Cheap Flights from Belfast to Edinburgh Scotland: My Best Money-Saving Tips
Last spring I was sitting in a café on Donegall Square in Belfast, nursing a flat white and refreshing flight search tabs like my life depended on it. I was trying to get to Edinburgh for a long weekend — a city I’d been wanting to revisit since I had an absolutely transcendent bowl of Cullen skink there years ago — and I kept staring at prices that made no sense to me. Why was flying from Belfast to Edinburgh Scotland costing me more than a flight I’d once booked from London to Lisbon?
That’s the thing about short-haul routes in the UK and Ireland that trips people up constantly. You’d think hopping between Belfast and Edinburgh would be dead cheap. They’re practically neighbors. But the pricing on this particular route can be all over the place, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll overpay without even realizing it.
So let me tell you what I figured out — and what I wish someone had told me before I spent two hours spiraling down a flight comparison rabbit hole.
Why Flights from Belfast to Edinburgh Scotland Are Weirdly Complicated
Okay, so here’s the thing that caught me off guard. Belfast actually has two airports — Belfast City (George Best, BHD) and Belfast International (BFS) — and they serve very different routes and airlines. Edinburgh, meanwhile, has one main airport (EDI), which keeps things simpler on that end. But because both Belfast airports have limited direct competition on this specific route, you don’t always get the budget airline pricing you’d expect.
The flight itself is genuinely short. We’re talking roughly 45 minutes in the air, maybe a bit more depending on wind. But short flights don’t always mean cheap flights, and that’s the lesson I had to learn the hard way when I first moved through this part of the world years ago.
The good news? Once you understand how the route works, finding cheap flights from Belfast to Edinburgh becomes a lot more straightforward.
The Airlines Actually Worth Your Time on This Route
When I did my research that café afternoon, I found that the main players on Belfast to Edinburgh flights are typically easyJet and Loganair, with occasional appearances from other carriers depending on the season. EasyJet tends to operate out of Belfast International and can offer genuinely competitive prices if you catch them at the right time — I’ve seen fares as low as £19-25 one way when I’ve been flexible and booked early. Loganair covers some regional UK routes too, and while they’re not always the cheapest, they fly from Belfast City, which is honestly so much easier to get to if you’re staying in or near the city centre.
What I’d recommend is checking both airports when you search. I know it sounds obvious, but a lot of people just default to one and never compare. Depending on where you’re coming from in Belfast, the taxi or bus fare difference between the two airports could easily negate any savings you made on the actual flight.
Timing Your Search: When Belfast Edinburgh Cheap Flights Actually Appear
Right, let me get into the practical stuff because this is where the real savings are. Flights from Belfast to Edinburgh Scotland tend to be cheapest when you book somewhere between six weeks and three months in advance. That sweet spot varies, but I’ve found that leaving it less than two weeks out almost always means paying a premium — airlines know you’re stuck at that point.
I also tend to search on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. There’s a long-standing debate in the travel community about whether this actually makes a difference, and honestly, the research is mixed. But anecdotally, I’ve consistently found slightly better prices midweek, and it costs you nothing to try. The other thing worth knowing is that departures on Tuesday, Wednesday, or early Thursday mornings are usually cheaper than Friday afternoon flights, which are popular with weekend travelers and priced accordingly.
One time I saved myself about £40 just by shifting my outbound flight from a Friday evening to an early Saturday morning. Yeah, I had to wake up at an ungodly hour to catch a bus to the airport, but I used that £40 on a very good whisky tasting in Edinburgh, so I’d call that a win.
Don’t Sleep on the Ferry + Train Option (Seriously)
Okay, this one surprises people, but hear me out. The ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan in Scotland, combined with a train up to Edinburgh, is genuinely worth considering — especially if you’re traveling with luggage you’d rather not pay to check, or if you’re someone who finds the whole airport experience mildly soul-crushing (I see you).
Stena Line and P&O Ferries run crossings from Belfast to Cairnryan fairly regularly, and the crossing takes around two hours. From Cairnryan you can get a bus or taxi to Stranraer, then a train toward Glasgow and up to Edinburgh. Total travel time is longer, obviously — you’re looking at maybe five to six hours door to door versus the one-and-a-bit hours for a flight when you factor in airport time. But if you catch a sale, the whole trip can come in under £40, and you get to watch the Irish Sea go by, which is actually pretty spectacular on a clear day.
I did this route once completely accidentally — I’d missed a flight (long story, involved a very memorable evening in Belfast that ran slightly later than planned) and the ferry was my backup. I arrived in Edinburgh exhausted but somehow charmed by the whole detour. Not recommending you miss your flight, but the ferry is a genuinely solid backup worth pricing out.
Using Flight Search Tools Without Losing Your Mind
For Belfast Edinburgh cheap flights specifically, I’d suggest using Google Flights first just to get a sense of the price range on your dates. Then go directly to easyJet’s website to check if there are any deals that didn’t show up in the aggregator. Sometimes airlines hold back their cheapest inventory for direct bookings, and on a short route like this, that difference can actually be meaningful.
Skyscanner is also useful for the “whole month” view — you can see a grid of prices across the entire month and immediately spot which dates are cheapest. If you’ve got any flexibility at all in your travel dates, this view is genuinely useful. I’ve shifted a trip by one day and saved £30 before. Not huge, but hey, that’s a decent dinner in Edinburgh.
One thing I’d warn you about: don’t get too fixated on finding the absolute rock-bottom fare. Sometimes the cheapest flight has a terrible departure time, or involves a layover that turns your 45-minute journey into a four-hour ordeal. Read the details. A £15 saving isn’t worth it if you’re connecting through Dublin for a domestic route that should’ve been direct.
What to Actually Do Once You Land in Edinburgh
Since we’re here — a few quick things worth knowing about arriving in Edinburgh on a budget, because the flights from Belfast to Edinburgh Scotland are only part of the equation.
The airport is connected to the city centre by the Edinburgh Trams service, which runs frequently and takes about 35 minutes to reach the city centre for around £7-8 single. It’s reliable, comfortable, and honestly way less stressful than a taxi, especially during busy periods. The Airlink bus is slightly cheaper and nearly as fast, so that’s another option worth knowing about.
Accommodation-wise, Edinburgh can get pricey — especially around the Festival in August, when the whole city loses its mind in the best possible way. If you’re going during peak season, book accommodation early and look at neighborhoods like Leith or Dalry, which are walkable or a short bus ride from the centre but significantly cheaper than staying right on the Royal Mile.
The Bottom Line on Belfast to Edinburgh Flights
Here’s the honest summary after everything I’ve researched and experienced on this route: flights from Belfast to Edinburgh Scotland are genuinely affordable if you plan ahead, stay flexible on dates, and compare both Belfast airports before booking. You can realistically find one-way fares in the £20-50 range when you’re not booking at the last minute, and occasionally cheaper than that if you’re lucky.
Don’t overthink it. Set a price alert on Google Flights or Skyscanner for your dates, check back every few days, and book when you see something reasonable. Edinburgh is 100% worth the trip — the Old Town alone will make you feel like you’ve stumbled into a novel, and the food scene has genuinely improved so much over the last decade. Get yourself there.
And if you end up on the ferry by accident, well — that makes for a better story anyway.
