Landing at Edinburgh Airport

What EDI is like

Edinburgh is how most people enter Scotland, whether for the old town, for a drive north into the Highlands, or for the midsummer festival weeks when the whole city fills up. There is a single terminal with an uncomplicated layout, so you are outside faster than at the big English airports. What makes it distinctive is the tram waiting in front of the building, running all the way into the centre without a change. Landing here rarely involves puzzling over which station or which shuttle you need.

On arrival

Switch data on at touchdown; the line normally registers while the aircraft taxis in. The border is close to the gates, and flights arriving from within the UK skip it altogether, which makes the walk out unusually short. After the baggage belt, the signs lead outdoors to the tram platform and the bus stands in front of the building, an open stretch that can be windy in any season. During the midsummer festival weeks leave extra time, because the tram queue and the taxi rank grow at the same hour. Have your address already open on the screen before you step outside.

How far the airport Wi-Fi gets you

Free Wi-Fi inside works after a brief sign-in and is fine for mail or checking where you are staying. The catch is that the terminal is small and people leave quickly, so you are inside its range for less time than you expect. The tram platform out front is beyond usable coverage, and the tram itself is not airport network either. Anyone planning to buy a tram ticket while waiting outside tends to find themselves choosing between tapping a card and hunting for signal in the wind. It is simpler to walk out with a line that is already up.

Getting into town

The tram outside the terminal reaches the centre in about half an hour and stops near the main street where most hotels sit. An express bus runs frequently and usually costs less, while a taxi suits heavy luggage or a late arrival. Once you are there the city is mostly walkable, so this leg costs almost nothing in data beyond a map, a ticket in an app and a check of which stop to use. Many people who land here treat Scotland as one stage of a longer European trip and will cross a border by plane or train within days. If that is the shape of the trip, settle the coverage question for the whole route before you set off rather than at the border itself.

What people ask about this airport

• The tram waits out front: No shuttle to another station is needed; walk out of arrivals and follow the signs onto the platform.
• Festival weeks fill the city: In midsummer the city is full, queues and rooms both tighten, so book ahead and allow more time than usual.
• Going north means going offline: If you are driving into the Highlands, save the maps first, because coverage drops out for long stretches in the glens.