Getting to North Berwick
How to reach North Berwick by train, bus, taxi, car, or bicycle.
By train from Edinburgh
North Berwick is the end of a short branch off the East Coast Main Line and has had a rail link to Edinburgh since 1850. Trains are operated by ScotRail and every service from here runs west towards Edinburgh, because there is nowhere else for them to go: North Berwick is a terminus. The journey to Edinburgh Waverley takes about 30 minutes, which is why so much of the town's summer weekend crowd arrives without a car. The station is on Station Road, about a ten minute walk from the High Street and fifteen from the harbour, and it is step-free with accessible and Changing Places toilets. Given that the whole town is now inside a controlled parking zone, the train is the least stressful way to arrive.
- Station
- North Berwick (CRS code NBW), Station Road, North Berwick, EH39 4BY
- Operator
- ScotRail
- Line
- The North Berwick branch, off the East Coast Main Line at Drem
- Journey time to Edinburgh
- About 30 minutes to Edinburgh Waverley
- First and last departures
- On a checked weekday in August 2026, departures from North Berwick ran from about 06:00 to about 22:30, roughly every 30 to 60 minutes, all towards Edinburgh (Waverley, with some terminating at Haymarket). Verified against live timetable data on 17 August 2026; confirm the current timetable with ScotRail before travelling.
- Terminus
- Yes. Every train from North Berwick starts here and runs west.
- Step-free access
- Step-free category A, with step-free access to the platform, accessible toilets, a Changing Places toilet, bicycle storage and 96 parking spaces
- Tickets
- Buy from the ticket office, ticket machines or the ScotRail app. There is no Oyster-style tap-in system on this line.
Tips
- •North Berwick is the end of the line, so you cannot miss your stop coming out from Edinburgh.
- •The branch joins the main line at Drem. If you are coming from further afield you will usually change at Edinburgh Waverley rather than at Drem.
- •Bikes travel on ScotRail services, but reserve if you can in summer: this line fills with beach traffic on a hot weekend.
- •The walk from the station to the harbour takes about fifteen minutes and is downhill almost the whole way.
Useful Links
🚆 National Rail from North Berwick
Live departures
National Rail service from North Berwick. Updates every few minutes.
By bus
East Coast Buses, part of the Lothian group, runs the town's link to Edinburgh by road. Service 124 is the all-day route between North Berwick and Edinburgh city centre, running Monday to Saturday and on Sundays, with the N124 covering the late-night hours; the X5 is the faster limited-stop version on weekdays and Saturdays. Journey times by bus are longer than the train, but the bus is useful for the coastal villages the railway skips. The 120, run by Eve Coaches, is the one to know for the coast east of the town: it runs along the A198 past Canty Bay and Tantallon, with a stop named Drift outside the clifftop cafe, which makes a one-way walk out and a bus back very easy.
- Main Edinburgh service
- East Coast Buses 124 (North Berwick to Edinburgh West End), with the X5 as the faster weekday and Saturday version and the N124 at night
- Coast route east
- Eve Coaches 120 along the A198 past Canty Bay, Drift and Tantallon Castle
- Other operators
- Prentice of Haddington also serves East Lothian routes
- Where buses stop
- North Berwick High Street and the stop at Tesco on Tantallon Road are the main pick-up points in town
- Frequency
- Timetables change; check the operator's own page rather than a third-party aggregator before travelling
Tips
- •The train is faster to Edinburgh. The bus earns its keep for Gullane, Aberlady, Dirleton and the coast east towards Tantallon and Dunbar.
- •The 120 is the practical way to turn the coast walk east into a one-way walk: get the bus out to Tantallon or Drift and walk back, or the reverse.
- •Bus timetables in East Lothian change with the school year. Confirm the current timetable on the operator's site.
Useful Links
Taxis
There are local private-hire and taxi operators in North Berwick, but this is not a town with a rank full of cabs waiting at midnight. Book ahead for anything time-critical, especially on a summer weekend, during Fringe by the Sea, or for an early train connection. No individual operator is listed here because none was independently verified during this research session; ask your accommodation, who will know who is currently trading.
