Edinburgh Waverley

It is well-organized, clean, and easy to navigate. Staff are helpful, signs are clear, and facilities like shops and cafés are convenient. A great travel hub in the heart of the city!

No clue that was this is a nice train station. It was clean and safe. There are several platforms, but they’re easy to find. There is a left Storage so that you can leave your bag if you do a day trip up the hill in Edinburgh. There seem to be a few restaurants to choose from.

A well connected station with a good selection of shops for getting food while waiting for your train

Well-connected and efficient railway station. The toiletries are free and the cubicle I used was superbly clean. There was a waiting hall with many chairs for passengers to sit and wait for the platforms to be announced to the TV. A well - run railway station. From Waverley, it is easy to get to the New Town and Old Town (Royal Mile). Many train timings a day to London.

Don't worry. First lounge is opening night time for Caledonian sleeper customers from 21:00, even show signboard like this. Just try to push the door. But, wifi is so weak

Instead of being helpful, some jerk gate line guy decided it was more important to laughingly correct a pronunciation rather than help understand a situation by answering a simple question. Then he insisted I read something I already read out loud to him. On top of that, the first class seats we booked seemed to be oversold, so we did not have secured seats.

I used this station three times during my visit. I like that they keep the station clean and orderly, but I personally found the arrangement of platforms confusing. They aren’t numerically sequential, and you need to pay careful attention to the signage. It can also get very busy, and staff are then stretched thin. My recommendation is to get there quite early. There are some nice benches in the atrium towards the north part of the station where you can chill out and keep an eye on the monitors for when your train is called

Always enjoy arriving here. It's always busy with lots to see. Great to see (and hear) the HSTs.

The train station could not be any more convenient. Right between new town and old town, no matter where you stay, you can be a short distance from the station! It was easy to get in. The waiting area is small so there are limited seats. Once they showed us our platform, everyone hauled butt over. You want to get on board early, especially if you've got a large bag since there is such limited storage available. The station is easy to navigate though and such a convenient way to travel the UK.

This train station was a bit of a mess and was hard to navigate. Great location though.

AVOID SCOTRAIL TRAINS..... The train station itself is quite pleasant. However, purchasing a first-class ticket with ScotRail turned out to be a terrible decision. The train was completely disorganized, the announcement speakers were malfunctioning, and there were only a few overworked staff members on board. The train was filthy and had an unpleasant odor, with no dedicated luggage storage area. Despite these issues, the train was oversold, leaving many passengers standing. Avoid buying tickets with ScotRail. They provide a nightmarish experience.

We took this all the way to Ayr and then to Glasgow. It's easy to purchase tickets on the app or in person. We even traveled during a scheduled strike, but there was not a discernible difference. It's a safe and efficient way to travel. Europe rail systems are timely and easy to navigate, even for first timers like us!

Often called Edinburgh Waverley this is one of the largest railway stations in Scotland and is located right in the heart of Edinburgh city centre. So super convenient location! The station was officially opened in 1866 and has become a major hub for both local and long-distance trains. We came from King X in London with a high speed train. The station has excellent services and you can experience directly the Scottish hospitality.

Not going to lie, I can see why some people think this station is confusing and why others think it's really easy to navigate. I thought it was slightly confusing at first and got turned about a bit when first walking in but once I calmed down and started reading the signs properly, it was super easy to navigate. We bought some sandwiches for the train ride at Pret but there are a few others places to grab a bite or a coffee. I'm a bit obsessed with Pret so I may have stopped there while at train stations and at the airport way too often. Pret was also closest to our platform and we may have been running a bit behind. The notification system is nice and loud and they repeat very often, which I appreciated. There are also a lot of employees around if you have a question or two.

Make sure you know where you need to be and get there with plenty of time to spare! There are lots of shops around if you need any last minute shopping before boarding the train. There are not too many seats available so you may have to wait a few minutes before getting one. There is usually some decent people watching if that's your thing. Watch out for the pigeons, they steal.

Busy place but a beautiful station. Pretty easy to get around and get where you need to go.

