There are three practical ways to get from Stirling to Edinburgh Airport. The Citylink 909 coach runs direct from Stirling bus station in about an hour, the train to Edinburgh Park plus the tram takes a little over an hour with one change, and a pre-booked car takes 35 to 55 minutes door to door. Public transport costs less, but if you want to be at the airport 2 hours ahead, it doesn't run early enough for flights before about 08:30.
The options compared
| Citylink 909 coach | Train and tram | Pre-booked car | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical time | About 1 hour from Stirling bus station | About 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes from Stirling station | 35 to 55 minutes door to door |
| Changes | None | One, at Edinburgh Park | None |
| Luggage | One large case or rucksack (up to 20kg) and one small bag free | You lift your bags on and off a train and a tram | Loaded at your door |
| First departure | 06:20 daily, arriving 07:22 | 05:21 train Monday to Saturday, reaching the airport at about 06:15 to 06:30; 09:10 on Sundays | Set by your booking |
| Last departure | 19:52, arriving 20:51 | Late evening | Set by your booking |
| Best for | Daytime flights on a budget | Light packers who live near the station | Early flights, heavy bags, families and groups |
Coach and train times come from the Citylink and ScotRail timetables at the time of writing (September 2026). Timetables change, so check before you travel.
By coach: Citylink 909
The 909 leaves from Stirling bus station, next to the railway station, and runs via Grangemouth and Bo'ness to the airport. On the August 2026 timetable there are ten departures a day between 06:20 and 19:52 (nine on Sundays), including one Citylink 978 coach coming through from Oban. Most take about an hour.
You can take one large suitcase or rucksack of up to 20kg and one small bag free. Extra bags cost £5 each if there is room. National Entitlement Cards are valid on Citylink services in Scotland. Coming home, the 909 leaves from Stop D at the airport.
If you usually board north of the city, note that Cornton Road is closed for long-term flood protection works. Some 909 stops around Cornton and Bridge of Allan have moved, and Citylink lists the temporary stops on its route page.
Ember's electric coaches also link the airport with Stirling on some of their routes towards the Highlands, so it is worth checking Ember's timetable as well.
By train and tram
Take a ScotRail train from Stirling towards Edinburgh and get off at Edinburgh Park, about 40 minutes away. Trains from Stirling don't stop at Edinburgh Gateway, the other station with a tram connection, so Edinburgh Park is the one to use.
The Edinburgh Park Station tram stop is a short walk from the platforms. Trams to the airport run every 7 to 10 minutes, take 14 minutes and stop right outside the terminal. On weekdays the first tram from Edinburgh Park Station to the airport leaves at 06:02 and the last at 00:37.
Allowing for the wait, the whole trip is usually 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes from Stirling station. It is fine with a wheeled case, but you will be lifting it on and off two vehicles, and commuter trains can be busy.
From Monday to Saturday the first train leaves Stirling at 05:21 and reaches Edinburgh Park at 06:00. On Sundays the first train towards Edinburgh isn't until 09:10. Engineering works sometimes replace trains with buses, particularly at weekends, so check ScotRail before you go.
By pre-booked car
The drive is about 30 miles, most of it on the M9. Google Maps puts it at 30 to 40 minutes before 06:00 and 35 to 55 minutes in the weekday morning rush.
For one person, a car costs more than a coach seat or train ticket. What you get for the difference is a pick-up at your door at a time set by your flight rather than a timetable, no carrying bags between vehicles, and a fixed fare agreed before you travel. If two or more of you are going, compare that fare with the combined cost of your tickets.
The route page has the details of fixed-price transfers from Stirling to Edinburgh Airport. You can also see all current fixed fares from Stirling or book a Stirling airport transfer online.
If a friend is giving you a lift instead, Edinburgh Airport's charged drop-off zone costs £8.50 for up to 10 minutes at the time of writing. The free alternative is in the Long Stay car park, about a 10-minute walk from the terminal.
Early-morning flights
Edinburgh Airport advises arriving in time for your airline's check-in desk to open. For many short-haul airlines, including easyJet, Ryanair and Loganair, that is 2 hours before departure.
The earliest you can reach the airport by public transport is about 06:15 to 06:30 from Monday to Saturday, using the first train and tram. On Sundays it is 07:22, on the first coach. If you want to be there 2 hours before take-off, public transport from Stirling only works for flights from about 08:30, or about 09:30 on a Sunday.
For anything earlier, the realistic choices are a car, a lift or a night near the airport. Late arrivals have the same problem in reverse: the last 909 coach to Stirling leaves the airport at 22:49, and the last tram towards Edinburgh Park leaves at 22:52.
Sources
- Citylink: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Airport, Stirling and Dunblane
- Citylink: 909 timetable, August 2026 (PDF)
- Edinburgh Airport: Stirling bus links
- Edinburgh Trams: Timetables
- Edinburgh Airport: By tram
- ScotRail: Stirling station and timetables
- ScotRail: Edinburgh and Glasgow to Stirling timetable, 17 May to 27 September 2026 (PDF)
- ScotRail: Edinburgh and Glasgow to Stirling timetable, 28 September to 12 December 2026 (PDF)
- ScotRail: Engineering works
- Edinburgh Airport: Check-in desk opening times
- Edinburgh Airport: Drop off and pick up
- Edinburgh Airport: Free drop off and pick up
- University of Stirling: Getting here
- Google Maps: Stirling railway station to Edinburgh Airport, checked 15 September 2026