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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Musselburgh
Base in Edinburgh and treat Musselburgh as a half-day: racecourse, Fisherrow harbour, Roman Bridge. Sleep here only for a race meeting or a cheap Edinburgh bed.
Musselburgh is East Lothian's largest town, 6 miles east of Edinburgh and joined to the city by Lothian Buses 15, 26, 30 and 44 and hourly trains from Waverley in 6 minutes. It is a commuter town with a racecourse, an old fishing harbour and a Roman bridge; the reason most visitors come is a race meeting. Everything in the centre is walkable in an afternoon.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- Apr–Oct
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (racecourse switches to jumps, cold and dark early)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–120 excl. bed · High £120+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | £3–4.50 |
| Pub main course | £10–16 |
| Ice cream at Luca's | £2–4 |
| Guesthouse double, B&B | £60–160 |
| Round of golf, midweek / weekend | £70–100 / £85–150 |
| Newhailes House guided tour, adult | £12 |
| Inveresk Lodge Garden, adult | £3.50 |
| Bus fare within Edinburgh and Musselburgh | £2 flat |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- EDI · Edinburgh Airport
- Skylink Bus 400 to Fort Kinnaird, then a local bus for the last 3 miles; or tram/train into Edinburgh and out again
Typical fares
- Train Musselburgh → Edinburgh Waverley
- about £3.50 single, 6 min, hourly (check)
- Lothian Buses 15/26/30/44 to Edinburgh
- flat £2 single, about 30–45 min (check)
- Taxi across town
- about £6–10 (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The centre, Fisherrow and the racecourse are all walkable. Lothian Bus 30 and East Coast Bus 106 link the High Street to the railway station, half a mile south. Trains from Musselburgh run hourly to Edinburgh Waverley (6 min) and on to North Berwick; the Borders Railway from Newcraighall goes south to Galashiels and Tweedbank. Cyclists may not use the A720 or A1: follow the A199.
See and do
Known for
- Musselburgh Racecourse
- Fisherrow Harbour
- Roman Bridge
- Musselburgh Old Links golf
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | Train from Musselburgh to Waverley, 6 min, hourly; or Lothian Buses 15/26/30/44 | About 30–45 min |
| North Berwick | East Coast Buses X5/124/X24 along the coast road, or train from Musselburgh | About 40–60 min |
| Dunbar | Train from Musselburgh every couple of hours, or bus via Haddington | About 30–50 min |
| South Queensferry | Train to Edinburgh, then ScotRail to Dalmeny | About 1 h 15 min |
| Linlithgow | Train to Edinburgh Waverley, then Edinburgh–Glasgow line | About 1 h 15 min |
| Penicuik | East Coast Bus 140 via Roslin and Loanhead | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Town centre / High Street
- Guesthouses and pubs on both sides of the River Esk; walkable to the racecourse and the station is half a mile south.
- Newcraighall / Fort Kinnaird
- Budget chain hotels and a Park & Ride station on the Borders Railway; 3 miles west, best if you have a car.
- Carberry / east of town
- Mansion hotel and a campsite with glamping pods; you need a car for both.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Single to Edinburgh, please | Single to Edinburgh, please |
| Where is the racecourse entrance? | Where is the racecourse entrance? |
| Is there a bus to North Berwick? | Is there a bus to North Berwick? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- Musselburgh station is unstaffed, has ticket machines, no toilets, and is half a mile from the centre.
- Long-distance coaches do not stop here: change in Edinburgh.
- The Brunton theatre closed in 2025 after its concrete was found unsafe; performances moved to other venues, so check before booking.
- Race-day traffic and parking around Linkfield Road are heavy; use the train to Wallyford or walk.
A low-risk commuter town; the real issues are dark unlit paths by the river and coast after nightfall, race-day crowding, and cold wet weather any month. Standard UK advice applies: 999 or 112 in an emergency.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Musselburgh yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Musselburgh Racecourse
- Fisherrow Harbour
- Roman Bridge
- Musselburgh Old Links golf
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- VisitScotland — East Lothian: www.visitscotland.com/places-to-go/east-lothian
- Musselburgh Racecourse: www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk/
- National Trust for Scotland — Newhailes: www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/newhailes
- National Trust for Scotland — Inveresk Lodge Garden: www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/inveresk-lodge-garden
- Lothian Buses: www.lothianbuses.com/
- ScotRail: www.scotrail.co.uk/
- Wikivoyage: Musselburgh, revision 5295037 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5295037
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Musselburgh
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Musselburgh; the US consulate-general and most others are in Edinburgh.
Musselburgh station is unstaffed: buy at the machine or on the app before boarding.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/musselburgh). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.