Edinburgh Waverley Station is the second busiest station in Scotland after Glasgow Central and has 20 platforms. It's the main railway station in the city, a stone's throw away from Princes Street and the Royal Mile. Opening in 1846, I would say the station is showing its' age now, there is a series of steps and escalators to get into the station and with the escalators seeming to be out of order quite often, it can be quite a workout just to get into the station. For food and drink, you have the regulars you seem to find in most major British railway stations including Boots, Costa, Marks and Spencer, Pret and WHSmith, nothing more than a couple of small stores and coffee shops, nothing well for a sit-down meal, or anything more than the bare essentials to take onto the train with you. There is a Wetherspoons though which can be handy if you're after a pint. PRO TIP: If you're dropping someone off at the station, you can use the car park on New Street, which is managed by Apcoa, you can park for up to 40 minutes for free, but make sure you get to your car in time, otherwise you'll be charged for 3 hours parking, which costs £8.50 as of March 2023. I did find the layout of the station to be very confusing, and it did seem hard to navigate, even to find certain shops, let alone the 20 platforms and entrances/exits which all seem to be in different directions. A very large station that provides a great number of services to Edinburgh, but far from the best station in the world. 3*

This was a fairly easy station to navigate, with lifts and escalators for those of us carrying large luggage. There are plenty of food options once you entire the platform area, including a Boots to grab other items. Very clean as wells enjoyed traveling to Edinburgh via Waverley! Cheers mate!

Great place the food here is the same price as every other place in Edinburgh it's also got average pub Unfortunately the first tiles a was here I took the train to Bathgate instead of the one to Dundee so pretty good

This is a great train station in a perfect location in Edinburgh within walking distance to many areas like the Royal Mile. They have many little shops and areas to sit. The screens were easy to follow and understand to find your train platform. There are lifts to many of the areas if needed.

Busy, well functioning rail station. Part historic, part modern, it connects commuters, tourists and day visitors alike to the very center of Scotland's capital city.

So convenient to have a train right in the heart of Edinburgh! It's an easy train station to navigate with elevators (though I wish there were more escalators because with big luggage lots of people use the elevators and it takes a while). Just time your arrival and departures right - departing early in the morning was great since Edinburgh is the first stop but arriving in the afternoon was a bit crazy due to all of the trains coming in around the same time.

Bustly, busy but easily navigatable. With many entrances and exits heading to varied streets and stops, it could be very easy to get lost or turned around in here, and yet we never had an issue. We were in and out of Waverly several times on this trip, so I think we got pretty comfortable with the orientation of the tracks and shops. And, if you ever have a question, finding a friendly employee is not difficult to do. The trains seemed to run right on schedule on our visits, and there are plenty of food, beverage and snack shops to choose from, should you need a bit of something before boarding your train. The automated ticket kiosks are also quite easy to use, for those with pre-purchased tickets and for those needing to secure passage there. All in all, a nice, open, clean train station. Bonus points for being right smack-dab in the middle of town, and for the awe-inspiring architecture seen when stepping out of the station into Edinburgh.

Small, clean, easy, with stuff to do. It's not a massive station, but that's ok. There is a healthy variety of stuff (food, drink, stores) in/around, and 5 minutes away if you're willing to hoof it. The "stuff" is also not all that bad - the eats and drinks are better than good. Mind you, odds are you're probably going to show up Just In TIme - this is a small enough place that you can make it through and onto the train with minimal time wasted... (BTW, clean toilets - it's a good thing)

Although Waverley station is in a central location and right on princes street it's quite a daunting place, even for someone like me who is local. To me it's too big, too busy and not easy to find your way around, that is why I tend to go to Haymarket station which is quieter, smaller and easy to navigate your way around and a much more relaxed atmosphere

Come prepared! Know where to go before you wander in here. We took the advice of others and studied our route the day before we had to take our train. It can be very confusing if you haven't been here before.

I took a train here from London in November. I personally found this station to be rather confusing, and I found myself doing circles trying to find the exit my Airbnb host told me to take. I'm giving extra stars on account of how clean and otherwise welcoming the station seemed to be. For one, there's shops and places to eat. It has an airy atmosphere as well. Also, it's centrally located in Edinburgh, so you're really never too far from your destination, especially if you're staying along Princes Street or the Royal Mile. Unlike me, take careful note of signage and you should be fine.

