expect, and they are the reason this page spends time on them.
Short answer. Your driver waits inside the Arrivals hall with a board showing your surname. Cars use the charged zone on the ground floor of the multi-storey opposite the terminal, reported at £8.50 for up to 10 minutes.
| At the airport | What to know |
|---|---|
| The building | One terminal, so the meeting point never changes. Walking distance from your gate varies, nothing else does. |
| Where the driver stands | Standing in the Arrivals hall with a board, your surname on it, the landing time already checked. |
| Getting to the car | The driver walks you out and takes the bags. The exact bay is in your confirmation, because the forecourt layout changes. |
| Departures | We stop in the charged zone on the ground floor of the multi-storey opposite the terminal and you walk across. |
| The charged zone | Reported at £8.50 for up to 10 minutes, then £1 for each extra minute, with a 2-hour maximum stay. |
| The free zone | In the Long Stay car park, reported at 30 minutes free. Around a ten-minute signposted walk, with no shuttle bus. |
| How it is paid | At the barrier by card. The car parks are reported to have gone fully cashless in July 2025. |
| The rank | East Terminus, a short walk from Arrivals past the large Edinburgh sign, operated by Capital Cars according to the airport. |
| Assistance | That is booked through the airline or the airport rather than through us. Say what has been arranged and the meeting point is set to suit it. |
Coming into Arrivals
Come through and read along the barrier until you see your own name. Your landing time is already known at that end, and if the belt is crawling, one message to the number on the confirmation is the whole of what is needed.
Walking to the car
The driver carries the bags and leads the way, so there is no bay number to hunt for. The spot named in your confirmation is the current one; the forecourts here are reorganised from time to time.
Being dropped for a flight
The car pulls into the charged zone, the cases come out and you cross to the terminal. At a reported £8.50 for 10 minutes there is no reason to linger over goodbyes.
The cheaper way to be dropped
The free zone in the Long Stay car park is reported to allow 30 minutes, with a signposted walk of around ten minutes and no shuttle. Allow an extra 15 to 25 minutes overall. It suits someone with time, not a car on a schedule.
If you need assistance
Special assistance inside the terminal is booked through your airline or the airport. Tell us what has been arranged and we agree a meeting point that avoids a long walk.
Why the driver comes inside
Every minute at the front of this terminal is charged and watched, so nobody can simply wait at the kerb. A driver who walks into Arrivals and brings you out avoids the charge and removes the one real risk of an airport pickup, which is two people looking for each other in different places.
Rank or booking: the practical difference
The rank needs no planning and charges a council-set meter. A booking fixes the price, puts a named driver in the hall and is, for private hire, a legal requirement rather than a convenience. For a late landing, a family, or an address outside the council area, the booking wins on more than price.
The forecourt layout and what it costs are Edinburgh Airport’s to set, and both have moved before. Look at its site in the week you fly.
Where we go
Taxi from Edinburgh Airport: every destination, distance and time
Nineteen journeys, from the Royal Highland Centre a mile away to Dundee sixty miles north. These are our own road figures, and each row opens the fare for your date.
Short answer. The shortest run on this list is the Royal Highland Centre at about a mile; the city centre is about 8 miles and 30 minutes; St Andrews, the most asked-for long trip, is about 52 miles and 70 minutes.
Showing all 19 destinations
| Destination | Area | Distance and time | Your fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh Waverley | Station · The main station, below Princes Street | about 9 mi, 30 min | Get fare to Edinburgh Waverley |
| Edinburgh Haymarket | Station · The west-end station, closer than Waverley | about 8 mi, 25 min | Get fare to Edinburgh Haymarket |
| Edinburgh city centre | Edinburgh · The Old and New Towns, inside the LEZ | about 8 mi, 30 min | Get fare to Edinburgh city centre |
| Leith | Edinburgh · The Shore, the docks and the restaurants | about 10 mi, 30 min | Get fare to Leith |
| South Queensferry | Edinburgh · The town beneath the three Forth bridges | about 7 mi, 15 min | Get fare to South Queensferry |
| Murrayfield Stadium | Venue · Scottish rugby and stadium concerts | about 6 mi, 20 min | Get fare to Murrayfield Stadium |
| The Royal Highland Centre | Venue · Showground and arena, next to the airport | about 1 mi, 5 min | Get fare to The Royal Highland Centre |
| Glasgow | City or town · Scotland’s largest city, along the M8 | about 47 mi, 60 min | Get fare to Glasgow |
| St Andrews | City or town · The university town and the Old Course | about 52 mi, 70 min | Get fare to St Andrews |
| Dundee | City or town · The waterfront city and the V&A | about 60 mi, 75 min | Get fare to Dundee |
| Perth | City or town · The gateway to the Highlands | about 45 mi, 60 min | Get fare to Perth |
| North Berwick | City or town · The East Lothian coast and its links courses | about 25 mi, 45 min | Get fare to North Berwick |
| Kirkcaldy | City or town · Fife, over the Queensferry Crossing | about 25 mi, 40 min | Get fare to Kirkcaldy |
| Dunfermline | City or town · The abbey town, Scotland’s newest city | about 17 mi, 30 min | Get fare to Dunfermline |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed | City or town · The border town on the east coast line | about 57 mi, 75 min | Get fare to Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Rosyth ferry terminal | Port · The Forth crossing and the freight port | about 12 mi, 25 min | Get fare to Rosyth ferry terminal |
| Port of Leith cruise terminal | Port · Where the cruise ships berth | about 11 mi, 35 min | Get fare to Port of Leith cruise terminal |
| Gleneagles | Day out · The hotel, the courses and the spa | about 50 mi, 65 min | Get fare to Gleneagles |
| Glasgow Airport | Airport · One page serves the journey either way | about 47 mi, 60 min | Get fare to Glasgow Airport |
There is a page behind every name in that first column. For anything absent from it, the booking page prices a typed address; the same journeys are gathered under every Edinburgh Airport route, and hotels have a page of their own.
A link sits in the last column instead of a number because the number answers to your date, your hour and the vehicle. What each class actually holds is set out on the fleet page and on the executive car page.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
Into Edinburgh
Taxi from Edinburgh Airport to the city centre, Waverley and Leith
Four destinations cover most arrivals into the city itself. Two of them are closer than people assume, and one is further than the map suggests.
Short answer. The city centre is about 8 miles and roughly 30 minutes from the terminal. Haymarket is marginally closer than Waverley, and South Queensferry, at about 7 miles, is the shortest city-side run of the four.
Edinburgh city centre
About 8 miles and roughly 30 minutes by the A8. The Old and New Towns both sit inside the Low Emission Zone, and the Old Town’s closes and setts are hard work with suitcases, which is the real argument for being driven to the door. Edinburgh Airport to the city centre.
Waverley and Haymarket
Haymarket is about 8 miles and 25 minutes; Waverley about 9 miles and 30. Haymarket is the closer of the two and often the quicker drop for a train, while Waverley sits below Princes Street with a steep approach from either end. Tell us which entrance you need. Haymarket taxi. Waverley taxi.
Leith and The Shore
About 10 miles and half an hour, north-east of the centre. The tram now runs down to Newhaven, but with luggage and a flat on a cobbled street a car still ends closer to the door. Leith taxi.
South Queensferry
About 7 miles and 15 minutes, which makes it one of the shortest runs here and a genuinely quicker trip than the city centre. The town sits directly beneath the three Forth bridges. South Queensferry taxi.
Even two doors apart can come out differently, so give the booking page the address itself.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
Venues
Taxi from Edinburgh Airport to the Royal Highland Centre and Murrayfield
Edinburgh has one venue almost on the runway and another six miles away. Both change how the city drives on the day they are busy.
