Edinburgh skyline

Liverpool to Edinburgh

Compare trains, buses, flights and ferries from Liverpool to Edinburgh. From €17.23, fastest 2h 59m, with the total price and every fee shown up front.

Traveling from Liverpool to Edinburgh costs €17.23 at the cheapest and takes 2h 59m door to door at the fastest, across 2 modes and 6 operators. The route covers 325 km. Cheapest is by coach, fastest is by train.

Checked September 12, 2026Priced for September 28, 2026One passenger, all fees included

At a glance

Distance
325 km
Fastest
2h 59m
Average
3h 32m
Services per day
22
Cheapest
€17.23
CO2 per passenger
10.4 kg
Door to door

Every way to make this journey

Journey times below are door to door, so they include getting to the terminal and away from it at the other end. Fares are the cheapest we currently sell on September 28, 2026.

Door to door means the whole journey, including reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end. Fares are the cheapest sold on each mode.
ModeDoor to doorMovingAt the endsFromCO2Per day
Train3h 1m2h 17m44m€41.5910.7 kg19
Coach5h 6m4h 22m44m€18.888.8 kg3
  • 3h 1mFastest, by Train
  • €18.88Cheapest, by Coach
  • 8.8 kgLowest CO2, by Coach
  • 325 kmDistance traveled
Real services

The cheapest and the fastest on September 28, 2026

Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.

Cheapest€17.23
  1. FlixBus FB636517:034h 38m21:41Liverpool One Bus StationEdinburgh Bus Station

Door to door 5h 22mCO2 8.8 kgChanges 0Changeable for a fee

Fastest€43.79
  1. London North Eastern Railway LN111406:292h 17m08:46Liverpool Lime StreetEdinburgh Waverley

Door to door 3h 1mCO2 10.7 kgChanges 0Refundable

Today's real departures

Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modeled until our booking connectors are live.

Checking the live timetables.

Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modeled until our booking connectors are live.

Prices over the next three weeks

Live from our own engine, refreshed on every request. The cheapest days for each way of traveling are marked.

Cheapest fare by mode and day for Liverpool to Edinburgh
Cheapest fare by mode and day for Liverpool to EdinburghSunSep 13MonSep 14TueSep 15WedSep 16ThuSep 17FriSep 18SatSep 19SunSep 20MonSep 21TueSep 22WedSep 23ThuSep 24FriSep 25SatSep 26
Coach€39.23€31.53€29.33€27.13€30.98€30.98€30.98€22.73€20.53€18.88€23.28€24.93€24.93€23.28
Train€86.14€68.54€62.49€57.54€76.24€64.14€69.64€49.84€42.14€41.59€44.34€55.89€51.49€53.14

Cheapest day: 2026-09-28 · €17.23

Edinburgh sits on the water, which usually settles which side of town you want to wake up on. Rooms are not ours to sell.

A hotel room

Looking for somewhere to stay in Edinburgh?

The search opens on Edinburgh with your nights already filled in, so it is one step to a real price.

Partner links. We do not sell accommodation. We earn a commission when a booking completes, and it never changes what you pay.

Booking window

When to book Liverpool to Edinburgh

The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.

  1. €22.7390 days
  2. €13.9360 days
  3. €15.5845 days
  4. €14.4830 days
  5. €19.4321 days
  6. €23.2814 days
  7. €30.987 days
  8. €29.333 days
  9. €39.231 days
Cheapest lead time
Fares bottom out around 60 days ahead, at €13.93.
How much it moves
The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 182 percent. The most expensive point is €39.23, 1 days out.
What that means
Today sits inside the cheap window, which closes about 60 days before departure. Waiting from here has usually cost money on this corridor rather than saved it.
€39.23€13.931371421304560

Book now Fares on this route are lowest around 60 days ahead. You are inside that window.

Day of the week

Which departure day costs least

Median cheapest fare for each weekday, taken across the next three weeks of real prices.

  1. €22.73Sun
  2. €20.53Mon
  3. €18.88Tue
  4. €23.28Wed
  5. €24.93Thu
  6. €24.93Fri
  7. €23.28Sat
Across the year

How the fare moves month by month

The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.

