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Edinburgh to Inverness by train

Prices explained

Prices explained

At Rail Europe we believe in price transparency. We use real data from Rail Europe searches to estimate the cheapest fares you should be able to find for your journey.

The cheapest price is the lowest fare we've ever found for this journey. These prices can usually be found by searching when booking opens but they vary due to availability, which depends on factors like the day of the week or time of year.

More popular journeys include 30 day advance and 7 day advance prices. These are updated every two weeks using prices we've found by searching exactly 7 or 30 days from the most recent Thursday (we picked Thursday because this is when average prices are usually found).

30 day and 7 day prices fluctuate based on demand and availability at the time of search. For example, the 7-day price in summer is likely to be more expensive than the same journey in winter.

Prices are sourced in GBP and converted to other currencies using the daily market exchange rate.

We're always seeking to improve how price-checking works, and we welcome feedback on how we can make it better.

More advice about how to find the cheapest tickets can be found in our infographic.

  1. Cheapest Price $14.15
  2. 30 day advance $16.57
  3. 7 day advance $23.17
89% based on 50,444 reviews
  • First train
    08:31
  • Last train
    19:44
  • Avg changes
    0
  • Fastest journey
    3hr 18m
  • Distance
    181 kilometres
  • Trains per Day
    19
  • Avg. journey time
    3hr 33m
  • Train Operators

Travelling from Edinburgh to Inverness by train

Fast trains from Edinburgh to Inverness take around 3 hours and 18 minutes, covering a distance of approximately 181 kilometres. There are frequent services on the rail route between Edinburgh and Inverness.

1. Are there direct trains from Edinburgh to Inverness?

Direct trains from Edinburgh to Inverness have been found.

We usually find around 21 direct trains on the route from Edinburgh to Inverness every weekday.

There are typically fewer departures at weekends, when we found around 15 departures.

2. How long is the train journey from Edinburgh to Inverness?

The Edinburgh to Inverness train travel time is normally about 3 hours and 18 minutes, whatever time you make the journey.

3. What are the Edinburgh to Inverness train times and schedule?

On weekdays the earliest direct train to Inverness is usually scheduled to depart Edinburgh around 08:32 and the last train is around 19:44. At weekends the first train of the day leaves Edinburgh around 08:31, and the last at 19:44.

What's the Edinburgh to Inverness train price?

The earlier you book the better, and the cheapest tickets we've found for trains from Edinburgh to Inverness are $14.15.

Trains departing 30 days in advance will cost around $16 while booking 7 days in advance the price is around $23. Booking on the day of travel is likely to be more expensive, so it is worth booking in advance if you can to save money.

When to book Edinburgh to Inverness train tickets?

Trains in the UK usually open for booking around 3 months in advance. If booking is not yet open for your dates then you can set a booking alert to receive an email on the day that the cheapest tickets are released for your journey from Edinburgh to Inverness by train.

Help with booking alerts

Which train companies operate between Edinburgh and Inverness?

More than one train company operates on the route from Edinburgh to Inverness, so you’ll be travelling with one or more of the following rail operators:

  • East Coast
  • London North Eastern Railway
  • ScotRail
  • Virgin East Coast

You can check which train you’ll be travelling on by looking for the train name in search results.

Inverness to Edinburgh by train

Other journeys to Inverness View all journeys to Inverness

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Child and youth passengers

The definition of "Child" and "Youth" varies by country and operator. This is why we ask for the age of young passengers.

Sometimes children below a certain age can travel without a seat for free. If you want to guarantee a seat for child passengers, enter '6' as the age of the child.

Read more about child and youth passenger ages. See also youth discounts and railcards.