Edinburgh

Top Edinburgh landmarks

City Sightseeing Edinburgh Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

Badge of ExcellenceEdinburgh, Scotland

City Sightseeing Edinburgh Hop On Hop Off Tour

1 hour (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

An Edinburgh bus tour is the perfect way to hear commentary on city sights and get a panoramic overview. This City Sightseeing tour of Edinburgh lets you hop on and off at several strategically placed stops as many times as you like. Board the open-top double-decker bus and travel the entire route, or stop at Edinburgh Castle, the National Museum and many more. Buses depart regularly and tickets are valid for 24 hours from first use.

City Sightseeing 24-hour hop-on hop-off tour of Edinburgh
Open-top double-decker sightseeing tour with onboard commentary
Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, Royal Mile, Our Dynamic Earth
Hop on and off at several stops around the city

What's Included

KIDS GO FREE - Up to 3 children travel for free with every full paying adult
24 hour hop-on hop-off bus tour
Multilingual audio commentary in 9 languages + free headphones & kids commentary!
Vouchers valid for 12 months from travel date selected at check-out

Gratuities
Food and drinks
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Entry to attractions

Meeting and Pickup

Start time

Opening hours

3/24/2024 - 3/31/2026
Monday - Sunday : 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM

What To Expect

Venture through Edinburgh with ease on this City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus tour. Use your 24-hour pass to board the open-top double-decker bus at any stop. Travel the entire route or hop off at any of the stops to explore further on your own. Get to know the 15th-century capital of Scotland and its dramatic skyline with onboard commentary about the sights.

Edinburgh bus tour highlights include the Edinburgh Castle, Palace of Holyrood House, the historic Royal Mile, Our Dynamic Earth and much more.

Red Route

14 Stops

26 Points of Interest

Duration: 1 hour

Operating Schedule: First departure from Stop 1 at 8:45am. Last departure from Stop 1 at 5:57pm. Buses run every 12 minutes

Waterloo Place

24 St Andrew Square

Lothian Road

Grassmarket

Hillcrest Futures - Tollcross View

38 Johnston Terrace

11 Lawnmarket

National Museum of Scotland

Hyndford's Close

Canongate Kirk

Holyrood Gift Shop

112-116 Holyrood Gait

Abbeyhill Crescent

Regent Terrace

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
Visit Scotland 5 star award-winning tour and Gold Green Tourism award winner

First departure from Stop 1 at 8:45am. Last departure from Stop 1 at 5:57pm. Buses run every 12 minutes
Tour duration without hopping off is 60 minutes
Vouchers are valid for 12 months from travel date selected at check-out
Kids go free! Up to 3 kids can travel for free per adult ticket. Child tickets must be added to basket when purchasing tickets. Valid for travel before 31st March 2025
Due to resurfacing works, the Lawnmarket will be closed from Monday 2nd December for approximately 3 months. Stops 6 and 7 will be out of use
20th - 22nd January: Due to crane works, St. Andrew Square will be closed. The nearest stop will be outside the Hard Rock Cafe on George Street during this time

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.3

2,392 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 2,392 reviews

Hopped on the red bus and...

SIMYEE_A, Jan 2025

Hopped on the red bus and just need to top up 6 pounds each to extend to 48hours and include the blue and green bus tour! Green bus was the most informative with a live commentary~

Response from Host, Jan 2025

Dear customer, We sincerely appreciate your assessment. At City Sightseeing we continuously strive to provide excellent service to our clients. We are pleased to know that our colleagues were at your disposal to help you, and we appreciate the kind feedback you have given us about them. Without a doubt, our staff is a fundamental key to the company to be able to offer the best possible service. We look forward to having the pleasure of welcoming you again soon on board our services at any City Sightseeing destinations. Best regards, Quality Department

Edinburgh bus tour

Charlene_G, Dec 2024

This was a great tour for families, the kids enjoyed being on a double decker bus and getting to listen about all the history of Edinburgh. A bonus is you can get on and off the bus all day which made it convenient and easier to get around Edinburgh. We had an amazing time and I highly recommend it to anyone new to Edinburgh.

Affordable and convenient

essie_d, Dec 2024

The best way to see Scotland for a short time.Was able to see places on my list by just taking the hop on and hop off.Very convenient and there’s a lot of designated stops so you won’t miss it.Would glad to try again next time.Of course the drivers were very helpful in guiding us which is a very big help.

Response from Host, Dec 2024

Dear Customer, We sincerely appreciate you sharing your opinion with us. We are glad to hear that you were able to experience the fun of discovering a new city aboard our service. We are pleased to hear that you found our service excellent and that you enjoyed your visit to the city. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you again very soon in one of our more than 100 destinations. Thank you for choosing City Sightseeing! Best regards, Quality Department

Very enjoyable. Would do...

