Taxi to Edinburgh Castle

[tartanexile81]

Hello, we'll be docking at Rosyth on a Wednesday morning at 8 am. What time do you suggest we try and book our tickets to the Castle? I've already read some of your other very helpful posts and it appears that I need to resist the urge to jump into a taxi and take instead the train into town.

 

OR, since at the moment I can't really decide (one day is just not enough)! I also have it in mind to take the train to town and just enjoy the Royal Mile and then perhaps make our way to see Britannia. We have to make our way back to the ship in time to meet up with our shore excursion to the Tattoo. Is that doable?

 

Many thanks in advance,

 

Nan

 

Hello Nan,

 

Well at that time of the morning I would prefer going by train. It is only £7 by taxi to the nearest station at Inverkeithing. Once you disembark, you will be taken to the terminal building by shuttle bus. Although it is only a few hundred yards Rosyth is an industrial port and no-one is allowed to walk around it. A taxi will take no more than 10 minutes to the station and at that time of day there are trains at 8.35, 8.37, 8.43, 8.52, 8.57 and 9.16. The train takes between 25 and 30 minutes depending on how many stops it makes. If it is Princess you're on, they generally run a shuttle to the station for $15 per person round trip. There are quite a lot of road delays around Rosyth at present as they are building a new Forth River Crossing, which you will sail under on your way into Rosyth.

 

Would I recommend a visit to the Castle if you're going to the Tattoo? Well when you're at the Tattoo, you will only see the outside of the Castle and that is certainly impressive in its own right. However if you're interested in history, the Castle is an amazing place. it is however difficult to walk round with all different levels and uneven surfaces. It's a 15 minute uphill walk from the station to the Castle.

 

If you decide to go to Britannia, I'd probably start there, which would be your furthest point from the station. You could take public transport but to save time I'd just jump in a taxi outside the station - around 10 minutes. When you've finished your visit there, you could catch a bus (#35 or #36) or a taxi up to the Lawnmarket just by the Castle and wander down the Royal Mile, taking as much time as your day allows. Personally I'd do Britannia + Royal Mile OR Castle + Royal Mile.

 

If all that sounds a bit too tiring, you could consider taking a taxi from the terminal at Rosyth into Edinburgh in which case I'd recommend waiting till closer to 9:00 when the commuter traffic will have reduced a bit, then getting back before 4:00 p.m. If you decide to take a mini-cab from Rosyth you could arrange for the same driver to pick you up in the afternoon. There's usually a good supply of taxis at Rosyth and they might negotiate a good price with you for a round trip.

 

Hope that's clear but if you have any more questions, I'd be happy to help.

[miagirl]

tartanexile81 for your prompt response and helpful information. I just wish we had more time in Edinburgh!

 

and thank you Wrightwoodsbest for the information re the tickets to the Castle. For some reason I thought they would be more time specific.

 

Nan