Short answer. The Royal Highland Centre is about a mile from the terminal, roughly five minutes by road, and Murrayfield Stadium about 6 miles, roughly 20 minutes.
| Venue | From the terminal | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| The Royal Highland Centre | About 1 mile, roughly 5 minutes | The Royal Highland Show runs 18 to 21 June 2026 and drew a reported 50,000 visitors last year. The site also hosts arena events through the year. |
| Murrayfield Stadium | About 6 miles, roughly 20 minutes | Scottish rugby internationals and stadium concerts. The streets and the tram stops around it fill together on event days. |
| Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile | About 9 miles, roughly 30 minutes | Inside the Low Emission Zone, with vehicle restrictions on parts of the Old Town; the driver will know the nearest legal stop. |
| The Usher Hall and the west end | About 8 miles, roughly 25 minutes | Close to Haymarket, which makes it one of the easier evening drops. |
The Royal Highland Show
This is the shortest journey on the whole page. Exhibitors and trade visitors arriving with equipment usually want a vehicle rather than a walk, and the approach roads rather than the distance are what cost time.
Rugby at Murrayfield
An international fills the west of the city for most of the day. Agree a drop-off point with the driver rather than aiming for the main gate, and book the return before the match rather than after it.
Concert nights
Both Murrayfield and the Royal Highland Centre host large concerts. Everyone leaves inside twenty minutes of the last song, so a pick-up point a few streets away clears far faster than the main exit.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
August in Edinburgh
Getting to and from the airport during the Fringe
For one month a year this is the hardest city in Britain to move around. If you are travelling in August, this section matters more than any other on the page.
Short answer. The 2026 Fringe runs from 7 August to 31 August with 3,649 shows at 258 venues, and three other major festivals overlap it. Book the transfer when you book the flight, and give the street address rather than the venue.
| What | When | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh Festival Fringe | 7 August to 31 August 2026 | 3,649 shows, 258 venues, 53,884 performances, performers from 71 countries |
| The other August festivals | Overlapping through August | The International Festival, the Military Tattoo and the Book Festival all run in the same weeks; check each organiser for exact dates |
| What it does to the roads | The whole month | Street closures around the Old Town, heavy evening traffic and taxi demand far above normal |
| What it does to beds | The whole month | Accommodation across the city and into Fife fills months ahead, which pushes arrivals further out of town |
| What to do about it | As soon as flights are booked | Reserve the transfer with the flight, give the street address rather than a venue name, and allow more time in both directions |
Why August is different here
Most cities have a busy season. Edinburgh has a month in which the population of the centre changes shape. The Fringe alone lists 3,649 shows across 258 venues with 53,884 scheduled performances, and three other major festivals run alongside it. Journey times that hold for eleven months of the year stop being reliable.
What that means for a transfer
Two practical things. First, book early: cars, like beds, run out. Second, give us the street address rather than the venue, because venues move between buildings and a street name is unambiguous at two in the morning. If your accommodation is outside the city because the centre was full, say so when booking, as the run may be longer than you think.
Leaving after a late show
Shows finish late and the last tram leaves about 11pm. A booked car is the only option that does not depend on a timetable, which is why August departures are the bookings we take furthest in advance.
Dates and programme sizes come from the festivals’ own published information for 2026 and can change; check the organisers.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
Low Emission Zone
Edinburgh’s LEZ, and whether it touches your transfer
Passengers ask about this after booking and almost no transfer page answers it properly, least of all the part that applies specifically to taxis.
Short answer. The zone covers about 1.2 square miles of the city centre, not the airport. Taxis and private hire vehicles must meet Euro 6 on petrol or diesel to enter it, and the first penalty is reported at £60.
What the zone is
Edinburgh charges non-compliant vehicles entering a defined area of the city centre, described by the council as about 1.2 square miles and less than three per cent of the wider urban area. Signs went up well in advance, the scheme began in 2022 with a grace period, and penalty charge notices have been issued since 1 June 2024.
The standard a taxi has to meet
This is the part that matters for a transfer, and it differs from the rule for private cars. The council sets Euro 4 for petrol cars and vans and Euro 6 for diesel, but for taxis and private hire vehicles the standard is Euro 6 whether the engine is petrol or diesel. Zero-emission vehicles meet the standard automatically, and motorcycles are outside the scheme entirely.
What it means for your journey
The airport is outside the zone, so a journey that does not reach the centre never meets it. Where an address does sit inside, compliance is the operator’s responsibility rather than yours, and any charge that genuinely applied to your journey would appear in the booking summary before payment rather than afterwards.
None of these numbers was measured by us; each is reported from published guidance, and the scheme behind them is the council’s to rewrite. Read its live rules before leaning on any figure here.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
Across the Forth
Taxi from Edinburgh Airport to Fife, Dunfermline and St Andrews
The airport sits on the right side of the city for Fife. The bridges are free, the road is quick, and the train does not reach the place most people are going.
Short answer. Fife is quicker from the airport than from most of Edinburgh, because the Queensferry Crossing is minutes away and toll-free. St Andrews is about 52 miles and 70 minutes, and has no direct railway station.
Over the Queensferry Crossing
The bridge is the quick way north and it is free: tolls on the Forth Road Bridge were abolished in 2008 and the Queensferry Crossing has never charged one. From the airport you are on it within minutes, which is why much of Fife is a shorter run than the far side of Edinburgh.
Dunfermline
About 17 miles and roughly half an hour. Scotland’s newest city, with the abbey and the palace ruins, and one of the closest towns across the water. Dunfermline taxi.
Kirkcaldy
About 25 miles and roughly 40 minutes along the Fife coast. The train is an option from Edinburgh, but not from the airport without a change. Kirkcaldy taxi.
Rosyth
About 12 miles and 25 minutes, for the ferry terminal and the dockyard. Rosyth ferry terminal taxi.
St Andrews and the East Neuk
About 52 miles and 70 minutes. There is no direct train: the line stops at Leuchars and you still need a car for the last stretch, which is exactly why this is the most requested long run on the page. St Andrews taxi.
Journey times assume ordinary traffic. Wind restrictions occasionally affect the bridges, which is a Forth-specific risk worth a margin in winter.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
Across Scotland
Taxi from Edinburgh Airport to Glasgow, Perth, Dundee and the coast
Edinburgh is the arrival airport for a large part of Scotland, and plenty of passengers never go into the city at all.
Short answer. Glasgow is about 47 miles and an hour on the M8, Perth about 45 miles, Dundee about 60 and North Berwick about 25. Anywhere else in Scotland can be priced on the booking page.
Glasgow
About 47 miles and roughly an hour on the M8. A car runs door to door without the walk at either end of the train, which is the usual reason people choose it with luggage. Edinburgh Airport to Glasgow.
Perth and the road north
Perth is about 45 miles and an hour, and is the gateway for the Highlands. Gleneagles, at about 50 miles, is the most booked resort in this direction. Perth taxi. Gleneagles taxi.
Dundee
About 60 miles and roughly 75 minutes up the coast, for the waterfront, the university and the V&A. Dundee taxi.
North Berwick and East Lothian
About 25 miles and 45 minutes east along the coast, for the beaches, the Scottish Seabird Centre and a run of famous links courses. North Berwick taxi.
Berwick-upon-Tweed and the border
About 57 miles and roughly 75 minutes south. It is in England, on the east coast main line, and a common meeting point for journeys further into Northumberland. Berwick-upon-Tweed taxi.
Aberdeen, Inverness and the Highlands
We can price almost any Scottish address on the booking page. These are long drives rather than transfers, so a break is sensible and we agree the plan with you before the day.