Susan_G, Dec 2024

Very enjoyable. Would do it again in other cities. Love the ability to get off and on. Highly recommend.

Response from Host, Dec 2024

Dear Susan, We sincerely appreciate you sharing your opinion with us. We are glad to hear that you were able to experience the fun of discovering a new city aboard our service. We are pleased to hear that you found our service excellent and that you enjoyed your visit to the city. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you again very soon in one of our more than 100 destinations. Thank you for choosing City Sightseeing! Best regards, Quality Department

The best way to hey around the city

Ana_C, Dec 2024

I'm becoming a number one fan of a hop on Hop off experience. After passing by all the 14 main points in Edinburgh I could decided what to do and where to stop by.

Response from Host, Dec 2024

Good afternoon, Thank you very much for sharing your comments about your experience with City Sightseeing. We are delighted that you enjoyed your time on board our red buses. Thank you for your kind comments to our staff, we assure you that we will let you know. We look forward to seeing you again at any other City Sightseeing destination. Yours sincerely, Customer Service Agent.

Perfect for us!

Arona_H, Nov 2024

Great way to see the city and get the history all in one! Was the perfect way to get around for us. Well put together!

Response from Host, Dec 2024

Dear Arona, We sincerely appreciate your assessment. At City Sightseeing we continuously strive to provide excellent service to our clients. We are pleased to know that our colleagues were at your disposal to help you, and we appreciate the kind feedback you have given us about them. Without a doubt, our staff is a fundamental key to the company to be able to offer the best possible service. We look forward to having the pleasure of welcoming you again soon on board our services at any City Sightseeing destinations. Best regards, Quality Department

sit back and enjoy, ...

maryfgburke, Nov 2024

sit back and enjoy, great way to see all the sights. Great audio descriptions while travelling through different streets and seeing all the beautiful monuments

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Dear customer, We sincerely appreciate you sharing your opinion and recommendation about our tour in the Tripadvisor community. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed both our bus tour and our walking routes, and that the audio guide explanations were to your liking. We sincerely hope to welcome you back to one of our more than 100 destinations. We are committed to always providing you with high-quality, memorable experiences in each of our cities. Thank you again for your support and choice of City Sightseeing. Best regards, Quality Department

Great Time

Kelsey_I, Nov 2024

It was a great tour. We had a fun time! The drivers were all very fun and very entertaining. Also a great way to see the sites

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Dear Kelsey, We sincerely appreciate your assessment. At City Sightseeing we continuously strive to provide excellent service to our clients. We are pleased to know that our colleagues were at your disposal to help you, and we appreciate the kind feedback you have given us about them. Without a doubt, our staff is a fundamental key to the company to be able to offer the best possible service. We look forward to having the pleasure of welcoming you again soon on board our services at any City Sightseeing destinations. Best regards, Quality Department

excellent

chee_k, Nov 2024

excellent view, very good you can get on get off any time stoo for lunch shopping and take photos, earphone is a guitar to take away for use ok cheap cheap airlines who need to pay for a reaphone on the plane.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Not worth it

Naveen_M, Nov 2024

We were assigned the red bus and were waiting at stop #3. The bus came and stopped way back. Passengers kept thinking the bus would come nearby to the designated stop. It never stopped at the designated stop and just went past everyone waiting. Frequency is every half hour but they are not punctual. I would just skip this bus tour and just get Uber short rides between 3-4 areas and get an audio tour download instead. Complete waste of money and time with this bus tour.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Dear customer, We sincerely appreciate you sharing your experience with us. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed the unique views offered by our tour of Edinburgh from our bus. In relation to your comment about City Sightseeing stops in Edinburgh, we would like to inform you that, due to municipal regulations, we are unable to signpost specific stops. However, both our staff on land and on board are available to assist you and answer any questions you may have during the tour. In addition, you can check this information on our website and app City Sightseeing Spain, where you will see the exact location of each stop. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you and appreciate your understanding in this regard. We look forward to welcoming you back in any of our more than 100 destinations around the world. Receive a cordial greeting,

Relaxing and convenient

Imelda_B, Nov 2024

Edinburgh is beautiful. Having HOHO during our stay is very convenient. We were able to see places we plan to do in one day.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Dear customer, We sincerely appreciate you sharing your opinion and recommendation about our tour in the Tripadvisor community. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed our bus tour. We sincerely hope to welcome you back to one of our more than 100 destinations. We are committed to always providing you with high-quality, memorable experiences in each of our cities. Thank you again for your support and choice of City Sightseeing. Best regards, Quality Department

See the City

Sara_M, Nov 2024

Great tour with views of the entire city! I ended up doing this tour on my first day in the city and it was extremely helpful to get a sense of the city. The audio was nice since it gave some history and stories.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

I was easy to get on and...

