There are three options available for taking the train from London to Edinburgh:
Taking the scenic journey by day, either on:
When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.
4hr 20 min - 4hr 40min
Daily
This is the typical journey time, the departures at 00 minutes past the hour are faster than the trains which leave at 30 minutes past the hour.
At weekends maintenance work on the railway line can cause trains to be diverted on to longer routes.
There are 2 x trains per hour for most of the day, there is always at minimum of 1 x departure per hour.
Is the journey from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley direct?
Yes, there are no changes for the journey between London and Edinburgh on this line.
Is the journey scenic?
Yes, you can see views of the sea if you sit on the correct side of the train. (Read: How to choose seats with sea views in the Journey Information for details).
What other tourist locations are along the route from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley?
York, Durham, Newcastle, Berwick-Upon-Tweed
When is the usual approximate earliest arrival at Edinburgh Waverley from London Kings Cross?
From 10:00 to 10:15 on Monday to Friday; from 10:00 to 10:15 on Saturday; from 13:00 to 13:15 on Sunday
When is the usual approximate latest departure from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley?
19:00 on Monday to Thursday and Sunday; 19:30 on Friday; 18:00 on Saturday
Are tickets cheaper if booked in advance for the London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley train?
Yes
How soon ahead of travel are tickets typically placed on sale for the London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley train?
12 weeks; see the Ticket Information
What are the child ticket terms for the London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley train?
Aged 5 to 15 = 50%; 4 and under = free
Does the ticket for the London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley train include assigned seats?
Varies; Yes with Advance Tickets; see the Ticket Information
Do rail pass users need to book reservations for the London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley train?
No
Is catering available on the London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley train?
Yes, there is a bar/bistro car and At Seat Catering; Complimentary catering in 1st class, which can include a full meal service
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. On longer-distance journeys within the UK it automatically offers a split ticket option if it will be cheaper. Plus it sells tickets for all train operators on each route.
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Rail Europe ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option when booking international journeys with connections and for travellers who don't reside in western Europe. Use the easy options on its home page if you will be booking tickets with a railcard: Or purchasing rail pass reservations.
LNER offers a couple of services which offer additional benefits to how tickets are usually sold for long-distance journeys:
They are:
In Great Britain each Train Operating Company provides its own booking service for journeys by its trains, but many of their websites also sell tickets for nationwide journeys, regardless of which company operates the trains on the routes you wish to travel by.
The National Rail website is plugged into all of the train operator's booking services, so when more than one of these companies offers tickets for a route, it in effect offers a price comparison service.
It isn't a ticket agent, so you will be connected to the website of your choice in order to make a booking.
Final Destination:
Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow Inverness and Stirling - the new Azuma trains
Edinburgh - the Intercity 225 trains (virtually all services on this route are now by Azuma trains)
All trains also call at: York, Darlington and Newcastle
Most trains also call at: Berwick-upon-Tweed
The London to Edinburgh service has been transformed - on Mondays to Fridays there will now be 2 x trains per hour during the day and after 41 years of service, the 125 trains have ceased operating on the East Coast main line!
They have been replaced by the brand new Azuma trains on all services which continue beyond Edinburgh to serve other destinations in Scotland.
Those trains to destinations beyond Edinburgh are usually scheduled to depart from King's Cross station at
Mon - Sat: 10:00; 12:00; 14:00; 15:00 and 16:00
Sunday: 10:00; 12:00 and14:00
These departures are also all among the fastest services from London to Edinburgh - the departures that complete the journey in around 4hr 20 mins.
The Azuma trains also operate many of the other services to between these capital cities; when you look up the journey on the LNER website, it shows which type of train should be operating each departure.
Why you should take the train
Aside from environmental considerations there are two very good reasons for opting to take the train from London to Edinburgh.
(1) Edinburgh Waverley station has a fabulous location in the heart of the Scottish capital, so you will arrive in the city centre,
(2) Much of the London to Edinburgh train journey is glorious.
