Hop-on Hop-off Tours Edinburgh

3-Route Edinburgh Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

Name: 3-Route Edinburgh Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
Start: 2026-05-02T09:00:00
End: 2026-05-02T18:00:00
Location: Edinburgh

Visitors with map preparing to board red HOHO bus.

HOHO bus on street near Edinburgh Castle with cityscape in background.

Tourists on HOHO bus near Edinburgh Castle, Scotland.

Guide speaking into a microphone on an Edinburgh HOHO bus tour.

Explore at your pace

Choose your entry time, stay as long as you like

Free cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience

Book now, pay later

Book now without paying anything. Cancel for free if your plans change.

Guided tour

Discover Edinburgh's literary ties and iconic royal heritage on a 24/48-hour hop-on hop-off tour along 3 prime routes with a multilingual audio guide.

4.6/5(515)

Astrid K

Family

Verified booking

3 weeks ago

We really enjoyed the red and green tours. All the drivers, guides, and staff were in good spirits and very friendly. The buses were very punctual and clean. We’ll definitely do it again on our next visit!

Agueda M

Family

Verified booking

Feb 2026

The tour was great. It's an excellent option for seeing the main sights of the city. I chose the 3-line ticket, and it was a great choice. I recommend using the 3-line ticket and buying it for 48 hours. It's really worth it. It's an excellent option for seeing more than just the city center and the castle. The blue line took us to some incredible and historic places.

Raffaele P

Couple

Verified booking

Dec 2025

The use of the Hop-on-Hop-off bus overall was very convenient. We stayed in the center near the Markets and the convenience of the stops especially 1 and 9 on the red tour, made the experience unforgettable. We used the service for 48 hours, getting on and off the bus at least a dozen times. The blue tour is spectacular because it gives you a full feel of the life outside the center of the people of Edinburgh. I will definitely choose them for my next vacation.

Mary G

Solo

Verified booking

Dec 2025

Thanks for having this available. Gets me everywhere I want to go. So many amazing sites. Bus drivers uniformly pleasant. The ppl helping at the stops are great!!

Frederic B

Couple

Verified booking

Nov 2025

The pickup point was located conveniently near our hotel. We have a 2 day, city wide ticket and used day one to figure out where to return to the next day for a closer look at some of the stops. Very effective means of getting to know a place. Staff was very courteous and the buses are easy to get on and off from.

Szekeli T

Couple

Verified booking

Nov 2025

The 48-hour hop-on hop-off pass with 3 routes was perfect — it covered Edinburgh so well, let us see all key sights at our own pace, and kept travel stress-free. We really enjoyed exploring the castle and its surroundings.

Get a full city overview of Edinburgh, with a 24- or 48-hour hop-on hop-off bus tour aboard an open-top double-decker bus.

Travel through both the Old and New Towns on 3 routes with 15 convenient stops, enjoying the freedom to hop on and off as often as you like.

Follow a live guide on the Green Route sharing fascinating stories of the city’s past, or tune into a multilingual audio guide, and take advantage of exclusive discounts at popular attractions along the way.

See Edinburgh’s highlights up close: explore Scottish history at the National Museum, stroll through the lively Grassmarket, admire the panoramic views from Calton Hill, and relax in the Royal Botanic Gardens.

24/48-hour hop-on hop-off bus tour of Edinburgh

Access to 3 routes: City Sightseeing Tour, Edinburgh Tour & Regal Tour

Audio commentary in English, French, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Scottish, German, Portuguese, Spanish & Chinese (City Sightseeing & Edinburgh tours)

English-speaking guide (Edinburgh tour)

Discounts at the Royal Botanic Garden, Royal Yacht Britannia, Palace of Holyroodhouse & more (full list here)

Headphones (Regal tour)

