Edinburgh to Beijing flight path: EDI to PEK

Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Edinburgh to Beijing. The right side offers a more scenic start with Edinburgh's skyline and the Forth estuary, better terrain variety during the long Eurasian crossing over Scandinavian coast, the Ural foothills, and Mongolian steppe, and a mountain-backed descent into Beijing, while the left side is dominated by monotonous Arctic tundra and Siberian taiga.

During takeoff from Edinburgh (EDI), sit on the Right side for the best views. Departing on runway 24, the aircraft banks right onto its northeasterly track toward Scandinavia, keeping Edinburgh's Castle Rock, the city center, and the Firth of Forth estuary in view on the right side. The left side only shows the comparatively plain Pentland Hills. Notable sights include: Edinburgh Castle and Old Town, Firth of Forth estuary, North Sea coastline near North Berwick, Bass Rock.

When landing at Capital (PEK), sit on the Right side for the best views. Arriving from the north over Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, the descent into PEK brings the low ridgelines of the Yan Mountains and Beijing's Western Hills into view on the right side, with the flat North China Plain unfolding beyond. The left side mainly shows featureless plains toward Tianjin and the Bohai coast. Notable sights include: Yan Mountains foothills, Western Hills (Xishan) of Beijing, North China Plain farmland, Beijing's northern suburbs.

The flight from Edinburgh (EDI) to Capital (PEK) takes about 10 hours 30 minutes. The shortest flight path between them is 4,931 miles (7,936 km); winds and air traffic control usually add a few percent.

The great-circle path bows north over southern Scandinavia and the Baltic, crosses the Ural Mountains into the vast Siberian taiga, then arcs southeast over the Mongolian steppe and Gobi Desert margins before descending into the Beijing plain.