Travel to St Andrews
You will most likely arrive in Scotland at the Edinburgh Airport. Once you have booked your plane tickets online, you can book a seat on the St. Andrews Direct shuttle, or make arrangements to take a train from Edinburgh to Leuchars, where you will then take a taxi or a bus to St Andrews. You will travel from the airport to the train station via the Edinburgh Airport Airlink bus.
- The St. Andrews Direct shuttle will take you from the airport directly to St. Andrews. The benefit of taking St. Andrews Direct is that you travel straight to your housing accommodation, without stopping in between, and without having to haul your luggage across different modes of transportation. Unfortunately, St. Andrews Direct is also expensive if you book alone. As of 2016, it costs £60 if you are the only passenger, £30 if there are two passengers and £20 if there are three or more. Discounted rates for you and your family may apply during Orientation weekend if you book your seats in advance
- Train: To take the train, you will catch the Edinburgh Airport Airlink (bus) to either the Haymarket or Waverley train station in Edinburgh, where you will take a train to the Leuchars station. You will most likely use either Scotrail or East Coast.
Leuchars is the nearest station to St. Andrews and is only a ten minute cab ride from the center of town. The train from either Haymarket or Waverley costs about £15, plus about £5 for the Airlink, and another £12+ for the cab into St. Andrews.
Once you arrive at your housing accommodations (whose name you should keep on your person or within easy access in your carryon luggage, along with the warden’s telephone number), ring your warden and have them let you in. They will give you your key, an introduction packet with information about the rules and regulations for your hall, as well as a very useful map of town and a booklet with some general information about the university, including an orientation schedule.
