Find trains from Manchester to Edinburgh

Travelling on the railway from Manchester to Edinburgh is a great idea if you want to see the beautiful scenery of northern England and southern Scotland. The trip from Manchester to Edinburgh differs depending on which station you depart from in Manchester. If you depart from Manchester Oxford Road or Piccadilly, you will take an inland western route, while the train that departs from Manchester Victoria takes a more eastern and coastal route. On the route from Manchester Oxford Road and Piccadilly train stations, you will get to see the fabulous city of Manchester as you leave the stations. While on your way to Edinburgh, you will go through Preston, Lancaster, and Carlisle. Suppose you decide to take the train from Manchester to Edinburgh via Manchester Victoria station. In that case, you will get to see beautiful countryside views, pass through many cities and get to see stunning coastal sights. Some of the cities you will pass through include Leeds, York, Durham and Newcastle Upon Tyne. After you pass through Newcastle Upon Tyne, most of your journey will be coastal. Once you finally arrive in Edinburgh, those on the Manchester Oxford Road and Piccadilly route will see Edinburgh Castle, just before you come into the train station. Those on the Manchester Victoria route will come in via the coast and will get a view of the beaches in Edinburgh.

There are many available services at Manchester Oxford Road, Piccadilly and Victoria train stations while you wait for your train from Manchester to Edinburgh. Manchester Oxford Road train station is the second busiest train station in Manchester and has a small selection of services and amenities for you to use. These include bathrooms, waiting areas, a station buffet and disability access. Manchester Piccadilly train station has the most services and amenities out of the three train stations. It is Manchester's busiest train station and has a total of 16 platforms. The amenities and services include bathrooms, baby changing facilities, a station buffet, waiting areas, a 1st class lounge, cash machines, shops and disability access. Manchester Victoria train station is a large train station, but smaller than the previous two. It is attached to Manchester Arena and next to the National Football Museum. Services and amenities at this train station include bathrooms, waiting areas, a station buffet and disability assistance.

You will not need a passport to travel from Manchester to Edinburgh as both cities are in the United Kingdom. However, it is advised that you bring some form of identification with you while you travel. This can be in the form of a driver's licence, passport or identification book/card. It is also good to make sure that your train tickets from Manchester to Edinburgh are well secured before you start your journey north.

Edinburgh Waverley train station is located very near from Edinburgh’s city centre. Some of the ways you can reach the city centre are walking, taking the bus or calling a taxi. Walking the route will be the quickest way of getting to the city centre. If you are unable to walk the route, there is the option of the bus. You can take buses 1, 22, 25, 37, and 124 from the Princess Street (PP) Bus Stop. You will then need to get off at the Princess Street (PY) stop and you will be in the city centre.

The fastest journey time from Manchester to Edinburgh Turnhouse is 3h 11m. For this route, you may experience slight differences in travel time depending on the train you book. Look for direct options when searching if possible. AccesRail has the quickest available train to your destination.

You can find train tickets for Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast, and Northern Rail which service this route currently. Transpennine Express is the cheapest option recently available with prices starting at £127 for a return ticket.

The distance between Manchester and Edinburgh Turnhouse is about 174.8 mi in a straight line. The train route will be significantly longer to account for any stops and obstacles. In terms of time, a normal route is around 3h 11m.

We’ve found that taking a train from Manchester to Edinburgh with AccesRail is more time-efficient when based simply on travel duration. A flight from Manchester to Edinburgh or a bus from Manchester to Edinburgh can take you longer than a 3h 11m train.

A bus from Manchester to Edinburgh from £20 can save you up to 79% on the cost of your trip compared to booking a flight from Manchester to Edinburgh or a train from Manchester to Edinburgh.