Mileages are road distances and the times assume ordinary traffic; the M8 at the peaks and the A9 in summer are the two that stretch.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
Golf
Taxi from Edinburgh Airport to St Andrews, Gleneagles and East Lothian
Golf is one of the main reasons people fly into Edinburgh, and it is the trip most likely to go wrong on luggage rather than on timing.
Short answer. St Andrews is about 52 miles and 70 minutes, Gleneagles about 50 miles and 65 minutes, and the East Lothian links around North Berwick about 25 miles and 45 minutes.
| Where | From the terminal | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| St Andrews | About 52 mi, 70 min | The Old Course and six other links. No direct train; the line ends at Leuchars |
| Gleneagles | About 50 mi, 65 min | Three courses, the hotel and the spa, north-west towards Perth |
| North Berwick and East Lothian | About 25 mi, 45 min | A dense run of links courses along the coast, the closest serious golf to the airport |
| Carnoustie and Angus | Beyond Dundee, about 70 mi | Priced on the booking page; a long run best planned with the return leg |
Count the bags before the seats
A four-ball with four sets of clubs does not fit in a saloon, whatever the seat count says. Tell us how many bags of each kind and the right vehicle is allocated rather than hoped for.
Tee times work backwards
Give us the tee time rather than a vague morning, and we plan the collection back from it with a margin for the bridge and the A9.
Groups across several flights
Golf parties rarely arrive together. Send the flight numbers and we spread the vehicles across the arrivals rather than making the first group wait.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
Cruise and ferry
Taxi from Edinburgh Airport to the Leith and Rosyth terminals
Edinburgh takes a steady flow of cruise passengers, and the Forth is a port with more than one landing point, which is where plans come unstuck.
Short answer. The Port of Leith cruise terminal is about 11 miles and 35 minutes from the airport, and Rosyth about 12 miles and 25 minutes. Some lines tender passengers ashore at South Queensferry or Newhaven instead.
Port of Leith cruise terminal
About 11 miles and roughly 35 minutes. Cruise lines issue a boarding window rather than a time, so send us yours and we plan the collection and a vehicle with room for large cases around it. Port of Leith cruise terminal taxi.
Rosyth
About 12 miles and 25 minutes over the Forth, for the ferry terminal and the dockyard. Rosyth ferry terminal taxi.
South Queensferry and Newhaven
Some ships anchor in the Forth and tender passengers ashore at South Queensferry or Newhaven rather than berthing at Leith. Tell us which your line has given you, because they are different journeys.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
Airport to airport
Taxi between Edinburgh Airport and Glasgow Airport
The two Scottish hubs are an hour apart, which makes a road transfer realistic when a connection fails or a booking splits across both.
Short answer. Edinburgh Airport to Glasgow Airport is about 47 miles and roughly an hour on the M8, and one route page covers the journey in both directions.
Glasgow Airport
About 47 miles and roughly an hour along the M8. One page covers the run in both directions, so use it whichever airport you start from. People book it for a connection between the two Scottish hubs, or when a flight leaves from the one they did not land at. Edinburgh Airport and Glasgow Airport taxi.
Further afield
Runs to Newcastle, Manchester or further south are long drives rather than transfers and are priced on the booking page. For most of them a flight or the east coast train is the sensible answer, and we will say so.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
All routes
Every Edinburgh Airport taxi route
Behind each name is a page carrying that journey’s distance, its usual duration and a way through to the price.
Edinburgh areas
Cities and towns
Ports and ferries
Days out
Other airports
Also on this site
Somewhere not named here? The booking page prices any address you type into it. The destination table further up repeats this list with distances beside it, and our team can take whatever it leaves unanswered.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
Which kind of taxi
Rank taxi, private hire or app: which is which at Edinburgh?
Three different things are all called taxis here and they are regulated differently. At Edinburgh the difference is sharper than at most airports, because the rank is run under an exclusive contract.
Short answer. A rank taxi is metered, needs no booking and the airport says the rank is run exclusively by Capital Cars. A private hire car, including ours and any app, must be booked in advance to meet council licensing rules.
The rank at the East Terminus
Taxis on the airport rank are metered, need no booking and, according to the airport, the rank is operated exclusively by Capital Cars. Fares are set by the City of Edinburgh Council and apply to every taxi working there. For a journey outside the council area the airport says an exact fare is quoted instead.
Pre-booked private hire
This is what our transfers are. A private hire car cannot be hailed and cannot work the rank: the airport’s own guidance says a booking is required so that operators comply with the council’s licensing rules. In exchange you get a price agreed in advance and a driver already inside the building.
Ride-hailing apps
App cars are private hire too, so the same booking requirement applies, and their prices move with demand rather than following a council tariff. At the airport they use the same charged and free zones as everybody else.
Accessible vehicles
Ask for one when you book and give the chair’s dimensions and whether it folds, so a suitable vehicle is allocated rather than assumed. Assistance inside the terminal is a separate arrangement with your airline or the airport.
Licensing and tariffs are set by the City of Edinburgh Council, and the airport’s own contracts change over time; check its site for the current position.
Forecourt charges
The Edinburgh Airport drop-off charge, and the free alternative
This is the single most searched practical question about Edinburgh Airport, and the answers published elsewhere do not always agree. Here is what is reported, and where the figures came from.
Short answer. Reported at £8.50 for up to 10 minutes in the charged zone on the ground floor of the multi-storey, then £1 a minute. The Long Stay car park has a free zone reported at 30 minutes, about a ten-minute walk away.
| What | What is reported | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Charged pick-up and drop-off zone | Reported at £8.50 for up to 10 minutes | Then £1 for each additional minute, with a 2-hour maximum. Ground floor of the multi-storey, opposite the terminal |
| Free zone, Long Stay car park | Reported at 30 minutes free | Around a ten-minute signposted walk to the terminal, with no shuttle bus |
| How you pay | By card at the barrier | The car parks are reported to have gone fully cashless in July 2025 |
| If the charge rose | Reported to have increased on 18 May 2026 | Published sources disagree on the previous figure, so treat the history as uncertain and the current figure as reported |
| Taxi rank | Metered, council-set fares | East Terminus, operated exclusively by Capital Cars according to the airport |
| Blue Badge holders | Reported to receive an hour of free car park access | Reported as requiring the exit intercom and a badge code; confirm with the airport |
Why the charge matters more here
At £8.50 for ten minutes, Edinburgh has one of the less forgiving forecourts in Britain, and the free alternative asks for a ten-minute walk rather than a shuttle ride. For a family with cases that walk is a real decision rather than a technicality.
How a booked transfer handles it
The charge applies to our vehicles exactly as it does to any other, and we deal with it rather than passing you a barrier ticket. Any airport charge that genuinely applies to your journey is itemised in the booking summary before you pay, so there is nothing to settle at the kerb and nothing added afterwards.
Why we hedge these numbers
Published guides disagree about Edinburgh’s drop-off history and occasionally about its bands. Rather than pick the version that suits us, this page gives the figure the sources agree on, says plainly that it is reported, and points you at the airport’s own page for the version that counts on your travel date.
Edinburgh Airport owns these charges and may revise them at any point. Verify them on its own site first.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
Flights
Who flies from Edinburgh, and when the airport is busiest
Scotland’s busiest airport, a single terminal and a festival month. That combination explains most of what happens in the Arrivals hall.
Short answer. Edinburgh handled 16,980,588 passengers in 2025, a reported record for a Scottish airport. August is the busiest month, because the festivals sit on top of the summer peak.
Who flies from Edinburgh
easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2.com and British Airways carry much of the traffic, and the long-haul list has grown: Emirates, Qatar Airways, United, Delta and Air Canada among others. Reported additions for 2025 and 2026 include Air Canada to Montréal, JetBlue to Boston, American Airlines to Philadelphia and New York, Hainan Airlines to Beijing and Luxair to Luxembourg. Airlines change routes each season, so check your own booking rather than any list.
