Very convenient way to see the city (and avoid walking uphill on the Royal Mile). The main Tour office is just outside Waverly Station. I suggest the Red Line as it passes most of the major sites. Ride the loop once first to get your bearings and decide what you want to see when. I suggest getting off at Edinburgh Castle, take the Castle Tour, then start exploring the shops/restaurants/whiskey sellers along the Royal Mile so you're walking downhill :). read more

We really enjoyed this hop on and off bus tour. It's valid for 24 hours and takes you near all the major sites. Just riding around on a loop or two is a good way to see the entire city. It's not as long as some other tours you might do in a larger city but it's a good way to get to and from all the sites. Helped that one stop was across the street from our hotel. read more

I've done these city bus tours all over the world and this one was probably one of my least favorite for a number of reasons. The red and green lines are very similar and it seems like a bit of a waste of time to do both and not very interesting if you are relying on the tour part of the experience and not just the transportation part. The blue line is very different but very light on the "tour" part and more for transportation. The busses also seem to struggle with keeping to their schedule and their app is super buggy and not very reliable for arrival times. If I knew in advance I would do either the red or green line as a tour and not waste my time doing the other two or attempting to use it as transportation. read more

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For a narrated tour of the city, it was ok ~ I've certainly had much, much better guided tour buses for the same price. All the narration was done by audio recording; there was no interaction with the driver at all. The only people who spoke with us were the touts who came on board at the first stop trying to upsell us with tickets for the castle. The bus was S-L-O-W, and I found out later that I literally covered the same ground on foot in pretty much the same amount of time. read more

The RED Hop on Hop off buses by The Edinburgh Bus Tour Company are a must do when first visiting this wonderful city. If you have never been there before then an hour, on the bus, shows you everything of interest and its position in the city. We did the full route and stayed on the bus having decided where to get on and off on the second circuit. Saved so much time without the wandering and getting lost. Our ticket gave us 24 hours so we used the same ticket the next morning to get to the Castle which saved that walk up the hill. I believe the bus is a must do in this city. The staff running the system are brilliant and friendly. Mustn't forget the drivers, again friendly and fantastic, safe, drivers. I don't know how they get those vehicles down and in between other traffic in those small roads. Great company and worth every penny spent. read more

Having ridden the same bright red bus in Bath and enjoyed it, I figured that trying the same in Edinburgh would be a useful introduction to the city and would give me the lay of the land for further detailed excursions. The City Sightseeing Bus Tour starts from Waverley Bridge (though you can purchase your ticket at any of their stops) and makes a dozen stops throughout the city. As you're driven about through the traffic, you plug your earphones (a plastic sealed fresh pair for every visitor) into the jack and are told facts and things are pointed out by the recorded voice. Other than English, they have other languages available plus there is a captioned television screen inside the bus for those who are hard of hearing. Lots of the information is very interesting and useful, but Edinburgh is such a big city that it's hard to get into much depth on just 12 stops. I left the bus feeling a little rushed and felt that at least this time, it wasn't worth it. Perhaps it was my mood - loads of people seem to ride this bus or any of their competitors. read more

I am usually not a sightseeing bus fan. But there is no better way to get to know a city than to hop on one of these buses and take it around town. Sure . . it's a little touristy but if you know how to do it- you find find it pays for itself over and over again. A couple of things to note. There are actually 5 different bus tours that you can take all owned by this same company at this address. You can purchase the tickets from any driver or on the Waverly Street Bridge. Avoid standing in the line for the kiosk and look for the guys with the orange shirts who can get you tickets right away or order them in advance on line. The best deal? If you are going to be in town for a few days- buy the Royal Edinburgh ticket. Oh sure- it's more expensive than the others (Adult £43 )- but not only does it give you entry into three of the most popular attractions (Edinburgh castle, the Royal Yacht Britannia and the Palace of Holyrood House) but it also allows you to hop on and off any of the 5 bus lines that they operate for two full days. I used this as my main transportation around town as the buses run every 15 minutes and go everywhere. The easiest way to see where they all go is to pick up the blue brochure which lists all of the various lines and then plan your day. Some of the buses have earphones to learn about the sights (here's another tip- hang on to your earphones as they plug into the jacks at Holyrood House so there is no need to hold the receiver up to your ear for the hour long tour) and the Edinburgh line has a live tour guide. Some of the buses are open air on the top deck which is a fun way to see the city on a sunny day! Also- if you tour the Brittania- know that you need to enter the large shopping mall, go up to the second level and then all the way down to the end to gain access to the ship. It's not well marked and you may find yourself wandering the mall at the cruise terminal looking for where to go. Friendly staff who are proud of their city and convenient lines (even on the altered routes caused by the tramway construction) make this a great buy when in Edinburgh. Who knows? You might even learn a thing or two along the way! read more

