JoMark

Hi, I am hoping a local can give me some guidance on localities in Edinburgh. One of our accomodation options is in Ann St, Stockbridge, but the accomodation does not come with a guaranteed car park. Not knowing Edinburgh, I'm not sure how important this isn't. We will arrive on a Friday afternoon on June 30th and don't expect to move the car until we exit Edinburgh on the Sunday. What chance of securing free local parking- I really don't want to be forced to return to feed a parking meter. Thanks

caroline_edinburgh

Do you really need to get a car before you arrive in Edinburgh ? If you are coming straight from the airport, why not hire a car when you leave Edinburgh ?

You won't need a car while you are here.

Ann Street is one of the most beautiful and sought-after streets in Edinburgh : I'm just surprised that residents are allowed to do any as commercial as offer B&B ! I think it is unrestricted parking there but you may have to drive round in ever-increasing circles to find a space. You are not allowed to feed meters, which have a maximum stay of 0.5-4 hours.

Ani

Ditto Caroline!
We took a taxi to our B&B, and when we left a few days later we picked up our car hire from the Train Station-so easy.

janisj

I agree w/ the others. If you are flying (or taking the train) directly into Scotland on the Friday, don't pick up your car until Sunday. And then pick it up out at the airport since many city center rental locations are closed on Sundays.

If, on the other hand, you are driving to Edinburgh and then driving on from there -- you should definitely look for accomodations that have parking. This will likely mean looking for a B&B a bit farther out and using the excellent bus service to get in to the center.

JoMark

Thanks for your input caroline, Ani,janisj. We will actually be driving to Edinburgh, and then driving on to Loch Lomond before flying to Paris from Newcastle. In hindsight (the only real wisdom)I should have picked an airline that flew from Edinburgh to Paris and organised the trip to end in Edinburgh.
It's interesting that both my phonecalls and emails have gone unanswered since I specifically enquired about parking. The accomodation isn't a B&B, but an apartment- which looked lovely by the way. However lovely isn't any compensation for a lack of carpark ( especially on a short visit) and I'm now trying to book the Beverley, a B&B a bit further out. Thanks again

Barbara

JoMark, we rented a very nice flat about ten minutes walk from the West End, a little closer than Ann Street and not uphill! It has free parking, and there's a bus stop close by for longer trips into town. The owner is very nice and helpful.

http://www.aboutscotland.com/edin/orchardbrae.html

JoMark

Thanks Barbara, perhaps it was your recomendation that had me try them early on- unfortunatlely for the time required they were booked. We have confirmed on the B&B, the Beverley- had good reviews on Trip Advisor (car parking available), so here's hoping. Thank you again for all the advice so willingly given that assists in the decision making

caroline_edinburgh

JoMark, does the Beverley have *offroad* parking ? Othwerwise you'll have exactly the same parking situation as in Ann Street. Having said that, I wouldn't worry about it too much, if you're not planning to drive while you're here - you just may have to spend a bit of time driving round looking for a space when you arrive (as most residents do every day !).

But Murrayfield Avenue is handier for getting into town (good bus route at the bottom of the road) than Ann Street (steep walk up hill, few buses passing nearby).

Patricia

I can highly recommend Arden Guest House which is in Dalkeith Road, great rooms and breakfast and the bonus is the private carpark at the back and a bus stop almost at the front door for the few minutes ride into the city centre. You can check it out at www.ardenedinburgh.co.uk
Hope this helps.

JoMark

You have a good point Caroline, though I'm probably not quite as stressed about finding car parking in Murrayfield Av as I was near Ann St. I may live to regret those naive words but I rang the centre for the parking wardens and a fairly helpful guy at the office suggested I might find it significantly easier to get a park at the former. Also none of the reviews for the B&B, even those who visited in July/Aug, made a comment about parking.
Hopefully this means it won't be too bad. Even though I've decided against Ann St I appreciate your comments about public transport- there I was about to make an error on 2 misconceptions:, I didn't realise how frequent & how inexpensive the bus services are and "a map doesn't tell you about the hills". I'm still a beginner on the fodors forum (lots of mistakes), but one thing I'm coming to appreciate is that with a bit better planning, and perhaps by asking better questions than I've so far posted, there is an incredible depth of local knowledge that can be accessed which can save a great deal of angst and time.
Patricia- thanks for your suggestion, it would have been great, and quite reasonably priced too. However I've already booked at the Beverley- they are one of the few B&B's that have a family room that sleeps more than 3. I've spent so many hours on the internet trying to book 5 weeks of accomodation for a family of 5 that I'm perhaps rushing the last few places- getting a bit panicky about whether I'll actually find something suitable that meets the budget.
Thanks again -to all, for the advice so freely given.

caroline_edinburgh

I think you are getting nicely organised now. Good point about maps not showing hills !

In case you didn't know the full gen about bus fares...

It is £1 flat rate for a single anywhere but only £2.30 for an umlimited use day ticket (valid on everything except the airbus, plus you have to pay part of the fare on night buses (after midnight)).

You may wish to get one of the open top, hop on/hop off bus tours on your first day - it's a good way to get an overview of the Old & New Towns & where all the main sights are. You might like to get off at the stop nearest the Castle, tour the Castle, walk down the Royal Mile, tour the Palace, then get back on the bus.

On the other days, just use normal buses. There is a tourist bus which goes to the Royal Yacht, which is quite interesting, but you'd be better off just getting a normal no. 22 bus.

Anything else, just ask !

These comments all apply to Lothian buses which is the biggest & most useful operator,.