This is a super cool railway station! The trains are extremely clean, quick, and quiet! The staff members are very helpful with navigating which way to go. There are also many, many shops/coffee shops nearby. Love it ! Carson C. Visalia, California

Edinburgh Waverley station is one of the UK's largest stations, and the terminus for a wide range of services, including most of the expresses up the East Coast Main Line from London. At 25 acres, it is second in size only to Waterloo, and, with over 14.5 million passengers a year, the fifth busiest outside London. The first station on the site was that of the North British Railway, in 1846. The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway opened Edinburgh General station on an adjacent site the same year, and in 1847 the Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway opened a station to the north, but at a right angle at Canal Street. Waverley Station was formed by the union of the first two stations in 1854, and was completely rebuilt between 1892 and 1900. Canal Street closed in the 1860s. Sitting in a prime position in a cutting between the old and new towns of Edinburgh, its main feature is its huge glass ridge and furrow roof, which is 375ft wide and 1240ft long and was designed by engineers, Blyth and Westland and completed in 1900. Although it doesn't have a facade as such, the ticket hall, with its circular dome is its defining interior feature. Alas, the effect is currently somewhat spoiled by the insertion of a Costa Coffee pagoda underneath the dome, and the incursion of tables for cafes in the space itself: as well as detracting from the architecture, it makes circulation less easy. Still, any traveller should make the effort to take a look. On the New Town side, the bulk of the 5-star North British Hotel defines the entrance to the station - designed by the architects Hamilton and George Beattie and completed in 1902, it is a familiar sight to travellers to the capital. The design is essentially classical, with pedimented windows on all sides, with Jacobean detailing in the form of gable-level turrets. The principal feature is its bulky clock tower (said to be set two minutes fast to help people catch their trains), which is a landmark at this end of Princes Street. It is now owned by the Forte Group. The station has 20 platforms, although some of these are formed by splitting one platforms face into two by means of crossovers half way along. The essential design is of one very large island platform, with some additional through roads and a series of bays at the Glasgow end. The station has all the facilities you'd expect for one of its size. Accessibility remains a problems, however: only the Waverley Bridge (North and South) entrances have step-free access, although the ramps are long and quite steep. Some platforms can currently be reached only by stair climber (although they will replatform some trains if they know a wheelchair user wishes to board or alight). Travellers needing assistance, and wheelchair users in particular, should therefore contact their rail company before travelling. Dedicated staff are available for helping passengers with disabilities. Network Rail has a refurbishment programme under way to improve access. Services run to almost every part of Scotland except the West Coast lines, and there are through trains to most major cities in England (there are none direct to Wales). There is a 15 minute interval service to Glasgow Queen Street, and hourly or half hourly trains to London King's Cross.

Edinburgh Waverly Train Station is a nice sized train station, it has a small food court with Burger king and some other places along with an M&S store, also saw a few kiosk within the train station as well, but the eating choices where not that many compared with how big the station is. I must have had a great guild because not once did we get lost, we exited the train station without issues onto Princess st and even returned with no problem as well. Edinburgh Waverly Train Station is well lit, and looked very clean, look forward to traveling through again.

Right, can I just say first of all how much I love the connotation of the name of this station to Sir Walter Scott's novel? Literary allusions like this bring me a secret thrill and so I was already pre-disposed to liking this station. But I also think it's super easy to navigate this admittedly massive train station as signage is very good, plenty of railway staff always around and not too busy to help you out if you are a tourist and the elevators and escalators are a real blessing when traveling with luggage. I also really loved all the quotations from Scott that were present on the billboard and there were heaps of shopping plus eating options so as a traveller all the conveniences were very convenient!

A bit confusing to find the platform as signs are not posted clearly. A beautidul station, airy and busling,

Waverley station, the main station of Edinburgh is located centrally in a narrow valley between the Old and New Town. Very easily accessible. We took a train from London to Edinburgh which terminated here. The layout of the station was very open with the central ticket hall building having a glass skylight which let the light come in and made it airy too. Didn't look cramped at all. The station was neat and clean, wasn't too big - a small station but had number of places to eat. Our train was from platform 9 but it took us some time to find it - the signs pointed to the side and upstairs and on reaching there another sign pointed back downstairs. Took us some time to find platform 9 which was at one end of row of platforms 1-8 but was approachable from one side of stairs only. When you're carrying stuff, it was irritable. On coming out of the station had many stairs to take you up to the main street. There were taxis waiting outside which was convenient.

