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Are you new to Edinburgh?
- An Edinburgh A-Z is an essential purchase.
- EasyEverything Internet Café is situated on Rose Street. You can buy a monthly pass for £10, entitling you to unlimited Internet access for a month.
- "Wild in Edinburgh" brochures are available from most hostels and they contain useful information about the best (& cheapest) places to eat and drink etc.
- To make international phone calls (if you do not have access to Skype) calling cards are your best option. These are available from most corner stores and start at a cost of £5.
- Edinburgh and Scotland Information Centre, adjacent to Waverley Station (follow the TIC signs in the station and throughout the city), offers an accommodations service (Book-A-Bed-Ahead) in addition to the more typical services. 3 Princes St. Tel: 0845 2255 121 / www.visitscotland.com
Banks
There are several High Street banks to choose from including:
HSBC have recently informed us that all they require in order for you to open a new bank account with them is a valid passport (or national ID card/ photo driving licence), and a letter from your agency/employer.
Getting Around
Buses
Travel Line: 0871 200 22 33
- Phone to get information on what buses to catch, routes, departure times, journey duration etc
Lothian Buses: 0131 555 6363
- Travelshops located on Waverley Bridge, Hanover Street, and Shandwick Place. Lothian Buses is the main operator within Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Day Ticket (£3), allows unlimited one-day travel on the city's buses, can be purchased in advance.
- Also available are the one-week bus pass (£15) or the four-week bus pass (£45) which gives unlimited access to buses.
- Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 8.15 am - 6.00 pm
First Bus: 0870 872 7271
- Provide much of the service between Edinburgh and the Lothians
You will also see other bus companies, including Eastern Scottish, Lowland Scottish and Midland Scottish - all part of First Bus Company, along with S.M.T. - and Fife Scottish, all part of Stagecoach, which operate routes into and out of Edinburgh to other parts of Scotland
Taxis
Central Taxis 0131 229 2468
Looking for Long-term Accommodation?
- The Scotsman Newspaper (every Thursday morning) - www.scotsman.com
- The List Magazine (Published fortnightly on a Thursday) - www.list.co.uk
- The Evening News - www.property.scotsman.com
- ESPC Listings (available from Letting Offices etc) - www.espc.co.uk
- A Flat in Town offers an extensive range of quality accommodation to rent in Edinburgh for professionals and students alike. They can be contacted on 0131 652 7393 or info@aflatintown.com.
- edinburgh.gumtree.com has a variety of houses/flats for rent as well as other links to items for sale/wanted
There are several hostels in Edinburgh that offer affordable accommodation, including:
- Royal Mile Backpackers, 105 High St, Edinburgh, Midlothian EH1 1SG
0131 557 6120
- Edinburgh Central Youth Hostel, 9 Haddington Place, Edinburgh, EH7 4AL
0131 524 2090
- Caledonian Backpackers, 3 Queensferry St, Edinburgh, EH2 4PA
0131 476 7224
Sending Mail Home
Letters and postcards to Europe between 10-100 grams cost 56p - £1.52
Within the UK first-class letters between 0-100 grams cost 39p, second-class letters and postcards 30p. Post offices and many newsagents sell stamps.
Receiving Mail
If you're uncertain where you'll be staying, you can collect letters at any post office by addressing them to Poste Restante at the post office you choose.
The main post office in the city centre is 40 Frederick Street.
National Health Service (NHS)
It is important that you register with your local GP surgery once you have a fixed residential address. Another helpful number is for the NHS 24 helpline which you can call if you have any questions of a medical nature. 08454 242424
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