TOTAL DURATION80 minutes
FREQUENCYEvery 15 mins
FIRST DEPARTUREWaterloo Place at 8:40 AM
LAST DEPARTUREWaterloo Place at 5:25 PM
Timeline
Map
1. Waterloo Place
Get direction
2 attractions
Calton Hill
1 minute walk
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
6 minutes walk
2. Holyrood
Get direction
3 attractions
Palace of Holyroodhouse
1 minute walk
Scottish Parliament Building
Holyrood Park
8 minutes walk
3. St. Andrew Square
Get direction
2 attractions
St. Andrew Square Gardens
2 minutes walk
Scott Monument
5 minutes walk
4. Royal Botanic Garden
Get direction
2 attractions
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
1 minute walk
Inverleith House
5. Newhaven
Get direction
2 attractions
Newhaven Harbour Lighthouse
2 minutes walk
Newhaven Fish Market
2 minutes walk
6. The Shore
Get direction
2 attractions
The Shore
1 minute walk
Nelson Monument
12 minutes walk
7. Ocean Terminal
Get direction
2 attractions
Royal Yacht Britannia
4 minutes walk
Ocean Terminal Mall
7 minutes walk
8. Bonnington Rd
Get direction
2 attractions
The Edinburgh Gin Distillery at The Arches
10 minutes walk
Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
5 minutes walk
9. Leopold Place
Get direction
1 attraction
Gayfield Square
5 minutes walk
TOTAL DURATION65 minutes
FREQUENCYEvery 15 mins
FIRST DEPARTUREWaterloo Place at 8:50 AM
LAST DEPARTUREWaterloo Place at 5:50 PM
Timeline
Map
1. Waterloo Place
Get direction
2 attractions
Calton Hill
1 minute walk
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
6 minutes walk
2. St. Andrew Square
Get direction
2 attractions
St. Andrew Square Gardens
2 minutes walk
Scott Monument
5 minutes walk
3. Charlotte Square
Get direction
2 attractions
The Georgian House
Princes Street Gardens
9 minutes walk
4. Lothian Road
Get direction
2 attractions
Usher Hall
2 minutes walk
Traverse Theatre
1 minute walk
5. Grassmarket
Get direction
2 attractions
Grassmarket Square
1 minute walk
Victoria Street
6 minutes walk
6. Lawnmarket
Get direction
2 attractions
Camera Obscura & World of Illusions
1 minute walk
Writers’ Museum
1 minute walk
7. John Knox House
Get direction
2 attractions
National Museum of Scotland
2 minutes walk
Bedlam Theatre
2 minutes walk
8. Holyrood
Get direction
3 attractions
Palace of Holyroodhouse
1 minute walk
Scottish Parliament Building
Holyrood Park
8 minutes walk
9. Our Dynamic Earth
Get direction
2 attractions
Our Dynamic Earth
The Queen’s Gallery
6 minutes walk
TOTAL DURATION70 minutes
FREQUENCYEvery 20 minutes
FIRST DEPARTUREWaterloo Place at 8:55 AM
LAST DEPARTUREWaterloo Place at 3:55 PM
Timeline
Map
1. Waterloo Place
Get direction
2 attractions
Calton Hill
1 minute walk
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
6 minutes walk
2. Lothian Road
Get direction
2 attractions
Usher Hall
3 minutes walk
Traverse Theatre
1 minute walk
3. Grassmarket
Get direction
2 attractions
Grassmarket Square
1 minute walk
Victoria Street
6 minutes walk
4. Nicolson Square
Get direction
1 attraction
The Festival Theatre
1 minute walk
5. Chambers Street
Get direction
1 attraction
National Museum of Scotland
6. George IV Bridge (for Edinburgh Castle)
Get direction
1 attraction
Edinburgh Castle
5 minutes walk
7. The Mound
Get direction
8. St. Andrew Square
Get direction
2 attractions
St. Andrew Square Gardens
2 minutes walk
Scott Monument
5 minutes walk
9. John Knox House
Get direction
2 attractions
National Museum of Scotland
4 minutes walk
Bedlam Theatre
5 minutes walk
10. Canongate
Get direction
11. Holyrood
Get direction
3 attractions
Palace of Holyroodhouse
1 minute walk
Scottish Parliament Building
Holyrood Park
11 minutes walk
12. Our Dynamic Earth
Get direction
1 attraction
The Queen’s Gallery
6 minutes walk
13. Abbeyhill Crescent
Get direction
14. Carlton Terrace Brae
Get direction
15. Burns Monument
Get direction

You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.

515 reviews
How do we collect reviews?
These ratings include verified reviews from both Headout guests and our trusted partners who operate this experience locally. All reviews come from real travelers who've taken this experience.
364
115
20
5
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Guests from United States, Germany, France and over 25 countries have loved this experience
What our guests say
Astrid K
Family
Verified booking
3 weeks ago
We really enjoyed the red and green tours. All the drivers, guides, and staff were in good spirits and very friendly. The buses were very punctual and clean. We’ll definitely do it again on our next visit!
Suzanne D
Family
Verified booking
Yesterday
Brilliant and so easy to book the trip and with a discount too. QR code sent straight away for the bus and we just had to provide details at Edinburgh Zoo - made a trip for eight ladies very easy.
Phillip H
Family
Verified booking
3 weeks ago
Everything went perfectly! The tickets were printed right away. The bus tour was especially exciting and educational for the kids
Angela B
Couple
Verified booking
2 weeks ago
The tours were great 👍 but the green tour was the best because the tour guide was fantastic
Gilberto N
Couple
Verified booking
Mar 2026
On the first day, the route was severely delayed; it kept stopping and starting and wouldn’t even let us board. In the afternoon, I managed to use the bus with the QR code from the app, but after scanning it, the driver handed me some papers without explaining anything. On the second day, since I had bought the 48-hour pass, I was denied entry because the QR code had already been used, and I needed the tickets they had given me the day before—something I no longer had, since that hadn’t been explained to me. It was a bad experience! But the little I saw deserves 3 stars.

What to bring

Carry a valid photo ID along with your mobile voucher or ticket.

What’s not allowed

Smoking on the bus is not permitted.

Unfolded mobility scooters cannot be brought on board.

Accessibility

This experience is wheelchair accessible.

Folded mobility scooters are allowed and can be stored as luggage.

Low-floor ramps make boarding easy.

Screens are available on the lower decks of City Sightseeing and Regal Route buses.

Guide dogs and small pets are welcome on board.

Additional information

The City Sightseeing Edinburgh tour lasts about 70 minutes.

Children aged 5–15 can travel for free with a 24-hour ticket.

Tip: Take advantage of discounted tickets to popular dining spots, including Street Burger by Gordon Ramsay, Hard Rock Café, and Bread Street Kitchen & Bar.

Your voucher will be emailed to you shortly.

Display the voucher on your mobile phone with a valid photo ID at the starting point.

Please check your final voucher for the starting point details & specific instructions.