Edinburgh · EDINBURGH SIGHTSEEING BUS TOURS
14 reviewed
Below are the 14 best edinburgh sightseeing bus tours we’ve reviewed: what each one costs, how long it runs, and who it suits. Start at number one; it is top for a reason.
Hop-on hop-off open-top Edinburgh bus with a 24-hour ticket, 9-language audio, kids go free, and easy stops at Castle, Royal Mile, Holyrood.
“Friendly & helpful staff & driver, really enjoyed the journey & interesting facts about the city”
75 minutes on Edinburgh’s midnight black Ghost Bus: comedy-horror stories, top Old Town sights, true-crime legends, and a graveyard stop for $28.
“Very good. It was a little cold because (December in Edinburgh) but it was so interactive that you hardly thought about it. It was very cool and the actors knew so much about pretty much everything! Would definitely recommend”
Ride a vintage double-decker through Edinburgh Old Town at night, with spooky stories tied to Castle, the Royal Mile, Holyrood, Greyfriars, and Grassmarket.
“This was so much fun and more than I expected. Well worth doing. Host was amazingly entertaining and fully engaged in the stories.”
48-hour Royal Edinburgh pass: hop-on buses plus guaranteed Edinburgh Castle, Palace of Holyroodhouse and Royal Yacht Britannia.
“was really good got to see all of Edinburgh could have done with 3 days as so much to see going on the green bus is the best as you get a live guide. Mike is good on the mike he's funny as well as informative. All the drivers and guides were all helpful and informative”
Hop-on hop-off open-top bus around Edinburgh with 24-hour pass, multilingual audio, and Kids Go Free up to 3 kids per adult.
“Very good experience, very easy to find, driver very friendly, great audio tour, a good was to see Edinburgh.”
Hop on and off Edinburgh on 3 routes for 24 or 48 hours. Open-top views, live English on one line, plus Britannia.
“We did all 3 of the buses over 2 days, great value for money and enjoyed all the views and opportunities to get on and off without walking miles to see all the things we wanted to see. All the drivers were fabulous and the recorded commentary was great for learning about the city. Shout out to Ricky on the green bus on 22.5.25 we were on the one that left about 11am, his commentary and stories were both informative and funny, made it even better on the tour 👏 Would highly recommend any of these bus tours.”
Hop on a Big Bus Edinburgh double-decker for 24 or 48 hours. See Castle views, Holyrood, museums, and the Royal Yacht at your pace.
“A nice break from walking around the town, definitely worth booking to get an overview of the main attractions. There was no guide on this tour, just headphones and an audio guide on the bus”
48-hour Edinburgh hop-on hop-off with guaranteed Castle, Holyrood, and Britannia entry, great narration, and simple stop-by-stop routing.
“Drivers of the HOHO Buses are nice. People at the station are nice and helpful. Only suggestion is to give exact address of the Information Centre to redeem tickets as the information I had was just Waterloo Place but don’t know the address so hard to find from map.”
48-hour Big Bus Edinburgh combo with City and Britannia routes, 20+ stops, multi-language audio, and Royal Yacht Britannia value.
“We always do a hop on/off when we arrive in a new city to see which highlights we want to see. Edinburgh had highlights all along the route. We could spend a week just doing those highlights. The Britannia bus had few highlights except for the reason to go there, The Royal Yacht Britannia. This might be my favorite tour of all time. We've been to London and Windsor and they were wonderful, but the yacht is a must-see for any royal followers. It is so historic. The pictures throughout the yacht alone are worth the visit. The botanical gardens are also on this tour and would be worth at…”
Edinburgh vintage bus tour with afternoon tea, unlimited tea/coffee, and optional Edinburgh Gin teapot cocktails.
“Had a great time. Staff were really accommodating. Highly recommend”
Hop on and off an open-top bus through Edinburgh’s top sights, with flexible 24- or 48-hour touring and multilingual audio.
“Without warning, the route was changed leaving us waiting for buses that were never coming, trying to travel to stops that were no longer on the route, having to use public transport and needing to book a taxi to return from Leith. Fast to sell you tickets but no prior warnings given of removal of services. Complaints ignored.”
Hop-on hop-off Edinburgh by Big Bus with a 48-hour pass, 9-language audio, and two routes covering Old Town landmarks and the waterfront.
“3 different hop on/off companies with multiple routes each. Very confusing about where/which bus to take. Recorded guide difficult to hear. Driver talking loudly to others on walker. We finally got off and stayed off.”
Edinburgh Hop-On Hop-Off Britannia bus with free headphones, 9-language audio, and 24-hour freedom to ride, hop off, and return.
“The staff were all very polite and courteous and overall it was a superb experience however, it was somewhat spoiled by the fact that the seat that I sat on on the upper deck actually had a split in it, so whilst it looked dry, after a minute or two my trousers were actually very wet and stained.”
One-day live guided Edinburgh hop-on hop-off bus covering Royal Mile, Holyrood, Castle walk, and New Town views for $24.80.
“Upon asking when last bus was - was told 6:45 which is true unless you need to get from Rose street to Grassmarket. We ended up spending $10 in unplanned cab fare. Tour people were hard to hear and not funny at all. Boring which was unexpected and we had three. Try a red one.”
