The Edinburgh Grand Ticket: 3 Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus Tours with 24 hours, 48 hours or 48 Hours Plus Ticket Option

Itinerary

Explore Edinburgh at your own pace and in your own way with the great-value Edinburgh Grand Ticket. Your Edinburgh Grand Ticket can be collected from Edinburgh Bus Tours Ticket Sellers on Waverley Bridge upon presentation of your booking voucher.

You can choose from 2 types of tickets - 24-hour ticket, 48 hour ticket and 48-hour Plus ticket. Your Edinburgh Grand Ticket gives you unlimited travel on three exciting tour buses with different routes throughout Edinburgh. These are all hop-on hop-off tours so you can jump on and off as you like. All tours depart from Waverley Bridge. Several of the routes are interchangeable, offering even more possibilities for your customized itinerary.

The ticket options allows you to unlimited travel for 24 hours, 48 hours or 48 hours Plus (depending on the option you choose) on below mentioned tours.

The tours are:
• The Majestic Tour: covers Botanics, Britannia and Leith
• The Edinburgh Tour: covers old and new towns
• City Sightseeing Tour: covers main city sights

The Majestic Tour:
This tour goes north through the Georgian New Town and stops at the Royal Botanic Garden before heading down to the coast at Newhaven and Leith. The stop at Ocean Terminal serves visiting cruise ships as well as the Royal Yacht Britannia. From Britannia, the tour heads back up to the city center via the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Royal Mile.

An informative multi-language recorded commentary guides you through the history of the places, people and sights along the route. Simply plug in the headphones and listen to your chosen language.

Tour offers recorded commentary in English, Gaelic, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese.

Download the tour route map

The Edinburgh Tour
Your live, on-board guide gives their own personal touch to the informative English commentary. Hear all about the people who shaped Scotland’s capital city.

Leaving Waverley you head for New Town with its elegant Georgian houses. After Charlotte Square you turn back south, passing the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery as you head towards the Old Town. Some attractions include Scottish Parliament, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle and the Scotch Whisky Experience. After driving through Grassmarket with its exciting shops and pubs, you pass the Scottish Parliament and the Dynamic Earth attraction at Calton Hill. Return via Canongate past the Canongate Church, the Museum of Edinburgh and the People’s Story.

Download the tour route map

City Sightseeing Tour:
For this tour you travel in an open-top bus with an audio commentary (in a choice of nine languages) delivered through headphones. There is also a TV screen downstairs with a subtitled version of the tour for the hearing impaired.

On leaving Waverley the tour sets off along Princes Street. Look up to see stunning views of Edinburgh Castle perched on its crag. Continue through trendy Grassmarket then pass the National Museum of Scotland and the John Knox House. After driving along Canongate you will pass the Scottish Parliament and Calton Hill. Next, you will see the south gates to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, The Queen’s official residence in Scotland. Enjoy more great views of Edinburgh Castle before returning to the start point at Waverley.

Download the tour route map

You can do the tours in whichever order you like and finish the experience at the place most convenient for you.

The 48-hour Plus tour also includes the 3 Bridges Tour: Bus and Boat Experience:

Board your bus in the heart of Edinburgh for a tour to South Queensferry. Enjoy unobstructed views of the Edinburgh’s main attractions such as the distinctive architecture on the UNESCO-listed Princes Street. Pass by Princes Street, a bustling shopping street and observe the beautiful fusion of the original neoclassical and Georgian architecture.

This will be followed by a cruise aboard the 'Forth Belle' along the Firth of Forth. Board the boat at Hawes Pier in South Queensferry. Float past waterside attractions like Forth Road Bridge, Forth Rail Bridge and Queensferry Crossing and keep your eyes rooted to the water to spot puffins, seals and porpoises. Enjoy audio commentary in English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. The tour takes roughly 3 hours.

Sail beneath the bridges and head to Inchcolm Island. Disembark and explore this rugged marine wildlife haven (ticket can be purchased on the boat). When you're ready to leave, catch the boat on its next return to the docks. An Edinburgh tour bus will be waiting at Hawes Pier.