Scotland
Edinburgh
Away-day guide
Edinburgh is an easy away trip once accommodation is sorted: the centre is walkable, airport links are straightforward and Easter Road is about half an hour from Waverley. Leith Walk provides the most practical mix of pre-match pubs, affordable food and a direct walk to the ground.
🚺 To Easter Road
From Princes Street or Waverley, walking via Waterloo Place, London Road and Easter Road takes about 30 minutes. Alternatively, take a London Road bus such as the 26, alight around Brunswick Street on London Road, and walk roughly 10–15 minutes to the stadium. Services 1 and 35 stop closer to the ground on Easter Road. McDonald Road tram stop is approximately a 15–20-minute walk away.
- Nearest stop
- Easter Road at Bothwell Street
- Lines
- Lothian Buses 1 and 35 serve Easter Road near Bothwell Street; routes including 4, 26 and 44 serve London Road within walking distance. The nearest tram stop is McDonald Road.
- Walk from centre
- 30 min
- Parking
- There is no useful general supporter parking at the stadium. Surrounding streets have resident restrictions, limited spaces and matchday traffic controls. Leave the car outside the centre or use a park-and-ride, then take a bus or walk.
Public transport
Central Edinburgh is compact but hilly: Waverley, Princes Street, the Old Town and Leith Walk are all walkable, while Easter Road is around half an hour from Waverley. Lothian Buses cover almost everywhere and generally accept contactless payment; tap the same card or device each time to receive the relevant daily cap. Cash passengers should have the exact fare. A standard city single is 2.20 and a city Day Ticket is 5.50, valid on Lothian buses and city-zone trams. Airport travel has a separate, higher fare. Tram passengers must buy or validate before boarding. The Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams apps provide live times and mobile tickets; tickets from different commercial bus operators are not automatically interchangeable.
Typical prices
- Beer (0.5L)
- GBP 5.5
- Coffee
- GBP 3.5
- Meal, mid-range
- GBP 18
- Taxi from airport
- GBP 35
- Single transit ticket
- GBP 2.2
✈ Airports & cheaper alternatives
- Edinburgh Airport EDI primary 13 km Edinburgh Tram runs to Princes Street and St Andrew Square in roughly 30–35 minutes. Airlink 100 buses run around the clock to Waverley Bridge. The airport-zone tram single is 7.90. The obvious choice: closest to the city and usually the easiest for a weekend trip.
- Glasgow Airport GLA alternative 89 km Take Glasgow Airport Express 500 to central Glasgow, then walk to Queen Street station for a ScotRail train to Edinburgh Waverley. Can be cheaper for some routes, but allow roughly two hours for the transfer and city change.
- Glasgow Prestwick Airport PIK alternative 120 km Prestwick has its own railway station. Take a train to Glasgow Central, walk or use the Subway to reach Queen Street, then take a ScotRail train to Edinburgh Waverley. Occasionally useful for cheap Ryanair fares, although the two-stage journey through Glasgow eats into a short trip.
🍺 Supporters' pubs
Heart of Midlothian
Home fans: Gorgie and Dalry are the main Hearts drinking areas. Tynecastle Arms and The Athletic Arms, widely called Diggers, are the best-known home pubs; The Roseburn, Polwarth Tavern and Golden Rule also draw Hearts support.
Away fans: The Station Tavern/Station Bar and Stratford's Bar are established visiting options. At the Haymarket end, Ryrie's and Carters Tap are useful neutral choices, but supporter reports say football colours can be refused, so cover them. Avoid treating Tynecastle Arms or packed Gorgie pubs as away venues. The stadium's Eighteen 74 Fans' Bar requires a Hearts season ticket or home-end match ticket, while the McLeod Lounge is for season-ticket holders and bans away colours.
Diggers has admitted ordinary visiting supporters, but it remains strongly Hearts-oriented and is not a sensible base for a conspicuous away group. European-night door policies may change at short notice.
Hibernian
Home fans: The main Hibs route runs down Leith Walk towards Easter Road. Harp & Castle, Robbie's Bar, The Persevere — usually called The Percy — and The Iona are regular home-support pubs. The Hibs Supporters Club/Whelahans on Sunnyside is membership-oriented.
Away fans: Middletons, at the southern end of Easter Road, is the traditional away pub. The Mash Tun nearby regularly mixes home and away supporters. The Iona appears in some visitor guides but is usually much more Hibs-heavy. Do not rely on entry to the Hibs Supporters Club, Four in Hand, Tamsons or The Office. Prominent colours can affect door decisions for higher-risk games.
Visiting groups are usually best staying around the top of Easter Road between London Road and Albion Road/Bothwell Street, rather than pushing farther into the busiest Leith Walk home pubs.
Sourced from supporters' forums — always follow your club's and police advice for the fixture.
Nightlife
Cowgate is the main late-night strip for clubs and student bars, with the Grassmarket better for groups wanting several pubs close together. Rose Street has traditional central pubs but tourist-centre prices, while George Street is smarter and dearer. Leith Walk is the better-value choice for a match weekend and leads towards Easter Road; continue to The Shore for cocktail bars and later venues, although it is less convenient for a quick pre-match pint.
Food & drink
Try haggis with neeps and tatties, a Scotch pie, Cullen skink or a fish supper with Edinburgh's usual salt-and-sauce seasoning. Leith has the broadest useful mix for a football weekend: traditional pubs, breweries, inexpensive cafés and plenty of takeaway food. Local cask ale and Scottish lager are widely available; whisky bars are concentrated around the Old Town, but prices rise sharply close to the Royal Mile.
Cheap eats & beer
For cheap central food, The Mosque Kitchen on Nicholson Square does filling curry-and-rice plates for roughly 8–11, while Snax Café has breakfast rolls and fry-ups without Old Town prices. Oink's hog-roast rolls are a quick option, and Storries Bakery on Leith Walk is handy for inexpensive pies, rolls and late food. Beer is generally cheaper down Leith Walk and Easter Road than on the Royal Mile or George Street. Central Wetherspoons branches include The Booking Office by Waverley, The Standing Order on George Street and The Caley Picture House on Lothian Road; expect their standard draught beer to undercut most independent city-centre bars. Near Easter Road, Middletons is the traditional visiting-supporter pub, while The Mash Tun often admits a mix of home and away supporters. Both can alter door or colour policies for European fixtures, so large groups should check first.
Staying safe
Edinburgh is generally safe, but watch phones and wallets in the Royal Mile, Cowgate and packed late-night venues. Cowgate can become messy around closing time, so groups should agree a meeting point rather than relying on phone reception inside basement bars. Use licensed taxis or booked private hire cars. Around the match, follow police and steward instructions, avoid displaying Edinburgh-derby colours in the opposing club's established home pubs, and do not try to cross segregation lines after full time. Wet cobbles, steep closes and tram tracks catch out more visitors than serious crime does.
On matchday
Away supporters at Easter Road are normally placed in the South Stand, entered from the Albion Road/Bothwell Street side; the exact upper or lower section depends on the allocation. Follow the turnstile details printed on the ticket rather than approaching through the home turnstiles. Segregation is firm, and away colours are best kept out of the Hibs-heavy pubs farther down Leith Walk. Temporary traffic restrictions and bus diversions can affect Albion Road, Bothwell Street and streets immediately beside the stadium, but Waverley normally remains open. Allow at least 30–45 minutes after leaving a pub to clear checks and reach the correct entrance.