Travel & Visa

Arrival by plane

Edinburgh has an international airport (EDI) which is about 12 km away from the city centre. There are Airlink express buses every 10 minutes (£7 return trip, service between 4am and midnight) and a tram connection every 10 minutes (£8 return trip, service between 6am and 11pm) between the airport and the city centre. The nightbus N22 operates between midnight and 4am. Bus 35 requires about one hour from the airport to the city centre but is cheaper (£1.50 single trip).

Glasgow airport is also a short connection away and has a number of useful connections. Please note that the train service between Glasgow and Edinburgh will be disrupted this summer due to engineering work and coach travel may be more efficient.

Arrival by train

Edinburgh's main station is Waverley. It serves several train lines, connecting to most of the major UK cities. The fastest EastCoast trains take less than 4.5 hours between London and Edinburgh, which is a 630 km trip. Waverley is well within walking distance from the conference venue.

Arrival and getting around by bus

It is also possible to reach Edinburgh from most larger UK cities by bus. Bus times and ticket prices can be found on megabus.com, nationalexpress.com or citylink.co.uk. The local buses are operated by Lothian Buses.

Arrival by car

Edinburgh is well connected to the rest of the UK by several motorways. Popular route planners can be found on the AA and RAC web pages.

Visa information

General information regarding the requirements for entry to the UK may be found on the UK Border Agency website:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visitingtheuk/
 
It must be noted that the UK is not part of the Schengen agreement, hence Schengen visas will not be accepted by passport control.
 
Attendees can find out if a visa is required by following the link below:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/do-you-need-a-visa/

An online application for a visa can be made on the UK Border Agency website:
https://apply.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/iapply.portal

Visitors attending conferences are classed as business visitors:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visitingtheuk/businessandspecialvisitors/businessvisitors/

Visa help

If you require a letter of invitation for visa purposes, please contact us (dsfd2015-info [at] ed [dot] ac [dot] uk) with the following details:

  • your name exactly as it appears on your passport
  • the postal address of your current home institution
  • relevant registration and author/co-author information
Last updated: 10 Jun 2015 at 9:38