When far from home, it is important to have an opportunity to keep in touch. In Edinburgh you will find various facilities for this purpose.
Telephones
Area & Country Codes
The country code for Great Britain is 44. The city code for Edinburgh is 0131. When dialing a Scottish or British number from abroad, drop the initial 0 from the local area code. For instance, if you were calling Edinburgh Castle from New York City to ask about opening hours, you would first dial 011 (the international code), 44 (the Great Britain country code), 131 (the Edinburgh city code), then 668-8800 (the number proper).
Scottish cellular phone numbers, the 0800 toll-free code, and local-rate 0345 numbers do not have a 1 after the initial 0, nor do a range of premium-rate numbers, for example 0891, and special-rate numbers, for example 08705.
Directory & Operator Information
To call the operator, dial 100; directory inquiries (information), 192; international directory inquiries, 153.
International Calls
To make international calls from Scotland, you must use the international access code 00 + the country code + area code + number. For the international operator, credit card, or collect calls, dial 155. The country code is 1 for the United States and Canada, 61 for Australia, and 64 for New Zealand.
Long-Distance Calls
For long-distance calls within Britain, dial the area code (which usually begins with 01), followed by the telephone number. The area code prefix is only used when you are dialing from outside the city. In provincial areas, the dialing codes for nearby towns are often posted in the booth.
Public Phones
There are three types of public pay phones: those that accept only coins, those that accept only phone cards, and those that take British Telecom (BT) phone cards and credit cards. For coin-only phones, insert coins before dialing (minimum charge is 10p). Sometimes phones have a "press on answer" (POA) button, which you press when the caller answers.
For phone card telephones, buy BT (British Telecom) cards from shops, post offices, or newsstands. They are ideal for longer calls, are composed of units of 10p, and come in values of £3, £5, £10 and more. An indicator panel on the phone shows the number of units you've used; at the end of your call the card is returned.
Cybercafes
Comms Port
Costa Coffee House 35 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh EH2.
Tel (0131) 228 6322
Email edadmin@commsport.com
Fax (0131) 228 6322
Opening hours Mon-Sat: 8am - 6pm; Sun:10am - 6pm.
Comms Port
Costa Coffee House 1 Hanover Street, Edinburgh EH1.
Tel (0131) 228 5868
Email hsadmin@commsport.com
Fax (0131) 228 6322
Opening hours Mon-Sat: 8am - 7pm; Sun:10am - 6pm.
Communic-8 (Scotland) Ltd
42, South Clerk Street, Edinburgh.
Tel 0800 018 4988
Email qwerty@communic-8.com
Fax(0131) 662 4839
Opening hours Mon-Fri 9am – 9pm, Sat & Sun 10:30am - 9pm.
Central Library 7-9 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.
Craigmillar Library (tel 529 5597)
Wester Hailes Library (tel 442 1220)
Tel (0131) 225 5584 Ext 235.
Email gh13@dial.pipex.com.
Fax (0131) 529 7846.
Opening hours 10am – 8pm.
Edinburgh Business Resource Centre Conference House, the Exchange, 152 Morrison St, Edinburgh EH3 8EB.
Tel (0131) 477 8031.
Email ecc@dircon.co.uk.
Fax (0131) 447 8051.
Opening hours 9am – 5pm.
Easyeverything 58 Rose Street, Edinburgh.
The company that brought no-frills cheap air fares to the UK have transferred their simplicity-is-best approach to internet access and it is impressive. Set in the heart of publand (Rose Street, between Hanover and Frederick street), the new complex houses 500 terminals on two floors. It's quite a sight with its row upon row of square screens.
Opening hours 24 hours.
Cost £1 for 4 hours (2/6/00)
Connection speed
Electric Corner LTD Unit 4, Platform 1, Waverley Train Station, Edinburgh, EH1 1BB.
Internet cafe with ten terminals right down in Waverly Station. Excellent for travellers who need to dash off an "e" while en route to some other destination. Surfers will also find a high speed connection (2Mbps) which is always nice.
Tel 0131 558 7858
Fax 0131 556 7527
Email info@e-corner.co.uk
Opening hours Mon-Fri 7.30 am - 9pm, Sat 8am - 9pm, Sun 9am - 9pm.
International Telecomms Centre
52 High St, Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 1TB
Tel (0131) 558 7114.
Email
Fax (0131) 558 7114.
Opening hours daily, 9am – 10pm.
The Tinsley Lockhart Group
44 West Preston Street, Edinburgh.
Tel (0131) 466 7767
Email: tinsley@tinsleylockhart.co.uk
Fax (0131) 466 7768
Opening hours Mon- Fri 8am – 8pm
Web 13 13 Bread Street, Edinburgh.
Tel (0131) 229 8883
Email: queries@presence.co.uk
Fax (0131) 229 8883
Opening hours Daily: 9am – 10pm
Mail
Airmail letters to the United States and Canada cost 43p, postcards 37p, aerograms 38p. Letters and postcards to Europe under 20 grams cost 30p. Within the United Kingdom first-class letters cost 26p, second-class letters and postcards 19p.
If you're uncertain where you'll be staying, you can arrange to have your mail sent to American Express. The service is free to cardholders; all others pay a small fee. You can also receive letters at any post office by labelling them with your name and "Poste Restante" and addressing them to the post office of your choice.
The post office in the St. James Centre (St. Andrew Sq. PHONE: 0131/556-0478) is the most central and is open Monday 9-5:30, Tuesday-Friday 8:30-5:30, and Saturday 8:30-6. Other main post offices in the city center are at 40 Frederick St. and 7 Hope St. Many newsagents also sell stamps.
