Travelling around Edinburgh is fairly easy as the city has a very good public transport system.
The two main bus companies in Edinburgh are Lothian, which is run by the local council and First, which is a privately owned operation. Lothian is the larger of the two companies and is excellent value for money. Travellers can buy a day ticket (for use only on the Lothian buses) for approximately £3.00 for adults and £2.40 for children, (to confirm current pricing check the Lothian Buses website), which allows the user to alight and rejoin any Lothian bus in Edinburgh as often as liked throughout the day. For those wishing to tour the city, this could work out to be a cheaper option than taking an organised tour bus. Tickets can be bought from the bus station located at St Andrew’s Square.
Car travel around Edinburgh city is not recommended. As with all major cities, congestion is a problem at times, and once you factor in the various one-way systems in operation around the Old Town, the visiting traveller is heading for a driving headache. A “controlled parking zone” is in operation in Edinburgh and the number of parking spaces, even in the suburbs, is seriously limited. Parking attendants (with the local nickname ‘Blue Meanies’) operate a very strict system and have zero tolerance for illegally parked vehicles. Taxis, both black cabs and minicabs, are available for hire and this mode of transport resolves the ‘problem parking’ issue.
For the more energetic, the best way to see Edinburgh is on foot. Walking around means nothing of what this beautiful city has to offer will be missed.