An Edinburgh car service booked through Elly8.net is a private chauffeur and vehicle at a fixed, all-in price, quoted and charged in US dollars before you fly. An Edinburgh Airport (EDI) transfer to the New Town starts at US$130 in a business sedan and runs to US$340 in an Executive Sprinter, with the chauffeur in arrivals holding your name, tracking your flight and waiting for you at no extra cost if the landing is late.
Rides in Edinburgh are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Edinburgh is a compact capital with an outsized calendar, and that calendar decides how hard it is to get around: the festivals that take over the city every August, Hogmanay at New Year, Six Nations rugby at Murrayfield, the Tour de France starting here in July 2027 and The Open returning to St Andrews the same month. This page covers all of it, plus an honest look at the tram, the Airlink bus and the taxi rank.
How much is a car service from Edinburgh Airport to the city centre?
A fixed Elly8.net transfer from Edinburgh Airport to the New Town costs from US$130 in a business sedan, US$170 in a business SUV, US$210 in a First Class SUV, US$230 in a First Class Sedan and US$340 in an Executive Sprinter. The price is per vehicle and includes the chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and meet and greet.
All Elly8.net prices are in US dollars. A round trip from Edinburgh Airport and back costs from US$250 in a business sedan, US$325 in a business SUV and US$650 in an Executive Sprinter, which suits a golf group or a family that wants the departure settled before arriving.
The clear-road drive from EDI to the New Town is about 16 km (10 mi) and around 25 minutes, east along the A8 through Corstorphine and Haymarket. Weekday rush hours, a match at Murrayfield, which sits beside that route, or festival traffic in August can make it 45 minutes or more. Your fare stays the same.
Edinburgh Airport: arrivals, departures and private aviation
Edinburgh Airport has a single terminal, which keeps the meeting simple. Your chauffeur tracks the flight number on your booking and waits in arrivals with a name board once you have cleared immigration and collected your bags. Transatlantic flights from New York, Boston, Chicago, Toronto and other North American cities often arrive early in the morning, and border queues vary, so waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary. See airport meet and greet and airport transfers.
For departures, allow time for security and bag drop; in August and at Christmas the terminal is at its busiest, and the A8 out of the city can be slow. From the New Town, a pickup about three hours before a long-haul departure is a sensible default, and we will suggest a time when you book.
Private and charter aircraft are handled by the business aviation operators at the airport. Give us the handler and the tail number, and the chauffeur meets you there; see private jet and FBO transfers.
The tram, the Airlink bus, a taxi or Elly8.net
Edinburgh's public links to the airport are excellent, and for some travellers they are the right choice. These are the operators' published numbers.
| Option | Price (airport to city centre) | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh Trams | £7.90 adult airport single | trams from every 7 min, via Haymarket to Princes Street | One traveller, light bag, hotel near the tram line |
| Airlink 100 bus | £6.00 single, £8.50 return | 24 hours, up to every 10 min in the day | Budget trips, any hour |
| Taxi from the official rank | metered on the City of Edinburgh Council tariff | 25 to 45 min | Walk-up trips, no booking |
| Rideshare and private hire | Varies with demand | Pickup in the car park zones | Light travellers comfortable with app pickups |
| Elly8.net business sedan | US$130 fixed, per vehicle | Door to door, met inside | Families, golf groups, early arrivals, festival weeks, a fixed budget in US$ |
Edinburgh Trams list an adult airport single at £7.90, with trams running from every 7 minutes along Princes Street to St Andrew Square and on to Leith. The Airlink 100 bus runs 24 hours a day to Waverley Bridge for £6.00 single or £8.50 return. Either is a good answer for one person with a carry-on.
The official taxi rank, run by Capital Cars, is in the East Terminus a short walk from arrivals, and fares are set by the City of Edinburgh Council, according to Edinburgh Airport. Other private hire and app-based pickups use the charged pickup zone on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park, or the free zone in the long stay car park about ten minutes' walk away.
The chauffeur makes the most sense when the trip is not simple: a family of four with cases and a stroller after an overnight flight, three golfers with clubs bound for St Andrews, a 6am arrival with a 10am meeting, or a festival week when taxis are hard to find. A fixed US$130 sedan, or a US$340 Sprinter for a whole group, is the one number that does not change. See chauffeur vs taxi, chauffeur vs Uber and Lyft and Uber Black vs a pre-booked chauffeur.
