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Edinburgh Facts
Population:
448,850
Area:
100 sq mi
Country:
Scotland
Time Zone:
GMT/UTC
Telephone Area Code:
0131
Weather:
For weather forecasts and road conditions, call tel. 0891/505-322. This number also provides data about weather information for Lothian, the Borders, Tayside, and Fife.
The climate in Edinburgh is most pleasant from May to September, but whenever you go, you're likely to see both sun and rain (or snow). In summer, daylight hours are long, and the evenings are luxuriously lengthy. In winter, it's cold and daylight hours are short, but with so much going on, Edinburgh is a wonderful place to visit at any time of the year, . There is one caveat: the city becomes impossibly crowded during the main festival period from August to early September, so make reservations well ahead of time if you plan to visit then.
Equivalent Weights And Measures:
1 cm 0.39 inches
1 meter 3.28 feet / 1.09 yards
1 km 0.62 miles
1 liter 0.26 gallons
1 inch 2.54 cm
1 foot 0.39 meters
1 yard 0.91 meters
1 mile 1.60 km
1 gallon 3.78 liters
Holidays:
January 1, 2: New Year's Day
March or April (varies): Good Friday
March or April (varies): Easter and Easter Monday
First Monday in May: Bank holiday
May (mid-late May): Victoria Holiday
From 1st Monday in July for 2 weeks: Edinburgh Trades Holiday
1st Monday in August: Bank Holiday
3rd Monday in September: Autumn Holiday
December 24-26: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Laundry:
Centrally located is: Sundial Launderette, 7-11 East London St. (tel. 0131/556-2743; Bus: 34, 35), open Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm, Saturday 8am to 4pm, and Sunday 10am to 2pm. For dry-cleaning: Johnson's Cleaners, 23 Frederick St. (tel. 0131/225-8095; Bus: 23, 41), open Monday to Friday 8am to 5:30pm and Saturday 8am to 4pm.
Luggage/Storage/Lockers:
You can store luggage in lockers at Waverley Station, at Waverley Bridge (tel. 0131/550-2333), open Monday to Saturday 7am to 11pm and Sunday 8am to 11pm.
Newspapers/Magazines:
Published since 1817, The Scotsman is a quality daily newspaper containing national and international news, and the arts.
Magazines:
Edinburgh Review, published quarterly by the University Press, is a cultural journal.
Business Hours:
In Edinburgh, banks are usually open Monday to Wednesday from 9:30am to 3:45pm and Thursday and Friday from 9:30am to 5 or 5:30pm. Shops are usually open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5:30 or 6pm; on Thursday stores are open to 8pm. Offices are open Monday to Friday from 9am - 5pm.
Internet:
For checking email or sending messages, try Cyberia Edinburgh, 88 Hanover St. tel. 0131/220-4405; Bus: 23, 41; e-mail: edinburgh@cybersurf.co.uk.
Dentist:
For a dental emergency, the Edinburgh Dental Institute, 39 Lauriston Pl. is available. (tel. 0131/536-4900; Bus: 23, 41). It is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm.
Doctor:
In a medical emergency, call the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, 1 Lauriston Pl. (tel. 0131/536-1000; Bus: 23, 41). Medical attention is available 24 hours.
Drugstores:
There are no 24-hour drugstores (called chemists or pharmacies) in Edinburgh. The major drugstore is Boots, 48 Shandwick Place (tel. 0131/225-6757; Bus: 3, 31), open Monday to Wednesday and Friday 8am to 6pm, Thursday 8am to 7:30pm, Saturday 8am to 7pm, and Sunday 10am to 5pm.
Emergencies:
Call 999 in an emergency for police, ambulance, or to report a fire.
Post Office:
The Edinburgh Branch Post Office, St. James's Centre, is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm and Saturday 9am to noon. For postal information and customer service, tel. 0131/550-8232; Bus: 23, 41).
Rest Rooms:
These are found at rail stations, terminals, restaurants, hotels, pubs, and department stores. Public toilets, ( often marked WC, at various corners and squares throughout the city are safe and , but likely to be closed late in the evening.
Taxes:
A 17.5% value-added tax (VAT) is included in the price of all goods and services in Edinburgh, and elsewhere in Britain. There are no special city taxes. Hotel prices usually include this tax.
Getting There & Away:
Edinburgh's international airport has frequent direct flights to Europe, Ireland and other parts of the United Kingdom and a limited number of services to Africa, the Middle East and Asia. There are no direct air services from North America.
You can reach Edinburgh from airports in Britain and Europe and connect easily to and from America. Edinburgh International Airport is close to the city, a bus or taxi-ride away. Car rentals are available at the airport, or from numerous businesses in town.
Traveling from the United States to Edinburgh, the usual route is to fly to London, then take the train or bus north. The 4-hour London to Edinburgh rail trip takes only about an hour more than flying in actual travel time and is much less costly.
Buses are the cheapest, but not the most efficient mode of transportation for travel between Edinburgh and Europe or other parts of the UK. Discount rail tickets are competitively priced.
Arriving By Plane:
Edinburgh is about an hour's flying time from London, 393 miles south. Edinburgh Airport (tel. 0131/333-1000) lies 6 miles (10km) west of the center, receiving flights from within the British Isles and the rest of Europe. A double-decker Airlink bus makes the trip from the airport to the city center every 10 minutes, discharging passengers near Waverley Bridge, between the Old Town and the New Town.
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