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ARScotland · City of Edinburgh

Chauffeur service in Edinburgh, from the Old Town to the airport

Edinburgh in February and Edinburgh in August are two different cities to drive in, and any plan that ignores which one you are in will go wrong.

Edinburgh Airport, 9 miles outCar in position before you leave EdinburghA90 Queensferry Road and everything off itA Edinburgh figure in writing before the day
Railway station dawn

Written quotation, usually within the hour

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Chauffeur service in Edinburgh — summary

Collections from Usher Hall and Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh make up a good share of the Edinburgh diary, alongside private addresses and the odd early start from Haymarket. The pattern is consistent: out of Edinburgh to Edinburgh Airport on an indicative 25-45 minutes covering about 9 miles, back from it met at the barrier, and hourly hire that keeps your coat and your papers in the cabin while you are inside. Chauffeurs know A8, A90 Queensferry Road and A720 City Bypass well enough to choose between them on the morning rather than on the map. The fleet runs from the Mercedes-Benz E-Class to the Rolls-Royce Phantom, and all of it is driven in Edinburgh. Nothing is published as a price list; the figure is confirmed in writing for your Edinburgh journey.

This page covers

Edinburgh, Scotland

Sits within

City of Edinburgh, Scotland

Airport nearest Edinburgh

Edinburgh Airport

Journey time to Edinburgh Airport

25-45 minutes

Postcode coverage in Edinburgh

EH1, EH2, EH3, EH6, EH8 and EH12

Key roads in Edinburgh

A8, A90 Queensferry Road and A720 City Bypass

Trains for Edinburgh

Edinburgh Park and Slateford

Areas near Edinburgh

Livingston and Dunfermline

01Edinburgh, up front

Chauffeur service in Edinburgh

The city divides cleanly. The Old Town is medieval, steep and mostly closed to through traffic; the New Town is a Georgian grid with residents’ parking on every street; and beyond both, the West End and the Ingliston corridor carry the traffic that is actually going somewhere. The airport is eight or nine miles west with the tram running alongside the A8.

A Low Emission Zone covers the central streets, which is a condition of the place rather than a surcharge, and it sits alongside a growing set of bus gates and restricted turns. What that means in practice is that the shortest line on a map is frequently not a line a car may take, and the meeting point matters more than the postcode.

02The essentials

This page covers
Edinburgh, Scotland
Sits within
City of Edinburgh, Scotland
Airport nearest Edinburgh
Edinburgh Airport
Journey time to Edinburgh Airport
25-45 minutes
Postcode coverage in Edinburgh
EH1, EH2, EH3, EH6, EH8 and EH12
Key roads in Edinburgh
A8, A90 Queensferry Road and A720 City Bypass
Trains for Edinburgh
Edinburgh Park and Slateford
Areas near Edinburgh
Livingston and Dunfermline

03The area

Arthur’s Seat and the streets that reach it

Written from the driver's side of the windscreen, about Edinburgh rather than about the guidebook.

Cobbles, gradients and Georgian setts. The Royal Mile and the closes off it are effectively pedestrian at most hours; the Grassmarket and Victoria Street are tight, busy and often closed for events. In the New Town, streets like Heriot Row and Great King Street have residents’ bays end to end and no visitor space at all. The wide roads are Queensferry Road, Lothian Road and the A8 west, and those are where a car actually makes progress.

04Demand

Airport runs and long days out of Edinburgh

Demand across City of Edinburgh is not evenly spread. This is where it clusters in Edinburgh.

Financial and legal work in the New Town and around Lothian Road produces the weekday pattern, most of it airport transfers and journeys to Glasgow. The universities and the hospitals at Little France add their own. Then there is August, when the Festival and the Fringe fill every hotel, close streets across the centre and generate more work in four weeks than the rest of the summer combined, at hours nobody would choose.

05Road time

Getting the departure time right in Edinburgh

Road time in Edinburgh, stated plainly rather than optimistically.

Morning inbound on Queensferry Road and the A90 from the bridge is heavy from half seven. The A8 westward towards the airport is generally reliable except when there is an incident at the Gogar roundabout. August is its own arithmetic entirely: streets close, taxi ranks move, and a journey across the centre that takes twelve minutes in May takes forty. We move meeting points out of the closed zone rather than fight it.

