Edinburgh, Scotland

Flying is the fastest and most convenient way to travel between London Gatwick and Edinburgh. If you book in advance, it is likely to be the cheapest option too. From Gatwick Airport Central bus station it takes roughly 10-13 hours to get to Edinburgh. There are two National Express buses per day, and you have to change in Birmingham. A single journey costs 35.80 GBP and it 45-52 GBP return. After booking online, you will be issued with an e-ticket, which you need to print out and take with you, or an m-ticket, which is sent to your mobile phone. Otherwise you can get at ticket at the bus station.

If you have more time than money or fancy stopping off in London before making your way to Edinburgh you may be interested in looking at Megabus who operate value bus services to Edinburgh. Fares can be as little as 5 GBP for a single if you book far enough in advance.

If you cant find a cheap ticket to Edinburgh try looking for Glasgow which is only 30 minutes away from Edinburgh. From Glasgow you can get to Edinburgh by local bus service or by train so this could work out better value.

Megabus

By train, the journey from Gatwick Airport to Edinburgh is 6 hours, and there are 1-3 trains per hour. You need to change at Victoria Station in London and take the northbound Victoria (light blue) underground line to King's Cross mainline station, from where you can catch a train to Edinburgh.

Allow extra time for negotiating the Underground system. Subway trains run every 2-3 minutes but there are often delays. Try to time your journey so you avoid travelling across London in the rush hour - subway trains can be impossible to board, especially if you are travelling with luggage. A single fare is about 36 GBP and an off peak return is 120 GBP. It is possible to catch the Gatwick Express for the first leg of the journey, but it is 6 GBP more expensive and takes about the same length of time. Your normal train ticket is not valid for the Gatwick Express.

Book Train Tickets

The UK train ticketing system is notoriously complicated. It is usually cheaper to buy your tickets up to 6pm on the day before you travel than on the day. And fares are more expensive if you travel before 09:30. You get the best fares by booking up to three months in advance. You can buy your tickets online, at the station ticket counter, or from the ticket machines on the main concourse. If you book online you will need to collect your tickets from the ticket machine using the same credit card you used to book your tickets online.