Driving on the left, cobbles and closed streets
Scotland drives on the left, and central Edinburgh is a hard city to drive for a visitor: steep cobbled streets in the Old Town, a one-way grid in the New Town, bus gates, scarce parking and, in August and at Hogmanay, whole streets closed to traffic. Most North American visitors who plan to tour the Highlands still find a chauffeur easier for the city, the airport and the day trips. Parking and any road charges on Elly8.net bookings are billed at cost, never marked up. Our chauffeur vs car rental guide sets out the trade-offs.
Where our Edinburgh chauffeurs spend their days
The New Town. The fares on this page are calculated to the New Town, the Georgian grid of George Street, Queen Street, Princes Street and St Andrew Square, because that is where many of the city's hotels, private banks and investment offices sit. Pickups here are straightforward most of the year; in festival season, the chauffeur will confirm the best corner for your hotel.
The Old Town and the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile runs from Edinburgh Castle down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament. Cars cannot reach the castle esplanade, and parts of the Old Town are pedestrianised, so drop-offs are at the nearest permitted street. Castle visits run on timed tickets; a car that delivers you on time takes the stress out of it.
The Exchange and the West End. Around Lothian Road and Morrison Street, the Exchange district holds much of Edinburgh's financial sector and the EICC, the city's international conference centre. For conferences there, a conference transportation booking covers delegate shuttles from the airport and a car on call through the event.
Leith and Waverley. The port district of Leith, now at the end of the tram line, is Edinburgh's restaurant quarter. Waverley station, below Princes Street, is the main rail station; we meet trains as well as planes, see train station transfers.
August: the Fringe, the International Festival and the Tattoo
Every August Edinburgh hosts the Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, alongside the International Festival and the Tattoo, and this is when booking ahead matters most.
- Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 6 to 30 August 2027. Thousands of shows across the city, centred on the Royal Mile, George Square and Bristo Square. Old Town streets are pedestrianised and taxis are scarce. Details at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
- Edinburgh International Festival, August 2027. Classical music, opera, theatre and dance at the Usher Hall, the Festival Theatre and other main venues. The organisers announce exact dates; check the Edinburgh International Festival.
- The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, 6 to 28 August 2027. Nightly performances on the Castle Esplanade, which has no vehicle access. The late shows let out into a crowded Royal Mile, and our chauffeurs collect from an agreed point on the edge of the Old Town. See the Tattoo.
Hotels fill early, so many festival visitors stay outside the city and come in each day. Book hourly cars for the evenings: Edinburgh car service by the hour costs US$90 an hour in a business sedan up to US$180 in a Sprinter, with a 3-hour minimum, and the evening out and event night package costs from US$450 to US$900.
Hogmanay, rugby, the Tour de France and other dates
- Edinburgh's Hogmanay, 29 December 2026 to 1 January 2027. The Torchlight Procession, concerts and the ticketed Street Party on Princes Street, beneath the castle. City-centre roads close behind security cordons on 31 December, so plan pickups outside the arena. See Edinburgh's Hogmanay.
- Six Nations at Murrayfield, 2027. Scotland host Italy on Saturday 6 February, Wales on Saturday 13 February and Ireland on Friday 5 March. Murrayfield holds about 67,000 fans and sits on the airport road, so match days slow the A8 for hours. See Scottish Rugby and sports event transportation.
- Tour de France Grand Départ, 2 July 2027. The 2027 Tour de France starts in Edinburgh, with stage one running south to Carlisle. Expect rolling road closures across the city and the Borders; our chauffeurs route around them.
For galas, award dinners and private events, see event transportation.
St Andrews and The Open 2027
St Andrews, the home of golf, is about 85 km (53 mi) north of the city centre across the Queensferry Crossing, around an hour and twenty minutes on a clear road, and about 76 km (47 mi) direct from Edinburgh Airport. Golfers travel with clubs, so a business SUV or a Sprinter is usually the right vehicle. A day at the Old Course or the other St Andrews links works best as a full-day chauffeur, from US$665 in a business sedan to US$1,325 in a Sprinter; course information is on the St Andrews Links site.
The 155th Open, July 2027. The Open returns to the Old Course in 2027, with the championship rounds from 15 to 18 July and practice days earlier that week. Expect road closures in the town during the championship and tightly managed spectator transport, so book early, follow the official drop-off arrangements and expect long queues on the roads into Fife. Many visitors stay in Edinburgh and travel up each day; that is a good fit for a daily hourly or full-day booking.
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, the signature day trip
The signature Edinburgh day trip is Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, a 10-hour day west across Scotland to the shores of Loch Lomond, about 113 km (70 mi) from the city, then north into the hills and lochs of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park before returning in the evening. It costs from US$830 in a business sedan, US$1,060 in a business SUV and US$1,660 in an Executive Sprinter for a family or group, all-in.
