Making the most of Queensferry Edinburgh Scotland
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
You will be anchored and tendered to South Queensferry, within sight of the famous Forth Railway Bridge.
Most cruise lines offer shuttles to the center of Edinburgh (16.90 Euros), but only announce this the night before, so not to disturb their excursion sales.
The ship's shuttle (25 minutes trip) will drop you off at Waterloo Place, just a few steps from the point where all hop on/off buses start. Just past Waverley Station.
The local bus company Lothian run buses right at the quay side into Edinburgh taking approx 35 mins, at a cost of £12.00 each return. They drop you in Saint David`s Street which is very central, this is opposite the Scott Monument, so it is easy to find you way back to pick up the bus.Ticket can be used all day on local buses in Edinburgh.
Taxis have a fixed one way rate per taxi (not per person) for 25 Pound.
Climb a small hill (110 steps!) to the railway station at Dalmeny and spent the day in Edinburgh. Trains are every 20 minutes with a journey time of 15 minutes, and cost just over £8, for a return ticket. The off peak return rail fare from Dalmeny to Edinburgh is £5.80
Video of the tender into South Queensferry.
Printable map to take along.
Webcam
You can walk the waterfront, admire the little Priory Church of St Mary, browse the handful of remaining shops and relax on the sidewalk cafes.
Money
The currency throughout the UK is the pound (£). You may also hear the slang term quid for pounds. Scottish bank notes are frowned upon in other parts of the UK, so change the notes before leaving Scotland.
Please make sure you get change in English notes as Scottish notes are not everywhere accepted in the rest of the UK.
Cash machines (ATM) or less formally 'holes in the wall' are very widely available and usually dispense £10 and £20 notes.
Visa, Mastercard and Maestro, are accepted by most shops and restaurants.
Staying connected
English is spoken throughout the country, but sometimes with heavy accents!
Many locations on the High St have free WiFi including the museum.
There is also free WiFi on the public bus 43. The local emergency telephone number is 999, however the EU-wide 112 can also be used.
Opening Hours and
Shopping hours are in general:
Small stores 6 or 7 days a week (10am - 6pm) Larger stores in general stay open til' 9PM Hyper marts often 24/7