I believe City Sightseeing has three tour buses in Edinburgh: red, blue and green. We were on the green bus and the tour took about an hour to complete. Great way to see the city quickly and learn some fun facts. It was cheap and easy to get on and off as needed. Some of the buses we tried to get on first were full but another bus came along quickly that had available seats. If the weather is nice I would recommend sitting on top to see the best views. read more

Stay on the bus for the entire loop, and you'll have the perfect solution to seeing the city in a short amount of time. The green and red buses don't cover a big distance, while the blue line is longer. As a hop on hop off bus, this doesn't work. We ended up walking a ton because we couldn't get a bus. The old city is under construction, which meant we got dropped off at a "temporary" stop. But, the bus only does pick ups at permanent stops, which could be a good walk away. The bus does not come very 10-15 minutes, as indicated. We waited at a stop 25 minutes without seeing a bus, and others were waiting when we arrived. The bus tells you to wave to stop the bus. I waved (after waiting 25 minutes), and the bus driver sped up and blew right by. I guess I needed to have stepped in front of the bus to get the bus driver to stop. The bridge where all the lines converge is disorganized, so you can't tell the front of the line from the back or which line feeds which bus tour. You'll figure it out only when an employee gets mad because you for guessed wrong. read more

Edinburgh is a beautiful city racked with history. As a result, there are 4 or 5 different bus companies all with different routes for tourists to see the city. Living in Edinburgh, I have to admit I find these busses really frustrating at times, but they are always popular. The City Sightseeing busses are always the busiest and to be honest they have the better route. Tickets can range from £6 for kids and £12 for adults, but there are always discounts available from tourist guides and tickets for the castle etc. The bus comes with a sound-track that you can listen to with headphones and offers an excellent way to learn all about the city. If you're visiting the city for the first time, this is definitely the first thing you should do. read more

City Sightseeing - Tours Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Currently, as of November 2016, there are three hop on, hop off bus tours operating from Waverley Bridge. They are all run by the one company but cover slightly different routes. Named Edinburgh Tour (green route), City Sight Seeing (red route) and Majestic Tour (purple). On previous visits to Edinburgh I've done City Sight Seeing tours. We opted for an Edinburgh Tour on this occasion, as I was with people who hadn't been to Edinburgh previously and such tours give a great overview to a city and its history. City Sight Seeing has a pre-recorded audio in different languages but Edinburgh Tour has live English commentary so gives an interesting and unique dialogue depending on the individual guide. It was thoroughly enjoyable and great value for money at £15 per adult ticket. The tickets are valid for 24 hours after purchase and thus can be used right into the next day. We saw all the main attractions including Edinburgh Castle, Parliament, Palace, Old Town and Georgian New Town. Would highly recommend. read more

Was in Edinburgh for the day, and wanted to cram as much as I could in the few hours I had, so I went with a Hop On Hop Off tour with City Sightseeing, for 14 pounds you can get a 24 hour pass. I did hop off a lot, and its about a 20 minute wait for the next bus, but if you are exploring you would swear the bus was just there waiting for you and not you waiting for it. I saw so many sites, St John's Church, Queens Park, National Museum of Scotland (which by the way is free admittance), Scottish Parliament, Burns Monument, Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle (to tour the castle it cost a bit more, but you can get discounted tickets from your bus driver and it takes about 2 hours to explore), Palace of Holyroodhouse and so much more, it was the best way to get around and see all I could. I would highly recommend City Sightseeing to anyone who isn't into guided group tours and into being an adventure and exploring the city at free will. read more

We had generally decent times on Hop On Hop Off buses in Dublin, Galway and Cork, but for a variety of reasons we did not take advantage of them in Manchester or Inverness. Upon arriving in Edinburgh, with not a lot of time to spare, we decided to employ this option to get a sense to how we should spend the majority of our day here. First off, streets in this city are not particularly fun to drive (witness that it took us about half an hour just to get a block from our hotel the next day), so one really has to tip their cap to those driving these rather cumbersome buses. So it's not surprising that the commentator, unlike those in some other cities, is strictly distinct from the driver, whose presence is kept aloof. As for the tour itself, it takes you to all of the major sights - Edinburgh Castle, Holyrod Park, Old Town, New Town, Bonnington - it pretty much takes you on a circuitous visit of all the tourist spots. Interesting things are said about the cities history and politics, focusing on what makes Scotland distinct from England (i.e. there are three outcomes in a court of law: Guilty, Innocent, and Not Proven - if only the States had that third option!). The host was also not without a sense of humor, stating that Edinburgh must be the best place in the world for a scaffolding contractor, and making negative comments about certain 1960's architecture, plus calling Starbucks "The Most Boring Place on the Planet". We did slightly more than one loop, and I'm happy that the tour did not become repetitive. Perhaps hosts are used to that. read more

