Edinburgh · Glasgow · Rannoch Moor · Paddington · 1996 and 2017
Set in Edinburgh. Shot mostly in Glasgow. Came home twenty years later. Log every scene, find every place.
About 300 metres as the crow flies. Press Run.
The opening chase was filmed on Princes Street: Renton and Spud sprint away from security, past an M&S and a John Menzies newsagent. The chase ends underneath Regent Bridge: the last glimpse of Edinburgh in the film.
Spotter’s logbook · 9 scenes
Every scene below is set in the story’s Edinburgh, or on a trip out of it. Most of the film was shot on the other side of the M8, in Glasgow. Guess, then tick it off.
No. 011996
Set: Edinburgh’s main street
No. 021996
Set: a café before an interview
No. 031996
Set: the end of the chase
No. 041996
Set: a pub on a night out
No. 051996
Set: a day out in the country
No. 061996
Set: a London hotel
No. 072017
Set: a run with Spud
No. 082017
Set: a club night
No. 092017
Set: Simon’s pub cellar
Maryhill Road · Queen’s Cross
Renton and Spud share a milkshake before Spud’s job interview. Take a sip and the glass gives up what it knows.
Full to the top.
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A working café on Maryhill Road, near Queen’s Cross.
182 Queen Margaret Drive, North Kelvinside, Glasgow
The bar brawl starts here, on the mezzanine, when Begbie tosses a glass. The pub is now BrewHaus; its earlier names include Crosslands.
A working pub, open daily from noon to midnight.
West Highland Line · Rannoch Moor
Pick one.
At Corrour, Renton shares his views on the difficulties of being Scottish.
Corrour is the highest railway station in the UK, on the West Highland Line. The Station House is reachable only by train or a twenty-mile walk; vehicles may not drive to the station.
2016. In 2016 Ewan McGregor and his co-stars came back to film part of the sequel on the very same bridge.
Reach it by train, or a twenty-mile walk: no cars. The Station House is usually open from the end of March to the end of October.
Corrour, Rannoch Moor · Open daily, end of March to end of October · book through the estate
Three double bedrooms in the old signal box beside the platform where Renton had his say about being Scottish. No road: you arrive by train.
Check roomsCorrour, Rannoch Moor · Fri–Wed 8.30am–9pm (kitchen closed 2.30–5pm) · Thu 6.30–9pm · season ends late October
Get off the train at the highest station in the UK and eat at the Station House by the platform. Book a table: it is the only place for miles.
Book a tableLoch Ossian, Rannoch Moor
An eco-hostel on the shore of Loch Ossian, about twenty minutes’ walk from Corrour station along a made track. Dorms, a self-catering kitchen, no vehicle access. Not a filming location.
Check bedsCraven Road · Paddington · London W2
The four set up their deal at this Paddington hotel, crossing the street like the Abbey Road cover.
Four at the kerb.
It is far more upmarket than it was twenty years earlier, and its manager would not talk about the film.
A working hotel in Paddington, a few minutes from the station; see it from Craven Road.
T2 Trainspotting · 2017
The sequel spent over 60 days filming in the Edinburgh city-region. Slide the years and watch the logbook change.
Princes Street
1996 · 2017 · came back
Under Regent Bridge, Calton Road
1996 · 2017 · came back
Café D’Jaconelli
1996
The Crosslands, now BrewHaus
1996
Corrour Station
1996 · 2017 · came back
The Royal Eagle Hotel, Craven Road
1996
Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat
2017
The Scottish Parliament
2017
St Stephen’s, Stockbridge
2017
The Central Bar, Leith
2017
Harvey Nichols, the Forth Floor
2017
Fleshmarket Close and the Old Town
2017
The Cav, West Tollcross
2017
In T2, Renton takes Spud on a run around Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat.
Open at all hours. The High Road is closed to motor traffic; walkers and dismounted cyclists can still use it.
Renton and Simon visit the Scottish Parliament to try to secure funding.
Free entry and free 45-minute guided tours, Monday to Saturday. Closed to the public 9–12 October 2026.
The Great Hall of St Stephen’s features in one of T2’s opening scenes, when Spud attends a recovery group meeting.
Now a venue: the hall opens for performances and events. The tower is best seen from St Vincent Street.
In T2, Begbie drinks a beer at the Central Bar, which also plays the cellar of Simon’s pub.
A working pub at the Foot of the Walk tram stop.
