Edinburgh is Scotland's capital and one of the United Kingdom's most visited cities, and a rental car opens up day trips into the Scottish Borders, the Fife coastline and the southern gateway to the Highlands that public transport reaches only slowly, if at all. Edinburgh Airport (EDI) sits a few miles west of the city center, with counters from international and local rental companies inside and around the terminal, and tram and bus links into town make it easy to delay pickup until you are ready to leave the city and head out on the open road.
From Edinburgh, the historic town of St Andrews and the Fife coastline lie roughly an hour and a quarter north across the Forth bridges, while the Borders towns of Melrose and Peebles, with their abbey ruins and river valleys, sit around an hour south of the city. Heading further afield, the southern edge of the Highlands and towns like Pitlochry are reachable in about two hours, making Edinburgh a workable base for exploring well beyond the city bypass.
Driving is on the left throughout the United Kingdom, the one adjustment that catches out most visitors used to right-hand traffic, so allow a few careful minutes at the first roundabout to settle in before joining faster roads. Edinburgh's streets include one-way sections, tram lines with their own road markings, and a low-emission zone in the center that some visiting cars may need to register for, so many rent for the countryside and use a taxi within the city itself. Motorways and A-roads beyond Edinburgh are toll-free almost everywhere in Scotland, well maintained and clearly signed, though rural single-track roads in the Borders and Highland-adjacent stretches call for slower speeds and courteous use of passing places. Fuel stations are frequent along the main routes, thinning out once you are well into rural Highland territory beyond typical day-trip range from the capital.