06The kerb

Meeting outside Arthur’s Seat

The small choreography of a Edinburgh collection.

Waverley has a taxi rank on the lower level that private hire cannot use, so we collect on Market Street or at the Calton Road entrance depending on which platform you are on. Haymarket is easier, with a set-down on the west side. New Town streets are residents-only, so the car holds on a through road and comes to the door. Hotels on Princes Street and George Street have limited frontage and enforcement is active.

Collection notes for Edinburgh

  • 01At Waverley the lower-level rank is hackney only, so we meet on Market Street or at the Calton Road entrance instead.
  • 02New Town streets are residents’ parking end to end; the car waits on a through road and the chauffeur comes to the door.
  • 03During August we agree a meeting point outside the closed central streets, because a car cannot reach most Old Town addresses at all.
  • 04Haymarket has a workable set-down on the west side and is usually the easier of the two main stations.
  • 05The Royal Infirmary at Little France has separate drop-off and visitor areas, and we use the one that suits your mobility.

07Included as standard

What a written Edinburgh quotation already contains

  • 01

    No car park hunt at Edinburgh Airport

    The measure of a Edinburgh Airport meet is how little of it you notice before Edinburgh. Doors, board, cases, car, A90 Queensferry Road, home. In Edinburgh that sequence takes about as long as it takes to read.

  • 02

    What we do while Edinburgh Airport holds you

    Cancellations at Edinburgh Airport happen. When they do, the car is either rebooked against the replacement flight into Edinburgh Airport or released back into Edinburgh, and the position is confirmed in writing before it costs anything.

  • 03

    Local enough to park in Edinburgh

    Long-distance work asks for something different again: pacing a five-hour drive out of Edinburgh so that it arrives on time without anyone in the back noticing the effort that took.

  • 04

    The figure agreed before you left Edinburgh

    You get a written quotation naming the vehicle, the chauffeur's arrival time in Edinburgh and what the figure covers, before anything is booked. Nothing on this page carries a figure; the Edinburgh quotation is the price.

  • 05

    Cases to the trolley at Edinburgh Airport

    Where the collection is at Usher Hall rather than a private address, the chauffeur takes the cases from the porter or the front desk, and they are in the boot before the goodbyes are finished.

  • 06

    Changing the plan halfway across Edinburgh

    Plans change halfway out of Edinburgh more often than anyone admits. The chauffeur drives where you ask in Edinburgh, and anything that alters the price is requoted in writing rather than added quietly at the end.

08Terminals

Edinburgh Airport, Glasgow and the rest

Distance out of Edinburgh first, then time. From Edinburgh it is roughly 9 miles to Edinburgh Airport, and the indicative 25-45 minutes is what that mileage costs at an ordinary hour on A90 Queensferry Road. Every other row in the Edinburgh table follows the same rule.
Edinburgh
Indicative drive
25-45 minutes
Distance
9 miles

Pre-dawn departures to Edinburgh Airport are ordinary work out of Edinburgh.

Glasgow
Indicative drive
1 hour-1 hour 30 minutes
Distance
50 miles

Glasgow arrivals watched from wheels-up, so a late landing moves our clock and not your Edinburgh booking.

Newcastle
Indicative drive
2 hours 15 minutes-2 hours 50 minutes
Distance
120 miles

Terminal checked against your flight number the day before the car leaves Edinburgh for Newcastle.

The same runs are quoted from Livingston and Dunfermline, adjusted for the extra distance rather than reused unchanged.

09In detail

The first and last miles in Edinburgh

Landing back in City of Edinburgh

LF-01Landing back in City of Edinburgh

Landing back in City of Edinburgh

Everything that makes an arrival at Edinburgh Airport work happens while the car is still in Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Airport car park is chosen, the parking is paid, and the walk to the barrier is timed against the actual touchdown rather than the time printed on your Edinburgh confirmation.

Bags come out of the boot and go to the door rather than onto the A90 Queensferry Road pavement. At one in the morning in Edinburgh that matters considerably more than it sounds like it should.

