Bus Tours are a great way to explore Edinburgh.
On my recent trip to Ireland and Scotland, I spent two nights in Edinburgh. While looking around for a way to see as much of the city as possible in my short time there, I found these bus tours, and I’m glad I went!
There were some things I missed on the tour, and I wish I had spent a little more time researching these tours to get the most out of my day. Fortunately for you, I’ve now done that for you! Here’s everything you need to know about Edinburgh Bus Tours, from ticket prices to the best strategies for seeing as much as you can!
Tickets
On their website, you’ll quickly see that there are several different bus tours offered:
- City Sightseeing Tour (Red)
- Edinburgh Tour (Green)
- Regal Tour (Blue)
There are several options for booking the tours:
- A single tour with 24-hour access: £18 for adults, £16 for age 60+.
- Access to all 3 tours for 24 hours: £25 for adults, £23 for people 60+
- Access to all 3 tours for 48 hours: £29 for adults, £28 for 60+
- Children are free on all tickets except the 3-tour, 48-hour ticket, where it’s £14.50 for a ticket.
- There’s also a family option for £71 that works for 2 adults and as many as 3 children.
An additional option gives you tickets to three of the major tour locations (Edinburgh Castle, Holyroodhouse, and the Royal Yacht Britannia) alongside access to all three bus routes for £76 for adults, £71 for seniors, and £40 for children. Unless these are all places you want to visit, I don’t really see any reason to buy this over the other options.
These tickets can be used as much as you want within the scheduled bus times. There is no limit to how many times you can get on or off of the buses.
Edinburgh Bus Tour Routes
As I said above, there are 3 routes available. Here’s what you should know:
- The Sightseeing Tour covers Edinburgh Castle, the Grassmarket, and the Royal Mile primarily.
- The Edinburgh Tour covers the same areas as well as Charlotte Square and the Georgian New Town.
- The Regal Tour is almost entirely different, traveling through a different part of the city and along the coast. You’ll see the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Royal Yacht Britannia, among other things.
These routes all overlap in some areas. In fact, the Edinburgh Tour covers everything in the Sightseeing Tour but adds two additional stops. It also comes with a live commentator instead of a recording.
If you would prefer to listen to the tour in a language other than English, I would pick something other than the Edinburgh Tour.
All 3 tours run past the John Knox House, St Andrew Square, and Holyrood Palace. Only the Edinburgh Tour and Sightseeing tour will get you to Edinburgh Castle.
These tours generally start around 8:40 AM and run until about 7 PM. Their timetables change a bit in different seasons, and the frequency of their stops is different, too. For example, the Regal Tour’s buses stop at each location about every 15 minutes. The other two change depending on the season:
- In the Summer, they run every 10 minutes.
- In the Fall, Winter, and Spring, they run every 12 minutes.
Which Edinburgh Bus Tour Should You Get?
I’m gonna answer that question with a question. How much time do you have? How much do you want to see? There are a lot of different bus tours that show you different parts of Edinburgh, so it’s important to make sure you get the most out of it.
I personally did the City Sightseeing Tour (the red one) with a 24-hour ticket. This was mostly due to time constraints, and I would recommend going for the 48-hour ticket if you have the time. You can spend a lot of time at each location.
If you only have a day, I think the Edinburgh Tour (the green one) will be most worth your time. It’s the only one with live commentary, and has more stops than the Sightseeing Tour. If the Regal Tour (blue) seems more interesting, you could spring for that instead.
With a 48-hour ticket, you really can’t go wrong with any of these tours, and I think any individual tour could last you the whole two days, but you get access to all three with that pass, so you have plenty of time to visit everything.
If you think you can do it, though, spring for the 3-route ticket even with only 24 hours. There’s a lot to see. You could also just go around the full loop of one of the tours without getting off at any stops. You’ll see all the sights, but it won’t take more than an hour of your time. Then you can switch to another route.
Remember, you have unlimited access to the buses!
How to Squeeze in Everything
The most important part of having time for everything is to get an early start. I think we started our tours around 11AM-Noon, so we didn’t have a lot of time. Book your bus tickets before you head out, and get started as soon as possible.
Whichever tour you’re doing, you should start by doing a full circuit of the route. That way you get all of the commentary at once, and you can better plan your stops. On your second loop, you’ll already have a sense of what everything is.
Once you’ve oriented yourself and made a list of places you want to visit, enjoy them to the fullest! Spend as much time as you can at each place to get the full experience, but remember to leave time for your other destinations. Cutting out the stops you aren’t interested in will let you spend more time at the ones you do want to visit.
I would definitely recommend that you take one of the brochures and listen to an audio guide on your bus. The audio guide helps you to know where you are and explains the importance of the various sights and stops. The brochure contains a map of the routes with their stops listed, gives you a better sense of where you are, and has deals and discounts for various shops and restaurants.
Conclusion
If you’re traveling to Edinburgh, these bus tours can help you get a better sense of what there is to see. Even if you don’t plan to spend all of your time sitting on a bus, I think there’s a lot that you can learn from the tour, regarding both the history and the layout.
These buses are also a great way to get around the city as a tourist and visit important locations. Best of all, they leave from the city center near a lot of hotels, so they’re easy to get to! They’re also a great way to try to “get lost on purpose” and be even more adventurous!
I hope this guide was useful. If you have any questions or comments, leave them below and I’ll get to them as soon as I can!
