Edinburgh Airport to the Old Town: Where Cars Can and Cannot Go

What restricts traffic up there

Three things. First, parts of the Royal Mile are pedestrianised or permit-only, with bollards and camera enforcement. Second, many closes and wynds are stepped or too narrow for any vehicle at all — some are literally staircases. Third, during August and at Hogmanay whole streets close for events, and the boundary moves day to day. A postcode that looks fine on a map can turn out to be reachable only on foot, and that is a much better thing to know a week ahead than at 23:00 with four suitcases.

How we handle it

We check the specific address before your travel date, not on the day. If a door drop is possible we do it. If it is not, we identify the nearest legal set-down — usually on the Cowgate, Victoria Street's lower end, Market Street or the Grassmarket depending on where you are — and we tell you in advance how far the walk is and whether it involves steps. Your chauffeur carries the cases to the door on foot where that is the only way in. Knowing beforehand turns a nasty surprise into a two-minute walk.

Arriving in the Old Town at its best hour

If you land early, the Old Town before eight in the morning is a genuinely different place: the setted streets are empty, the light comes low along the Mile, and you can stand outside St Giles' with nobody else there. By eleven the same street is shoulder to shoulder. Guests arriving on a dawn long-haul flight sometimes ask to be driven up before the hotel, simply to see it that way once. It costs nothing extra within a booked transfer and it is the version of the city most visitors never see.

If your hotel is in the Old Town

1. Send the full address and hotel name when you book.
2. We check vehicle access before your travel date and tell you the result.
3. If a door drop is impossible we agree the nearest set-down together.
4. Ask about steps if anyone in the party would struggle with them.