Travel

Ryanair flights into Marseille (2hr 10min) are busy as we recently found out, but a word of warning about the airport there. The flights were delayed in both directions, but were otherwise fine.If you are travelling by train there is a shuttle bus from the station to the terminal. Fellow travellers found that three buses arrived at the same...

As we eagerly step into February, bidding farewell to the somewhat gloomy and prolonged days of January, I find myself back from the sunlit shores of Malaga—a charming city that makes for an excellent getaway if you haven't experienced it yet.This trip has become an annual tradition, serving as a delightful celebration for my birthday nestled at the...

Air Canada has announced it will resume and extend its non-stop service between Edinburgh and Toronto.Starting from June 2023, the service will operate up to daily during the summer peak, and continue three times weekly into the winter season until January 8. It is currently planned to return in early spring 2024.Air Canada offers more daily flights from...

Virgin Atlantic, which launched its direct Edinburgh-Barbados service in December, has announced it will not carry on flying the route this winter.The airline says passengers who have already booked flights to Barbados for winter 2022-23 will be contacted by the airline or their travel agent and will be re-booked via Manchester, or they can choose a voucher or...

The 900 service is a familiar sight on Edinburgh city centre streets and now it will run 24 hours a day seven days a week to connect the capital to Glasgow. Tickets will be £7.60 single and £10.00 return. If you buy in advance the return is £7.60.This means that the service will offer 50 journeys each way every...

With the quirky touch of public rooms named after Shetland Ponies originally stabled in the nearby Stud on the estate, it is obvious that there is a great deal of history surrounding the original buildings which now form part of Garvock House Hotel in Dunfermline!Formerly known as Transy House, the House was owned by a wealthy family and formed...

Rothbury. We've seen the sign on many occasions as we drove up and down the A1, but never thought of making the short journey.We did this time and we are glad we did. To set the scene, Rothbury is a market town in Northumberland. It is situated on the banks of the River Coquet and is 14 miles north...

If you happen to be in London this summer then while Her Majesty is up at Balmoral you can wander through the corridors of her London home. Buckingham Palace has opened the 19 State Rooms to the public until 29 September with the exhibition Queen Victoria's Palace. The exhibition celebrates the 200th anniversary of her birth.The State Rooms are...

Holyrood Park is widely seen as 'an iconic green space' in the heart of the city and 'Edinburgh's premier park'.Through the path-breaking work of James Hutton, the park also has great significance in the history of geology. It is, many would agree, ‘a city park like no other’. Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is currently carrying out a 12-week...

Scotland’s only direct flight to the Caribbean began this week as Virgin Atlantic set off for Barbados from Edinburgh Airport.A launch event for the new service was held on Wednesday as flight VS223 departed from the capital to the island on 8 December. The twice weekly service is being operated on an Airbus A330 with three classes available, The...

Service to operate up to daily during the summer peak and it will continue three times weekly into the winter seasonCustomers in Scotland will benefit from convenient connections across North America and beyond via Air Canada’s Toronto hubAir Canada has resumed its non-stop service between Edinburgh Airport and its Toronto hub. The newly extended service is set to...

The all-electric train operator which has caused a stir on the Edinburgh to London route is looking to run trains to Glasgow perhaps from next summer.FirstGroup which owns Lumo has said that the company is in discussions with Transport Scotland and Network Rail to extend the routes on to Glasgow after the trains arrive in Edinburgh. This would...

Lovers of all ages are being invited to check-in to what has been called Edinburgh’s most romantic hotel room – at a boutique city centre hotel which was newly refurbished  in 2018 after a devastating fire. Nira Caledonia reopened its doors to the public just in time for summer following a £1.4 million intensive project to restore half of the...

Hotel expands local connections for their guests visiting over the winter months.As it consolidates its ownership of the former Lake of Menteith Hotel, now known as Karma Lake of Menteith, owner Karma Group has continued to reach out to its Trossachs neighbours in a bid to improve its offer to guests.With the tagline, “We Create Experiences” Karma...

New phase of Industry leading holiday homes take centre stage at Camelot Holiday Park.Camelot Holiday Park at Longtown in Cumbria has released a new phase of luxury holiday homes to buy - at last year's prices.Prices are from £55,000 for the three bedroom Willerby Manor, a spacious and contemporary static caravan holiday home with a fully fitted luxury kitchen...

Sadly, Portobello made the headlines for all the wrong reasons during the early stages of lockdown when thousands packed the beach to grab some welcome relief and enjoy the sunshine.Senior politicians expressed concern, particularly after disturbances, and this cast an unexpected and unwanted nationwide spotlight on the Costa del Forth.Now, as we continue to be dominated by the world-wide...