When my friend from home visited , we decided to be all proper tourists and take this sightseeing tour bus .This was further decided upon the fact that neither of us have much stamina for long walks and she was here for only a couple of days and really just wanted a whizz around the City Highlights. And this tour provided just that. Its open top make it great to enjoy the chilly sunshine, although I can't imagine it being used at all the rest of the 10 months of rain. It takes you to all the highlights of the City including the controversial Parliament and Holyrood park. It's also a tour so you get to actually hear whatever building it is your are looking at accompanied with some fun and entertaining facts. What makes this bus tour great is that you get to hope on and off at numerous stops around and your ticket lasts for 24 hours so you can take your time if you wish to have a proper look around. Quite a good tour if you have a limited amount of time and want to have a quick introduction to Edinburgh. read more

Showing the Grandparents around town can be a dreary affair. In need of inspiration and unsure how to introduce the sights of Edinburgh I devised a cunning plan: put them on the tour bus and sneak off for a pint...perfect! At the critical point, my plan was foiled. I subsequently stayed on the bus and to my eventual surprise I enjoyed the bus tour. City Sightseeing Tours offer a number of different buses, I chose the red bus. This seems to be the standard package and takes you to the likes of Holyrood Palace, Grassmarket, and The Scottish Parliament. The on board commentary is informative with the usual splash of humour. Plus it can be used as 'hop on hop off' bus for the day, included in the £12 (adult) ticket cost. Overall, an enjoyable experience and one that left my grandparents chuffed and myself in the good books. read more

City Sightseeing - Tours Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Hop on board the city sightseeing tour if you're looking to see the top sights in Edinburgh. Tickets last for two consecutive days and tickets are £12 (£11). You can hop and off whenever you like and hop back on for the next stop. With your ticket you also get additional discounts of various other tours including; Edinburgh Dungeon, Auld Reekie Tours and Edinburgh Zoo. Highlights on the Sightseeing Tour include; -Edinburgh Castle -Grassmarket -Royal Mile -Palace of Holyroodhouse -House of Parliament read more

This is a great way to see Edinburgh if you are short on time and/or it is raining! The upper portion of the bus is covered in the front section so its perfect for spells of bad weather that are often common in Edinburgh. They sell tickets on the bridge right where you board near the train station. They accept card which is very convenient! I thought it was decently priced to do the 2 day unlimited & castle ticket package. It was around 38 pounds I think. Make sure you actually are going to use it though if you buy the unlimited! I only used it once so it wasn´t a great value in my case but for someone more responsible for me it would be a good idea. If you are a solo traveler like me or not in a group tour passing through the city, this is a great way to learn the layout of the city and where things are on your first day. This way you are combining transportation to all the popular areas and sights and an included tour. It will help you decide what looks interesting and where you would like to spend the remaining time on your trip at the various points of interest. The green bus is the best because it has a live tour guide talking over a microphone rather than a recording. All the tour buses here are owned by the same company even though they are painted in different colors and have different appearances. Try it out! read more

Not bad for a drive around the city. The weather was horrible but we still managed to enjoy the ride around the sites of Edinburgh.

City Sightseeing Bus Tours are one of many buses that sit on Waverley Bridge, which can make it pretty hard to decide which one to go for. We decided on this one because we know it is a trusted name; Glasgow has one, as do loads of other UK cities. It is a double decker bus with a small sheltered area on the upper level, but most of it is open top, perfect for summer, not so much in the rainy seasons! We paid £12 each to do the tour, which takes you around 13 stops, lasting an hour. You get disposable headphones as you take your seat on the bus, and can listen to a pre-recorded tape of the sights as you pass them. The headphone service is available in a range of languages, and is even available for kids in the form of a Terry Dreary narrated Horrible Histories version, which we had a sneaky listen to on the way back! Very entertaining! Keep your tickets, because you can hop on and off the bus as you please, and it really is the best way to get around Edinburgh. We got off at Our Dynamic Earth to walk up and see Parliament and Holyrood, and found a designated bus-stop again easily to hop back on up to Waverley. The drivers were absolutely lovely and very accommodating, and even at a pricey £12, I would say it is well worth it to get the full Edinburgh experience. read more

City Sightseeing - From official website - Tours Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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One of Edinburgh's main selling point to tourists is that the vast majority of it's tourist attractions are within walking distance of each other. A second selling point is that the walk between these tourist attractions is usually very nice, and free.. So why then, would one pay over a tenner to be ferried around on a gawdy peasant wagon, driving past all the points of interest, when it would be far more enjoyable just to walk to them and revel in their splendour at your own leisurely pace? Pointless! read more

If it weren't for the fact that my headphones only worked intermittently, I'd have given this 5 stars. When I came up here for the uni open day 5 years ago with my mum we had time to kill t the end of the afternoon before our train. Whilst all the other eager 17 year olds and their parents were sampling the campus cafés and buying University memorabilia tat from the Potterrow shop, my mum and I decided to make the most of the sunshine and get to see the city at the same time. Granted, the number of days here when it's warm and dry enough to sit on the upper deck of an open top bus isn't exactly huge, but if you're lucky enough to get the opportunity you should definitely do it. The route goes gfrom Waverley Bdige, and goes all through the Old Town, the Grassmarket, The West End and the New Town including Calton Hill, and was really informative. In fact, even if you're not a tourist, I reckon there are still things about the city that you don't know. Apart from anything else, being a 'hop on, hop off' service it means you can effectively get a day's unlimited transport all over the city centre. Whilst there are loadsof different companies departing from Waverley Bridge, I'd definitely recommend this one. read more

I reluctantly came on here with my grandparents when we came here, reluctantly because I had seen all the sites countless times before, but I had to because my grandparents were kind enough to come all the way up here and see me. However, the city of Edinburgh is small enough to enjoy on foot rather than by bus, but as my Grandad is not very good at walking these days, it would be too much of him to take in the whole city walking at snails pace, so in this respect, the bus tour was great for him as he wouldn't have been able to see all that he did otherwise. For everyone else, I would say that if you want to take in the city, the tours don't really represent value for money, you get a far better prospective of the city without being on a bus. I would get a guide book and a map and explore the city the good old fashioned way, any you may walk into a few hidden gems whilst doing it! read more

I really recommend starting your sightseeing visit with a hop-on, hop-off bus tour. It takes in all of the main sights with the tour guide giving some very interesting little bits of trivia. The tour really helps you to get your bearings on the city's layout. Very good value! read more

We choose just the Edinburgh City bus tour, but it was just what we needed. We started out upstairs (roof partially covered cuz of the weather at that point), but would've maybe enjoyed being downstairs more (the upstairs seats tend to allow you to 'slip' forward) but they are probably great for when the weather turns - they won't be ruined in the wet. Loved our first guide - at one point he actually went downstairs and asked the people to quiet down (they were louder than he was on the loudspeaker!) and that impressed me. We took the tour completely around once, just to check it out. Then we rode back around to Holyrood Palace and got off to tour there. Later got back on (just an easy wave at the driver) and took the bus back around and got off on the Royal Mile. Tickets are good for 24 hours and ours had some kind of coupon for Hard Rock Cafe (I think), but didn't go to Edinburgh to do a Hard Rock, so ignored those. Each guide was different in his/her stories, so that was a plus. Well worth the money. read more

The perfect way to see so much of the city in a short period of time. Personally, am fascinated with the history and NEIL - our guide (once we hopped back on) was AMAZING !!!!! Funny and informative, I wanted to ride around with Neil again !!!! read more

Husband, Self, Mum/Dad & Auntie, came to see the Military Tattoo, but hop off & Hop on the bus during the day on the Saturday before the performance. Headsets supplied. Great way to see the city. Double Decker, open top. Worth the money. Decided that if visit & city that has these tours on offer, it has to be a must read more

First time doing a sightseeing bus tour but it was very informative and fun, especially if you listen to the kids' Horrible Histories channel! We took the red tour around the old town and had a great time, although to really get the best vslue you should probably hop off at every point of interest as your tickets are valid for 24 hours from time of purchase. read more

Every time I have visited a major "tourist" city both in the US and Europe, I have seen the red City Sightseeing buses driving around. I've never used them until our trip to Edinburgh. Since we had limited time in the city for walking, the City Sightseeing bus seemed like the best option. It definitely helped us out and gave us a stress free way of seeing the sights. Most hotels and cabs offer free maps of the city, which sometimes include coupons of this bus line. If not, you can get more information off of the web. Besides driving you around, the bus has an audio tour that you can listen to as you drive by locations. Anytime you want to hop off, you just ring the buzzer and the driver will stop. The cool thing is that buses come back by on a set schedule, so you usually don't have to wait too long if you plan it correctly. Since your pass is good for 24 hours, even if you start late, you can still get some good usage from the bus the next morning. read more