Rail Travel - Getting The
Train To Edinburgh... And
Beyond
Rail
travel is perhaps the very
best way of arriving in
Edinburgh.
The
main railway station,
'Edinburgh Waverley', is set
deep down in the bowels of the
city. And when you climb
the steep steps and finally
emerge onto Princes Street,
your first glimpse of
Edinburgh's architecture all
around is simply
unforgettable.
Edinburgh
Waverley also makes a great
base for rail travel to other
places in Scotland or the
UK.
You
can catch a train here to
destinations like Glasgow,
Perth, and Inverness – the
gateway to the Highlands.
Or venture further South
- London Kings Cross is
only four and a half hours
from Edinburgh by rail.
How to Book Rail Tickets
Online
UK
rail fares can vary
wildly.
For
example, a journey from London
Kings Cross to Edinburgh
Waverley on June
17
th
2003
(when booking a month in
advance) cost between £25 and
£90.50.
As
usual, the secret of snaring
the best fares is to plan
ahead.
This
used to involve a trip to the
railway station or travel
agents, but thankfully that’s
all changed…
‘QJump’
is
a terrific online system that
lets you
plan
your rail journey and book
your tickets
within
minutes.
You
just type in your departure
and destination stations
together with your planned
travel dates.
QJump
then searches the National
Rail Enquiries system and
pulls back the routes, times,
prices, and
availability,
You
can secure the best tickets
immediately using your credit
or debit card.
Here
are a few features of
the
QJump
system:
-
You can book a train
ticket up to 12 weeks
ahead
-
You can reserve a
particular seat on the
train up to 8 weeks in
advance.
You can usually request:
smoking / non-smoking,
facing direction of travel
/ non-facing, window /
aisle.
-
You can book tickets from
anywhere in the world,
however, you can only have
tickets posted to you if
you have a UK address and
you book at least 5 days
in advance.
-
If you live outside the
UK, or you book less than
5 days ahead, you can
collect your tickets at a
railway station (see
QJump’s website for a list
of available
stations).
Quick Tips On How To Get Those
Cheap Rail Tickets
-
The further ahead you
plan, the more likely you
are to get the cheap
fares
-
Play about with the times
(and dates if you
can).
You’ll often find trains
an hour or two apart have
cheaper seats
available.
-
You pay for flexibility so
restrict your journey to
fixed dates and
times.
-
Avoid travelling during
busy periods.
Peak times are the
business rush hours
between 6 – 9 am and 4 – 7
pm.
Also try not to travel on
Fridays if you can help
it.
Take
a train, plane, bus, car, or
canoe. Just come
to Edinburgh, Scotland...
"The most beautiful city
in the world!"
Take a few seconds and
get your free travel guide
today.
|