  • Edinburgh Airport car park found and paid for before the Edinburgh chauffeur walks in
  • Indicative 25-45 minutes back into Edinburgh
  • Waiting from touchdown at Edinburgh Airport built into the Edinburgh transfer
  • Bags taken from the Edinburgh Airport trolley to the boot and on to Edinburgh
The Edinburgh handover, in order

LF-02The Edinburgh handover, in order

The Edinburgh handover, in order

The chauffeur reaches Edinburgh with time in hand and parks. Nothing about the first ten minutes should involve you: no circling, no hazard lights outside Usher Hall, no phone call asking which end of the street you are on.

Cases go in the boot while you are still saying goodbye on the Edinburgh doorstep. If the journey is to Edinburgh Airport the route is already loaded, the traffic on A720 City Bypass has been checked once more, and the car is moving within a minute of the door closing. That minute is the entire difference between a Edinburgh chauffeur and a cab.

  • Car in position ahead of the booked time, parked legally near Arthur’s Seat
  • One message naming exactly where the car is standing in Edinburgh
  • Luggage loaded at the Edinburgh kerb, doors held, no waiting on the pavement
  • The stopping point on A90 Queensferry Road agreed before the morning rather than during it
Leaving Edinburgh for a flight

LF-03Leaving Edinburgh for a flight

Leaving Edinburgh for a flight

Groups leaving Edinburgh together are usually calmer in two cars than in one large vehicle collecting from three addresses. We will say which of those we think is right when the Edinburgh journey is quoted.

Terminal choice at Edinburgh Airport matters more than people leaving Edinburgh expect. Tell us the airline when you book and the chauffeur takes the right spur off A90 Queensferry Road, which at Edinburgh Airport can be the difference between a two-minute walk and a fifteen-minute one with a trolley.

10The cars

Vehicles for a Edinburgh booking

Four vehicles, one standard of welcome across the EH1 district. Which one turns up in Edinburgh depends on passengers, cases and what the day is for.

First Saloon

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Passengers
Up to 3
Large cases
3, plus cabin bags
Cabin class
First Saloon
Get a quote

Cabin MPV

Mercedes-Benz V-Class

Passengers
Up to 7
Large cases
5, plus cabin bags
Cabin class
Cabin MPV
Get a quote

First SUV

Range Rover Autobiography

Passengers
Up to 4
Large cases
4, plus cabin bags
Cabin class
First SUV
Get a quote

Suite

Rolls-Royce Ghost

Passengers
Up to 3
Large cases
3, plus cabin bags
Cabin class
Suite
Get a quote

Your Edinburgh journey is quoted against its own 9 miles rather than against a standard London run, and the quotation says so in writing.

11Longer bookings

When a Edinburgh day will not fit a single transfer

Haymarket and the drive that follows

LF-04Haymarket and the drive that follows

Haymarket and the drive that follows

A station collection in Edinburgh is a small piece of choreography: the right entrance, the right side of the barrier, and a chauffeur who is standing on the concourse rather than sending a location pin.

Luggage is the reason most people book a car at Haymarket. Two large cases across the Haymarket concourse is unpleasant; the same two cases handed to a chauffeur at the barrier is not a problem at all.

Half days and full days in Edinburgh

LF-05Half days and full days in Edinburgh

Half days and full days in Edinburgh

The point of holding the car in Edinburgh is that nothing has to be decided in advance. You can leave Usher Hall half an hour early or an hour late, and the only consequence is where the clock stops.

Most hourly bookings in Edinburgh start as something smaller. A transfer becomes a transfer plus a wait, then plus a second Edinburgh address, and at that point holding the car is simpler and usually cheaper.

12Local reference

The reference points we use in Edinburgh

Between Arthur’s Seat, Haymarket and A90 Queensferry Road, most collections in Edinburgh can be described exactly. These are the rest of them, from Princes Street Gardens outwards.