Renton and Veronika have dinner at the Forth Floor Restaurant in Harvey Nichols, on St Andrew Square.
A department store; the Forth Floor restaurant is at the top, by lift.
Begbie chases Renton through the Old Town: Fleshmarket Close, the Grassmarket, Cockburn Street and Parliament Square.
Public steps between Cockburn Street and the High Street. Steep, and slippery when wet.
Leith · About 2 hours · free, donations welcome · booking enquiry form
A two-hour Trainspotting walk round Leith, with key passages read where they happened, ending at the Dockers’ Club. No charge: the guide asks for a contribution to Anyone’s Child or the North East Edinburgh food bank.
Ask for a dateHolyrood, Edinburgh · Free · Monday to Saturday · book ahead
Free 45-minute tours of the building Renton and Simon pitch to in T2. Closed to the public 9–12 October 2026.
Book a tour
a milkshake on Maryhill Road.
570 Maryhill Road, Queen’s Cross, Glasgow
Renton and Spud share a milkshake here before Spud’s job interview.
A working café on Maryhill Road, near Queen’s Cross.
Over dinner with Veronika, Renton gives his “Choose life” speech, updated for 2017.
A department store; the Forth Floor restaurant is at the top, by lift.
13 places you can visit, in four areas. The Cav has gone; its street is still there. Everything else is open to see, from the pavement at least.
Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A public street, open at all hours. The trams stop along it.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A public road under the arch; mind the traffic coming down the hill.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Open at all hours. The High Road is closed to motor traffic; walkers and dismounted cyclists can still use it.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Free entry and free 45-minute guided tours, Monday to Saturday. Closed to the public 9–12 October 2026.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Now a venue: the hall opens for performances and events. The tower is best seen from St Vincent Street.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working pub at the Foot of the Walk tram stop.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A department store; the Forth Floor restaurant is at the top, by lift.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Public steps between Cockburn Street and the High Street. Steep, and slippery when wet.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Gone: the club is being demolished for student flats. Only the street is left to see.
Log No. 01 · Princes Street, New Town, Edinburgh
The opening chase was filmed on Princes Street: Renton and Spud sprint away from security, past an M&S and a John Menzies newsagent.
A public street, open at all hours. The trams stop along it.
Log No. 03 · Calton Road, below Waterloo Place, Edinburgh
The chase ends underneath Regent Bridge: the last glimpse of Edinburgh in the film.
A public road under the arch; mind the traffic coming down the hill.
Log No. 07 · Holyrood Park, Edinburgh
In T2, Renton takes Spud on a run around Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat.
Open at all hours. The High Road is closed to motor traffic; walkers and dismounted cyclists can still use it.
Horse Wynd, Holyrood, Edinburgh EH99 1SP
Renton and Simon visit the Scottish Parliament to try to secure funding.
Free entry and free 45-minute guided tours, Monday to Saturday. Closed to the public 9–12 October 2026.
105 St Stephen Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh
The Great Hall of St Stephen’s features in one of T2’s opening scenes, when Spud attends a recovery group meeting.
Now a venue: the hall opens for performances and events. The tower is best seen from St Vincent Street.
Log No. 09 · 7–9 Leith Walk, at the Foot of the Walk, Leith
In T2, Begbie drinks a beer at the Central Bar, which also plays the cellar of Simon’s pub.
A working pub at the Foot of the Walk tram stop.
30–34 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh
Renton and Veronika have dinner at the Forth Floor Restaurant in Harvey Nichols, on St Andrew Square.
A department store; the Forth Floor restaurant is at the top, by lift.
Fleshmarket Close, off Cockburn Street, Old Town
Begbie chases Renton through the Old Town: Fleshmarket Close, the Grassmarket, Cockburn Street and Parliament Square.
Public steps between Cockburn Street and the High Street. Steep, and slippery when wet.
Log No. 08 · 3 West Tollcross, Edinburgh
Simon and Renton go to The Cav for a night out, cut short when Begbie finds Renton hiding in the toilet.
Gone: the club is being demolished for student flats. Only the street is left to see.
Stay
A bedroom in Corrour’s old signal box, a hostel on the loch a walk from the platform, and one on Leith Walk.
Corrour, Rannoch Moor · Open daily, end of March to end of October · book through the estate
Three double bedrooms in the old signal box beside the platform where Renton had his say about being Scottish. No road: you arrive by train.
Check roomsLoch Ossian, Rannoch Moor
An eco-hostel on the shore of Loch Ossian, about twenty minutes’ walk from Corrour station along a made track. Dorms, a self-catering kitchen, no vehicle access. Not a filming location.