When the hall is busiest
Arrivals come in waves rather than evenly, and the waves are bigger in August than at any other time. The early-morning departure bank is the other pressure point, which is why so many Edinburgh collections happen before five in the morning.
There is nothing to do about a delay; the flight is being watched at our end. The single case worth a message is a diversion to a different airport.
Landing
Arriving at Edinburgh: from the aircraft to the car
What happens in the stretch between the wheels touching down and the car door closing, and the fallback if you landed with nothing booked.
- Leave the aircraftHow far you walk depends on the stand, and occasionally a bus brings you in from a remote one. Everything ends in the same single terminal.
- Passport control, on international arrivalsEligible passengers use the e-gates and everyone else waits for a Border Force officer. An ETA, where one is needed, has to be held before you board. Flights from elsewhere in the UK have no check.
- Baggage reclaimA screen will tell you which belt. Belts keep people waiting more reliably than aircraft do, and that is precisely why the free hour is measured from the wheels touching the runway.
- Your surname on a boardThe driver is in the Arrivals hall holding it, having watched the flight land. The meeting point and a mobile number are both on your confirmation.
- Out to the carYour cases are carried, the walk to the vehicle is short, and the drive goes to whatever address the booking carries. Nothing is owed at the end, because it was paid online.
Arriving with nothing booked
The rank at the East Terminus is a short walk from Arrivals, past the large Edinburgh sign, and needs no booking. The tram stop is outside the door and the Airlink runs from the same area. What you cannot do is hail a private hire car on the spot, because the booking is what makes it legal.
Recognising a licensed driver
Plates on a licensed vehicle are issued by a council, and a private hire driver can produce the booking that names you. Where something seems off, the moment to ask for those details is on the pavement, not in the back seat.
Offers inside the terminal
Anyone approaching you in the hall offering a ride is not working within the rules, whatever they say. Decline politely: your own driver is the one standing with your surname, and the rank is signposted.
Our guide to airport meet and greet explains how the service works in general.
Border control
Entering the UK at Edinburgh: e-gates, queues and the ETA
The passport queue is the least predictable part of an international arrival, and the part passengers worry about most. It does not change the pickup.
| Your arrival | What you use | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| A flight from elsewhere in the UK | No passport check | Straight to reclaim and the Arrivals hall |
| International arrival, British or Irish passport | E-gates, or an officer | No ETA needed; the queue depends on how many aircraft landed together |
| International arrival needing an ETA | E-gates if eligible, otherwise an officer | The authorisation must already be held and is tied to the passport |
| A child with an adult | E-gates only where the age and passport rules allow | Otherwise an officer, with the adult; GOV.UK carries the current age rule |
| A passport the e-gates will not read | An officer at a desk | The slowest route in a peak arrival wave, so allow for it |
The ETA, briefly
Anyone who is neither British nor Irish, and who holds no UK immigration status, has to carry an Electronic Travel Authorisation or an eVisa before boarding, a baby in arms included. The application sits on the GOV.UK ETA page and in the official app, both of which publish the fee of the day. Scotland falls under the same UK rules, so none of this is an Edinburgh peculiarity.
E-gates and families
A biometric passport opens the gates for those who qualify, but who qualifies has been redrawn several times, so last year’s experience is not a guide. A child travelling under a different surname from the adult beside them may prompt a question about the relationship, which a birth certificate or a consent letter answers in a moment.
What the border asks for shifts periodically, so read the GOV.UK ETA page and ask your airline, before the day itself.
Flying out
Taxi to Edinburgh Airport: from your door to bag drop
Arrivals take up most of this page. For the outbound half of the trip, this is the shape of it, and how the collection time gets decided.
Short answer. Take the drive time, add two hours in the terminal and a 30-minute cushion. From the city centre that is about 3 h 00 min before departure; add an hour for long-haul and more in August.
- Fill in the bookingPut your own address in as the origin, Edinburgh Airport as where it ends, and the time of the flight. A figure appears ahead of the payment step, and the journey home can go on now or later.
- Choose the collection timeThe airline’s bag-drop deadline is the fixed point. Take off the time you want inside the terminal, then the drive, then a margin on top. Common starting points are worked out in the table below.
- Meet the carArrival is at the hour agreed, in the vehicle your confirmation names, and that same email carries a mobile number for anything that shifts on the day.
- Drop-off at the terminalWe stop in the charged zone on the ground floor of the multi-storey, the bags come out and you cross to the terminal. One building, so there is no entrance to choose.
Suggested collection times
| From | Typical drive | Collect this long before departure |
|---|---|---|
| The Royal Highland Centre | about 5 min | 2 h 45 min |
| South Queensferry | about 15 min | 2 h 45 min |
| Murrayfield Stadium | about 20 min | 3 h 00 min |
| Edinburgh city centre | about 30 min | 3 h 00 min |
| Dunfermline | about 30 min | 3 h 00 min |
| Kirkcaldy | about 40 min | 3 h 15 min |
| Glasgow | about 60 min | 3 h 30 min |
| St Andrews | about 70 min | 3 h 45 min |
The arithmetic
The sum is the drive, then two hours standing inside the terminal, then half an hour of slack, rounded up to the next quarter. Long-haul takes another hour on top, and any August date takes more again, because that is when the security queue is at its longest.
Early departures
Edinburgh schedules a heavy early-morning bank, so collections between two and five in the morning are routine rather than exceptional. They are also the hours when the tram is not running, which removes the obvious alternative.
The forecourt stop
We stop in the charged zone, reported at £8.50 for up to 10 minutes, and the bags are out quickly. If you are early and would rather not pay to stand about, the free Long Stay zone is the alternative, at the cost of a ten-minute walk.
Bag-drop deadlines are each airline’s own. The drive times here are typical rather than promised, and the collection times are a recommendation.
Early and late
Early taxi to Edinburgh Airport, and arrivals after the last tram
Edinburgh runs a heavy dawn departure bank, and the tram does not run all night. Those two facts shape most night-time journeys here.
Short answer. The tram is reported to stop around about 11pm, so arrivals after that rely on the Airlink 100, the rank or a pre-booked car. Our cars run at every hour, and the included waiting hour still starts at touchdown.
| Option | What is reported | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh Trams | Reported to run from early morning until about 11pm | The single most useful fact on this page for a late arrival: after that there is no tram |
| Airlink 100 | Reported to run 24 hours a day | The round-the-clock public option, though less frequent at night; check Lothian Buses for your date |
| The taxi rank | At the East Terminus | Metered and open to anyone, but thinner in the small hours and busier when a late flight lands |
| Trains | Edinburgh Gateway and Edinburgh Park | Neither is at the terminal, and reaching them at night means the tram is already finished |
| Early departures | A heavy early-morning bank | Two hours in the terminal before a short-haul flight puts a lot of collections between 02:00 and 05:00 |
Why the last tram decides things
At most airports the question of whether to book is about convenience. At Edinburgh it is partly about arithmetic: the tram is reported to stop around about 11pm, so a flight landing after that leaves the Airlink, the rank or a car you arranged earlier. In August, when every late arrival is competing for the same rank, that matters more again.
Before dawn
The sum does not change at four in the morning: drive time, two hours, cushion, round up. What changes is that the roads are empty and nothing else is running, so the margin is protecting you against the car not arriving rather than against traffic.
Landing late
Give us the flight number and the collection follows the aircraft however late it gets in, with the included hour still counted from touchdown. A midnight arrival is ordinary work.
The hours quoted are reported and do move. Ask the operator for the first and the last service on your own date.