- Booking
- Book ahead rather than expecting to flag one down
- Peak pressure
- Summer weekends and the Fringe by the Sea period at the turn of July and August
- Alternative
- The station is a ten minute walk from the High Street, so most visitors never need a taxi at all
Tips
- •Ask your accommodation for a current local number rather than relying on an online directory; small operators here change hands often.
By car, and the parking problem
North Berwick is about 40 km east of Edinburgh, reached from the A1 by turning off at the A198 and running in along the coast, or by the A198 the whole way from Musselburgh if you want the villages. The drive is easy. The parking is not, and this is the single most important practical thing to know about visiting the town in 2026. East Lothian Council introduced a controlled parking scheme across North Berwick with enforcement starting on 1 June 2026. The rollout was widely criticised locally as confusing: the East Lothian Courier reported on 2 June 2026 that the council had published a fresh summary of the rules the day after the scheme went live, had confirmed that some parking sign information was incorrect and was being fixed, and quoted drivers who did not know that the free 45 minutes on the High Street still requires you to enter your registration at the machine. The machines do not issue paper tickets. Read the signs on the street you are actually parked on, enter your registration whether you are paying or not, and if in doubt use the harbour car park or the free Recreation Park car park.
- From Edinburgh
- About 40 km by road, via the A1 then the A198, or the A198 the whole way along the coast
- From the A1
- Turn off at the A198 for North Berwick; the A198 also serves Tantallon Castle and the coast east of the town
- Controlled parking zone
- Town-wide, enforced from 1 June 2026. Enter your vehicle registration at the machine even during free periods.
- Harbour car park
- Pay and display £3.50 for one hour up to £10 all day, charged 09:00 to 18:00, free from 1 October to the end of February. Blue Badge spaces adjacent to the Scottish Seabird Centre.
- Free option
- The Recreation Park car park is free and about 15 minutes' walk from the harbour
- Other town car parks
- Imperial (Melbourne Place), Kirk Ports (Law Road) and The Glebe (St Andrew Street), all inside the controlled zone
- Law car park
- Free car park at the foot of North Berwick Law on the B1347, for the hill walk
Tips
- •If you are coming from Edinburgh for the day, take the train. It removes the entire parking question for the price of a return ticket.
- •The harbour car park is small and fills early on a summer weekend. Have a second plan before you drive down the hill.
- •Tantallon Castle and Yellowcraig both have their own car parks, so a car earns its keep for the coast rather than the town centre.
- •Check East Lothian Council's own North Berwick parking scheme page for the current tariffs and zones; the details here come from local press reporting and operator pages because the council site could not be retrieved during research.
By bike
The town is small, flat apart from the Law, and easy to get around on two wheels. North Berwick station has bicycle storage and National Rail lists bicycle hire as available at the station. The coast road east on the A198 towards Tantallon and Dunbar is a popular ride, as is the run west through Dirleton to Aberlady, and the John Muir Way through the town is partly rideable. Bikes are carried on ScotRail services on the branch, which makes a ride out and a train back a straightforward day.
- Storage at the station
- Bicycle storage is listed among North Berwick station's facilities
- Hire
- National Rail lists bicycle hire as available at the station; confirm current provision and opening hours directly before relying on it
- Best rides
- East on the A198 to Tantallon and Dunbar; west through Dirleton and Gullane to Aberlady
- Long-distance route
- The John Muir Way, Helensburgh to Dunbar, runs through the town
Tips
- •The A198 east of the town has fast traffic and narrow verges in places. It suits confident riders more than families.
- •The wind here is the real hill. An easterly on the way out means an easy ride home and vice versa.
Useful Links
From the Airport
Live options for reaching the village from the nearest airports. Times and fares are a guide and can change with traffic or operator schedules.