Check bedsLeith Walk, Edinburgh · Open all year · reception 24 hours
Private rooms and dorms at 9 Haddington Place, on Leith Walk, ten minutes on foot from Waverley. Open all year. Not a filming location: Leith Walk runs on down to the Central Bar.
Check roomsGo there
A free Leith walk, a free tour of Parliament, lunch on the moor, and live marketplace tours.
Leith · About 2 hours · free, donations welcome · booking enquiry form
A two-hour Trainspotting walk round Leith, with key passages read where they happened, ending at the Dockers’ Club. No charge: the guide asks for a contribution to Anyone’s Child or the North East Edinburgh food bank.
Ask for a dateHolyrood, Edinburgh · Free · Monday to Saturday · book ahead
Free 45-minute tours of the building Renton and Simon pitch to in T2. Closed to the public 9–12 October 2026.
Book a tourCorrour, Rannoch Moor · Fri–Wed 8.30am–9pm (kitchen closed 2.30–5pm) · Thu 6.30–9pm · season ends late October
Get off the train at the highest station in the UK and eat at the Station House by the platform. Book a table: it is the only place for miles.
Book a tableEdinburgh
Live marketplace results for Trainspotting walks in Edinburgh. Check each itinerary; none is run by the film-makers.
Live marketplace results · itineraries change
Compare toursWhat’s on
Trainspotting at Tate Britain this Saturday.
Checking current event dates…
Take it home
Two original 1996 posters from our store, the novel, its prequel, the screenplays and three soundtracks.
An original 1996 US one-sheet, 27 × 40 inches, rolled, mint.
In stock
View posterAn original 1996 poster, 16.5 × 23.5 inches, rolled, mint.
In stock
View posterIrvine Welsh
The novel, in the Vintage paperback.
Find the bookIrvine Welsh
The Minerva paperback from the year of the film.
Find the bookIrvine Welsh
Welsh’s prequel, about how Renton and the others got there.
Find the bookJohn Hodge
John Hodge’s screenplays for both films, from Faber.
Find the bookVarious Artists · CD, EMI Premier, 1996
The soundtrack album, UK release.
Live marketplace search · listings and condition change
Find a copyVarious Artists · CD, EMI, 1997
The second volume, released in 1997.
Live marketplace search · listings and condition change
Find a copyVarious Artists · CD, Polydor, 2017
The sequel’s soundtrack, UK release.
Live marketplace search · listings and condition change
Find a copyDates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.
Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.
13 of 13 places · 16 of 16 Moments
Princes Street, New Town, Edinburgh
Renton and Spud sprint down Princes Street away from security, past an M&S and a John Menzies.
Renton comes back from Amsterdam and rides the tram from the airport to Princes Street.
Calton Road, below Waterloo Place, Edinburgh
The chase ends under Regent Bridge: Renton is hit by a car and Spud runs on.
The back street under Regent Bridge comes back in T2.
570 Maryhill Road, Queen’s Cross, Glasgow
Renton and Spud share a milkshake before Spud’s job interview.
182 Queen Margaret Drive, North Kelvinside, Glasgow
Begbie tosses a glass from the mezzanine and the bar brawl begins.
Corrour, Rannoch Moor, on the West Highland Line
At Corrour, Renton shares his views on the difficulties of being Scottish.
Ewan McGregor and his co-stars return to Corrour to film part of the sequel on the very same bridge.
26–30 Craven Road, Paddington, London W2
The four cross Craven Road like the Abbey Road cover and go into the hotel to set up their deal.
Holyrood Park, Edinburgh
Renton takes Spud on a run around Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat.
Horse Wynd, Holyrood, Edinburgh EH99 1SP
Renton and Simon go to the Scottish Parliament to try to secure funding.
105 St Stephen Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh
Spud attends a recovery group meeting in the Great Hall.
7–9 Leith Walk, at the Foot of the Walk, Leith
Begbie drinks a beer at the Central Bar, which also plays the cellar of Simon’s pub.
30–34 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh
Over dinner with Veronika, Renton gives his “Choose life” speech, updated for 2017.
Fleshmarket Close, off Cockburn Street, Old Town
Begbie chases Renton down the Old Town closes.
3 West Tollcross, Edinburgh
At The Cav, Begbie finds Renton hiding in the toilet.
The collection continues in each film. Individual film pages become available here when published.
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