Will be lodging in Fountain Court Apartments on Grove St.in Edinburgh both on front and back end of a 10 day visit to Scotland end of May. Anyone stay here? Is a car necessary in Edinburg ? How easy is public transportation ?

As with almost any large city (LA and Houston excepted?), a car tends to be counter-productive and is inadvisable in Edinburgh.

No car needed. Very walkable city (esp. the old part).

Having a car is a pain and totally unnecessary in Edinburgh. It is a very walkable city, and has great bus service. The traffic is bad, and parking is difficult and expensive.

We did a lot of driving in Scotland, but when we went into Edinburgh we left our car at a park and ride, and we were VERY glad we did. You can get just about everywhere you want to on foot or by public transportation, without the hassle of parking, one-way streets, and general city traffic.

Rent the car from the airport on your way out of town and return it on your way into town at the end of your touring. There's good public transportation between the airport and the city center.

Unless you have a mobility issue, you don't need a car in Edinburgh. I had a car but only for visiting outside the city. Even so, it was a pain to get in and out of the city.

Since you asked about the public transportation, do I presume you usually don't use one where you live? You probably should study the Edinburgh bus system before getting there. Like other cities, there are many ways to purchase tickets, and it can be quite overwhelming to be presented with many choices.

http://lothianbuses.net/

I just got back from Edinburgh and used the bus system every day I was there. I used a Lothian bus route map and I had a city map from the tourist information office. The drivers are very helpful if you need to know anything. The fares are flat rate - one pound per trip or two pound fifty for an all day ticket, getting on and off as many times as you like. When you get on the bus you say to the driver "One pound please" and put the money into a steel box. On the single storey bus the ticket comes out of the box to the left and on the double decker bus the ticket comes out from a machine to the right of the driver.

I also used the free bus that runs between the galleries. I picked up a timetable at the National Gallery on the Mound (off Princes Street).

A day on the open-top buses also gets you to a lot of great places.

<<< On the single storey bus the ticket comes out of the box to the left and on the double decker bus the ticket comes out from a machine to the right of the driver. >>>

Not true - on double deckers the ticket dispenser may be to the left or the right depending on the bus

There are also "First" buses in Edinburgh which TEND to serve the outerlying villages and points inbetween. Lothian bus tickets aren't valid on these services

Another naysayer. I can't even drive !