Judi_N, Nov 2024

I was easy to get on and off at stops. It was also a nice way to see the city and all that it had to offer so we could go another time to the places.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Dear Judi, We sincerely appreciate your assessment. At City Sightseeing we continuously strive to provide excellent service to our clients. We are pleased to know that our colleagues were at your disposal to help you, and we appreciate the kind feedback you have given us about them. Without a doubt, our staff is a fundamental key to the company to be able to offer the best possible service. We look forward to having the pleasure of welcoming you again soon on board our services at any City Sightseeing destinations. Best regards, Quality Department

Edinburgh Scotland hop on hop off

Patricia_C, Nov 2024

We completed the bus route to o twin an overview of the city and choose locations we may be interested in further exploring. The 14 stops were located to sites of interest to most people. Maps were online and on the buses. The drivers were very patient and professional answering tourists questions regarding routes.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Dear customer, We sincerely appreciate your assessment. We are pleased to know that you enjoyed our tour of Edinburgh and were able to discover the main monuments from a unique perspective. We are also happy to know that thanks to our Hop On-Hop Off system you were able to plan your visit and enjoy everything the city has to offer. We look forward to welcoming you back soon on board our buses in one of our more than 100 destinations around the world. Thank you for choosing City Sightseeing. Best regards, Quality Department

Makes everything easier

Imran_K, Nov 2024

Nice clean busses, run every 7-10 minutes - no problem with space and really great locations. Plus is the guided audio tour, really cool.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Dear Imran, We sincerely appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us. We are happy to hear that you were able to experience how much fun it is to discover a new city from the top of one of our red buses. We are pleased to hear that you found our service excellent and that you enjoyed your visit to the city. We look forward to welcoming you again very soon. Thank you for choosing City Sightseeing. Receive a cordial greeting, Quality Department

Fun!

Nina_B, Nov 2024

Very nice. Especially if you sit upstairs and inside. It might be cold outside. Easy to find the booth and the bus

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Dear Nina, We sincerely appreciate your assessment. We are pleased to know that you enjoyed our tour of Edimburgh and were able to discover the main monuments from a unique perspective. We are also happy to know that thanks to our Hop On-Hop Off system you were able to plan your visit and enjoy everything the city has to offer. We look forward to welcoming you back soon on board our buses in one of our more than 100 destinations around the world. Thank you for choosing City Sightseeing. Best regards,

Excellent resource

Yasmin_A, Oct 2024

It is convenient. You hop and off wherever you need/want to. Great price too! We loved the full round trip the first time. Took the bus again as we needed to get to a guided tour.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Dear customer, We sincerely appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us. We are happy to hear that you were able to experience how much fun it is to discover a new city from the top of one of our red buses. We are pleased to hear that you found our service excellent and that you enjoyed your visit to the city. We look forward to welcoming you again very soon. Thank you for choosing City Sightseeing. Receive a cordial greeting, Quality Department

Very recommendable

ilanzed, Oct 2024

First we did the round trip and then we decided where to hop on an off. All worked perfectly and resulted in a great sightseeing experience

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Great way to see and hear about the city

Janet_B, Oct 2024

We love hop on hop off tours. We usually ride one full distance and then start hopping once we know what/where we want to go. We did have a problem with the voucher not working when we boarded a bus but the driver took us to a manned booth to work it out. It wasn’t clear to us which company we were to use since Edinburgh had three separate services. It all worked out and we were pleased with our decision to buy this pass.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Dear customer, We sincerely appreciate your assessment. We are pleased to know that you enjoyed our tour of Edimburgh and were able to discover the main monuments from a unique perspective. We are also happy to know that thanks to our Hop On-Hop Off system you were able to plan your visit and enjoy everything the city has to offer. We look forward to welcoming you back soon on board our buses in one of our more than 100 destinations around the world. Thank you for choosing City Sightseeing. Best regards,

lovely easy way to see the city

Rehana_H, Oct 2024

great way to travel the city and see the main highlights, comfortable with children, my youngest loved the horrible histories version of the audio

Response from Host, Oct 2024

Dear Rehana, We sincerely appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us. We are happy to hear that you were able to experience how much fun it is to discover a new city from the top of one of our red buses. We are pleased to hear that you found our service excellent and that you enjoyed your visit to the city. We look forward to welcoming you again very soon. Thank you for choosing City Sightseeing. Receive a cordial greeting, Quality Department

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