Edinburgh Transport Tickets & Fares [2026]

Which Edinburgh transport ticket should tourists use?

Edinburgh public transport fares in 2026

These are the main fares and ticket products most visitors need to understand.

How Edinburgh transport tickets work

Edinburgh’s visitor transport network is centred on Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams. Normal city journeys can be paid individually or through contactless fare capping.

This means you usually do not need to spend much time planning tickets before travelling. If you are an adult visitor with a contactless bank card or compatible mobile wallet, pay-as-you-go travel with TapTapCap is often the simplest approach.

There are two important distinctions to remember:

• Bus: tap when you board; you do not normally tap off.
• Tram: when using contactless, tap on at the platform before boarding and tap off at your destination.

Airport travel has separate fare rules, particularly on the tram, because Edinburgh Airport is outside the normal City Zone.

Contactless payment and TapTapCap

TapTapCap is one of the easiest ways for adult visitors to pay for public transport in Edinburgh. Instead of deciding in advance whether you need individual tickets or a day product, you use the same contactless payment method and eligible spending is capped automatically.

How to use TapTapCap correctly

1. Choose one contactless bank card or one mobile wallet device.
2. Keep using that same payment method for your journeys.
3. On Lothian Buses, tap when boarding.
4. On Edinburgh Trams, tap on before boarding.
5. On Edinburgh Trams, tap off at your destination.
6. Do not alternate between your physical bank card and the same card stored in your phone.

Your physical bank card and the same card stored in Apple Pay or Google Pay can be recognised as different payment methods. Switching between them can therefore interfere with fare capping.

Edinburgh single bus and tram tickets

The standard Adult Single costs £2.40 and is useful when you only need an occasional journey.

For visitors staying in the Old Town or New Town, this can be enough because much of central Edinburgh is easily explored on foot. You may only need public transport for destinations such as Leith, Newhaven, Portobello, Stockbridge, the Royal Botanic Garden or Murrayfield.

Bus single tickets

On Lothian Buses, contactless payment is particularly simple: tap when boarding. You do not normally need to tap off.

City-zone tram tickets

Normal city tram fares apply to journeys within the City Zone, including journeys along the tram route between areas such as Haymarket, Princes Street, St Andrew Square, Leith and Newhaven.

Edinburgh DAYticket: is it worth it?

The City DAYticket costs £5.70 and is designed for unlimited eligible city travel during the day.

It becomes particularly useful when you plan several public transport journeys rather than spending most of the day walking around the compact city centre.

A DAYticket can therefore make sense for a busy sightseeing day involving several areas such as Leith, Newhaven, Stockbridge, Portobello or the Royal Botanic Garden.

If you prefer contactless payment, TapTapCap can provide the same basic advantage of limiting eligible daily city travel without requiring you to decide in advance that you need a day ticket.

Edinburgh Airport tram tickets and fares

Edinburgh Airport is in a dedicated Airport Fare Zone. If your tram journey starts or finishes at the airport, you need an airport-valid ticket rather than a normal city-zone ticket.

The Airport Open Return can be significantly better value than purchasing two standard Airport Singles when you know you will use the tram for both airport journeys.

Airlink 100 tickets and fares

Airlink 100 is Lothian’s dedicated airport express service. It uses airport-specific fares rather than the normal £2.40 city single fare.

The open return is worth considering when you plan to use Airlink for both arrival and departure.

Airlink operates 24 hours and terminates at Waverley Bridge, but route choice belongs to your airport-transfer decision rather than your everyday city ticket strategy. For that comparison, use our Edinburgh Airport Transfer Guide.

Network DAYticket: airport plus city travel

The Network DAYticket costs £13.00 and provides broader coverage than the normal City DAYticket, including airport-zone travel.

It can be useful when you plan to travel from Edinburgh Airport and then make several additional journeys on the network during the same day.

When Network DAY can make sense

• You arrive at Edinburgh Airport and take the tram into the city.
• You then plan several bus or tram journeys that same day.
• You want one product covering airport and city travel.

If you simply travel from the airport to your hotel and then spend the rest of the day walking, an airport single may be better value.

Ridacard: useful for longer stays?

Ridacard is aimed more at regular travellers, commuters and people staying in Edinburgh for longer periods than at typical weekend visitors.

For a short city break, contactless payment, DAYtickets and separate airport tickets are generally simpler. Ridacard becomes more relevant if you are staying for an extended period and travelling frequently every day.

For a one-week stay, compare the cost and coverage of Ridacard with the £27 contactless weekly cap and your actual travel pattern. Visitors staying centrally may walk enough that neither option is fully used.

Where to buy and how to use Edinburgh tickets

Lothian Buses

For normal bus journeys, contactless payment is usually the simplest option. Tap your card or device when boarding. You do not normally tap off.

Edinburgh Trams

Tram tickets can be purchased using the available ticketing options before travel. If using contactless, tap on at the platform validator before boarding and tap off at your destination.

Do not board the tram assuming you can buy the required ticket later. Make sure you have a valid fare before travelling.

Airlink 100

Airlink tickets can be purchased using the operator’s available online, app and on-board payment options. If you know you will use Airlink again for your return to the airport, compare the open return with two separate singles.

Common Edinburgh ticket mistakes

• Using a city tram fare for Edinburgh Airport: airport journeys require an airport-valid ticket.
• Boarding a tram without a valid ticket or payment: sort out your fare before boarding.
• Forgetting to tap off on the tram: contactless tram users need to tap on and tap off.
• Tapping off on a normal Lothian bus: buses use a different contactless process; normally you only tap when boarding.
• Switching between card and phone: this can prevent TapTapCap from recognising all journeys as belonging to the same payment method.
• Trying to use one contactless card for several people: each passenger should normally have their own valid payment method or ticket.
• Buying a DAYticket for only one or two rides: singles/contactless can be cheaper.
• Buying Network DAY without using the airport zone: a normal City DAYticket may be more appropriate.
• Buying Ridacard for a short tourist stay: most short-stay visitors have simpler options.