Edinburgh airport's modest size is both a blessing and a hindrance for air travellers. On the one hand, international links aren't great, especially if you're travelling from outside Europe. On the other hand, there are plenty of connections from inside the UK - and it won't take you long to clear the compact airport when you get here.

Contrary to the horror stories beloved by the British media, travel by long-distance train is (usually) no more stressful than driving or flying.  The door-to-door time doesn’t compare all that unfavourably to air travel; and at least on the train you can settle down in one place, rather than being herded through security, departure lounge and gate.

Coach travel is time-consuming - the journey from London, for example, takes nine to ten hours (compared to four or five on the train) - and you don't get much choice about when and how you travel. On the other hand, it's cheap, flexible, very easy to arrange and it's a low-hassle form of transport, all of which make it particularly popular at both the backpacker and senior-citizen ends of the travelling spectrum.

Driving to Edinburgh is a viable option from most of the UK, but don't expect to make much use of your car once you're here. What's more, on-street parking is heavily controlled throughout vast swathes of the city - so don't bring a car unless you're sure you have somewhere to park it off-road. Most city-centre hotels charge heavily for parking, though those a little further out often include it for free.