It is a journey of three phases:
However all of the best of the views are on the right hand side of the train (when facing the direction of travel).
If you haven't lucked out and have been assigned a seat(s) on the left-hand side when making a booking, see if you can find available seats on the right hand side after Darlington; if you move to a different seat(s) it won't affect the validity of your ticket.
Travel by these daytime trains and you won't arrive in Edinburgh until after 11:00, but the overnight train is scheduled to arrive Scotland's capital city before 07:30.
The overall journey time will be around three hours longer, but you will be travelling on Europe's newest overnight train service.
Though note that the overnight train departs from Euston station and not from King's Cross station.
Avanti West Coast also operates day trains to Edinburgh from Euston station, but they take an indirect route and therefore have a journey time of 5hr 45mins; and they won't be cheaper than the LNER trains from Kings Cross station.
All of the videos were taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction, when travelling towards Edinburgh, all of these views can be seen from the right.
Around 15 mins after departing from Darlington comes the first highlight of the journey - the stunning views over the town of Durham,
Over on the right before and after the station, the town's stunning castle and cathedral can be clearly seen in all their glory.
After Durham the next highlight of the journey is the passage over the River Tyne, as the train approaches Newcastle Central station and heads over the King Edward VII Bridge.
Looking to the right, five other bridges that span the river can be seen and there are also some great views of the Tyne Bridge as the train arrives in Newcastle station.
Around 30 mins after departing from Newcastle, the village of Alnmouth comes into view on the right, and just to the south of it is the first glimpse of the North Sea, which can be seen on this journey.
For most of the remainder of the journey northwards the route lives up to its name of the 'The East Coast Mainline'.
The next highlight is the view from the majestic Royal Border Bridge as the train sweeps into Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Around five minutes after the train has either passed through or departed from Berwick, it begins to travel across the clifftops as it crosses the border into Scotland - these are the most dramatic coastal views on the journey.
The coast then comes back into view to the south of Dunbar...
...and there are distant glimpses of the sea available until the train reaches the suburbs of Edinburgh.
This video produced by the train operator LNER also showcases the Newcastle to Edinburgh section of the route
When booking on the LNER website it will automatically assign seats, but there is the option use a seating plan to check the position of the seat(s) you have been placed in - and more crucially you can select alternative seat(s).
The trick is to take up the option of using the 'Manage your seat reservations' tool.
This is an example of a seating plan on a train being used for a London to Edinburgh departure, so if you want to choose seats on the side of the train with the sea views, ignore the seating layout as it will differ between coaches and trains etc.
The crucial piece of information to take note of is the direction of travel arrow - and this is consistent, no matter the train which will be used for the departure you have chosen.
The trick is to picture the seating chart as though it is turned to the left and is vertical - this is because the journey from London to Edinburgh involves travelling in a northerly direction.
If this was done the arrow would be on the left and the sea views are on the right, so to be sure of making the most of the sea views, choose seats on the opposite side of the train to the arrow.
Travel with Bookmundi from Edinburgh to areas of Scotland which can't easily be reached by train.
Travel with Bookmundi from Edinburgh to areas of Scotland which can't easily be reached by train.
1: The "Best Of Scotland" tour is a guided city sightseeing trip that takes 7 days. You will travel through Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Scottish Highlands on a group tour which includes accommodation in hotels, transport, meals and others.
Revel in the romance and history of the Scottish Highlands and contemplate the mysterious depths of Loch Ness.
2: A one day tour of the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness from Edinburgh passing the the town of Callander and over Rannoch Moor to a stop at Glen Coe.
After crossing Loch Leven at Ballachulish, stop for lunch in the Fort William area, then follow the course of the Caledonian Canal up the Great Glen to Fort Augustus on Loch Ness where you will have time to enjoy an optional boat cruise.
After Loch Ness take in magnificent views of Loch Laggan on the return our journey towards Edinburgh, which includes a stop in Pitlochry and a journey over the Forth Road Bridge.
