Visiting Edinburgh

If you’re travelling from outside the UK, please check the current guidance on international travel, which can be found here.

If you’re travelling from within the UK, you can reach Edinburgh via train, bus, by bike or by car. where possible, we encourage you to make use of public transport.

Public transport timetables for connecting services across Scotland can be found at Traveline Scotland.

Getting around Edinburgh

We encourage our visitors to think green and use active travel where possible, making journeys in physically active ways – like walking, wheeling (using a wheelchair or mobility aid), cycling, or scooting. 

Edinburgh is a historic city that is well-known for its cobbles and closes. Please note that some of our exhibitions and commissions can present challenges for access. 

To help with this issue, we’ve teamed up with Euan’s Guide to provide advice on access for each festival venue. This can be found at euansguide.com/edartfest. 

We recommend the the Transport for Edinburgh app, which allows you to book bus and tram journeys in the city. Download the Transport for Edinburgh app (iPhone), or Transport for Edinburgh app (Android).

If you’re looking to cycle, we recommend using routes on the National Cycle Network. A number of these routes connect into Edinburgh – please take care on routes which include roads. You can find out more about routes in Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Scottish Borders here.

Dedicated Bus Services

This year we are putting on dedicated bus services to make it easier to get around, whether it be from event to event or to take you back home. Please note there are only a limited number of spaces on these bus services.

• From Maria Fusco & Margaret Salmon: History of the Present, The Queen’s Hall to the EAF Launch Party, The Biscuit Factory. Free – first come, first served.

• From EAF Launch Party, The Biscuit Factory to Central Glasgow. £15 ticket, book here.

• From JUPITER RISING x EAF Party to Central Edinburgh and Central Glasgow. £15 ticket, book here.

Staying in Edinburgh

Visit Scotland offer an extensive listings services of places to stay, from hostels to hotels and self catering – you can search the listings here.

Visit Scotland also offer information about Accessible accommodation in Scotland – find out more about this here.

Ticket Payment Structure

In order to help make Edinburgh Art Festival more accessible, tickets are offered on a pay what you can basis for our festival-led events. You can choose what to pay based on your financial circumstances, and we won’t ask for any proof or ID. If you want to support this pricing structure, and are able comfortably afford to, please select a Solidarity Ticket at checkout. See our Access page for more guidance on what to pay.

Your safety

Edinburgh Art Festival is committed to your safety and will be following Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council health and safety recommendations at all times. We will work with venues and organisers to ensure our events remain safe, while also asking our audiences to observe good public health behaviours at all times. We will continue to refine our guidance ahead of the festival, and update this page with the latest Covid-19 safety advice.

Other festivals to visit in August

Edinburgh Art Festival is part of Festivals Edinburgh, a collective of the city’s key festivals.

In 2022, we celebrated 75 years since the founding of the festival city – marking the anniversaries of Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and Edinburgh International Film Festival.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and Edinburgh International Book Festival also take place in August.

If you arrive earlier in July, you can also catch Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival.