The 15 Best Edinburgh Bus Tours

1.City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 6,775 reviews · 1 day · from $24Our pick

Use a 24-hour City Sightseeing Edinburgh ticket to circle the Old Town, New Town, Castle Rock, Holyrood, and Dynamic Earth. Board at any stop, listen to commentary in nine languages, or choose the Horrible Histories channel for children. Up to three children travel free per paying adult until March 31, 2026.

“Best way of getting your bearings around the city for all the main attractions that way you can decide where you want to get on & off, I went round the full circuit taking in the sights and commentary as then stayed on so I could get off at the stops I wanted to with a plan of action, absolutely great value for money and staff really lovely and helpful”

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2.Comedy Horror Ghost Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 3,932 reviews · 1h 15m · from $28

Ride Edinburgh’s vintage black Ghost Bus for a 75-minute English-language comedy horror show. Guides such as Tommy Terror, Ian, and Sinead combine ghost stories, murders, grave robbers, and jokes while you pass Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, Greyfriar’s Kirk, and Holyrood Palace, with a graveyard stop included.

“Sinead did a great tour, really fun way to see the city at night”

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3.Ghost Bus Tour of Edinburgh

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,761 reviews · 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $24

Join an English-speaking guide on a vintage Routemaster for an evening tour of Edinburgh’s grim past. Hear about Burke and Hare, witch hunts, Maggie Dickson, and haunted sites including Greyfriars and Grassmarket. Expect theatrical comedy, onboard effects, and a group of up to 54 people.

“fabulous evenings entertainment really great Ghostly trip with a really good actor for a fab evenings entertainment”

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4.Royal Attractions with Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 2,736 reviews · from $102Top rated

Use three Edinburgh hop-on hop-off routes over 48 hours, with entry to Edinburgh Castle, Holyroodhouse, and the Royal Yacht Britannia. Live guides are featured on the green route, while multilingual handsets help at Britannia and the palace. Start at Waterloo Place.

“The Royal Edinburgh pass is well worth the cost. The hop-on hop-off bus provides excellent transportation to each of the sites.”

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5.City Sightseeing Edinburgh Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour + Kids Go Free

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,683 reviews · 1 hour 10 minutes (approx.) · from $24

Use a 24-hour mobile or paper pass to circle Edinburgh aboard an open-top double-decker. Hear commentary in nine languages, plus a kids’ version, and hop off near Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, Holyrood, Dynamic Earth, and other central sights. Up to three children travel free per paying adult before March 31, 2026.

“It's an excellent tour of the city. The ear buds make the narration easy to listen to. The information about the city is awesome.”

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6.Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Pass with 3 City Tours

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 2,193 reviews · 1 - 2 days · from $33

Use one 24 or 48-hour pass on Edinburgh’s three bus routes. Hear live English commentary on the Edinburgh Tour, or choose nine audio languages on the City Sightseeing and Majestic routes. You can stop at Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood, the Royal Botanic Garden, and Royal Yacht Britannia.

“Fun, informative. Got to see many parts of city by 3 routes available”

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7.Big Bus Hop-On, Hop-Off Tour by Open-Top Bus

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 1,079 reviews · 1 - 2 days · from $24

Start at Waterloo Place and choose the City Tour, Britannia Tour, or both if your ticket allows. Ride past Edinburgh Castle, Grassmarket, Holyroodhouse, the Royal Yacht Britannia, and the Botanic Garden while listening to audio commentary in nine languages. Use the bus for city views, planning, and relief from Edinburgh’s hills.

“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”

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8.Royal Edinburgh Ticket – Hop-On Hop-Off and Attraction Admissions

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,023 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $105

Use one 48-hour pass on Edinburgh’s Edinburgh Tour, City Sightseeing, and Majestic routes. Ride the open-top buses, hear live or recorded commentary, and visit Edinburgh Castle, Holyroodhouse, and Royal Yacht Britannia.

“The buses came frequently. The drivers were very friendly and helpful letting you know what stop you wanted based on where you wanted to go or what you were interested in.”

