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Review: Virgin Train First Class King’s Cross London to Edinburgh

a train at a train station

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Review: Virgin Train First Class King’s Cross London to Edinburgh

I think the question that every traveler asks themselves when they see the difference in the cost of coach and first class is whether or not the premium is worth it? Well, I have to say for our Virgin Train trip it was defos worth it. It’s not that the cabin was so posh or the seat was insane, it just made things sooooo much easier. With that being said, we only paid about $40 more for first class than we would have for coach. Here’s what it’s like to travel on Virgin Train First Class King’s Cross London to Edinburgh.

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The price for 3 tickets…roughly $90 a ticket for first class. An outstanding deal for a 4.5 hour train ride from London to Edinburgh.

edinburgh-train

Virgin Train First Class King’s Cross London to Edinburgh review is part of the NFL in London, Scotland, and Dublin Trip Report:


You get access to a lounge

The train stations in London are quite nice with lots of cafes, coffee shops, restaurants, and stores where you can buy bips and bops. But…why would you want to pay for stuff when you can get it free in the lounge?

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You get lots of perks and amenities

  • Guaranteed seat with a table.
  • Food served to the table
    • I would have pics of this, but the workers were on strike and therefore the food service was coffee, sandwiches, snacks. Nothing like the normal service, unfortunately.
  • Table plugins for power
  • Free Wifi

These may not seem like a big deal, but when you’re on a 4.5 hour train trip this makes the journey SOOOOOO much easier. Look, if the cost was a couple hundos more would I think it was worth it…probably not, but it was $40. When you add in the lounge you’re not talking a big premium to be able to eat at a table, guarantee a seat, have power and free wifi…oh and they give you booze for the price of, “on the house.” That’s my favorite price.

The Cabinvirgin-train-first-class-london-to-edinburgh-5-of-13

Typical seat with a table

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Arrival at Edinburgh Waverley

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You could not arrive more central to Edinburgh. Walk out the Prince street exit and you’ll find yourself facing the Balmoral, and Edinburgh’s high street: Prince. Walk along the park, enjoy the Edinburgh castle, and you’ll run into the Caledonian flanking the other end. That’s where we ended up staying…review to come.

Would I do it again?

In a heartbeat. $90 and 4.5 hours to get from London to Edinburgh in first class is super cheap. In fact, I’d argue it was quicker than flying when you add in taxis, airport transit, etc. Whether this is the option you take in the end, I would highly recommend investigating it. It was also a great opportunity to hang with the fam, enjoy the countryside, and also be able to look things up on the computer that we’d like to do in Edinburgh. B to the Yaw!

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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6 Comments

  • […] Virgin Train First Class King’s Cross London to Edinburgh […]

  • […] Virgin Train First Class King’s Cross London to Edinburgh […]

  • Dominic Waldron October 28, 2016

    Can’t beat a train ride through the British country side!

    How did you get such a good deal on the tickets? I’m looking to do something like this next spring but seem to be getting tickets priced at a 100+ quid/person.

    • Miles October 28, 2016

      Hey Dominic – thanks for reading. I booked the tickets through the virgin trains east coast website. I took a quick look and found multiple dates next spring in the 50-75 pound range for the same trip. King’s Cross to Waverley.

  • Michael October 26, 2016

    Very cool. No f#####g airport taxes either, either way though.

    A beautiful rhythmic ride as opposed of the tremors, rigors and deafening noise of air travel, irrespective of class, even private jets (can’t say for the sure on the last, never having had the good fortune, money or pleasure).

    Discernable scenery, too boot.

  • Kay October 25, 2016

    Interesting option. Love the European train system, too! Done lots of rail travel in France and Italy and really enjoyed it.

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