Stirling

By plane

The nearest, and most convenient airport for Stirling by far is Edinburgh Airport (http://www.edinburghairpo...) see the main Edinburgh article for full details. It is located 29 miles 47km from Stirling, and is easily reachable via the M9 motorway.

Glasgow Airport

(http://www.glasgowairport.com/) has more transatlantic and long haul flights than Edinburgh, although harder to get to from Stirling due to the unpredictable nature of cross-Glasgow road journeys since it is on the "wrong" side of Glasgow, although things have now improved markedly following the completion of the M80 and M74 motorways in 2011.

Prestwick Airport

(http://www.gpia.co.uk/) is approximately 60 miles 97km from Stirling. Again, inconvenient to get to by road as it involves going across Glasgow, but half price or free, depending on origin rail travel is available if you show your flight paperwork when buying your rail ticket at the airport. Involves changing trains in the centre of Glasgow i.e. from Central to Queen Street stations, but well worth the effort in terms of the cost saving.

By train

Wikitravel has a guide to Rail travel in the United Kingdom.

Stirling station is operated by First ScotRail (http://www.scotrail.co.uk/), and the station is staffed throughout its opening hours. It is located on the Highland Main Line from Glasgow/Edinburgh to Inverness.

The local service pattern is as follows all these services are run by ScotRail

From Glasgow - approximately on 20min to 30min intervals from Queen Street High Level station, all trains to Alloa, Dunblane, Inverness and Aberdeen call at Stirling.

From Edinburgh- approximately half hourly from Waverley/Haymarket stations, all trains to Dunblane and Inverness call at Stirling

From Inverness/Aberdeen/Dundee/Perth - hourly, note that in general, only trains to Glasgow Queen Street call at Stirling - most Edinburgh trains go via Fife and the Forth Bridge.

Stirling has two direct rail services from London per day, otherwise a change in either Glasgow or Edinburgh is required if you are travelling from south of the border.

East Coast

(http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/); the once daily Highland Chieftain service from London King's Cross to Inverness calls at Stirling via York, Newcastle and Edinburgh. Approximate journey time 5hrs 30min. Fares start at around £14 for a one way "Advance", rising to approximately £115 for an off-peak return.

Caledonian Sleeper

(http://www.scotrail.co.uk...); the overnight Highland sleeper train service from London Euston to Inverness calls at Stirling, leaving at 8pm the preceding evening. Note that this arrives in Stirling at around 5:30am before any other public transport is running; it may therefore be more convenient to use the Lowland sleeper train to either Glasgow/Edinburgh, and change to one of the local services above. Prices £130 return; one way "Bargain Berths" are available online only from £19, depending on how early you book.

Note that Stirling station is equipped with automatic ticket barriers, you need to remember to retain your ticket before leaving the train.

By bus

There are regular coach services to Stirling from all over Scotland run mainly by Scottish Citylink (http://www.citylink.co.uk/), with regular departures usually half-hourly from Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station and Edinburgh St Andrew's Bus Station calling en-route to either Inverness or Aberdeen. There are also numerous connections from destinations in the Highlands and the North. Fares from Glasgow/Edinburgh are around £4 one way.

The budget operator Megabus (http://uk.megabus.com) calls at Stirling on its London-Aberdeen route which confusingly is 'merged' with certain Citylink services from Glasgow, fares start at £1 plus a 50p booking fee, depending on how early you book.

Due to the unpredictability of journeys in the Glasgow/Edinburgh area during rush hour, it is advisable not to rely on coaches being on time - particularly if you intend to connect with other means of transportation. Leave plenty of slack in your itinerary as a precaution, or use the train instead.