Local Information
This is a summary of information available on the Informatics Local Information Wiki.Travel information
Plane
Edinburgh airport (EDI) is the most convenient way to come to Edinburgh. A cab to the city centre takes about 20 minutes and costs about £20. Airlink runs a shuttle to Waverley Steps that takes 25 minutes and costs £3.50 one-way or £6.00 return. Airport buses run every 15 minutes throughout the day, and pick up/drop off outside Haymarket station, in Shandwick Place (west end), Princes St, and on the bridge to the West of Waverley station (Waverley steps). Airlines including BA, EasyJet, RyanAir, and FlyBe, amongst others, fly to Edinburgh from many UK destinations.
Train
Edinburgh
Waverley Station is the most convenient for the city centre, and
is the terminus for many trains in either direction. Trains to/from the North or Glasgow also stop at Haymarket in the West of the city. Fast trains to/from Glasgow run every 15 minutes from both main stations. There is no train to/from the airport. The national rail website gives train times and prices, or you can ask at the station. Buy tickets before you travel. For long journeys, booking in advance and fixing train times can be significantly cheaper. It is sometimes also cheaper to buy two single tickets than one return ticket.
Local Transport in Edinburgh
Local buses are mainly run by Lothian Buses (red and white buses),
who have an interactive route
map. Buses run frequently throughout the day, with restricted
routes for night buses between midnight and 4am. Local buses are
fixed fare and no change is given. Pay when you board the bus. A
single ticket (any journey length) is £1.20. A one-day ticket can be
bought on the bus and offers unlimited travel for £3 (not valid on
the Airlink buses). A one-week ticket costs £15 and is available from
three city centre
locations. Most city centre destinations are within 15-30 mins
walk. Taxis are metered, but expensive. Look for black cabs, with
amber lights indicating they are available. They will pick up
anywhere in the street, except near a taxi rank, where there is a
queuing system. A taxi from the airport will cost about £20.
Getting to the Informatics Forum (IF) and Pollock Halls of
Residence (PH)
To get to IF from Waverley Station: turn left out of the main entrance along Waverley Bridge, OR right out of the south (high level) entrance along Market St, and proceed to the mini-roundabout. The IF is located 15-20 minutes' walk from PH. If you want to know how to reach one place form the other you can try Google maps using the following information: 10 Crichton Street, EH8 9AB for the IF and 18 Holyrood Park Road, EH16 5 for PH. See map below (site A in the map is PH and site B is the IF). You can also reach any of these places by bus. The following bus services run close to the IF: 2, 41, and 42; services 2, 14, 30, 33, and 48 go to Commonwealth Pool, which is located next to PH. If you are not staying in PH you can can check in www.mybustracker.co.uk if any of the buses that go to the IF also go near your accommodation; you will need to provide either the postcode or street name of your hotel. You can try Google maps to see how to get to the IF from your hotel on foot.