Edinburgh Christmas market coach trip from Glasgow
Ritaat Coaches takes private groups from Glasgow to Edinburgh’s Christmas market by coach or minibus, with a driver, between 14 November 2026 and 3 January 2027. Coaches drop off at the council’s Castle Terrace bay, about 47 miles and an hour’s drive from Glasgow. Only your group travels, and you choose the pick-up point and the times.
Edinburgh’s Christmas 2026 at a glance
| Dates | 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 (Edinburgh’s Christmas; edinburgh.org) |
|---|---|
| Main market | East Princes Street Gardens, free to enter (edinburgh.org) |
| Opening hours | Vary by day and over the holidays: check the official Edinburgh’s Christmas site before you set your pick-up time |
| Organiser | Unique Assembly (Edinburgh’s Christmas) |
| Rides and attractions | Ticketed separately from the free market |
Who this trip is for: office Christmas outings, school and college groups, community, mosque and church groups, families and clubs from Glasgow and the west of Scotland. It starts in Glasgow, at your door.
Train or private coach?
For a Glasgow group, the train is the obvious alternative, and for some groups it’s the better choice. Here is the honest comparison.
| ScotRail train | Private coach or minibus | |
|---|---|---|
| Journey | Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh Waverley, about 1 hour 7 minutes on average (ScotRail) | About 1 hour driving on the M8; allow 1 hour 30 minutes door to door |
| From your door | You get yourselves to Queen Street | Picked up at your address, school, mosque, church or office |
| At the Edinburgh end | Waverley is a short walk from East Princes Street Gardens | Drop-off at Castle Terrace, then a walk along Princes Street |
| Price | Per person: off-peak returns from about £16.80 (ScotRail). ScotRail offers groups of 10 or more 10% to 30% off on selected routes, booked through its group travel team at least 28 days ahead (ScotRail group travel) | Per vehicle, quoted in writing; see the price guide |
| Example: 30 adults | 30 × £16.80 = £504 before any group discount; about £353 to £454 with 10% to 30% off | One quote for the vehicle and driver |
| Coming home | Everyone catches a train; December evening trains can be busy | The group leaves together at the time you agreed |
The train suits small groups of adults who live near Queen Street. A private coach suits groups with children, older people or anyone with limited mobility, pick-ups away from the city centre, or a group that wants to travel and come home together.
How the day works
A sample day. We agree the real times with you.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 11:00 | Pick-up at your address in Glasgow (or several pick-ups on the way) |
| 11:00 to about 12:30 | Glasgow to Edinburgh on the M8, about 47 miles. Christmas traffic in Edinburgh can add time |
| About 12:30 | Drop-off at the Castle Terrace coach bay, then a walk along Princes Street to the market in East Princes Street Gardens |
| 12:30 to 18:00 | Free time at the market and in the city centre |
| 18:00 | Pick-up at Castle Terrace (the bay is designated until 18:30) |
| About 19:30 | Back in Glasgow |
Tell us if anyone in the group has limited mobility, so we can plan the drop-off and pick-up around them.
Want to stay for the lights after dark? That works, but plan the pick-up. Castle Terrace is a designated coach bay only until 18:30, and elsewhere in the city centre a coach may stop on yellow lines for two minutes at most (City of Edinburgh Council). For a later return we agree an exact pick-up point and time with you before the day, and everyone needs to be there on time.
Drop-off and parking in Edinburgh
These are the City of Edinburgh Council’s rules for coaches, checked on 25 October 2026 (council coach parking page):
- Castle Terrace is the designated drop-off and pick-up bay. It’s free, with a 30-minute maximum stay, from 8.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Saturday and 12.30pm to 6.30pm on Sunday.
- Medium-stay coach parking is at Regent Road and Inverleith Place: up to 9 hours, 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday only, at £9.80 an hour.
- There is no short-stay coach parking in the city centre, and the council provides no long-stay coach parking. Two private coach parks, Pringle’s Coach Park and The Edinburgh Coach and Truck Park, offer 24-hour secure parking.
- Coaches must not use on-street pay-and-display bays.
On a weekday the coach can wait in the council’s medium-stay parking. At weekends, parking is arranged and shown on your quote as its own line.
What it costs
You pay for the vehicle and driver for the trip, not per seat, so the cost per person falls as the group grows. The price depends on:
- the vehicle: our Mercedes Sprinter minibus (16 seats) for a small group, one of our own coaches (a Mercedes Tourismo with 53 seats or a Volvo B8R with 38) for a larger one, and a partner operator’s coach for bigger groups;
- the hours: a later return costs more;
- the day: weekend trips need private coach parking in Edinburgh;
- parking in Edinburgh, shown as its own line.
Published prices from other firms, and what a quote should include, are on our price guide. Our 53-seat coach is from £1,200 a day, or from £1,500 in peak season, with a maximum of 10 hours a day. Ask us for a written quote for your date.
Book early for December
Weekend dates in late November and December are popular for Christmas outings, so ask as soon as you have a date. Weekday trips are easier to arrange and, with council parking available, simpler to run.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Edinburgh Christmas market in 2026?
Edinburgh’s Christmas runs from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with the main market in East Princes Street Gardens. It’s free to enter. Check the official Edinburgh’s Christmas website for daily opening hours, which change over the holidays.
What time should we leave Glasgow for the Christmas market?
Leaving Glasgow at about 11:00 gets most groups to the Castle Terrace bay by about 12:30. The drive is about an hour for the 47 miles on the M8; allow an hour and a half door to door, and longer on December weekends.
Where does the coach drop off for the Christmas market?
At the council’s Castle Terrace coach bay, where coaches can drop off and pick up for up to 30 minutes between 8.30am and 6.30pm (12.30pm to 6.30pm on Sundays). From there it’s a walk along Princes Street to East Princes Street Gardens.
Is the train cheaper than a coach for a group?
For a small group of adults near Queen Street, often yes: off-peak returns start from about £16.80 each, and groups of 10 or more can get 10% to 30% off. A private coach is priced per vehicle, so it gets more competitive as the group grows, and it picks everyone up at your door.
Can we stay in Edinburgh until the evening?
Yes. Because the Castle Terrace bay is only designated until 6.30pm, we agree a precise later pick-up point and time with you before the day.
Book your Christmas market trip
Tell us your date, your pick-up point in Glasgow and how many are going. We’ll send a written quote.
Related: Private tours from Glasgow · Glasgow to Edinburgh coach hire · Coach hire in Glasgow · Minibus hire in Glasgow · Christmas party transport for companies · Community and mosque group trips · Minibus or coach?