Congress Venue & Travel Information

Edinburgh is Scotland’s capital city located in the south east of Scotland on the Firth of Forth. Edinburgh is an ancient city, settled in the Middle Ages, but these days is a modern and vibrant small capital. The city is dominated by the castle, perched on volcanic rock above the city, and by Arthurs Seat, a large dormant volcano in the royal park of Holyrood to the east of the city. On one side is the Old Town dating from the medieval period, and on the other the New Town of elegant Georgian buildings from the 18th Century. Edinburgh is a city of festivals in the summer, hosting the world famous International Arts Festival in August, the Festival Fringe, the Book Festival, and the Jazz Festival just after our Congress.

This year we will use not one but two venues in our beautiful city: the Congress will begin in the Assembly Rooms in the New Town on George Street for the opening ceremony. This was built as a social and meeting place and opened in January 1787 with a Hunt Ball! We will then relocate to the University of Edinburgh’s John McIntyre Conference Centre at the foot of Arthur’s Seat for the conference sessions. Our Congress Banquet will be in the dramatic setting of Our Dynamic Earth: a museum that follows a similar theme to our Congress by charting the past, present and future of our planet.

 

 

Travel Information

By Air

Edinburgh Airport is located 8 miles (12 km) west of the capital and there are a range of transport options for travelling to and from the city centre. Edinburgh Airport offers direct and connecting flights to and from more than 100 UK, European and international destinations.

For direct flight information, please visit the Visit Scotland website.

By Car

Edinburgh is only 3 hours from Inverness and just over 2 hours from Aberdeen. Travel times from England are just as good, Birmingham is approxiamtely 5.5 hours and Manchester and York 4 hours.

To help plan your route: AA Route Planner

Scotland has three National Tourist Routes that you can take to drive to Edinburgh. These are scenic alternatives to the main roads and motorways that are well signposted and easy to follow, with visitor attractions along the way.

By Train 

All trains arrive at Waverley Station in the centre of the city, although some trains also stop at Haymarket.

The East Coast mainline linking Edinburgh and London King’s Cross. You can travel between the cities in around 4 hours. Alternatively, you can travel overnight, a sleeper service runs between London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley 6 nights a week. National Rail Enquires  |  First ScotRail

By Bus

Edinburgh is well placed on the Scottish motorway network so arriving by bus is easy, and can be a lot cheaper. Buses and coaches arrive at St Andrews Square Bus Station in Edinburgh’s City Centre.

Citylink | National Express | Megabus

To arrive at the John McIntyre Conference Centre, Pollock Halls via taxi from St Andrews Square Bus Station will take approximately 15 minutes.