174 miles (281 km) | |
Train, bus or flight | |
$13 - $98 | |
Bus • $13 (€11) • 6 h 23 min | |
Train • $26 (€23) • 3 h 13 min | |
Megabus, British Airways or TransPennine Express |
Travel 174 miles (281 km) by train, bus or flight between Manchester and Edinburgh. The most popular travel companies which serve this journey are Megabus, British Airways or TransPennine Express among others. Travelers can even take a direct bus, flight or train from Manchester to Edinburgh.
How to get from Manchester to Edinburgh by train, bus or flight.
The best way to travel from Manchester to Edinburgh is by taking a bus because it’s the best combination of price and speed.
Find all the dates and times for this journey by train, bus, flight, and ferry .
Flying is the fastest method of travel between the two cities at just over an hour. Traveling by bus takes the longest amount of time at upwards of 5.5 hours. There are usually between one and three departure and arrival points.
National Express operate services between the cities, departing from Manchester Coach Station and arriving at Edinburgh Bus Station on Elder Street. There are usually five departures per day, one at around1:00 a.m., three between 8:00 a.m and 10:30 a.m. and one in the early afternoon. The journey takes between 5.5 hours and 8.5 hours, there are direct buses and those requiring one change available.
Trains leave from three stations in Manchester, Oxford Road, Deansgate and Piccadilly and all arrive at Waverley Station in Edinburgh. All trains are either direct routes or have a change at one station. Trains are run by Transpennine Express, Virgin Trains and Cross Country Trains. There are around 10 trains per day, they depart at least once every hour from approximately 9:00 a.m. until early afternoon. The journey takes between three and four hours.
Flying is the fastest method of travel between the two cities at just over an hour. Traveling by bus takes the longest amount of time at upwards of 5.5 hours. There are usually between one and three departure and arrival points.
The cheapest way from Manchester to Edinburgh is by bus. National Express operate services between the cities, departing from Manchester Coach Station and arriving at Edinburgh Bus Station on Elder Street. There are usually five departures per day, one at around 1:00 a.m., three between 8:00 a.m and 10:30 a.m. and one in the early afternoon. The journey takes between 5.5 hours and 8.5 hours, there are direct buses and those requiring one change available.
Flights are the quickest way from Manchester to Edinburgh. Direct flights between the main airports in each city are available from Flybe. The flight takes just over an hour. During the week there are three flights, one each in the morning, afternoon and evening. At the weekend there are one or two flights in operation.
Trains are the most popular way to get from Manchester to Edinburgh. Services leave from three stations in Manchester, Oxford Road, Deansgate and Piccadilly and all arrive at Waverley Station in Edinburgh. All trains are either direct routes or have a change at one station. Trains are run by Transpennine Express, Virgin Trains and Cross Country Trains. There are around 10 trains per day, they depart at least once every hour from approximately 9:00 a.m. until early afternoon. The journey takes between three and four hours.
Direct flight between the main airports in each city are available from Flybe. The flight takes just over an hour. During the week there are three flights, one each in the morning, afternoon and evening. At the weekend there are one or two flights in operation.
Find the best trip from Manchester to Edinburgh with National Express, FlixBus and CrossCountry. Comparing schedules and prices and booking the most convenient route has never been easier with over 1000 travel companies on Omio.
Cross Country trains are a UK-based train operator that provides services across the country including trains to Edinburgh from Manchester. They offer a range of services, from express services to local services, and have a variety of ticket types to suit different needs. Their express services, such as the CrossCountry Voyager and CrossCountry XC Trains, offer a fast and comfortable journey, with onboard facilities such as free Wi-Fi, power sockets, and a selection of snacks and drinks. Their local services, such as the CrossCountry Regional and CrossCountry Regional Express, provide a more leisurely journey, with stops at smaller stations along the way. They also offer a range of ticket types, such as Advance, Anytime, and Off-Peak tickets, to suit different budgets and travel needs. The most popular routes for Cross Country trains include London to Birmingham, Manchester to Edinburgh, and Bristol to Reading.
National Express is the leading travel company for routes throughout the United Kingdom, operating over 550 travel a day and serving over 900 destinations across the country. National Express even offers routes to and from major UK airports like Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and Bristol 24 hours a day at affordable prices for the budget traveler in mind. All National Express travel are air-conditioned and provide free WiFi and onboard entertainment. Most travel are equipped with seat belts and power outlets in each seat, so you can charge your phone or laptop during a long journey. You can select between three ticket types for the Manchester - Edinburgh travel: Restricted Fare, Standard Fare, and Fully Flexible Fare. Refundable tickets provide more flexibility than other ticket options, meaning you can cancel or change your ticket easily, should you need to.
British Airways (BA) is the United Kingdom’s flag carrier airline with headquarters in London near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport (LHR). BA is the second largest UK-based airline in terms of fleet size and number of passengers carried. Known as a full-service global airline, British Airways offers year-round low fares to destinations worldwide and flies to and from centrally-located airports. Its extensive global route network includes more than 170 destinations in nearly 80 countries throughout Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Australia.
There are 3 ways to get from Manchester to Edinburgh: train, bus or flight.
The cheapest way to get from Manchester to Edinburgh is by taking a bus with average ticket prices of $13 (€11) compared to other travel options to Edinburgh:
Taking a bus costs $85 (€77) less than taking a flight, which average ticket prices of $98 (€88).
A bus is $13 (€12) less than a train with an average ticket price of $26 (€23) from Manchester to Edinburgh.
The fastest way from Manchester to Edinburgh is by train with an average journey time of 3 h 13 min.
There are alternative travel options to Edinburgh that take longer:
Getting to Edinburgh by bus takes 6 h 23 min on average.
Flight takes on average 3 h 35 min.
Edinburgh is approximately 174 miles (281 km) away from Manchester.
The average frequency per day from Manchester to Edinburgh is:
However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your journey from Manchester to Edinburgh as scheduled services by train, bus or flight can vary by season or day of the week.
These are the most popular departure and arrival points from Manchester to Edinburgh:
The following travel companies offer services from Manchester to Edinburgh:
Yes, there are direct routes from Manchester to Edinburgh with the following travel companies:
Direct services to Edinburgh tend to save you time and add more convenience as you won't need to transfer at another stop in between, so it's worth paying attention to before booking tickets for your journey.
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