Glasgow to Edinburgh question

[jettman]

Hi fellow world travelers - Our ship disembarks in Glasgow and we want to take a train to Edinburgh. Has anyone taken a train to Edinburgh and want to share your experience? We would really appreciate learning from your experience.

 

Jett

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hi,

 

The closest station (Paisley Gilmour Street) is a mile away and served by a local bus service. There is also a bus service from Glasgow Airport to Edinburgh.

 

http://www.citylink.co.uk/media230112.php

 

Enjoy your trip.

 

Jeff

[Mike2131]

Hi fellow world travelers - Our ship disembarks in Glasgow and we want to take a train to Edinburgh. Has anyone taken a train to Edinburgh and want to share your experience? We would really appreciate learning from your experience.

 

Jett

We did this last May after a Silver Explorer cruise. We took a taxi from the dock to the station and then the train to Edinburgh. It was efficient and inexpensive.

[jpalbny]

Is your ship disembarking in Glasgow, or are you disembarking in Greenock, which is the usual port for Glasgow? I didn't think that cruise ships could sail upriver all the way to Glasgow proper... The only SS cruise I see that stops there is the May 16-26 Silver Explorer, Portsmouth to Greenock (for Glasgow).

 

 

If so, then yes, we've done this. We docked in Greenock and wanted to visit Edinburgh rather than Glasgow. Luckily there are 2 stations in Greenock that were both within walking distance to the dock. As we disembarked, we asked the customs guys which was closer, and walked there. Less than a mile. If you have lots of suitcases, it is somewhat uphill, though, so you might want a ride.

 

To get from Greenock to Edinburgh, we had to change in Glasgow Central. The leg of the journey from Greenock to Glasgow was about 40 minutes, with 20 to change, then on to Edinburgh was about another hour. You arrive at Waverly Station.

 

We bought RT tickets on Scotrail's website prior to leaving home. We bought tickets that weren't specific to a certain train so we could come and go at any time, in case we wanted to stay late in Edinburgh. In fact, on the way home we stopped in Glasgow and wandered for an hour before catching the next train back to Greenock.

 

The trains were pretty efficient, clean, and ran on time from what I remember. The RT ticket was £18.60 per person but that was 5 years ago...

 

We chose the "pick up at station" option for our tickets, and we actually were able to print the tickets in London before we embarked on the cruise, using our credit card at a self-service machine in Victoria Station. Very handy.

 

Let us know where you're docking. In case you are in Greenock, here is a website with more information: http://www.cruisescotland.com/glasgow-greenock

Edited May 9, 2014 by jpalbny

[patnlcc]

Buses leave from Buchanan Street Bus Station every 15 minutes and go to St Andrews Square bus station in Edinburgh - a stone's throw from Princes Street. Trains leave from Glasgow Queen Street Station every 15 minutes to Edinburgh Waverley Station which is close to both Princes Street and the Royal Mile for the castle (up the hill) and the Scottish Parliament and Holyrood palace (both down the hill). Bear in mind that your train from Greenock may come into Glasgow Central Station which us a 10 minute walk from Queen Street Station. There is a shuttle.

[jettman]

Wow! Thanks for the information. We are indeed docking in Greenock. Thanks, JP for correcting me because that is an important detail when planning train travel!

[jpalbny]

Wow! Thanks for the information. We are indeed docking in Greenock.

 

Happy to help. We try to take trains and other public transport whenever we can; much cheaper and usually not any less convenient.

 

Hope you have a great time on Silver Explorer! She was our introduction to Silversea a few years ago, and the start of our current addiction. Your itinerary looks really interesting - all of those islands that are off the beaten path, mixed in with big cities like Dublin and Glasgow. We have been to St-Malo; hope you enjoy Mont St Michel as much as we did!

 

I looked at the list of your expedition crew - one of your historians onboard is Victoria, who we cruised with on our Antarctica trip in December 2009. She is a riot, but be careful as she will keep you in the bar until all hours of the night...:) After hanging out in the bar for several hours she convinced me to do the Polar Plunge on Deception Island the next day!

 

Also listed is Hans-Peter, who on the surface seems like a very serious German-speaking botanist. Beneath the surface, though, he has a wicked sense of humor and will come up with some really funny quotes if you listen carefully. We rode in his zodiac boat up the river in the Darien Jungle last fall, and our boat sprang a small leak. He radioed back to the ship to tell them, and added that, "We have some fish swimming on board too, shall I bring them back for dinner?"

[jettman]

Thanks, JP, for sharing your experience! My husband and I have had a stressful year thus far, so we haven't been able to spend any time thinking about our upcoming trip. Your posts have really inspired us and now we are super excited to sail this week on Explorer. Thank you so much!