Edinburgh AirportEDI
55 km away- Duration
- About 1 hour 30 minutes in total, depending on connections
- Cost
- Tram and train fares are bought separately
Take the tram from Edinburgh Airport to Edinburgh Park or St Andrew Square, transfer to Waverley or Haymarket, then take the ScotRail service to North Berwick, which is about 30 minutes. The tram to the city centre takes roughly half an hour. This is the simplest option without a car.
Operator: Edinburgh Trams and ScotRail
- Duration
- About 1 hour depending on the Edinburgh bypass
- Cost
- Fuel plus parking at the far end
Roughly 55 km by road, via the Edinburgh city bypass to the A1 and then the A198. Remember that North Berwick's town centre is inside a controlled parking zone.
- Duration
- About 1 hour
- Cost
- Confirm the fare with the operator when booking; not independently verified during this research session
Practical for a group with luggage and golf clubs, less so for one or two people, given that the tram and train combination covers the same journey.
Glasgow AirportGLA
130 km away- Duration
- About 3 hours in total
- Cost
- Three separate fares
Glasgow Airport has no rail station of its own, so this involves an airport bus into Glasgow, a train across to Edinburgh, and then the North Berwick branch. Edinburgh Airport is the sensible arrival point for this town; Glasgow is a fallback.
Operator: ScotRail on the Scottish legs
- Duration
- About 2 hours
- Cost
- Fuel and tolls where applicable
Roughly 130 km via the M8, the Edinburgh bypass, the A1 and the A198.
EV & Essentials
Practical infrastructure on the ground: charging, water, and accessibility facilities worth knowing about before you arrive.
Accessibility Facilities
Coastal Communities Museum Changing Places toilet
Changing Places · School Road, North Berwick, EH39 4JU
Ground floor of the library and museum building, with adult changing and baby changing. Available during museum opening hours.
North Berwick station Changing Places toilet
Changing Places · Station Road, North Berwick, EH39 4BY
Listed by National Rail among the station's facilities alongside accessible toilets and step-free access to the platform.
Blue Badge parking at the Scottish Seabird Centre
Blue badge parking · Harbour car park, Harbour Terrace, North Berwick, EH39 4SS
Accessible spaces adjacent to the Centre, per the Centre's own visitor information.
Parking
Parking options in and around North Berwick. On busy weekends, arriving early or taking the train is recommended.
Town-wide controlled parking scheme (East Lothian Council)
Varies by zone; check the machine and the signs before you leave the car. This is the single thing most likely to catch a visitor out in 2026. East Lothian Council introduced parking management across North Berwick with enforcement starting on 1 June 2026, and the rollout was widely reported as confusing in its first days: the East Lothian Courier reported on 2 June 2026 that the council had published a fresh summary of the rules, acknowledged that some parking sign information was incorrect and was being corrected, and quoted drivers unaware that the free 45 minutes on the High Street still requires you to enter your registration at the machine. The machines do not issue paper tickets. Read the signs on the specific street you are parked on, enter your registration whether or not you are paying, and check the council's own North Berwick parking scheme page for the current tariffs. The authoritative council page could not be retrieved during this research session (see _research.json).
Harbour car park, beside the Scottish Seabird Centre
£3.50 for 1 hour up to £10 all day, charged 09:00 to 18:00; free from 1 October to the end of February. Tariff as published by the Scottish Seabird Centre for the car park adjacent to the Centre. Blue Badge spaces are available next to the Centre. It is small and fills early on a summer weekend.
Recreation Park car park
Free. The Scottish Seabird Centre points visitors here as a free alternative, roughly a 15 minute walk from the harbour. Other town-centre car parks include the Imperial, Kirk Ports and Glebe car parks, all inside the controlled parking area.
Planning the wider trip?
Our country-level primer covers national rail, intercity buses, airports, the Leap Card, and whether you actually need a hire car for your trip around United Kingdom.
Getting Around United Kingdom →Top Tip
The train is the best way to get to North Berwick. You arrive right in the heart of North Berwick, there’s no parking hassle, and you can enjoy a meal and a drink without worrying about driving home.