  1. €29.33Sep
  2. €19.43Oct
  3. €16.13Nov
  4. €16.13Dec
  5. €15.58Jan
  6. €14.48Feb

The route

LiverpoolLiverpoolEdinburghEdinburgh
The journey

What the journey actually looks like

Direct or connecting, how far the route really runs, and what happens when a connection is missed.

Direct or connecting
82% of the services we sell on this corridor run through without a change. The remaining 18% involve one connection.
How far it really runs
The route covers 325 km against 283 km in a straight line, a detour of 15 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
Where the change is
Connections are made at Preston, Blackpool, Bolton, Blackburn. The gap between arriving and leaving is 47 minutes, of which about 5 is walking.
If the connection is missed
The tightest connection we sell here has a 20 percent chance of not being made on the timetable alone. Part of this journey is a self transfer between separate tickets, so leave more time than the minimum and expect to check in again.
First and last departure
The first service of the day leaves Liverpool at 06:05 and the last at 17:28, across 19 departures. The return direction keeps its own timetable, so the times back are not these times reversed.
Terminals

Where you leave from and where you arrive

The stations, airports and ports each mode on this corridor actually uses.

Liverpool

Rail
  • Liverpool Lime Street
  • Liverpool Central
  • Wallasey Village
Bus
  • Liverpool One Bus Station
  • Liverpool One
Air
  • LPL
Ferry
  • Liverpool Ferry Terminal
  • Liverpool Cruise Terminal

Edinburgh

Rail
  • Edinburgh Waverley
  • Edinburgh Gateway station
  • Edinburgh Park railway station
Bus
  • Edinburgh Bus Station
  • Halbeath Park & Ride
Air
  • EDI
Ferry
  • Cruise Liner Terminal

Landing at EDI after the trains have stopped is the case this solves. We do not run cars.

A taxi stand outside an airport terminal

Getting from EDI into Edinburgh

A price agreed before you fly, a driver at arrivals, and a car big enough for the bags.

Partner links. We do not operate transfers. We earn a commission on a booking, and the fare is the same as going direct.

Carriers

Who runs this route

Speed, flexibility and what is on board. Nothing here is a rating, because we have not earned one.

Every operator we sell on this corridor. Speed is the carrier's own typical cruising speed, not the average over this route.
OperatorFromFastestTypical speedFlexibilityOn board
Arriva Cross Country€39.942h 59m140 km/hRefundablePower outlets, Wi-Fi
Avanti West Coast€37.192h 59m140 km/hRefundablePower outlets, Wi-Fi
FlixBus€17.235h 1m72 km/hChangeablePower outlets, Restrooms, Wi-Fi
London North Eastern Railway€36.092h 59m140 km/hRefundablePower outlets, Wi-Fi
Lumo€37.743h140 km/hRefundablePower outlets, Wi-Fi
TransPennine Express€35.542h 59m140 km/hRefundablePower outlets, Wi-Fi
The price

What the fare is made of

Every part of the total, so the number at checkout is the number here.

The cheapest coach fare we sell on 2026-09-28, broken into its parts. Nothing is added after this.
PartAmountShare
Operator fare€12.5073%
Taxes€1.257%
Supplier fees€1.499%
Our service fee€1.9912%
Total you pay€17.23100%

The train gets in hours before any room is ready. Holding a bag is not what we sell.

Left luggage lockers

Somewhere to drop the bags in Edinburgh?

Priced by the bag and by the day, booked before you get there, and insured while it sits.

Partner links. We do not run these networks. We earn a commission on a booking, and the price is the same as going direct.

Questions about Liverpool to Edinburgh

The questions people actually ask about this trip, answered from the same prices and times the page above is built on rather than written once and left to go stale.

How long does it take to get from Liverpool to Edinburgh?

The fastest journey from Liverpool to Edinburgh takes 2h 59m door to door, of which 2h 17m is spent moving, on the train. Most services take around 3h 32m, because that average includes slower stopping services and journeys with a connection. Times include reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end.

How much does it cost to travel from Liverpool to Edinburgh?

