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Edinburgh to Aberdeen by train
How to travel by train from Edinburgh to Aberdeen
Step on board for one of Europe's most scenic rail journeys between two cities with stunning sea views, even on a grey day, and the opportunity to travel across two iconic examples of railway engineering; the Forth and Tay Bridges
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Routes
From Edinburgh Waverley to Aberdeen
Journey Summary
2hr 19min - 2hr 37min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Aberdeen
All trains also depart from: Edinburgh Haymarket station.
If the starting point of your journey is at the western end of the city centre, you can save time by heading to Haymarket station rather than Edinburgh Waverley, in order to board these trains.
All trains also call at: Dundee
**Most trains also call at Arbroath, Montrose and Stonehaven - at all three of these stations or two of them.
Most of these trains are operated by ScotRail and it now uses its Inter7City trains for virtually all of the departures on this route; the Turbostar trains are only scheduled to be used on the final departure of the day.
However, in some hours, the trains which depart Edinburgh for Aberdeen have travelled from destinations further south.
These include Azuma trains operated by LNER which originate in Leeds and London and a daily train operated by CrossCountry.
These non ScotRail trains are usually scheduled to depart Edinburgh at:
- 10:27 on Mon-Sat (LNER)
- 14:30 on Mon-Sat (LNER)
- 14:33 on Sunday (LNER)
- 18:13 on Friday and Saturday (Cross Country)
- 18:35/18:37 daily (LNER)
- 20:34 on Mon-Fri (LNER)
Which an be worth be keeping in mind, as because these trains don't commence their journeys in Edinburgh, they are more likely to have a delayed departure.
Mon - Sat = 1 x train per hour
Sunday = 8 x trains
Note that the trains operated by CrossCountry and LNER are not included on the ScotRail timetables.
Tickets
Book Early and Save: Yes
Online Bookings Usually Open: from 12 weeks ahead of the travel date (usually)
If you want to travel at the cheapest possible price, look for the 'Advance tickets.
Though something out of the ordinary for British train tickets, which is very much worth being aware of, is that ScotRail doesn't release Advance tickets for sale until 8 weeks ahead of the travel date.
However, the more expensive Anytime tickets will be placed on sale up to 3 months ahead.
So of if you look up a long-distance journey ticket on the ScotRail website more than 8 weeks ahead, you will only see the Anytime tickets, so you can save money by hanging back and waiting until the Advance tickets have been placed on sale.
ScotRail takes Advance tickets off sale at 18:00 (6pm) on the day prior to a travel date.
Choosing a departure
There can be significant differences in prices of Advance tickets between departures, the cheapest ticket prices inevitably sell out faster on the most popular trains.
So it can be possible to save money by looking through the departures and selecting an earlier or later train.
Also be aware that Advance tickets can sell out completely more than a couple of days ahead on the most popular trains.
Booking at the station
If you will be booking walk up tickets last minute at the station Advance tickets will be available up to 5 mins prior to departure for LNER trains, but not for the ScotRail departures, as it takes Advance tickets off sale at the close of the previous day
Therefore you will have to pay the Anytime rate on ScotRail departures between 16:30 and 19:00 when Mondays to Fridays are working days; so it can be worthwhile to specifically enquire whether Advance tickets are still available for the LNER departure, which is typically scheduled at 18:35.
Seat Reservations
When booking Advance tickets specific seats will automatically be assigned, but when booking Off-Peak or Anytime tickets, you will be given an easy option to add a reservation when booking online.
Or if when booking Anytime or Off-Peak tickets, you don't yet know which specific train you will want to travel by, you can arrange a seat reservation free of charge later, either at a station, or by calling ScotRail’s Customer Relations team on 0344 811 0141, selecting Option 3.
However, reservations at stations need to be arranged a couple of hours prior to departure.
These methods of booking reservations also apply if you will be using a rail pass, you can drop in at a ticket office and arrange seat reservations, at no extra charge, or call that number.
Bike Reservations
You can also a complimentary bike reservation when booking tickets on the ScotRail website.
ScotRail deals
ScotRail offers ticketing deals when Adults travel with children or in groups, so when booking online it's worth being checking to confirm whether the total price being charged is inclusive of these deals
Or you can book these deals at a station ticket office, if Advance tickets are available the booking clerk will ask if that's your preference - though be aware that Advance deals can't be refunded or exchanged if one or more members of a party subsequently can't make the trip.
If you do opt to book these deals at the station you won't ever charged more than the online price and the booking clerk may be able to point out a money saving option.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| ScotRail | * |
On this journey
Journey Features
Good to Know
Connecting the ferries on to Orkney and Shetland
The ferries to Kirkwall on Orkney and Lerwick on Shetland usually depart Aberdeen at either 17:00 or 19:00.
To allow for:
- contingency in the event of a train delay
- making the transfer from the station to the ferry terminal
- the check-in time for the ferry.
For the 17:00 ferry ShowMeTheJourney recommends taking the 12:41 departure on Sunday and the 13:29 departure on Mondays to Saturdays.
For the 19:00 ferry the recommendation is to take the 14:33 departure on Sundays and the 15:30 departure on Mondays to Saturdays.
Journey description:
There are very few journeys between two European cities, taken by express trains, that are as consistently fabulous as this route between Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
Though the sea views on this journey can only be seen on the right-hand side of the train when facing north; also all of the videos were taken were travelling in the opposite direction.
So if you have reserved seats and then discover on boarding, that they're over on the left, it can be worth seeking out available window seats on the right.
You won't have to travel in the seat(s) you have been assigned for your ticket to be valid.
For much of the journey between Edinburgh and Dundee the railway line is beside the coastline of East Fife.
Virtually any time a UK coastal train journey is shown on film and television, what will be seen is a train travelling by the sea in South Devon, but from inside the trains, the views are just as spectacular on this journey – and they’re sustained for longer.
Though the views from the train as it travels by the shore are superseded by those from two of the most stunning train journey experiences which can be found anywhere in Europe!
Namely the views from the Forth Bridge, which occur around 12 -15 mins after the train has departed from Edinburgh...
....and the views from The Tay Bridge just before the train arrives in Dundee.
>Much of the final part of the journey north of Dundee also offers lovely sea views, particularly as the train leaves the city behind...
...and then north of Stonehaven, the railway line runs across the cliff-tops.The harbour in Montrose, which is by the station is also rather lovely and is pretty-much the only location on the entire trip, on which the best of the views can only be seen on the left.
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So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please go here to say thank you.
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.
See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.
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