Ok, it's huge (according to Wikipedia it's the second largest station in the UK) and has 18 platforms, so maybe that's why, but this station is just so hard to navigate. It's not too bad if you're using the main concourse, but getting around the rest of the station can be really tricky. This is made worse by their refusal to list the platforms until the last minute, causing mad dashes across the station in order make it onto the train on time. Oh, and they could seriously use a little more seating. That aside, it's not too bad. It has bars, cafes, restaurants and shops. All the usual suspects like Boots, M&S and WHSmith. The ticket and information centre runs smoothly and staff are usually really helpful. There are handy payphones and ATMs available and the bathrooms are kept clean (although I really object to paying 30p to use them). One thing it isn't difficult to find is a taxi, the ranks are always full, be careful though, they aren't allowed to drive into the main station anymore - you have to go to the ranks just outside. Bus links are pretty handy too, with buses servicing most of the city stopping nearby.

I feel like they should employ people to stand in the middle of this station and dole out hugs. Fun fact about me, that I have been endlessly teased about since moving to Edinburgh: prior to my current stint in the UK, I have never been on a train. Subways. Skytrains. Trams. But never an honest to goodness, track riding, true blue train. So to say that the first time I went to Waverley Station for my very first train ride, I was Hobbit level excited: skipping through the fields and on my way to an adventure! But if you'll all remind correctly - Bilbo didn't exactly walk into a land of sunshine and lollipops either. Thus is Waverley Station. I suppose there's a sort of organized chaos if you have been there previously, but for first timers, it's a bustling, confusing mess of things. The crowds are crazy, the signage is confusing and there are platforms that seemingly don't exist a la Harry Potter... I need platform 11... that's not up the escalator but it's not through those gates... OH it's that random platform with no signage. GOOD. But once you throw yourself at the mercy of the support staff and they point you in the right direction - life smooths out. At least picking up your tickets is tickety boo. First timers: Get there a little bit early and be ready to have an "oh god, oh god" moment of panic. Then immediately look for someone who knows what they're doing. Like me, they will now be the smug looking folks gliding through the crowds. Once you've found your way - have a bagel, buy a coffee, grab a trashy magazine. You did good and soon, you too will be one step closer to smugtown.

Maybe it's because I don't visit here enough. And maybe it's the construction that's been going on. But pretty much every time I visit Edinburgh Waverley I get lost and angry. I arrived here on Thursday and wanted to head towards the Old Town. I always get a little disorientated but managed to go in the right direction, but somehow I couldn't find the toilets. Probably because we arrived at a platform that seemed to be closer to Leith than Edinburgh. The other thing that bugs me is the connection between Waverley and Old Town. I can't work out how to avoid walking up the 1,000 steps of Fleshmarket and always come out at the exit right in front of them. I don't want to do this anymore - living in Glasgow has made me soft and lazy. On my return journey, I needed to buy a ticket due to it being a peak train rather than off peak (don't even get me started on that issue). That meant I had to go down to the main concourse, buy a ticket and then walk back up the stairs to platform 8E (or maybe it was 8W). There was a train on the platform, but of course it wasn't actually the train to Glasgow despite the sign saying it was. I managed to get on the right train and returned to the comforting bosom of Glasgow's easy to use Central Station, where everything is where is should be and there aren't any stairs (unless you go to the low level, of course).

There is always something happening here, where it is digging up the floor, or scaffolding every where and its been like this for a few years now. There are public toilets here but they charge you 30p entry fee your best to go to the Loch Nor bar where you could go for free but they do lock the toilets some times. There are plenty of kiosks around for drinks/coffee and food with a marks and spencer there next to burger king. The staff there look confused and don't know much and is you ask a question they are not afraid to reply (I don't know) Some of the train conductors can be rude depending what side of bed they came out of, a little respect and good customer service can go a long way. I've seen customers being shouted at because they sat in first class as the train was full with first class being empty. Some signage needs to be more clear as its like the blind leading the blind.

We took a train from this station to Manchester. We brought breakfast and after we finished eating, I wanted to throw away our trash. I couldn't find a single trash can! Really!?!