The cheapest fare from Liverpool to Edinburgh is €17.23, checked on September 12, 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €55.07. Both figures are the total for one passenger, including taxes, supplier fees and our service fee, so nothing is added at checkout.

What is the cheapest way to get from Liverpool to Edinburgh?

The cheapest way from Liverpool to Edinburgh is by coach, at €18.88 for one passenger on September 28, 2026. That journey takes 5h 6m door to door. Cheaper is rarely faster on this corridor, and the comparison table on this page shows what each mode costs against what it saves.

What is the fastest way to get from Liverpool to Edinburgh?

The fastest way from Liverpool to Edinburgh is by train, at 3h 1m door to door. Only 2h 17m of that is spent moving; the remaining 44m is reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end. The cheapest fare on that mode is €41.59.

When should I book Liverpool to Edinburgh?

Fares from Liverpool to Edinburgh bottom out around 60 days before departure, at €13.93. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive lead time is 182 percent, measured on September 12, 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.

Which day of the week is cheapest for Liverpool to Edinburgh?

Tuesday is the cheapest day to depart from Liverpool to Edinburgh, at €18.88. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on September 12, 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.

Which month is cheapest for Liverpool to Edinburgh?

February is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Liverpool to Edinburgh, at €14.48 for one passenger. Each month is priced on its fifteenth, so the comparison is like for like rather than a mix of weekends and midweek departures.

Who runs service from Liverpool to Edinburgh?

6 operators sell services from Liverpool to Edinburgh across 2 modes: Arriva Cross Country, Avanti West Coast, FlixBus, London North Eastern Railway, Lumo, TransPennine Express. Journey times, fares and fare conditions differ between them, and the operator table on this page compares all of them on speed, flexibility and what is provided on board.

Is there a direct service from Liverpool to Edinburgh?

82 percent of the services we sell from Liverpool to Edinburgh are direct. The rest connect at Preston, Blackpool, Bolton, Blackburn, with about 47 minutes between the two services. Both legs are sold on one booking, so a missed connection is rebooked at no charge.

How much CO2 does the journey from Liverpool to Edinburgh produce?

Traveling from Liverpool to Edinburgh by coach produces about 8.8 kg of CO2 per passenger, the lowest of any mode on this corridor. The same journey by Train produces about 10.7 kg, roughly 1 times as much for one passenger.

Which station or terminal do services from Liverpool to Edinburgh use?

Services from Liverpool to Edinburgh by train leave from Liverpool Lime Street and arrive at Edinburgh Waverley. Allow about 44m in total for reaching the departure terminal and leaving the arrival one, which is already included in every door to door time on this page.

Can I change or refund a ticket from Liverpool to Edinburgh?

6 of the 6 operators we sell from Liverpool to Edinburgh allow a change or a refund. A change on a changeable fare costs €5.00. The operator table on this page names which is which, and the condition is shown again before you pay.

Where these numbers come from

Derived from service area No carrier record names this exact pair. The operators listed publish a service area covering both places at a distance their mode plausibly carries people, which is evidence that the corridor is served and not evidence of a specific service. Pages state which, because presenting the two as the same thing would be dishonest.

Schedules, seat counts and fares are generated by our own model until the supplier contracts are signed. Places, coordinates, operators, which operator serves which pair, and every distance are real. We would rather say that on every page than let a modeled number pass for a filed one.

Defined in full at Door to door, Fares, The booking window, Carbon, Distances

On this page
Every figure above was computed for Liverpool to Edinburgh on September 12, 2026: 325 km of route against 283 km in a straight line, 22 services a day, 6 operators, a cheapest fare of €17.23, and 2h 59m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.

Plenty of what is worth seeing sits outside Edinburgh and elsewhere in United Kingdom. None of it is ours to sell.

A guided tour group

Anything to book in Edinburgh before you go?

Day trips that leave Edinburgh in the morning and cover a good part of United Kingdom by evening.

Partner links. We do not sell tours or tickets. We earn a commission on a booking, and it never changes the price.

Other ways to make this journey

Leaving Liverpool

Arriving in Edinburgh

Leaving Edinburgh

  • 198Places you can leave for
  • 42Countries
  • 63Operators

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