3: The "Highland Fling" is a 5 day explorer group trip that includes accommodation in hostels, transport and others that begins and ends in Edinburgh and takes you through Oban, the Isle of Skye and Loch Ness.
When available is also includes the journey on The Jacobite steam train.
4: Starting in Edinburgh and ending in Glasgow, the "Country Roads Of Scotland" tour is a guided natural landmarks sightseeing tour that takes 9 days.
You will travel through Glencoe, Isle of Skye, Orkney Islands and 4 other destinations in Scotland. "Country Roads Of Scotland" is a group tour which includes accommodation, transport, meals and others.
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please go here to say thank you.
LNER is undertaking a trial for a new approach for long-distance rail tickets on the London to Edinburgh route instead of Advance, Off Peak and Anytime tickets travellers can choose between
1: Fixed Tickets - like Advance tickets they can only be used on the specific departure selected when booking, hence the new name.
This type of ticket can't be refunded from two hours after booking, if you subsequently change your travel plans, or miss the train in circumstances not to do with a connecting train.
A £10 admin fee will be payable if you want to exchange your ticket to a different departure to the same destination, to that which you selected when making your booking PLUS you will ALSO be charged any price difference with the new ticket you'll then have to purchase.
2: Semi Flexible aka 'the 70 Min Flex tickets:
When booking you will choose a specific departure, but can then swap the ticket to an alternative departure leaving 70mins before or after the chosen train, without incurring additional charges.
If you instead want to choose a different departure outside of those 70 min windows, you will need to pay the £10 admin fee and the price difference if the alternative train you select is more expensive.
This type of ticket can't be refunded from two hours after booking.
3: Fully Flexible
When booking you will choose a specific departure, but can then swap the ticket to an alternative departure leaving at anytime on your travel date, or on the day before, or after.
The tickets are refundable up to 28 days from your ticket’s expiry date, but if you don't choose another journey you will be charged a £10 admin fee
Travelling on Monday - Friday:
Tickets are usually available 12 weeks ahead of the travel date.
However, when you look up a journey you may see dates further ahead on the calendar, but you'll be informed that tickets aren't yet available for those dates.
On the LNER website you'll be prompted to sign up to a Ticket Alert service - if you will be using a PC, over on the right on the screen you'll be taken to, you'll see the furthest date ahead that tickets can be booked for.
Travelling on Saturday-Sunday
Tickets are usually available 12 weeks ahead of the travel date, but maintenance work on the route is periodically undertaken at weekends and if it is scheduled on your travel date, it can affect when tickets will be released for sale.
If you're looking up a journey less than 12 weeks ahead and tickets aren't available, it can be a good indication that works will be impacting on your travel date.
It can be worth checking this on the National Rail website - enter LNER as the operator.
Making an end-to-end journey will still be possible, so it can be worth signing up to LNER's ticket alert service, though you MAY ultimately have to take a substitution bus service for part of the trip.
It's the confirmation of these alternative travel arrangements which can hold up the release of the tickets for sale.
Reservations:
When you book an Advance ticket for a London to Edinburgh train journey, you will be automatically assigned a seat(s), but if you book the other types of ticket ahead, you can request a complimentary reservation - more info on this
Seat reservations aren't automatically included when booking Off Peak or Anytime tickets online, but you can add the complimentary reservation, once you've made choice of departure, either when booking or afterwards.
When booking walk-up tickets at a station ticket counter, if the Advance tickets aren't available for the next departure, confirm whether a seat reservation has been added to the booking of an Anytime or Off Peak ticket, in theory reservations will be available until around 5 mins pre-departure.
If you will be using a rail pass, including a Britrail or Eurail pass, you should be able to obtain a reservation, at no charge, from a ticket counter up until 5 mins before the departure; keep this in mind as it is not the norm when using rail passes in Britain.