Tram, bus and train
Edinburgh Airport by tram and bus, against a taxi
Edinburgh has two strong public options and no railway station. This is how each one actually works, including where it beats us.
Short answer. The tram is reported at about 35 minutes to the city centre and runs until about 11pm. The Airlink 100 bus is reported at about 30 minutes and runs 24 hours. There is no railway station at the terminal.
| Option | Goes to | What is reported | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh Trams | The city centre, then Leith and Newhaven | Reported at about 35 min, every 7 min or so, until about 11pm; singles reported around £7.90 | Daylight journeys to a stop on the line |
| Airlink 100 bus | Waverley Bridge, by way of Haymarket | Reported at about 30 min, roughly every 10 min in the daytime, 24 hours a day; singles reported around £6.00 | Night arrivals and the lowest fare |
| Train | Across Scotland | No station at the terminal; Edinburgh Gateway and Edinburgh Park are reached by tram first | Onward rail journeys, with one change built in |
| Taxi rank | Anywhere | Metered, council-set fares, no booking needed; airport pick-up charge reported at about £5 | Arriving without a plan |
| Pre-booked car | Any address | Driver inside Arrivals, price agreed before you pay | Groups, luggage, late arrivals, addresses off the tram line |
Tram or bus: the honest answer
They are closer than the marketing on either side suggests. The tram is smoother, has proper luggage space and stops outside the door; the Airlink is cheaper, slightly quicker to Waverley Bridge and runs all night. If you are going to Leith or the New Town, the tram; if you are going to the station or arriving at three in the morning, the bus.
Where public transport stops being the answer
Both end at a stop, and Edinburgh is a city of stairs, setts and tenement entrances. Add two large cases, a child, or an address in Fife, and the walk at the far end is what decides it rather than the fare.
The operators own their timetables, their hours and their fares, and revise all three. Look them up against your date.
Compared honestly
Taxi, tram or bus from Edinburgh Airport: an honest comparison
We have an obvious interest in the answer, so this table says plainly where the tram and the bus beat us. At this airport that happens more often than at most.
Where we would not choose ourselves
One person, a cabin bag, two in the afternoon, going to St Andrew Square: take the tram. It leaves from outside the door, it is reported at about 35 minutes and it costs a fraction of any car. We sell transfers, so weigh that against our interest, but a comparison that never concedes anything is not a comparison.
Where the car is plainly right
Four people and four cases. A flight landing after the last tram. An address in Fife, a tee time at St Andrews, a cottage in East Lothian. Any date in August. In each of those the question stops being about the fare and becomes whether the journey works at all.
| Option | Cost | Time | Best for | Our view |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-booked car Global Airport Taxi | Calculated for your journey, shown before payment, for the whole vehicle | About 30 min to the centre, no queue | Groups, luggage, late arrivals, Fife, golf, August | Our service A driver inside Arrivals with your name, a vehicle that fits the party, and a figure agreed first. |
| Edinburgh Trams | A tram ticket; singles reported around £7.90 | Reported at about 35 min | One or two people with small bags, in daylight, going to a stop on the line | Best value in daylight Smooth and frequent, but it stops around about 11pm and ends at a stop. |
| Airlink 100 bus | A bus ticket; singles reported around £6.00 | Reported at about 30 min | Night arrivals and the tightest budgets | Cheapest Runs around the clock, which the tram does not. |
| Rank taxi | Metered, council-set; airport pick-up charge reported at about £5 | About 30 min, longer at the peaks | Arriving with nothing booked | Varies No planning needed, but the traffic writes the final figure. |
| Ride-hailing app | Moves with demand | Depends what is nearby | People comfortable with a price that is not fixed | Varies August evenings are exactly when it costs most. |
The tram and the bus are priced by whoever runs them, so take today’s fares from the operators. Ours is worked out on the booking page ahead of payment. For more on fixed fares against apps, read fixed-price taxis against ride-hailing apps.
The calendar
The dates when an Edinburgh journey takes longer
Edinburgh’s year has sharper peaks than most British cities. On these dates the roads, the terminal and the hotels are all under pressure together.
| What | When | Where it bites | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| The August festivals | 7 August to 31 August, and the weeks around them | The whole city | The hardest month of the year to move around Edinburgh. Book with the flight. |
| Hogmanay and New Year | 30 December to 2 January | The city centre | Street closures, a huge inbound crowd and very high demand for every kind of car. |
| Six Nations and autumn rugby | February to March, and November | Murrayfield and the west of the city | An international fills the west of Edinburgh for most of the day. |
| The Royal Highland Show | 18 to 21 June 2026 | Ingliston, next to the airport | A reported 50,000 visitors, on the roads your transfer uses. |
| Scottish school holidays | Late June to mid-August, plus shorter breaks | The terminal and the motorways | Scotland breaks up earlier than England, so the airport fills from late June. |
| Golf championships | Summer, on the dates announced | Fife and East Lothian | Course towns fill and the roads to them slow; book the return as well as the outward. |
| Winter weather | December to February | The Forth crossings and high ground | Snow, ice and bridge wind restrictions. Leave a wider margin for early flights. |
Organisers and governing bodies publish the real dates. Read theirs before you fix a collection time.
Hotels
Hotels near Edinburgh Airport, and how to reach them
Where you stay changes the journey more than people expect, because the airport, the tram line and the Old Town are three quite different propositions.
| Where | From the terminal | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels at Ingliston and the airport | Minutes from the terminal | The usual choice before a dawn departure; ask whether a shuttle runs and at what hours |
| Gogar, Gyle and Edinburgh Park | About 3 to 5 miles | Business hotels on the tram line, quieter and cheaper than the centre |
| City centre hotels | About 8 miles, roughly 30 minutes | Inside the Low Emission Zone; give us the street, because the Old Town has vehicle restrictions |
| Leith and The Shore | About 10 miles | Close to the cruise terminal, and on the tram line since the Newhaven extension |
| Country house hotels and golf resorts | 25 to 55 miles | Gleneagles, East Lothian and Fife; tell us the venue and the arrival time |
Each hotel runs its shuttle on its own terms and alters them. Ask yours instead of assuming.
Before an early flight
Staying by the airport the night before is common here because the first departure bank leaves so early. Hotel shuttles vary and some stop overnight, so confirm the hours rather than assuming.
Every hotel route in one place
The routes to and from the hotels around the airport, the city and the golf resorts have a page of their own: see the Edinburgh Airport hotels taxi page.
Beyond the ordinary run
Golf, cruises, business and events at Edinburgh
Edinburgh is not mainly a holiday airport. A large share of what we carry here is golf, business and events, and each has its own failure mode.
Golf parties
The commonest group booking on this route. Count the golf bags separately from the suitcases, give us the tee time rather than a vague morning, and tell us if the party is arriving on more than one flight.
Cruise passengers
Guests fly in and join a ship at Leith or Rosyth, sometimes by tender from South Queensferry or Newhaven. Send the boarding window and the berth, and we plan the collection and the luggage space around both.
Business and conference travel
Edinburgh takes a steady flow of financial and legal business as well as conferences. Firms that travel often can ask about an account; invoicing and reporting are agreed with our team when it is opened.
Weddings and events
Scottish wedding venues are frequently a long way from a station. For a party arriving across several flights, send the flight numbers and we spread the vehicles across the arrivals rather than making the first group wait.
The price of a journey follows the date, the hour and the vehicle you choose. The booking page works yours out and puts it on screen before the payment step, and it does not move after you accept it.
Particular needs
Children, wheelchairs, pets and large luggage
Nearly all of this costs nothing extra, as long as we know before the vehicle is allocated. These are the four we are asked about most.