For someone who's never been to Edinburgh before, I found Waverley to be a little bit overwhelming. Platforms here and there, exits all over the place, lots of noise and taxi stands, it was hard to determine which way was up. Possibly because the station is a bit below the usual ground level, so there weren't many visual cues of where things were. Once I got my bearings, I was able to see that this is an excellent station and serves Edinburgh well. Loads of quick grab-able food choices including the usual Delice de France, Burger King, etc. My own pet peeve - seats for waiting - is not a major issue here. There were plenty of places to wait semi-comfortably. All I can say is, thank goodness for my iPhone 3GS with it's compass feature. I might still be wandering around the station!

Built in 1868, Waverley is one of the UK's oldest and biggest train stations. Located between Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town, it's a mammoth Victorian building that features hundreds of iron pillars, a glass dome ceiling and never ending platforms. Whilst the station can feel like an Arctic tunnel in Autumn and Winter, it's location is perfect. Situated underneath the historic South Bridge, its literally a few minutes walk from wonderful landmarks like Princes Street Gardens, the National Gallery and The Mount. Just remember to wrap up warm if you're visiting out of season!

I accidentally left my backpack here and had to get off the train to Glasgow somewhere in the middle and come back. To my surprise, they had my backpack and I got it back in minutes from a very friendly employee. If this had been an American train station they probably would have blown it up with a police robot.

Convenient tops top for all trains to main part of old town and royal mile.the LNER first class is very good. Very nice quiet train.

It's ok, but it could be better if not for schedule/track hiccups. The station itself was a bit confusing, but I was able to find my way soon enough by looking for overhead signage. It was no problem compared to the labyrinthian monster train stations in Osaka, where you really need to pay attention to signage to direct your way through the underground mazes. In comparison this station was pretty straightforward and didn't seem too big. The first thing I noticed was that all the other trains on the schedule had assigned tracks except mine, which had a line through it, pending track assignment. Google Maps seemed to think my train would arrive at a specific track, so I trusted it and entered the gates there and waited a bit. About 10 minutes before the scheduled departure, I grew concerned because I noticed that my train still wasn't listed on the screens by the tracks (I was looking for the train bound for Dundee). Surely the track should've been assigned by now? According to the screen, the next train to arrive at that track was some 20 minutes after my train. I trusted the official schedule, and thought that Google must've made a mistake, so I exited the platform to try to figure out what was going on, and to get prepared to run across the station to whatever track I needed to be at. I tried to get help from the folks at the gates, but they redirected me to a help counter which I wasn't able to find. Just a few minutes later, thankfully the track number finally showed up on the official schedule. It was the same one that Google had told me before. The same one I had been patiently waiting at. Arg! I walked back and checked the schedule screen by the track, and sure enough it had popped into the top position as the next train that would arrive. Thankfully the folks at the gate manually let me through this time, since the ticket machines would no longer take my ticket. Maybe this was just a random hiccup with my train, but it was very confusing to me. The train ride itself was pretty nice, and had free Wifi. My only other complaint is that there was some wear on the back of the seats in front of me, which seemed a bit dirty, and had some scratches. I'm probably just too used to superclean and well-maintained Japanese trains. That being said, the train experience wasn't bad, and was much much better than the average train experience in America (at least way better than Caltrain, which maybe isn't such a hard feat).

When I first visited Edinburgh I took the midnight train up and the midnight train back so that I didn't have to stay the night. The only problem with this was that the month was February and that meant that I would be waiting for the train at Waverley station in the cold winter. If it is cold then the very last place you want to be is Waverley train station because there is no warm room to wait in; it's in the cold you will be waiting and no where can that cold be escaped. In short, if you are going to be waiting here in the colder months, especially at night then prepare yourself for a decent wait in some very cold conditions. Despite this it is a first class station and there is plenty to eat, a bar to sit in that is marginally warmer than the rest of the station and you never have any trouble with getting tickets or finding out information, in that respect it is a very good station.

Ok train station: -30p for toilet. (Should be free) -good, free wifi. See photo of Speed test -not enough waiting room seating -good signage -Virgin ticket machines broken. Need more working automation for all services

Big and busy. Facilities leave a significant amount to be desired. Automated barrier system causes huge queues in and out. On-site eateries are not the greatest, but if you have 45min there are plenty of places within walking distance. Often there will be more than one train on each platform and especially if there is any kind of delay and trains start backing up this can become incredibly confusing. Conveniently situated in the centre of the city.

