International
Design in
Government

Getting to Edinburgh

By Air

Edinburgh Airport is about 10 kilometers outside of the city centre. There are a number of transport links from Edinburgh International Airport to all areas of the city.

By rail

Waverley Station is one and a half miles from the John McIntyre Conference Centre. All entrances to the station are step-free. Further details can be found in Waverley Station’s accessibility guide.

Getting to the conference venue

By bus

Lothian Bus numbers 2, 14, 30, 33 will take you from Princes Street (the main artery through Edinburgh) to the Commonwealth Pool, which is a short walk from the conference venue. A standard adult one way trip fare is £1.70. You’ll need exact change or you can download the Transport for Edinburgh mobile ticket app to buy tickets using a debit or credit card ahead of time.

All Lothian Buses are easy access, they are equipped with:

• Low entrances that can “kneel” to kerb height to give step free access where possible
• Retractable boarding ramp for wheelchair access
• Completely flat areas on the lower deck (with no internal steps)
• High visibility handrails
• A dedicated wheelchair space
• Drivers who are specially trained to help customers enjoy the full benefit of their buses.

For for further information on buses around Edinburgh, visit the Lothian Buses website.

By taxi

A taxi to the conference venue from the city centre will take about 10 minutes. Costs will vary depending on the time of day and the type of taxi you take.

For accessible taxis, we recommend Central Taxis. All Central Taxis are wheelchair accessible. They offer a mix of 5-seater TX Hackney cabs, 6-seater Mercedes M8 taxis and Peugeot E7 taxis each of which is supplied with a wheelchair ramp, seatbelts and additional safety anchors. All drivers have completed training in Wheelchair Access and Disability Awareness.

Where to stay

There is a huge variety of tourist accommodation in Edinburgh.

You can search hundreds of hotels, B&Bs and hotels in Edinburgh online. If you want to stay near the conference venue, search in these areas:

• Southside
• Newington
• Prestonfield
• The Grange
• The Meadows

Get in touch with us if you’d like some advice about staying in certain areas of the city.

Check out Euan’s Guide for disabled access reviews for hotels in Edinburgh.

Explore, eat and drink

There is no end of things to see, do, eat and drink in Edinburgh! Here are a few guides to get you started exploring:

• This is Edinburgh
• The List
• Time Out

If you’d like to stay on in Edinburgh and work remotely after the conference, have a look at the CoWorking Edinburgh website.

Need to get in touch?

• Email us: design@gov.scot
• Get in touch with other people attending on Slack - #intl-conference