Children
A seat for an infant, a child or a booster adds nothing to the figure, provided the request is on the booking; the ages on the form are what decide which ones are fitted. Great Britain expects a child seat until a child is 12 or 135 cm tall, with narrow exemptions for taxis and private hire.
Wheelchairs and mobility
Request an accessible vehicle and give the chair’s measurements, and whether it folds down. Help inside the terminal itself comes from the airline or the airport, and the meeting point is then arranged around whatever that is.
Assistance dogs and pets
The law obliges a licensed driver to carry an assistance dog, at no cost. Every other animal rests on the driver’s agreement, so put it on the booking, travel with a carrier or a lead, and it is confirmed ahead of the day.
Bulky and awkward luggage
Skis, clubs, a bicycle, a pram, a cello or a display case all travel without difficulty when we know first. Name the item and its size on the booking and a vehicle with the load space is allocated.
Party size and bags
Luggage decides the vehicle more often than seats do
Four adults fit comfortably in a saloon. Four adults with four large cases and four sets of golf clubs do not, and at this airport that is the booking that goes wrong.
| Who is travelling | What to book | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| One or two people, cabin bags | A saloon | Space is not the question |
| Three people, three large cases | An estate | Takes 4 people and 3 large bags; check the load with the driver |
| Four people, four or more large cases | A people carrier | Room for 4 to 5 large bags; size up rather than hope |
| Five or six people | A people carrier | Seats five or six: one vehicle, one price |
| Seven or eight people | A seven-seater or an eight-seat minibus | Give the bag count as well as the head count |
| A four-ball with clubs | Usually a people carrier or larger | Four sets of clubs will not fit alongside four suitcases in a saloon |
| A wheelchair user | An accessible vehicle, requested at booking | Raise it on the booking form |
Count a pram, a set of clubs or a mobility scooter as one bag apiece and put them in the total you give us. Anything from 10 to 16 travelling together belongs in the 16-seater minibus.
Licensing
What stands behind a licensed Edinburgh transfer
A licensed private hire journey is regulated in ways an informal lift is not, and in Edinburgh the rules reach further than usual because of the rank contract and the emission zone.
Licensed driver, licensed vehicle
Private hire in Scotland requires a licensed operator, a licensed driver and a licensed vehicle, with the council setting and checking the conditions. For journeys in and out of the capital that is usually the City of Edinburgh Council. Your confirmation names the driver and the car.
Background checks
A criminal-record check forms part of obtaining a private hire driver licence, and licences must be renewed rather than held indefinitely. Ask us which authority licensed your driver if you want to know.
Vehicle standards
A licensed vehicle is tested to its council’s standard and carries insurance covering paying passengers. In Edinburgh the Low Emission Zone adds a Euro 6 requirement for taxis and private hire vehicles entering the city centre.
Somebody to contact
Phone, WhatsApp or email, from the moment you book until you arrive. If anything goes wrong with the driver or the vehicle, tell us at once and quote the booking reference.
Each council runs its own licensing and the fine detail differs from one to the next. If you want the particulars that apply to your own journey, ask us for them.
What is included
What the Edinburgh price already includes
Whatever a meter adds while it runs, or an app adds at a busy moment, is already inside the quoted figure. The conditions sitting behind each line are in our terms and in your confirmation email.
A driver at Arrivals
The driver stands at the arrivals meeting point with a board carrying your surname, and lifts the luggage.
Your flight, followed
Your inbound flight is watched on the day, so a delay moves the collection to the landing time that actually happens.
An hour of free waiting
The first hour after touchdown costs nothing on an airport arrival, which normally covers passport control and the carousel (your booking terms apply).
One fixed fare
The price is agreed when you book and buys the vehicle, not a seat in it. VAT, airport charges and any road charge appear line by line in the summary.
Child seats at no cost
Ask and a baby, toddler or booster seat is fitted. The expectation in Great Britain runs to 12 years or 135 cm, with narrow exemptions for taxis and private hire.
Licensed drivers
A licensed driver carries out each journey, and both driver and vehicle appear on the confirmation.
Free cancellation
Cancel at no cost up to 24 hours before the pickup; after that point, and for a no-show, the terms apply.
Someone to call
Between booking and arrival you can reach us by phone, message or email.
Luggage the vehicle can take is covered by the price. A further stop, or waiting past the included hour, is quoted separately when you ask.
Trust
The company behind an Edinburgh Airport booking, and what it undertakes
Who arranges the journey, what is undertaken, and which document each undertaking is written in.
Our details
The trading name Global Airport Taxi belongs to QMH Technologies Ltd, company number 13506378, VAT GB 469 6859 13, registered in England and Wales at 10-16 Tiller Road, London E14 8PX. Email bookings@globalairporttaxi.com or reach us on WhatsApp.
Who does the driving
The booking is ours to arrange; the driving is done by a licensed local driver, and both appear by name on the confirmation.
Payment
Cards, PayPal and Google Pay all run through secure certified gateways, and personal data is processed under UK data protection law.
Each undertaking, and where to verify it
| Promise | What it means | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed fare | The figure quoted at booking is the figure charged. | Booking page |
| Flight following | Your flight number steers the pickup, which moves with the landing. | Booking confirmation |
| Free waiting | The hour that follows touchdown on an airport arrival. | Your booking terms |
| Child seats | Provided at no charge when asked for, with the age recorded. | Booking notes |
| Licensed driver | A locally licensed driver, named on the confirmation. | Booking confirmation |
| Free cancellation | Any time before the 24-hour mark. | Terms, “Cancellations & refunds” |
| Late cancellations and no-shows | Money is returned only where the fault lay with the transport provider. | Terms, “Cancellations & refunds” |
| Right details | An incorrect flight number, address or telephone number can bring extra charges. | Terms, “General booking terms” |
Where the confirmation and this page disagree, the confirmation is the one that binds. The conditions are set out in full in our terms and privacy policy.
How it works
Four steps, booking to back seat
A few minutes on the form, and then the rest of it runs like this.
Put in the flight number
No other field does as much work. It tells us which aircraft to watch, so landing early or late changes nothing at your end.
Read the driver’s details
A name, a mobile number and the meeting point reach you shortly before the collection. Turn the phone on as soon as the wheels are down.
Look for your surname
Passport queues and baggage belts overrun, which is why an hour from touchdown is included on airport arrivals. If it runs longer than that, one message to the driver settles it.
Pay once, online
The payment is taken on the secure booking page and the confirmation follows by email once it clears. The figure on that email is final.
Questions
Taxi to Edinburgh Airport: 53 questions answered
What information do you need from me?
Enter your pickup address, Edinburgh Airport as the destination and your flight time, choose a vehicle and pay online. The price is on screen before the payment step and the confirmation email follows at once. If you are arriving rather than leaving, the flight number is the field that matters, because it is what lets the driver follow your aircraft in. Prices follow the date and the vehicle; yours appears on the booking page before you pay.
What does a taxi to Edinburgh Airport cost?
There is no single figure: the starting address, the day, the hour and the vehicle all feed into it. Our booking page calculates yours and shows it before you pay. For background, published guides put a metered taxi between the terminal and the city centre at roughly £20 to £40, plus an airport pick-up charge of about £5, and a meter moves with the traffic.
How far is Edinburgh Airport from the city centre?
About 8 miles, or 13 kilometres, west of the centre at Ingliston. Allow around 30 minutes by road in ordinary traffic and longer at the weekday peaks or during the August festivals. The airport postcode is EH12 9DN.
How many terminals does Edinburgh Airport have?
One. Check-in, security, baggage reclaim and the Arrivals meeting point are all in the same building, so there is no terminal number to get wrong on the booking form.
Where exactly will I find my driver?