No fluff, frills, just down to earth train station.... We took the sleeper train in and out of Edinburgh. On our arrival, it was a bit confusing on where to go and how to exit the train station even. We actually had to ask someone for direction on 'how' to exit the station. The hotel in Grassmarket proved to be a bit challenging to get to... climbing up and then down,... good exercise. On our train departing Edinburgh, we were at the station a bit early and had to look around for a place to sit. One of the fellow passenger saw us huddling next to our luggage in the cold and kindly told us that there is a lounge available. Score! Yeah, more signs would be helpful me thinks....

Waverley is looking a lot fresher after its clean up, but it is still a rambling shed of a place to try and find your way around, and every direction out of it is uphill. Yes, there are shiny new escalators that take you up to the high-level walkway that traverses the station, but at either end you are still faced with stairs to get out, or have to hunt around to find the lift to street level. Now you can't even get a taxi from within the station - all vehicles have been banished to the outer streets so you've got even farther to haul your luggage. It's not short of facilities, from bars, newsagents, wee shops, coffee and muffin stalls through to Burger King and M&S Simply Food, so you're sure to find something to satisfy your appetite But it's a 'proper' station - despite the narrowness of the tunnelled approaches on each side, it manages to cram in something like 20 platforms in one of the most complicated track layouts you're likely to see outside of London. It's unfortunate that they're not all easy to find and many of the 'through' lines involve going up and down stairs (or finding the lifts or escalators); I've missed a couple of trains back to Glasgow late at night when they put them on one of the more remote platforms. By the time you've gone to the expected central concourse and looked at the destination board, only to find that your train is leaving from Platform 9 or 20, or some other obscure location that you've no idea how to find, you'll often get to the platform to be greeted by the tail lights of your train as it pulls out of the station. Top navigational tip if you're heading for the Playhouse or the St. James Centre - there is a 'back entrance' way down the side past M&S that takes you out to Calton Road, and from there it's an easy step up the hill to Leith Street opposite the St. James Centre. But inevitably, there are some stairs involved (although not as many as the other entrances).

This has to be the most stupid and confusing train station in the UK. The platform 'order' seems to be in no particular order that makes any sense to any logical person. There's one platform that isn't even there! I think it's platform 4. Maybe it's platform 7. This does not help when you are trying to find your platform, particularly when you're in a hurry and are carrying stuff. There's been many a time here when I have been so confused and tired and frustrated that I've just wanted to drop everything I'm carrying and bellow 'WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHERE MY PLATFORM IS!!!' The other incredibly frustrating element is that quite often, I have found that their display boards are wrong. Not content with the sheer torment of finding your platform, Waverley also likes to goad you further by sending you to the wrong one. Now, when I arrive, I double check all departure platforms shown on the boards, with the National Rail app, which is more than likely to be correct than the boards are. Waverley does have a few redeeming features in that it has quite good shops, including a M&S Simply Food, which is handy for some calming alcohol after the stress of finding where your platform is, a Costa Coffee, which is handy for a pick-me-up coffee after the exhaustion of finding where your platform is, a WH Smith, which is handy for when you just pack in the platform hunt and want to sit in a quiet place with a book, and a Boots, handy for when you've missed your train due to the platform not being in any logical place, and you've resorted to medication, and tissues to dry your tears. Honestly Edinburgh, you're the second best city in Scotland, and your train station is hugely confusing to vaguely local people, never mind tourists who want to come and look at your castle and other majestic buildings and cobbled lanes. Sort it out. It's easy. Start at number 1, and just proceed, IN ORDER from there.

Well connected rail system, access for pedestrians poor, steep or steps. Confusing station numbering and placement. Station is well supplied with shops, snack outlets and clean. Steep steps now replaced by an escalator :)

