Edinburgh Hop-on Hop-off City Tour: Explore Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile & More
4.3
308 Ratings
Hop on and hop off the Edinburgh City Tour to explore iconic landmarks like Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile, and more. Enjoy 24 hours of unlimited sightseeing from the best seats in town!
Duration: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights

Edinburgh Bright Bus Tours City Tour (Route)

Operating Schedule: Summer Season May-Aug: The first tour departs from Waterloo Place at 09:00 and every 10 minutes and the last tour departs at 18:40, terminating at 19:55
.

Off Peak Seasons Apr/Sep/Oct: The first tour departs from Waterloo Place at 09:00 and every 15 minutes until the last tour departs at 16:00. terminating at 17:10

Winter Season Nov-Mar: The first tour departs from Waterloo Place at 09:00 and every 15 minutes until the last tour departs at 16:00, finishing at 17:10.
Christmas Day and New Year’s Day we are closed
Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, Boxing Day, and 2nd of January special timetable check with the staff on street for times.

1. 29 Waterloo Pl
Opposite the Apex Hotel

2. St Andrew Square
St Andrew Square North side

3. Lothian Road (Stop XE)
Lothian Road at the watch tower

4. Grassmarket
Grassmarket

5. Chalmers Street
Lauriston Place opposite the former central fire station Edinburgh

6. 38 Castle Terrace
At East end of NCP car park at the foot of the hill

7. 455 Lawnmarket
Lawmarket, south pavement near Deacon Brodie’s bar for the castle

8. National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street, south pavement opp National Museums

9. 61 St. Leonard’s St
For Holyrood Distillery

10. 27 St Mary’s St
Stop for John Knox House

11. Canongate Kirk
Canongate, north pavement near Canongate Kirk

12. 1 Canongate
Canongate, north pavement opposite Scottish Parliament

13. 128 Holyrood Rd
Within the drop area in front of Dynamic Earth

14. 63 Abbeyhill
Abbey Hill, north pavement opposite Holyrood Palace

15. Burns Monument
Regent Road, south pavement, near St Andrew House

16. 29 Waterloo Pl
Opposite the Apex Hotel

Points of Interest

  • Multrees Walk

  • St Andrew Square

  • Princes Street

  • Princes Street and Gardens

  • Scott Monument

  • St Cuthbert’s Parish Church

  • Festival Square

  • Grassmarket

  • Greyfriars Kirk

  • Greyfriars Bobby

  • Museum of Fire

  • Edinburgh Castle

  • National Galleries Scotland: Portrait

  • Usher Hall

  • Edinburgh College of Art

  • Edinburgh Farmers’ Market

  • Camera Obscura and World of Illusions

  • The Scotch Whisky Experience

  • Gladstone’s Land

  • Writers’ Museum

  • National Library of Scotland

  • National Museum of Scotland

  • Museum of Childhood

  • John Knox House Museum

  • The Museum of Edinburgh

  • The Scottish Parliament

  • The Queen’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse

  • Palace of Holyroodhouse

  • Dynamic Earth

  • Arthur’s Seat

  • Holyrood Park

  • Regent Road Park

  • The Burns Monument

  • Calton Hill

  • Nelson Monument

  • Observatory House

  • National Monument

  • Waverley Mall

  • Edinburgh Waverley Station

  • The Balmoral Spa

  • Melville Monument

What's Included
  • Keep the complimentary headphones
  • Return bus tickets to Edinburgh Zoo included
  • Tickets valid for 24 hours
Additional Information

We offer the most excellent views in the area! This is the top-rated method to see the capital of Scotland.

Jump in and out at your leisure to experience the views offered by our city tour, taking in sights such as Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile (known to us inhabitants as The High Street!), Dynamic Earth, The National Museum, Greyfriars’s Bobby, Grassmarket and plenty more!

Your pass is good for 24 hours, giving you the chance to soak in as many views as you can from the superior seats in the city!