Landmarks

  • Edinburgh Castle
  • The Royal Mile
  • Holyrood Palace
  • Arthur’s Seat
  • Princes Street Gardens
  • Calton Hill
  • The Scottish Parliament
  • Royal Botanic Garden

Venues and hotels

  • Edinburgh International Conference Centre
  • Usher Hall
  • Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
  • Murrayfield Stadium
  • The Balmoral

Stations

  • Edinburgh Waverley
  • Haymarket
  • Edinburgh Park
  • Slateford
  • Brunstane

Roads

  • A8
  • A90 Queensferry Road
  • A720 City Bypass
  • M8
  • A7

EH1 · EH2 · EH3 · EH6 · EH8 · EH12

13Practicalities

Getting into Edinburgh, and getting a price for it

Choosing the car for a Edinburgh journey

LF-06Choosing the car for a Edinburgh journey

Choosing the car for a Edinburgh journey

We would rather send the right car to Edinburgh than the dearest one. If the run out of Edinburgh is one person and a weekend bag, the E-Class does it properly and the difference stays where it was.

Long-distance work from Edinburgh is where the cabin justifies itself. Four hours out of Edinburgh in the right car is uneventful. The same four hours in the wrong one is a long afternoon out of Edinburgh.

Four things we need, and a Edinburgh price back

LF-07Four things we need, and a Edinburgh price back

Four things we need, and a Edinburgh price back

Tell us the Edinburgh journey and you get a price in writing, usually within the hour. It names the vehicle, the chauffeur's arrival time in Edinburgh, what the figure covers and any applicable tax.

Once the Edinburgh booking is confirmed there is nothing left for you to arrange. The chauffeur has the Edinburgh address, the route, the flight and the notes, and the next thing that happens is a car outside your door.

14Services

Chauffeur services available in Edinburgh

Airport transfers, hourly hire and long-distance driving, all quoted for Edinburgh on the same basis.

15What it costs

How a Edinburgh booking is priced

Rates are per vehicle and per journey out of Edinburgh, not per passenger. The quotation for your run from the EH1 district to Edinburgh Airport is confirmed in writing.

Hourly, as directed

By the block

The car held for you between stops, with a minimum block named on the quotation.

Airport transfers

Quoted per journey

Priced against the drive from Edinburgh, not against a zone map. Searching for a chauffeur service near me in Edinburgh? This is that local service, quoted in writing before you travel.

Long distance

By the route

One car and one chauffeur from Edinburgh to the far end of the run.

No standing price list. Send the journey on WhatsApp and the written quotation confirms the price, what it includes and any applicable tax. The pricing page sets out what moves a figure, and one message on WhatsApp fixes it for your journey.

16Nearby coverage

Areas next to Edinburgh

Bordering Edinburgh, and frequently the second address on the same booking.

Edinburgh sits in Scotland. Every Scotland area we cover is listed on one page, and the full coverage index runs to every town and district on the list.

17Answers

Edinburgh chauffeur questions

Four questions that come up on almost every Edinburgh enquiry.

How does the Edinburgh Festival change a chauffeur booking in August?

Substantially. Streets across the Old Town and around the Mound close or become one-way, the taxi ranks move, and a journey that takes a quarter of an hour in June can take three times that. We agree meeting points outside the affected area, allow far more time than the distance suggests, and book earlier, because the whole city is doing the same thing.

Is there a Low Emission Zone in Edinburgh city centre?

Yes. The council operates an LEZ covering the central streets, with enforcement in place, and it applies to vehicles that do not meet the relevant emissions standard. It is a feature of the city rather than something we add to a fare, and it is one of several reasons the route into the centre is often not the direct one on a map.

What is the drive from central Edinburgh to the airport?

Eight or nine miles west along the A8 or by the city bypass, usually twenty-five to forty-five minutes. The tram follows much of the same corridor. The Gogar roundabout is the point where it can go wrong, and in the morning peak we would leave a good half hour earlier than the mileage suggests rather than sit there watching a departure time.

Can a car collect from an address on the Royal Mile?

Rarely, and never at the times most people want. The upper section is closed to general traffic for long stretches of the day, the closes off it are pedestrian, and the setts and gradients make even a permitted approach slow. We arrange a meeting point on a road the car can genuinely reach and the chauffeur walks up for luggage.

18Elsewhere on the site

Keep reading

FCReservations

Tell us the Edinburgh journey. We will send the price in writing.

Message us the date, the pick-up and where you are going. You will get a fixed written quotation with the vehicle, the chauffeur’s arrival time and what the figure includes — no form to fill in, and no estimate that moves later.

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Email
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