Edinburgh Bus Tour: Explore with Hop-On Hop-Off

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: 24 hours
Highlights

Big Bus Edinburgh City Tour (Red Route) (Route)

Operating Schedule: Summer (May–October):
First departure at 09:00 from Stop 1 (Waterloo Place), every 15 minutes until 17:00, then every 20 minutes, with the last tour at 18:20.
Winter (November–March):
Departures start at 09:00 every 15 minutes, with the final tour at 16:00.
For the most current…

What's Included
  • 24- or 48-Hour Big Bus Hop-on, Hop-off Sightseeing Tour by Open-Top Bus
  • Two Routes available: City & Britannia Tours
  • Entertaining Audio Commentary available in 9 languages
  • Dog friendly
What's Not Included
  • Hotel Pick-up & Drop-off
Additional Information

Experience Edinburgh like never before with Scotland’s official Hop-on-Hop-off open-top tour! Enjoy the best seats in town and the ultimate way to discover the capital.
Feel free to hop on and off as often as you wish to fully appreciate the sights on our city tour, including Edinburgh Castle, the National Museum of Scotland, Dynamic Earth, Greyfriars…

Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.2
(430 Ratings)
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G9592rotracyg
Apr 16, 2026
Brilliant Bus Service - Used this bus for getting around Edinburgh, and can't praise it enough. Just got on and off as we pleased, with lots of help and tips from the drivers. Ben, Debbie, and drivers John Paul and Mr. T. were all brilliant. Will definitely use again on our next Edinburgh visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Erinn346
Apr 12, 2026
Great way to get around! - Loving the Hop On Hop Off busses! After walking 10.5 miles our first day here, the busses are a blessing and wish I used them sooner! The red and blue busses come with audio guides to listen and learn about the places you’re driving by. The green line though has a live tour guide and they’re amazing! We had James and he was full of knowledge and jokes. It was a great way to relax and learn more history.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patriciag
Apr 10, 2026
Well worth it for an introduction to Edinburgh - It’s well worth it to get your bearings around Edinburg and see the main sites and neighbourhoods from the bus.
Review provided by Viator
Gonecrabbing
Mar 8, 2026
A must for sightseeing. - Highly recommended way of sightseeing around Edinburgh. I am usually against the use of modern technology but found the app very useful and I think we would have struggled with out it. The commentary onboard was informative and interesting. We purchased the two day ticket before hand, giving us excellent value for money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bsilver104
Feb 7, 2026
Using the Big Bus in Edinburgh - The bus is the best way to see the city. There are 3 colors that cover every nook and cranny that you would want to see. We started with blue to get to the Royal Britannia and then switched to green and finally red. We saw everything we wanted to.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Raybt4146yu
Jan 13, 2026
well-organized and reliable bus tour with appropriate information - We have already done many hop-on/hop-off bus tours worldwide – even with less good experiences. On this tour, however, we have to say that everything worked very well overall. The bus driver was nice and friendly, and the tickets could easily be bought the same day right at the stop. We had our own headphones with us; the audio explanations were well-matched to what you just saw, and thanks to the GPS control, the commentary was very timed to match the route. A small criticism is the background music between the sights: This sometimes runs for a very long time and seems rather euthanizing in the long run. In winter, you should also bear in mind that it can get very cold up in the open area of the bus – warm clothing is definitely recommended here. Conclusion: A well organized and reliable bus tour with appropriate information and friendly staff that we can recommend overall.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Audrey_w
Dec 23, 2025
Good way to get around city - All day hop on hop off, a great way to get around the city. I do wish they used a live guide and not an audio recording though, I didn’t know what was being pointed out most of the time
Review provided by Viator
Karen
Mar 30, 2026
OK but leaky! - The booking did not generate an email with our tickets so we had to find the Duty Manager to validate and issue some. Marius the Duty Manager and our driver were both really helpful ( the email never arrived) and he issued tickets and followed it up. The first bus leaked badly and four of the seats on the lower level got very wet when it rained. The app was helpful and fairly accurate so it is worth downloading, but the commentary was lagging behind the actual landmarks so we had passed them before we knew what they were! They also seemed to miss some important buildings and memorials en route.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
O7487dematthewp
Mar 30, 2026
Terrible. Expensive. - Diabolically expensive compared to others. Poorly serviced routes. Not convenient. The app map not only didnt work, but wasn't accurate leading to wasted hours on a short trip to the city. Choose Edinburgh bus tours instead.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vanstul
Dec 22, 2025
Didn’t get tix - Never received tickets. Emailed company and no response. Went to address with no luck ad we were told couldn’t get the tickets from there. Requested refund
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $27
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).