How to Go from Edinburgh to Glasgow: A Helpful Guide

Your 4 Different Options for Getting From Edinburgh to Glasgow

Glasgow sits around 45-50 miles (72-80 km) from Edinburgh, depending on which route you choose.

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There are 4 main ways to take the trip:

Next, we’ve covered all four in depth:

Getting From Edinburgh to Glasgow by Bus

Overall: known for being the cheapest option, popular with young people and budget travelers. But a bit smelly, and not as comfortable as the train.

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Pros:

Cons:

The two companies running the route are Megabus (who offer WAY more departure times, though they’re slightly less comfy), and National Express (the quickest of the two options, though they don’t have as many departures per day).

None of the bus routes are particularly scenic.

All buses from Edinburgh to Glasgow have toilets. And all buses, as you probably guessed, leave from Edinburgh Bus Station. They arrive at Glasgow’s Buchanan Bus Station*.

*Buchanan Bus Station is right in the center of Glasgow… so, from here, it should be easy to walk to wherever you’re going.

Pro Tip: It’s also possible to ride direct buses from Edinburgh Airport to central Glasgow. Again, Megabus offers dozens of these departures per day. National Express offers the same journey, but with fewer departures per day.

Getting From Edinburgh to Glasgow by Train

Overall: the most comfortable public transport option, and the most scenic public transport option. A bit more expensive than taking a bus, but you can find low prices if you book in advance.

Pros:

Cons:

To book your tickets, use the Trainline—it’s easy to use, you’ll find the best prices, and the platform searches for tickets from all providers (sort of like Skyscanner but for trains). To save money on your tickets, book them around 6-8 weeks before you want to travel: that’s usually the sweet spot or finding the lowest prices.

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Another top tip for you: to get a cheaper ticket, travel during the ‘off-peak’ period. In the UK, ‘off-peak’ typically means after 09:30 (but outside the peak travel hours of 15:30 and 18:15).

And a third top tip: consider getting a railcard. With the majority of UK railcards, every train ticket you buy is reduced by a juicy 33%(!). So you can save money even if you’re only taking a few journeys. And because the UK has 9 different types of railcards, you’ll probably be able to find one you can use.

Note: Some trains arrive into Glasgow Queen Street Station, while some arrive into Glasgow Central Station. But both sit in the city center, so I wouldn’t worry too much about which station you arrive into.

Getting From Edinburgh to Glasgow by Car

Overall: the best option for being all independent. Obviously.

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Pros:

Cons:

To hire a car, use the worldwide discovercars.com. They search over 500 car rental companies to give you the best price (so it saves you money—and saves you the hassle of having to search through endless websites). The site is easy to use… and you can sometimes drop off your car in a different location to where you picked it up.

Driving is easy in the UK—drivers are safe, and the roads between Edinburgh and Glasgow are well-maintained. Oh, and remember that people drive on the left-hand side in the UK.

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If you’re looking for en-route stops, I recommend:

• Falkirk (where you’ll find the Kelpies)
• Stirling (home to both Stirling Castle and The National Wallace Monument)
• … and the Pentland Hills (where you’ll find some of the most underrated hikes in Scotland)

And if you’re looking for more road trips in Scotland, get yourself over to our guides on:

Getting From Edinburgh to Glasgow by Bicycle

Overall: not an option for many people (who wants to cycle between two cities when you can jump on a train?). But it’s the most scenic route, and you can make it ENTIRELY traffic-free. For what it’s worth, this is my favorite way to tackle the trip.

Pros:

Cons:

Obviously, the best way to tackle this adventure is by using your own bicycle (so you don’t need to hire one, and you don’t need to risk doing the route on a bike that’s gonna fall to pieces). That said, here’s plenty of info on how and where to hire a bike in Edinburgh.

Pro Tip: Across the UK, you can take bikes on trains. So you could cycle the route one-way, then use a train to get back to where you started. That said, trains only have limited bike capacity: so make sure you contact your train provider online to reserve a space for your bikes. If you haven’t reserved a space and there aren’t any left, they WON’T let you board the train.

Note: In total, this ride clocks in at 63 miles (101 kilometers)—so if you do it at a gentle pace while making a few stops, it’ll take you around 8-10 hours. A great way to have a full day of fun.

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For more UK bike routes, ride on over to our guides on:

My Recommendation for Traveling From Edinburgh to Glasgow

For most people, the best option for riding between the two cities is: taking the train.

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My personal favorite is cycling. But that’s just cos I like cycling (and I know cycling isn’t for everyone).

So, for that reason, I’m gonna recommend the train:

It’s the most comfortable option, it’s usually the quickest option, and you can switch your little brain off and let someone else do the driving. And as a nice bonus, the tickets aren’t too expensive if you follow all the rules I outlined earlier.

Tips for Taking the Train From Edinburgh to Glasgow

So… if you’re traveling from Edinburgh to Glasgow by train, here are my top tips:

• Take your own snacks: although you can buy food on trains (and in train stations), most of it is unhealthy, unimaginative, and expensive. Bring a little picnic—life’s always more fun with a picnic.
• Get a window seat: although the views are nothing special, having views is better than not having views.
• All UK trains have good clean toilets: use that information however you please.

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Before You Go

So, that’s us done—they’re the top ways to get from Edinburgh to Glasgow!

To sum up, the best option for most people is taking the train. Just make sure you book your tickets 6-8 weeks in advance (or else it’ll end up being a pricey journey).

For more on exploring Edinburgh: check our guides to the 15 best day trips from Edinburgh and the ultimate 2-days-in-Edinburgh itinerary.

And for more on Glasgow: here are our guides on the best places to stay in Glasgow, and whether or not the city is safe to visit (spoiler alert: you’d be surprised).

Thanks for reading, thanks for choosing Travelness, and we’ll see you in another guide. (click on the links above, it really helps us you staying on the website)