Wildfires continue to create problems in Greece and Rhodes in particular.Jet2 have issued an update for their customers.A spokesperson said: "By the end of Wednesday 26 July Jet2.com will have operated 20 flights to the UK from Rhodes so far this week – a combination of repatriation flights and scheduled flights - which have continued to meet the...

Paris less than one year out from the Olympics followed by the Paralympic Games, is currently in-Seine-ly gripped by Rugby World Cup fever, fired by France's sensational opening night victory over the mighty All Blacks.French fans crave their fist Rugby World Cup win but, while the oval ball circus continues, construction is going ahead at pace for Paris 2024, and the worlds...

by Vroni HolzmannAfter 25 years in Scotland I had the opportunity of going to Staffa for the first time. This island is a miracle of nature and I always found hard to believe that the images I’d seen of it were true. An island made of hexagonal basalt columns, really?To get to Staffa from Edinburgh you have to...

Self-catering destination Morton of Pitmilly is to hold pop up events to focus on its foodie and green credentials.The award winning accommodation now has plans to promote sustainability across the board.The venue won the 2023 VisitScotland Thistle Award for Best Self-Catering Accommodation Experience - the first accolade secured by Managing Director, Eilidh Smith since she assumed sole responsibility...

It's the perfect combination of fresh air, invigorating exercise and well-earned relaxation and now tourism bosses have revealed that walking to the pub is among the most popular pastimes for visitors in Scotland.VisitScotland statistics show that walking and hiking is the number one intended activity for visitors - and the majority sample a Scottish pub during their visit. The...

One of the world's most luxurious and unique cruising yachts called in at Ocean Terminal this week on its first ever cruise from Scotland.The Scenic Eclipse II set off from Leith for its eight day Scottish Isles, Historic Trails and Wilderness Voyage, calling at Aberdeen on Friday and other locations will include Stromness in Orkney, St Kilda and Skye.The...

Soaring numbers of people from across the world are exploring Scotland solo - including Edinburgh - new figures have revealed.Visitors say that Scotland's friendly people and inclusive culture make the country stand out from other destinations.VisitScotland has identified a post-pandemic trend in solo travelling after a surge of interest over the last three years.From 2021 to 2023, Google searches...

Dan Brown's mystery thriller, the Da Vinci Code, was published 20 years ago and the novel has had an enormous impact to visitor numbers to atmospheric Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian.Ian Gardner, director, Rosslyn Chapel Trust, said the chapel continues to welcome visitors from all over the world throughout the year, seven days a week, but he stressed that the chapel is...

Hainan Airlines will operate more flights from Edinburgh to Beijing this year.The airline will increase the length of their season by nine weeks and it will now run from 17 May to 26 October.Four flights to Beijing will be available to passengers each week in the peak summer months aboard an Airbus A330-300.Edinburgh is the only airport in...

More choice for holidaymakers from Edinburgh in summer 2024 has been announced today as TUI added 1,500 more hotels to their 22 holiday destinations.There are flights to Palma, Majorca and Dalaman in Turkey. With ten flights weekly on seven routes to the holiday destinations (flights to Palma, Majorca three times a week and Dalaman, Turkey twice a week) this...

WINTER OFFER TO WOO CITY GUESTS AT THE TOWNHOUSE! The Townhouse Aberfeldy, a small boutique B&B for couples with its own 'Upstairs Restaurant', is currently running a winter accommodation offer which takes the price of a three night stay, in a double room, (with full Scottish Breakfast), from £237 to £177.75.  This works out at only £59.25 per night. The two...

As a result of a multimillion pound investment in a new aircraft and additional crew at Edinburgh Airport, Ryanair is announcing six new routes from our capital's airport this summer.The new routes will take passengers to Belfast, Bournemouth, Cornwall, London Stansted, Rhodes and Venice as well as 63 other destinations in Ireland and Europe. There will also be...

The Nethy Bridge Hotel, part of the Strathmore Hotel group, is described in the promotional material as a charming Victorian manor house.This imposing, granite-built hotel appeared that way as our taxi rolled up to the entrance. I was looking forward to some good Highland hospitality. However, the 70-bed hotel spectacularly failed to live up to that billing.It is ideally...

Covid-19 impact means city institution will remain closed as more than 200 staff face redundancyBy Phyllis Stephen and Stephen RaffertyOne of Edinburgh’s most prestigious hotels will remain shuttered until early 2021 as the damaging impact of the Covid-19 epidemic rifles through Scotland’s tourism industry.The four star The George is in consultation with more than 200 staff over redundancies but...