Closer to home, the private city highlights tour - the castle, the Royal Mile, Holyrood, Calton Hill and the New Town, with the chauffeur waiting while you walk - costs from US$360 in a business sedan to US$720 in a Sprinter. More ideas on private city tours, and VisitScotland's Edinburgh guide has the official visitor information.
Corporate travel, weddings and groups
Edinburgh is a centre for asset management, banking, insurance and government, with the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. Companies with people here regularly can open a corporate account with monthly invoicing, fixed US-dollar fares and NDAs on request, and book corporate car service in Edinburgh, London and the rest of our 141 cities through one desk. The corporate roadshow day package costs from US$810 in a business sedan to US$1,620 in a Sprinter for a deal team; see investor roadshows and multi-meeting days. Travel agents and hotels have travel agent and hotel accounts.
Castles and country-house hotels make Scotland a destination-wedding favourite. An Executive Sprinter with driver moves guests between ceremony and reception while a First Class Sedan carries the couple; see wedding limousine and guest shuttles. Chauffeurs follow Scottish rules on alcohol in vehicles. Partner vehicles are four model years old or newer, seven for Rolls-Royce, Maybach and Bentley; see the fleet.
How booking an Edinburgh car service works
- Enter pickup and drop-off. Add your flight number for Edinburgh Airport pickups so the chauffeur can track the landing; add the train for Waverley.
- Choose the vehicle. Business Sedan, Business SUV, First Class Sedan, First Class SUV or Executive Sprinter, each with a fixed price on this page.
- Reserve now, or use the web booker. Fixed fares go straight to secure checkout and your card is charged in US$; any other address - St Andrews, Gleneagles, a Highland lodge, a multi-stop festival evening - goes through the web booker. Confirmation arrives by email.
Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show, refunded to the original card. Full terms are on our cancellation policy page.
Elly8.net books the car only. For flights and hotels, our travel partner BookingWorldwide.net handles the rest, and the travel desk explains how. Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory.
Beyond Edinburgh
The same fixed-price service runs as our Manchester chauffeur, Dublin car service, London car service, Amsterdam chauffeur, Paris chauffeur service and Brussels car service. For long road journeys between cities, see city to city car service, and every European city is on the Europe hub.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a car service from Edinburgh Airport to the city centre?
A fixed Elly8.net transfer from Edinburgh Airport to the New Town costs from US$130 in a business sedan, US$170 in a business SUV, US$230 in a First Class Sedan and US$340 in an Executive Sprinter. The price is per vehicle and includes the chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and meet and greet. Parking and road charges are billed at cost.
Where will my chauffeur meet me at Edinburgh Airport?
In the arrivals area of the single terminal, holding a name board, after you clear immigration and collect your bags. The chauffeur tracks your flight from the number on your booking, and waiting is complimentary after a tracked landing, so an early-morning border queue is not a problem.
Is the tram or the Airlink bus cheaper than a car?
For one person, yes. An adult airport tram single is £7.90 and the Airlink 100 bus is £6.00 single, both running frequently. For a family or a golf group with luggage, a festival week when taxis are scarce, or anyone going straight to a meeting, a fixed US$130 car door to door is often the simpler choice.
How far is St Andrews from Edinburgh?
About 85 km (53 mi) from the city centre and 76 km (47 mi) from Edinburgh Airport, roughly an hour and twenty minutes from the city on a clear road. A business SUV or Sprinter carries golf bags comfortably. For The Open, 15 to 18 July 2027, book early and expect managed traffic around the town.
Should I book early for the Edinburgh festivals?
Yes. The Fringe runs 6 to 30 August 2027 and the Tattoo 6 to 28 August 2027, alongside the International Festival. Hotels and cars fill early, and Old Town streets close to traffic. Reserve airport transfers and hourly evening cars as soon as your dates are set; cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup.
Are child seats available in Edinburgh?
Yes. Request child or booster seats when you book and give the children's ages, and the partner fits them before pickup. That saves carrying seats across the Atlantic and means the car is ready the moment you walk out of arrivals.
What is your cancellation policy?
Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup. At 72 hours or less the charge is 10%, at 48 hours or less 50%, and at 24 hours or less or for a no-show 100%. Refunds go to the original card. If your flight is cancelled or diverted, message the 24/7 desk and we move the transfer.
Can you look after a group for Hogmanay or a rugby weekend?
Yes. An Executive Sprinter carries a group as one vehicle, from US$340 on the airport transfer and from US$900 for an evening out and event night. On Hogmanay and match days, the chauffeur drops and collects outside the closures at a point agreed in advance, so the group leaves together.
