We are planning a train trip from Edinburgh to Nairn (close to Inverness. On the way there we are planning on stopping in St Andrew. Do you think we should reserve our train tickets or is it O.K. to purchase as we go. Thanks
Posted by
NC, United States
970 posts
The advantages of booking tickets: They're cheaper. You don't need to worry about not finding a seat. The advantage of buying as you go: Flexibility. (Which may not make much difference if you are tied to hotel/B&B reservations.) Bear in mind that the price difference between booking early and buying on the day of travel can be very significant. What was 15 pounds may turn out to be 100 pounds. I'd recommend booking and buying early, and using the money saved to buy more stuff when you're shopping.
Posted by
OP
Seattle, Wa
2 posts
Thanks, I looked into the bus routes and they seem to be more flexible.
Posted by
Central Florida
484 posts
Hi Betsy,
My family used a combination of rail and bus traveling around Scotland. We purchased bus tickets day-of-travel for the same price as advance. However, I was glad I booked train tickets early. There were significant price differences at different times of day. Sometimes, even one hour made a big difference. Plus, I liked having a transportation schedule to follow. It made it easier to plan our trip. You definitely want to check out length of journey for bus and train routes. Some buses have more stops and take much longer to reach a particular destination. Same with train. We picked out trains and buses that had the least stops/connections and shortest travel time to our next location. Even if you don't purchase advance tickets - still research the transportation schedule. It helped us a lot! We knew what bus/train, what time to leave, number of stops/connections and about arrival time at next location.