Our amiable and informative crew is on hand to make sure you have the ultimate Edinburgh experience during your stay on board, and thereafter!

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.3
(308 Ratings)
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J1729ihhelenc
Apr 25, 2024
Great way to discover Edinburgh - What a great way to see the city! There was so much information to take in. We saw parts of the city we had not known go visit and the chance to hop on and hop off meant we could make the most of our day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
P2626hbcarolec
Apr 13, 2024
Fab experience - We had the best 2 days hopping on and off the City tour bus and the Britannia tour. The staff were so helpful and their service was excellent especially John who helped with giving us the best deals. Would highly recommend the tour especially if it’s a short visit and such good value for money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paige_k
Apr 4, 2024
Easy way to see Edinburgh - Extremely easy to use and excellent way to get around the city to see everything there is to offer! We enjoyed the pre-recorded commentary and even rode the bus for one full loop to see everything first before deciding where to hop off. Grass Market is a must!
Review provided by Viator
Patricia_m
Apr 4, 2024
Plan this first, Book two days if Possible - This gives the main attractions of Edinburgh area. If coordinating, you may be able to visit booked attractions timely. You have to be prepared to depart at the correct stop. And there is a different similar service, so pay attention. All the staff I encountered was pleasant and helpful.
Review provided by Viator
Beccaw851
Apr 3, 2024
Great commentary and sight-seeing opportunity for all weathers - Fantastic commentator, Scott engaged with my eight-year-old son’s questions with humour and flexibility. Great facts, interesting tidbits and loads of energy. A great experience for all ages. Thanks bus tours and Scott.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Moumita_g
Mar 26, 2024
A bus eye view - The buses were very frequent and moved at the right speed to allow us to see everything. We took both the orange line as well as the blue line ( britannia tour). The agents were very helpful and the bus driver from the orange line actually called ahead to the Britannia tour to ask them to wait as we would be taking it. Overall good experience.
Review provided by Viator
Chris
Mar 11, 2024
Terrific customer service and great value for money - Jim, the driver and Paul the rep were a credit to the company. Terrific guys and went the extra mile. The trip itself was excellent with informative and tongue in cheek commentary. Highly recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
903seamuss
Feb 25, 2024
Gale and John are true heroes!!! - Gale and John were absolutely fabulous! Beautiful lady and fantastic man! They were wonderful and helped my family to get to city centre and we managed to catch our bus with 2 minutes to spare! We have been badly let down by stinky city link and nobody knew or even bothered to help us except gorgeous Gale and powerful John. Seeing us distraught, Gale hugged my wife and together with their smiles, they made us feel better immediately. They went out their way to help us and it was the nicest thing we have experienced in long time. Again, Gale, you are absolutely beautiful inside and out and John, you are true gentleman! Both of you are extensively knowledgeable and incredibly nice! We love you both to bits and The Bright Bus is the best bus company in UK! Period! Undisputed heroes in orange capes! Thank you so much and we feel indebted for life! Long live Gale and John!💪💪💪😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mariesz4622fh
Feb 2, 2024
Top class service!! - We hopped on the first day having toured the castle. On recommendation we completed the tour without getting off and listened to the audio. The following day we hopped on ready with knowledge of where we wanted to get off. The bus offers more than 24 hours hop on off service with your ticket, your ticket is valid for all of the second day, only this company offers this. It was absolutely fantastic and certainly deserves more than 5stars. The bus drivers are so helpful and a mine if information. The people promoting the bus at the stops are fantastic, especially Gail who we met this morning!! Well done to all!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karen186390
Jan 29, 2024
Brilliant - Brilliant even on a wet and windy day. One of the drivers Graham was amazing , only us on the bus and he gave extra info about places in Edinburgh. He stopped at dynamic earth for 10 mins and came to chat with us. Other drivers we met were polite and professional. We were made to feel like VIPs
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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