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9.Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus Tour City & Britannia Combo

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 767 reviews · 2 days · from $34

Use one 48-hour ticket on Edinburgh’s City and Britannia bus routes. Ride open-top for broad views, hop off at the Castle, Holyroodhouse, Grassmarket, Royal Yacht Britannia, or Botanic Garden, and follow audio commentary in nine languages. Start at Waterloo Place.

“The driver was very helpful with advice and directions. Great experience.”

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10.Vintage Bus Tour with Afternoon Tea or Gin

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 699 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $57

Join Red Bus Bistro for a 90-minute vintage Routemaster ride through Edinburgh, with prosecco, warm scones, sandwiches, cakes, and unlimited tea or coffee. Choose the gin option for a floral Edinburgh Gin cocktail served in a teapot. Staff such as Alice, Helen, and Jimmy add friendly service and humor.

“It was a fantastic experience for my friend visiting from San Francisco. Such an easy way to see the city without having to worry about parking!! Sandwiches and petite fours were delicious as was the gin cocktail. Would have been nice to get a bit closer to the Castle, but that’s probably another tour🙂 For future visitors, there is a bathroom break, but could be a little shorter - it’s only an hour and a half round trip😂”

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11.Big Bus Edinburgh Hop-On Hop-Off City and Britannia Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 172 reviews · 1 hour 10 minutes (approx.) · from $34

Use one ticket for Edinburgh’s City Tour and Britannia Tour, with unlimited boarding for 48 hours. Expect open-top city views, multilingual audio commentary, and stops near Edinburgh Castle, Holyroodhouse, the Royal Botanic Garden, and Royal Yacht Britannia. Britannia admission costs extra.

“This bus frequency was less in comparison to other hop on hop off buses. Waiting time was more at the stops”

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12.Edinburgh Hop-On Hop-Off Britannia Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 77 reviews · from $21Best value

Use a 24-hour mobile ticket on Bright Bus Tours’ Britannia route, with stops at Waterloo Place, Leith, the Royal Yacht Britannia, Fishmarket Square, and the Royal Botanic Garden. Audio commentary comes in nine languages, but confirm the route and timetable carefully because Edinburgh also has a separate city tour.

“Great team and great journey it was nice trip will be repeated again and I will recommend my friend to do so”

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13.Edinburgh Hop-on Hop-off City Tour with Live Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 48 reviews · 1 day (approx.) · from $24

Take a one-day Edinburgh bus tour with live English commentary, stopping near Holyroodhouse, the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, the National Museum, Grassmarket, and the New Town. Guides such as Natalie and Scott add local color, while onboard WiFi and frequent stops make sightseeing simple.

“Riding all the way around the bus circuit is a great way to learn all about Edinburgh! The guides were so knowledgeable and friendly.”

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14.Loch Ness and the Highlands Experience Bus Tour from Edinburgh

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 11 reviews · from $95

From Edinburgh, ride a comfortable coach through the Trossachs, Glencoe, Cairngorms, and Fort Augustus. You can add a Loch Ness cruise for £19 per adult, hear stories from guides such as Scott or Joyce, and return after a long but scenic day.

“We had Scott as our tour guide, and he was great! Throughout (basically the entirety of) the bus ride + trip, he shared interesting tidbits of history and stories, and was very attentive to each group. Would highly recommend and is a great exRead more”

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15.Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour with Live Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 9 reviews · 1 day · from $24

See Edinburgh from an open-top bus with a live English-speaking guide. From Waterloo Place, ride through the medieval Old Town and Georgian New Town, then hop off near Edinburgh Castle, Holyroodhouse, or the Scottish Parliament. The one-day ticket starts at $24.

“fantastic experience. great tour guide. very knowledgeable. live tour guide much better than recorded guide. green bus seems shorter than the other tours but much more information. excellent value no complaints other than the state of Edinburgh's road. criminal. in awe of the bus drivers. driver and guide A+”

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