Getting to Scotland by train is easier than you might think. That said, you do need to bring along a bit of time.
Getting there by …
… plane
… ferry
… train
back to overview
Basically there’s one question to settle first: do I want to bring my car and just use the train to cross the sea section? Then the answer, of course, is the Eurotunnel. Without a car, the options listed below come into play.
Costs for a train journey can vary considerably. It also depends on the route whether you have to deal with three or more rail companies, or can book everything with just one.
Eurotunnel: Car train instead of ferry
The Eurotunnel runs beneath the English Channel from Calais to Folkestone. From Folkestone to Edinburgh it’s then still 720 kilometres, so a good eight hours of driving.
Eurotunnel prices start at around €120 for a one-way crossing. It does depend on the time and season, though. In my sample search, prices ranged from €120 to €145 one way for a standard car – with two passengers already included.
According to the website, the shuttle through the Eurotunnel runs up to four times an hour and takes 35 minutes.
Eurostar: By train via London to Scotland
Booking via Eurostar is a comfortable option. Here a single search brings up various routes to London.
In my sample search, the journey from Frankfurt to London could take around eight hours, depending on the route and price chosen. The one-way train ticket on the fast connection came to just under €150 up to just under €180 for the outbound leg.
For the return leg by daytime train, prices were already between roughly €170 and €230. On top of that comes the transfer from London to Edinburgh, which adds around €70 one way. Overall, a reasonable price.
Alternatives: Other rail links to Scotland
In principle you can also take the train to one of the ferry links to Scotland or the UK – to Amsterdam, for example. From Frankfurt that would take around four hours and, depending on the type of ticket, cost from €110 one way. On top of that comes the ferry, followed by the train from Newcastle to Edinburgh. That would add around €25 one way. Journey time on this final leg is roughly two hours.
My recommendation: Only for nervous flyers or the environmentally conscious
Rail links are good, but flying or the car ferry still matter a great deal. For many people they’re simply the better option. Even so, the train has become a reasonable alternative.