Receiving Your Ticket(s) booked with LNER
The four options for receiving your ticket(s) are:
(1) You will receive a booking reference number on your order confirmation email and you can use this reference number to collect ticket(s) from a ticket machine.
Some stations will have dedicated ticket collection machines, but standard ticket machines will also have an option for collecting pre-booked tickets.
You will need to enter your reference number into the machine, so make sure you'll have easy access to it when you are using the machine.
You will also need to insert the specific credit or debit card you used when making the booking, so have that with you too.
Showing the email you have received to staff at the ticket gates won't get you on to the train, nor will this be valid if you can only show the email to the conductor when you are on the train.
If you forget to bring your ticket(s) with you to the station, but do have the card with you that you used when booking, you can use the machines to collect your ticket(s).
Take your time and take care that you have picked up all your ticket(s) and seat reservations.
(2) Print off the tickets you receive before heading to the station - the instructions for doing this are available here.
(3) Opt to pay an additional charge to have your tickets posted to you; not available when booking tickets from outside the UK.
(4) Mobile tickets - if you select this option when making a booking you will need to download the LNER Travel Buddy app so that you can 'Activate' your ticket.
The LNER website states that 'Advance' tickets will be automatically activated, but there's no suggestion on the LNER website that it will be OK to save the ticket(s) you will receive as a PDF to your mobile device.
So download the app to be sure that you can use a mobile ticket.
The potential to save by splitting tickets on Trainline
It can be worth looking up this journey on Trainline.
It can be possible to save money by using split ticketing, with the booking process being no more complicated than booking conventional tickets - find out more.
4hr 25min - 4hr 37min
Monday to Friday
5 x trains per day
The Lumo timetable
Journey Summary:
Is the journey direct? = Yes
What other tourist locations are long this route? = York, Durham, Newcastle, Berwick-Upon-Tweed (though these trains do not call in York, Durham or Berwick-Upon-Tweed)
When is the usual approximate earliest arrival at the destination? = from 10:00 to 10:15 on Monday to Saturday; from 13:00 to 13:15 on Sunday
When is the usual approximate latest departure? = before 20:30 on Monday to Friday; before 18:30 on Saturday; before 19:30 on Sunday
Are tickets cheaper if booked in advance? = Yes
How soon ahead of travel are tickets typically placed on sale? = 24 weeks; see the Ticket Information
What are the child ticket terms? = aged 5 to 15 = 50%; 4 and under = free
Does the ticket include assigned seats? = Yes with Fixed Tickets; see the Ticket Information
Do rail pass users need to book reservations? = No
Is catering available on the train? = Yes = At Seat Catering
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. On longer-distance journeys within the UK it automatically offers a split ticket option if it will be cheaper. Plus it sells tickets for all train operators on each route.
LNER offers a couple of services which offer additional benefits to how tickets are usually sold for long-distance journeys:
They are:
In Great Britain each Train Operating Company provides its own booking service for journeys by its trains, but many of their websites also sell tickets for nationwide journeys, regardless of which company operates the trains on the routes you wish to travel by.
The National Rail website is plugged into all of the train operator's booking services, so when more than one of these companies offers tickets for a route, it in effect offers a price comparison service.
It isn't a ticket agent, so you will be connected to the website of your choice in order to make a booking.
Lumo is a relatively new rail operator which offers a more-basic alternative to travelling on LNER's trains.
If you want to travel in Standard Class and...
The core differences between the Lumo trains and the Azuma trains used by LNER are:
First Class:
LNER = available
Lumo = not available
Bar/bistro car:
LNER = available
Lumo = not available
At seat catering:
LNER = available
Lumo = available, but more substantial items such as sandwiches need to be pre-ordered up to 10 hours prior to departure
Large suitcases:
LNER = yes
Lumo = no
Non-folding bicycles:
LNER = yes, spaces can be reserved
Lumo = no
Final destination: Edinburgh
All trains also call Newcastle and Morpeth
Lumo offers a much more frequent service to Morpeth than LNER
The Lumo trains take the same route as the LNER trains.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open 24 weeks ahead of the travel date.
