Travel Clinic for Haymarket & the West End

Medically reviewed by Emmanuel Ebube Umezulike, Pharmacist (GPhC 2222671) on 1 October 2026 · Verify on the GPhC register · 4 min read

If you work around Haymarket station, Shandwick Place or the Exchange district, Murrayfield Pharmacy and Travel Clinic is closer than it looks on a map: one tram stop from Haymarket puts you outside Murrayfield Stadium, and the pharmacy is a two-minute walk from there.

A lunch-break option for Haymarket and the West End

A single tram stop is the whole journey: board at Haymarket, step off at Murrayfield Stadium, and walk the two minutes to the pharmacy on Corstorphine Road. That timing means a full consultation and, in most cases, the vaccines themselves fit inside an hour away from your desk, without booking a half-day off. The pharmacist still runs a proper risk assessment covering your itinerary, dates and health history before recommending anything, rather than rushing the process to fit the clock.

If you work in the Exchange district or commute through Haymarket station, this is likely the fastest travel clinic to reach without a change of transport. Lothian buses along the Corstorphine Road corridor are an alternative if the tram doesn't suit your route, and booking ahead still matters even for a short trip, since some vaccines are given as more than one dose.

Planning around meetings and repeat business trips

Frequent travel for work changes how a vaccination schedule should be planned, since it's rarely a single trip you're vaccinating for. Hepatitis B can be given on an accelerated four-dose schedule at days 0, 7 and 21, with a fourth dose at 12 months, according to NaTHNaC, which fits people who travel repeatedly better than the standard 12-month course does. Japanese encephalitis, by contrast, is normally two doses 28 days apart. Tell the pharmacist about your travel pattern, not just your next trip, so the schedule is built around the year ahead rather than one flight.

If your travel dates are tight, tell us when you book — we can prioritise the vaccines that matter most for your specific trip rather than trying to fit a full course into too little time. — Emmanuel Ebube Umezulike, pharmacist

What does a risk assessment actually check?

Your itinerary, your accommodation type, how long you're staying, any existing health conditions and your past vaccination history all feed into what the pharmacist recommends; nobody is offered the same fixed list regardless of destination. Vaccines that are due can usually be given at the same visit, and where a course needs a second or third dose, that follow-up is arranged before you leave rather than left for you to remember.

Do the NHS offer free travel vaccinations?

Yes, for some. NHS inform confirms the diphtheria, polio and tetanus booster, hepatitis A, typhoid and cholera vaccines are free on the NHS in Scotland, while yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, tick-borne encephalitis and rabies are normally chargeable wherever you have them. At Murrayfield Pharmacy the same assessment applies whichever vaccines your trip needs; see current prices before booking.

Is NHS Lothian an alternative for Haymarket and West End residents?

It can be, if your trip allows the lead time. NHS Lothian runs six travel clinics from a hub at the Western General Hospital, bookable on 0131 537 2823, but the service itself warns that its clinics are regularly full six to eight weeks in advance. For anyone in the West End with less notice than that, a pharmacy appointment nearby is the more realistic option, and some slots at Murrayfield are held back each week specifically for people flying soon.

How long before travel should I get vaccinated?

Long enough for a multi-dose course to finish, which usually means starting six to eight weeks out. Rabies pre-exposure vaccination, for instance, is given as three doses on days 0, 7 and 28 under the UKHSA Green Book. Closer to departure than that is still worth a call — a single-dose vaccine or a partial course can often still be arranged.

Can I get a yellow fever vaccine at Murrayfield?

No. Murrayfield Pharmacy is not a designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre, so it can't give the vaccine or issue the certificate some destinations check on arrival. Avante Pharmacy, a short journey further into town, holds that designation (UKYFVC10709); call ahead to confirm which day a vaccinator is available there. Every other travel vaccine, and the risk assessment itself, is available at Murrayfield without needing to go elsewhere.

Nearby areas and related pages

For the branch's full opening hours and vaccine list, see the Murrayfield travel clinic page. If you're closer to the west side of the city, the Corstorphine travel clinic page covers that catchment, and the Gorgie & Dalry travel clinic page covers the area just south. Travelling somewhere in Asia with a Japanese encephalitis risk should also read the Japanese encephalitis vaccine in Edinburgh page. Book online at travelclinicedinburgh.com or call 0131 337 5100.