In the Arrivals hall, holding a board with your surname on it. The driver has been tracking your flight, so the timing follows the aircraft rather than the schedule. Your confirmation email carries the meeting point and a mobile number, which is all you need if the baggage belt is slow.
What is the Edinburgh Airport drop-off charge?
Reported at £8.50 for up to 10 minutes in the charged zone, then £1 for each additional minute, with a 2-hour maximum stay. The charged zone sits on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park opposite the terminal, and the fee is reported to have risen on 18 May 2026. The airport sets it and can change it, so check its website before you travel.
Is there a free drop-off at Edinburgh Airport?
Yes. The airport’s own page describes a free zone in the Long Stay car park, reported to allow 30 minutes. It is around a ten-minute signposted walk to the terminal and there is no shuttle bus, so allow an extra 15 to 25 minutes end to end. It suits somebody with time in hand rather than a car on a schedule.
How do I pay the Edinburgh Airport drop-off charge?
At the barrier as you leave, by card. The car parks are reported to have gone fully cashless in July 2025, so there is no cash option. On a pre-booked transfer this is the operator’s problem rather than yours, and any airport charge that applies to your journey is itemised in the booking summary before you pay.
My friend is collecting me. Where should they go?
In the same charged zone on the ground floor of the multi-storey, at the same reported £8.50 for 10 minutes, or in the free Long Stay zone with its ten-minute walk. Waiting at the kerb is not an option here. A driver who walks into Arrivals and brings you out sidesteps the question entirely.
Who runs the taxi rank at Edinburgh Airport?
The airport states that its rank is operated exclusively by Capital Cars, and that fare rates are set by the City of Edinburgh Council. The rank is at the East Terminus, a short walk from Arrivals past the large Edinburgh sign. Journeys outside the council area are quoted an exact fare rather than metered.
Do I have to pre-book a private hire car at Edinburgh Airport?
Yes, and that is a licensing rule rather than a company policy. The airport’s own guidance says a booking is required so that private hire operators comply with the City of Edinburgh Council’s licensing rules. A private hire car cannot be hailed and cannot work the rank: if you have not booked, the rank is the route.
What is the difference between the rank and a pre-booked taxi?
The rank gives you a metered taxi with no booking; a pre-booked car gives you an agreed price and a driver already waiting. Which is better depends on what you value. If you landed late, are carrying a family’s luggage or are heading somewhere outside the council area, the agreed price and the named driver usually win.
Will the Low Emission Zone affect my journey?
The zone covers roughly 1.2 square miles of the city centre, not the airport, so it only comes into play if your address is inside it. It applies to vehicles rather than passengers, and in Edinburgh a petrol or diesel taxi or private hire vehicle must meet Euro 6 to enter. Keeping the vehicle compliant is the operator’s responsibility, and any charge that genuinely applied to your journey would be itemised in your booking summary.
What is the penalty for entering the Edinburgh LEZ in the wrong vehicle?
Reported at £60, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days, and it doubles for each further breach by the same vehicle within 90 days. The cap is reported at £480 for cars and light goods vehicles and £960 for minibuses, buses, coaches and lorries, after which the surcharge resets once 90 days pass without a breach. Enforcement began on 1 June 2024. Check the current rules before relying on any of this.
How long does the tram take from Edinburgh Airport to the city centre?
Reported at about 35 minutes to the St Andrew Square and York Place end of the centre, with a tram roughly every 7 minutes. The stop is outside the terminal and the line runs on through Haymarket and the New Town to Leith and Newhaven. Single fares have been reported at around £7.90. It is a strong option in daylight with light luggage.
What time does the Edinburgh tram stop running?
Reported to run from early morning until about 11pm. That single fact decides a lot of late arrivals: a flight landing after the last tram leaves you with the Airlink bus, the rank or a car you booked earlier. Check Edinburgh Trams for the first and last service on your date before relying on it.
Is the Airlink 100 bus better than the tram?
It depends on where you are going and what time it is. The Airlink 100 is reported to run 24 hours a day, roughly every 10 minutes in the daytime, taking about 30 minutes to Waverley Bridge by way of Haymarket, with singles reported at around £6.00. The tram is smoother with luggage and serves a different line of stops; the bus wins after the trams stop.
Does a railway line reach the terminal?
Not at the terminal itself. Edinburgh Gateway and Edinburgh Park are the nearest stations and the tram links the airport to them, so a rail journey means one change. For most passengers the tram, the Airlink or a car is simpler than building a rail connection.
What is the quickest way from Edinburgh Airport into the city?
In daylight, with one bag, the tram or the Airlink; at any other time, a car. The two public options are quick and cheap but end at a stop, and Edinburgh’s Old Town streets are not kind to suitcases. A car ends at the door of the flat or hotel you actually booked.
How much waiting is included after landing?
An hour from the moment the aircraft lands, on airport arrivals. It is timed from touchdown rather than from the Arrivals door on purpose, because that is what absorbs a slow passport queue and a late belt. If you are held up beyond the hour, message the driver on the number in your confirmation.
My flight is running late. What happens?
Nothing is required from you: the pickup follows the flight. We watch the flight number you gave us, so an early landing or a two-hour delay both move the collection automatically. A diversion to another airport is the one case to tell us about at once, so the driver can be rearranged.
Is an ETA needed to land at Edinburgh?
If you are neither British nor Irish and hold no UK immigration status, you need an Electronic Travel Authorisation or an eVisa before you fly, infants included. Scotland is part of the UK, so the same rule applies at Edinburgh as anywhere else. Apply on the official GOV.UK ETA page or in the UK ETA app, where the current fee is published.
When should the car collect me for a departure?
Take the drive time, add two hours at the airport and a 30-minute cushion, then round up to the next quarter hour. From the city centre that works out at about 3 h 00 min before departure, from Dunfermline about 3 h 00 min and from Glasgow about 3 h 30 min. The collection table on this page does the arithmetic for more starting points, and August is the month to add more.
Are you running at four in the morning?
Yes, the cars run at every hour. Edinburgh has a heavy early-morning departure bank, so collections at three or four in the morning are ordinary work. It is also the hour when the tram is not running, which is why the night-time section of this page matters more here than at most airports.
Which airlines fly from Edinburgh Airport?
easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2.com and British Airways carry much of the traffic, with long-haul from carriers including Emirates, Qatar Airways, United, Delta and Air Canada. Recent additions reported for 2025 and 2026 include Air Canada to Montréal, JetBlue to Boston, American Airlines to Philadelphia and New York, Hainan Airlines to Beijing and Luxair to Luxembourg. Schedules change by season, so check your own booking.
How busy is Edinburgh Airport?
It handled 16,980,588 passengers in 2025, which the airport described as a record and the first time a Scottish airport had reached that level. It is comfortably Scotland’s busiest airport. August is the peak, because the festivals add a month of inbound traffic on top of the summer holidays.
How do I get from Edinburgh Airport to the Fringe?
The Fringe runs from 7 August to 31 August 2026, and its venues are spread across the centre rather than gathered in one place. Book the car as soon as the flights are confirmed, because that month is the hardest of the year to move around Edinburgh, and give us the street address of the flat or hotel rather than the venue name.
Is August really that much busier in Edinburgh?
Yes, and by a distance. The 2026 Fringe alone lists 3,649 shows across 258 venues with 53,884 scheduled performances and performers from 71 countries, and the International Festival, the Tattoo and the Book Festival overlap with it. Accommodation, roads and taxis are all under pressure for the whole month, so a transfer booked in advance is worth more in August than at any other time.
Can you take me to the Royal Highland Show?
