Big Bus Edinburgh 24 or 48 hour Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour
Overview
Available languages
1 hour 10 minutes
Mobile ticket
Discover Edinburgh with a Big Bus hop-on, hop-off open-top bus tour. Explore the city at your own pace on the City Tour or Britannia Tour, with stops at top attractions including Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, Palace of Holyroodhouse, and the Royal Yacht Britannia. Enjoy panoramic views and engaging onboard audio commentary throughout your journey.
Start your adventure at Waterloo Place and choose the route that suits you best. From historic landmarks to hidden gems, Big Bus makes sightseeing in Edinburgh easy, flexible, and fun — whether you’re relaxing on the top deck or travelling inside the bus.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
What To Expect
Duration:1 hour 10 minutes
Operating Schedule:Summer (May–October): First departure at 09:00 from Stop 1 (Waterloo Place), every every 15minutes till 17:00 then every 20Minutes, last tour at 18:20. Winter (November–March): Departures from 09:00 every 15 minutes, last tour at 16:00. For the latest stop locations, timings, and live bus tracking, visit the Big Bus website or download the Big Bus App before you travel.
Stop 1 - Waterloo Place (Outside Princess Suit Hotel)
Stop 2 - St Andrew Square (North side of the park)
Stop 3 - Lothian Road (outside kirkyard)
Stop 4 - Bread Street ( opposite Dubble Tree by Hilton Hotel)
Stop 5 - The Mound (west side of National Gallery)
Stop 6 - George IV Bridge (outside the Scottish library)
Stop 8 - Grassmarket ( opposite apex hotel)
Stop 9 - Chambers Street (opposite Museum of Scotland)
Stop 11 - Cannongate Kirk (outside Canongate Church)
Stop 12 - Holyrood Palace (opposite north side of Scottish Parliament)
Stop 13 - Dynamic Earth ( Outside Dynamic Earth)
Stop 14 - Abbeyhill (North entrance to Holyrood Palace)
Stop 15 - Regent Road (At Robert Burns Monument)
Stop 7 - Lauriston Place (Outside Lauriston Health centre)
Stop 10 - John Knox House (opposite Mueseum of Childhood)
Options
48-Hour City & Britannia Tours
Duration: 2 days: This option includes 48-hour hop-on, hop-off bus access for travel on the City & Britannia Routes. Travel on 2 routes: Unlimited Hop-on, Hop-off Access on both the City and Britannia Tours.
24-Hour Edinburgh City Tour
Duration: 1 day: This option includes 24-hour hop-on, hop-off bus access for travel on the City Route. Edinburgh City Tour : Hop-on, Hop-off at over 10 central stops.
48-Hour Edinburgh City Tour
Duration: 2 days: This option includes 48-hour hop-on, hop-off bus access for travel on the City Route. Edinburgh City Tour: Hop on Hop off over 10 central stops!
What‘s Included
Dog friendly
Access to City Tour (available with all options)
24- or 48-hour hop-on, hop-off bus ticket
Access to Britannia Tour (available on 48-Hour Tour on City & Britannia Routes option only)
Audio commentary available in 9 languages
Hotel Pick-up & Drop-off
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
450 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Good Company
Anastasia S,Jun 18, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00Overall positive experience. Equipment worked well. Commentary was good, but could have used more. Easy way to see the highlights of a city.
Hop on hop off on the Big Bus!
Lisa C,Jun 16, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great experience to see the city and decide where to get off and explore. Very helpful employees at every stop helping answer your questions. Very friendly people and the audio was very informative.
Great way to get around!
376nos,Jun 16, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00This is the best way to see Edinburgh in one day, it was great as we just hopped on and off. The drivers are super friendly and willing to answer any questions.
Edinburgh hop on hop off
K8689JJmichaelg,Jun 15, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great introduction to Edinburgh. Did a complete loop then picked where we wanted to go after seeing the entire route. We only had a day in the city so this was a great way to see the sights. Easy to book online.
Above and Beyond
Relax11928052420,Jun 10, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We did the blue line and bought tickets from David who was amazing! We had bought tickets about ten minutes before the bus was due to arrive so he took us directly to the bus stop himself so we wouldn't miss it as it was a little bit of a walk. I do Big Bus tours everywhere I travel to and they're always worth it!
An all-around great experience - a must for first-time visitors to Edinburgh!
kbenevito,Jun 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Took very sensibly priced 48-hour tickets for both Blue and Red routes, taking us around all the sights we wanted to see and revisit. Nicely presented and driven by skilled, yet sedate drivers navigating sometimes very hectic Edinburgh traffic.
Great way to see the sights!
mvma12,Jun 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00What a great value for your experience! The buses are clean, spacious, and on time. We booked the 48 hours (which was actually 2 1/2 days) and we did both the blue route and city route multiple times. The complimentary headphones are nice and the ability to hop on and off gave us the ability to explore. The app with real time tracking of the buses and their arrival is very helpful. I highly recommend this experience.
Do this tour!
Jason G,May 31, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Totally worth it. Very well done. Perfectly timed. 10:00-12:15, as scheduled. Then we spent three more hours at the castle. Ricky was a great personality, full of history and fun stories. I highly recommend.
Very nice views of the...
Iris P,May 31, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Very nice views of the castles and prince street also like the hop on hop off options able to visit different places
Too expensive to do multiple days
heathbo777,May 30, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Nice tour of the old town and great commentary. Too expensive though.
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