I thoroughly enjoyed my first trip to Edinburgh, arriving from London via train. Waverly Station is one of the largest train stations in Scotland and I tried to absorb as much possible when passing through and later waiting for my departure. Having spent a great deal of time in Japan, I have come to appreciate the culture of the train station so it was interesting to see some of these major European stations. Nothing about this station blew me away, but it was nice. Certainly Edinburgh is a magnificent city and Im glad I chose to take the train there. The rough part was that it took 5 hours via train and there was another hour delay on the tracks (of course, trains in Japan are far less bumpy, so I wasnt accustomed to that). But the station itself is conveniently located right in the heart of the city, walking distance from just about anything you want to see. There are no shortage of nearby shopping or dining options as well. Inside the station there are convenience stores and food stalls, as well. I sampled a pasty with corned beef which was satisfying on a chilly day. The layout of the station is a bit confusing if you have never been there before, but arriving early enough should give you time to find your way around. It seems pretty lively there as well and got a little cramped with few places to sit--keep that in mind. One additional thing I want to mention is that they seemed to have some event where a beverage company set up a bar and was offering free drinks. Im not sure if little promotions are common, but I thought it was interesting. Pros: Right in the heart of Edinburgh--near everything, variety of things to eat nearby Cons: A bit confusing layout at first, lack of seating, could use some later departure times for long distance rail services

A vibrant and busy station! I'm quite a fan, I love that its right in the heart of the city, easily accessible, adjacent to the mall, and that staff are so friendly and helpful it made my journey so easy. Allow a little bit of time if you want to figure it out on your own, or if you're like me, go straight to the counter and ask for directions and you'll be all set. I stayed at the station following my return journey just to stop and people watch while a had some lunch. It's an interesting little hub with people rushing about, alternatively you could grab some lunch on princes street or in the mall.

I'll leave this with a simple summary of my life as a monthly season ticket holder for Scotrail: 1) Arrive at your local station 2) Attempt to purchase your ticket for that day's travel 3) Ticket machine spits your card out in disgust. Apparently they don't like new bank cards (by new, it categorises anything that's under 18 months old...) 4) Stand waiting on a blustery, cold platform for 20 minutes, whilst your train decides whether to arrive on time or not. (Clue: usually not) 5) Cram yourself onto a packed commuter train - 3 carriages for a peak time service into Edinburgh. Genius... 6) Fail to get the ticket man to allow you to buy a ticket on the train, on account of him being physically unable to move down the carriage 7) Arrive at your destination - find yourself stuck in a 10 minute queue with all the other poor saps who couldn't get a ticket 8) Purchase ticket 9) Attempt to leave the platform - realise there's another queue where 100+ commuters are trying to get out of the platform via an entrance that would realistically be wide enough usually for two teeny old ladies 10) Finally get to the main station concourse. Decide to be proactive and purchase a monthly season pass, in an effort to avoid steps 2, 3, 6 & 7 in future 11) Go to the queue, as directed by the helpful gentleman by the door. Smile at the first genuine piece of decent service all day 12) Die quietly inside as you reach the front of the queue, and you're told you should have been directed to the one opposite 13) Finally get your monthly ticket. Go to work. Come home. 14) Wake up the following day 15) Repeat steps 1, 4, 5, 9, 13 & 14. For the next 40 years... 16) Die quietly inside again...

Waverley Station is in an excellent location; bang smack in the city centre and literally a stone's throw from Princes Street so whenever I travel to Edinburgh, this is the station I use (sorry Haymarket!). Oh and if you're a fan of S Club 7, you might appreciate this station too... I'm giving it two and half stars for location because other than that (and the added half star bonus which I'll come to later), I'm not a fan of Waverley. Yeah it has the usual shops you would expect (WH Smith, Boots etc). The station has a few cafes but I didn't try any of these so can't comment. I just bought a bottle of water and magazine from WH Smith and have nothing exciting to report. I don't like the layout of this station at all...it's not as spacious as Glasgow Central, and of course that's a comparison I'm going to make. There was a last minute platform change (thanks for that) and it caused some confusion. Staff weren't friendly or helpful. But the icing on the cake - the pièce de résistance if you will - happened just outside the station. Going up onto Princes Street (there's stairs or esculators) there was a very well dressed chap (not busking) who was standing on a chair belting out 'Reach for the Stars'. That quite honestly made my day. One of the best things I've ever seen! And if left me wondering...was I in Edinburgh or in fact....Glasgow??!!

Connecting Scotland... Watch out, no booze on game days... Usually on time.

Clean and easy to navigate (and friendly attendants if you do need help). Very easy to get to from New Town (walking distance). Affordable Scotrail Prices

it's a great train station. we arrived from London. Lovely station, but be prepared to walk up a ton of stairs out to the main street. Lots of venues to grab a quick bite or cup of tea when leaving.