Yes, and it is the shortest journey on this page: the Royal Highland Centre is about a mile from the terminal, roughly five minutes by road. The 2026 show runs from 18 to 21 June 2026 and drew a reported 50,000 visitors last year, so the approach roads are the slow part rather than the distance. The venue also hosts arena events through the year.
Can I get a taxi from Edinburgh Airport to Murrayfield?
Yes, about 6 miles and roughly 20 minutes, which makes it one of the closer stadium runs in Britain. On international rugby days and stadium concert nights the roads around the ground and the tram stops are both busy, so agree a drop-off point with the driver rather than assuming the main gate.
How long is the drive from Edinburgh Airport to Glasgow?
About 47 miles and roughly an hour on the M8, longer at the peaks. A car runs door to door without the change between Queen Street and your address at the far end. If you are heading to the other airport rather than the city, one page covers Edinburgh Airport and Glasgow Airport in both directions.
Can you take me from Edinburgh Airport to St Andrews?
Yes, about 52 miles and roughly 70 minutes, crossing the Forth by the Queensferry Crossing. It is the most requested long run on this page, because there is no direct train to St Andrews: the rail route ends at Leuchars and still needs a car. Golf parties should tell us the number of bags as well as passengers.
Is there a toll on the Forth bridges?
No. Tolls on the Forth Road Bridge were abolished in 2008 and the Queensferry Crossing has never charged one. Journeys to Fife, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, St Andrews and Dundee cross free of charge. Your booking summary lists any charge that does apply to a particular route, so you see the whole figure before paying.
Do you drive golfers to the courses?
Yes, and it is one of the most common reasons people book this route. St Andrews is about 52 miles, Gleneagles about 50 and the East Lothian courses around North Berwick about 25. Tell us the number of golf bags as well as passengers, because a four-ball with four sets does not fit in a saloon.
Do you serve the cruise terminals at Leith and Rosyth?
Yes. The Port of Leith cruise terminal is about 11 miles from the airport and Rosyth about 12. Cruise lines give each guest a boarding window, so send us yours and we plan the collection and a vehicle with room for large cases around it. Some ships also use Newhaven and South Queensferry for tenders, so tell us which berth your line has given you.
Do you cover Fife, Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy?
Yes. Dunfermline is about 17 miles and roughly half an hour, and Kirkcaldy about 25 miles and 40 minutes, both over the Queensferry Crossing. From the airport the bridge is the quick way north, which is why Fife is often a shorter run than somewhere on the far side of Edinburgh.
Can you drive me to the Highlands, Aberdeen or Inverness?
We can price almost any Scottish address on the booking page. Those are long drives rather than transfers, so a break is sensible and we agree the plan with you beforehand. Perth at about 45 miles is the usual gateway, and Gleneagles at about 50 is the most booked resort in that direction.
Which hotels are near Edinburgh Airport?
Several sit within a few minutes of the terminal at Ingliston and around the Gogar and Gyle business parks, with far more in the city centre. How guests reach the terminal differs by hotel and some run their own shuttle, so ask yours. Our hotels page gathers the routes to and from them.
Are child seats provided on Edinburgh transfers?
Yes, free of charge, provided you ask when booking and give each child’s age. The rule across Great Britain is a child seat until a child is 12 years old or 135 cm tall, with narrow exemptions for taxis and private hire vehicles. We fit the right seats rather than the nearest ones.
Is an accessible vehicle available?
Yes, with notice. Ask for an accessible vehicle on the booking and tell us the chair’s dimensions and whether it folds. Assistance inside the terminal is arranged through your airline or the airport rather than through us; tell us what you have booked and we set the meeting point around it.
Can my dog come too?
Assistance dogs travel free, and licensed drivers have a legal duty to carry them unless they hold a medical exemption. Any other animal is at the driver’s discretion, so raise it when you book, bring a carrier or a lead, and we confirm it before you fly.
How many bags will each vehicle take?
Bags decide the vehicle more often than passenger numbers do. A saloon carries 4 people and 2 large bags, an estate 4 and 3, and an executive car 3 and 2. A people carrier or an 8-seater holds more. Count large cases, cabin bags, pushchairs and golf bags, and give us the total when you book.
Do you have minibuses for groups arriving at Edinburgh?
Yes. The range runs from a saloon to a 16-seater minibus, with 30- and 50-seater coaches beyond that. Golf parties, conference groups and wedding guests are regular work here. Choose by the number of bags as well as the number of seats, or message us with the flight details and we will advise.
Can both legs be booked at once?
Yes. Reserve the outward and return together, or add the second leg later from your confirmation email. Each leg prices separately and the meeting point is the same single terminal in both directions.
How do I pay?
Online, at the time of booking, using whichever methods the booking page offers on the day. The confirmation email arrives once the payment clears and the figure printed on it is the figure you pay. Nothing is settled with the driver in the car.
Can I change or cancel an Edinburgh booking?
Cancelling is free up to 24 hours before the pickup. To move the time, the date or the address, reply to the confirmation email or message us. Cancellations inside 24 hours, and no-shows, are handled under the booking terms, so read them when they arrive.
Do you set up business accounts?
Businesses that travel through Edinburgh regularly can ask about one. Invoicing and reporting are agreed with our team when the account is opened rather than assumed, so raise it first. Every journey still shows its own fare before you confirm it.
Who handles a complaint about an Edinburgh driver?
Tell us first, with the booking reference and what happened, and we take it up with the driver and come back to you. In Scotland, taxi and private hire drivers are licensed by the local council, which for journeys in and out of the capital usually means the City of Edinburgh Council, and a council also handles breaches of a licence it issued.
How do I know a driver is properly licensed?
Use the marked rank at the East Terminus, or the driver holding your surname. A licensed vehicle carries plates issued by its council, and a private hire driver may only carry passengers who booked in advance. If a stranger offers you a lift inside the terminal, decline it.
Who operates these transfers?
Global Airport Taxi is the trading name of QMH Technologies Ltd (company no. 13506378). A licensed driver in a licensed vehicle carries out each journey, and your confirmation names both the driver and the car.
Does snow or ice change the journey?
It can. Snow and ice are more likely on the higher ground north and south of the city and on the routes over the Forth, and winter fog closes in on the coast. In a cold spell, leave a wider margin for an early flight and tell us if you are travelling far; we watch both the flight and the roads on the day.
I have left something in the car. What now?
Message us straight away with the booking reference and flight number. We ask the driver to search the vehicle and tell you what turns up. Anything left in the terminal itself goes to the airport’s own lost property team rather than to us.
Should I tip the driver?
Entirely your decision. A pre-booked transfer does not expect a tip and the fare you agreed is the fare you pay. If a driver has gone out of their way for you, you are welcome to, but nobody will ask and nothing is added automatically.
Elsewhere in Britain
The other UK airports we cover
Is another British airport part of the same trip? Each of these works exactly as this page describes.
Glasgow Airport taxiThe west of Scotland and the Clyde.
Heathrow Airport taxiThe largest UK hub, west of London.
Gatwick Airport taxiSurrey, Sussex and the south coast.
Luton Airport taxiNorth of London, off the M1.
Stansted Airport taxiThe low-cost hub north-east of London.
London City Airport taxiShort business hops into the Docklands.
Manchester Airport taxiThe biggest airport outside London.
Birmingham Airport taxiThe Midlands and the exhibition halls.
All UK airportsEvery British airport on the network.
An executive car from the fleet, a Mercedes E-Class or similar. Photographed for Global Airport Taxi.
Eight miles. One agreed price.
Agree the price now and a driver will be in the Edinburgh Arrivals hall with your surname on a board when the aircraft lands. A delay simply moves the collection, the first hour after touchdown is included, child seats cost nothing, and cancelling is free until 24 hours before.
- Fixed price
- Free cancellation
- Free child seats
- Flight tracking