Lumo only offers two types of tickets for sale: Anytime and Lumo Fixed, which are its equivalent of discounted Advance tickets.
The prices of Lumo Fixed tickets will be cheaper the further ahead that they are booked and in common with Advance tickets they are departure specific, so include complimentary seat reservations.
They can be changed right up to the time of departure for any future without any admin fees, though any price difference to travel by the different departure will be payable.
Something to look out for is that the cheapest price of Lumo Fixed tickets are lower than cheapest prices of Advance tickets sold by LNER for London to Edinburgh journeys, but these cheapest prices will sell out at different rates.
So it's worth comparing prices on your travel date(s), particularly if you won't be booking months ahead, you may find cheaper prices available on some LNER departures.
7hr 33min - 7hr 56min
Nightly
The shorter journey time applies to Mon-Fri departures
There are no departures on Saturday evenings
Final Destination: Edinburgh
Note that this overnight train departs from Euston station in London, but the daytime trains depart from King's Cross station.
All trains also depart from: Watford Junction (the night trains take a different route to the daytime trains)
When departing from Euston, these Caledonian Sleeper trains are available for boarding from 22:30 (10:30 pm) which is more than an hour ahead of departure.
Then in Edinburgh passengers can remain on board for 37 minutes after arrival.
On Board summary:
More information is available by clicking the 'train details', but if you make this journey you will be travelling on Europe's most modern overnight trains.
You can opt to choose from three different types of sleeping cabin, one of which offers the opportunity to travel in a double bed, OR you can travel in reclining seats.
This train is usually scheduled to arrive in Edinburgh between 07:20 and 07:25, while the first of the daytime trains isn't due into Scotland's capital city until after 11:00 on Monday -Saturdays.
On departure from London the coaches heading to Edinburgh are attached to another part of the train which will be heading to Glasgow.
Unusually for UK train tickets, you can book journeys on the Caledonian Sleeper up to twelve months ahead.
If you want a full choice of accommodation in the summer months or around holiday times, it's best to book at least a month in advance.
When making a journey by these Caledonian Sleeper trains, you can choose from three types of sleeping cabin, or you can opt to travel in reclining seats - If you want to travel in the reclining seats, you will in effect only be paying the journey costs.
In common with how tickets are sold to travel in sleeping cabins on other European night train services, there are two elements to the total cost of the sleeping cabin ticket price,
On these Caledonian Sleeper trains the sleeping cabins have a fixed price, so how the total costs are calculated is dependent on how the sleeping cabins will be occupied.
If you will be making an individual booking you will have sole occupancy of a Club Room or Classic Room - booking a Caledonian Double isn't an option for solo travellers.
Although the total cost per person is more expensive if you will be travelling individually, because if you travel solo you pay the cost for the Club Room or Classic Room, plus a cost for making the journey.
But two people travelling together pay the same charge for the Club Room and Classic rooms, and the additional cost comes from having to purchase two journey tickets.
Paying a higher price for single occupancy of a sleeping cabin is the norm on European night trains, but this particular pricing methodology makes the sleeping cabins on a Caledonian Sleeper service, a comparatively expensive option for solo travellers.
Travelling as a family group:
The costs of adults and children travelling together will be calculated during the booking process - here is the relevant information.
Using Rail Passes:
If you will be using a valid rail pass you can travel in a reclining seat at no additional charge, but you must reserve a place prior to boarding, by calling the Guest Service Centre on 0330 060 0500.
If you want to travel in a bed in a Club Room sleeping cabin, you need to pay a 'Room only supplement' of £170 if you will be travelling solo, or £200 if two people will be travelling together.
If you want to travel in a Classic Room sleeping cabin, the supplement is £120 for solo travellers and £140 if two people are travelling together.
These 'Room only supplements' can be booked online.
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.
This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
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