Parking in Edinburgh

[bigandfluffy]

I am hoping to visit Edinburgh for the day during next week and if possible will drive through. Problem is I have heard parking anywhere around the center is hellish with restrictions, and traffic wardens are vicious giving tickets or hoisting cars off. We hope to visit the National Museum, St James Centre, castle, Holyrood park among other things. Any ideas where one can park without getting lynched or charged the earth for a few hours.

Alternative is an expensive train journey and buses around the city.

You could consider park and ride facilities all round the city depending on where you are coming from, but you then need to factor in £3 return per adult plus £1.40 return for children in to your calculations as well as the time factor (approx. 30 mins for most of them) to get in to the city.
Alternatively you could play it safe and park in an official car park - I think the one behind Waverley station is a great location for what you are looking to do, and (for Edinburgh) reasonably priced Mon-Fri 24 hours

Free / 30 mins

£ 3.00 / 1 hour

£ 5.00 / 2 hours

£ 6.50 / 4 hours

£ 9.50 / 6 hours

£14.00 / 12 hours

The other main option at that end of town is the Greenside car park which is Mon-Sun 24 hours

£ 5.50 / 2 hours

£ 8.00 / 4 hours

£11.50 / 6 hours

There is pay and display on street parking in the area around the station too- Calton road (£2 per hour)or East Market street (£2.40/hour) but there is a maximum 4 hour stay.

I live here and never take the car into town as parking is just a nightmare.

Park on the street somewhere that there are no restrictions and get a family day ticket for the buses. £7.50 I think, for 2 adults and up to 3 kids.

Which direction are you coming from? Maybe we could suggest the best place with free parking.

Where are you coming from? I often get the train from South Gyle into town and it's not too much walking from there.

Just don't! Seriously!

I live here abs get parking tickets all the time, I just don't seem to be able to do it correctly!

The only actual help I can be is to say you can park on chambers at (outside the best museum in the world IMO!) for 4 hours, prices start at £2.40 an hour or you could park at Cameron toll shopping centre and get the bus up liberton brae.

My dh got a ticket recently... his parking ticket ran out at 10.30am, at 10.28 a ticket was put on his van and at 10.29 he returned to the van and found the ticket and no sign of anyone. Plenty photographic evidence and an appeal is now in. Time they taught them to tell the time.

Definitely recommend park and ride, at several locations around the city. free parking & then get a day ticket on the buses. Edinburgh is very well served with buses.

I don't understand people getting parking tickets all the time. Try using Ringo on your phone - it will even text you when your parking is about to run out and let you extend the time. Parking in edinburgh is no more complicated than anywhere else, but it is expensive. I would park either in the Waverley car park or at Greenside, marginally more expensive than park and ride, but more convenient, you don't want to end the day on a crowded bus.

My husband is limited due to it being a company van and them providing him with a petty cash float. But the warden was wrong in his recent encounter as CEC have accepted the appeal.

I find buses fine and the train from South Gyle suits me perfectly if I have to go in to town. I get annoyed at the extortionate parking costs in Edinburgh.