As Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh packs historical monuments, regal landmarks, cultural destinations, and more—and this hop-on hop-off bus tour provides a thorough introduction to the city’s top sights. Pick between 24- and 48-hour ticket options, and board and disembark as and when you wish. On-board commentary will share the stories behind landmarks like the Royal Mile, Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh Castle, and more.

Discover many of Edinburgh’s top attractions, all in one bus tour
This hop-on hop-off bus tour offers a flexible and accessible way to explore
Learn stories about Edinburgh’s landmarks and history as you go
Pick between 24- or 48-hour tickets to best suit your schedule

What's Included

Free headphones to keep
Free return bus tickets to Edinburgh Zoo on our local services

Departure & Return

Departure Point

You may start this tour at any of the stops listed.

Departure Time

See itinerary

Return Details

You may disembark at any of the available stops.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate

Cancellation Policy

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

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

about cancellations.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:What is the policy on face masks and attendee health during Edinburgh Hop-on Hop-off City Tour?

A:The policy on face masks and attendee health is:

Face masks required for travelers in public areas

Q:What is the policy on sanitization during Edinburgh Hop-on Hop-off City Tour?

A:The policies on sanitization are:

Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitized between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized

Q:What is the social distancing policy during Edinburgh Hop-on Hop-off City Tour?

A:The policies on social distancing are:

Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons

Q:What measures are being taken to ensure staff health & safety during Edinburgh Hop-on Hop-off City Tour?

A:The policies on staff health & safety are:

Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

187 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 187 reviews

There are too few buses...

Francoise_L, Aug 2022

There are too few buses and we had to wait very long time (40mn instead of 15mn) while we saw 3 buses of each other companies passing the bus stop. It defeats the on and off concept. No we are not impressed by the service.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hi, thank you for taking the time to review us after taking our tour, and I'm very sorry to hear that you had a negative experience. I would appreciate if you could provide more information to allow us to investigate this by contacting us via email: info@brightbustours.com Please do not hesitate to contact us directly should you wish to visit us again and we will be delighted to welcome you back on board. Thank you, Bright Bus Team

The old city wall, but...

Jeroen_K, Aug 2022

The old city wall, but there was so much to see. Great the easy hop on hop off idea. Gives you a lot of freedom and time to vist.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hi Jereon, Thank you very much for your 5 star rating of Bright Bus Tours! I'm happy that you enjoyed seeing the city and hopping on and off our tour to explore all the sights and attractions. We hope to see you on board our Britannia Tour when you next visit! Thanks Scarlett

Good intro to the city

Robin_P, Aug 2022

We were visiting during the Ftinge festival so there were throngs of people riding and it was tough to get a seat if you didn’t catch the bus at St Andrews Square but the tour a great introduction to the city. The bus has a wide route and the recorded narration is informative.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hi Robin, Thank you so much for rating your experience with us 5 stars! I'm delighted to hear that you had a great experience and enjoyed listening to our on board commentary. I also hope you enjoyed the Fringe festivities. Thanks again for choosing Bright Bus Tours, Scarlett

Choas

Deborah_D, Aug 2022

A stop is needed along Princess street. We tried to get on at St Andrews sq but massive que. The staff were trying to orgainise passangers but only 1 city bus was not enough.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hi Debora, thank you for taking the time to review us after taking our tour, and I'm very sorry to hear that you had a negative experience. On this day we did experience a high number of passengers waiting to board at St Andrew Sq and we did try to accommodate everyone. Our City Tour departs every 15 minutes so the wait wouldn't have been too long. Thank you, Scarlett

My family enjoyed sight...

Faiza_A, Aug 2022

My family enjoyed sight seeing the whole city of Edinburg by using the City Tour bus. Drivers were friendly and very helpfull. Thanks for the good time!

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hi, thank you for sharing your experience with us. I'm happy to hear that your family enjoyed their visit exploring the sights and learning more about Edinburgh on board our City Tour. We hope to see you on board again, perhaps to try our Britannia Tour. Thank you Scarlett

Loved it!

Shipra_P, Aug 2022

We loved it! I travelled with my elderly parents and did not face any problem with this tour. Stops were sufficiently close and clearly marked.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hello, Many thanks for rating your experience with us 5 stars and for sharing your review! I'm so glad to hear you loved the tour of Edinburgh. Thanks again for choosing Bright Bus Tours, Scarlett

Great value for money

Craig_D, Aug 2022

Great way to discover the city with an informative headphone system in place , did the full 1 hrs tour then hopped on and off all day , well worth the ten pounds

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hi Craig, Thank you very much for the 5 star review! I'm delighted that you had a great experience on board Bright Bus Tours and that you enjoyed learning more about the city and exploring the top attractions. We hope to see you again soon, perhaps on our Britannia Tour! Scarlett

BORING

Sarah_I, Aug 2022

Soooooo boring, want to go to sleep? Get on this bus. Doesn't even tell you what's fun to go do along the route it's a prerecorded man droning on and on in monotone.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hi Sarah, Thank you for taking the time to feed back on our tour, and I'm very sorry to read that your experience was not positive. I'm also very disappointed to hear you did not find our commentary to be interesting - we pride ourselves on our commentary, written by a true Edinburgh local and offering a light-hearted insight into all Scotland's Capital has to offer with updates and new information added each year. Thank you again for your feedback, Scarlett

Quick and easy way around the city

Kate_C, Aug 2022

Buses run regularly from a number of stops across the city; close to all main attractions. The hop on hop off bus is an easy way of getting around

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hi Kate, Thank you very much for sharing your 5 star review! I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your experience on board Bright Bus Tours. Thanks again for choosing Bright Bus Tours, Scarlett

A holiday highlight.

Aislinn_B, Aug 2022

A fantastic bus trip and a highly recommended holiday experience. We saw so many sights and the commentary is excellence. Very good value for money too.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hi Aislinn, Many thanks for rating your experience 5 stars and for sharing your review. I'm so happy to hear that you had a fantastic time with us and that you enjoyed your holiday exploring the sights and learning more about this historical city. We hope to see you on board when you next visit! Scarlett

Our trip to Edinburgh

Gogo_M, Jul 2022

Exploring Edinburgh, our tour guide was very informative. I like the fact that we can hop on hop off whenever we needed to. It gave us a chance to experience Edinburgh more.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hello, Thank you very much for your 5 star review. I'm happy to hear you had a positive experience on board our tour and that you enjoyed hopping on and off around the city. Thanks again Scarlett

Best of Edinburgh

Amanda_T, Jul 2022

Loved the flexibility of this hop on and off your. No time restrictions- complete freedom to see all the highlights of Edinburgh

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hello, Thank you so much for rating us 5 stars and sharing your experience. I'm delighted that you loved hopping on and off across the city exploring the top attractions. We hope to see you on board again soon. Thank you, Scarlett

No need to book

marce112005, Jul 2022

You don’t need to purchase via Viator or any other booking company. It s extremely easy to buy tickets directly with either bus company. They are all very friendly and accept credit cards. The meeting point is St. Andrews Square. They are easy to spot or you can just ask around (people are super friendly and helpful). It was cheaper as well.

Great tour Bus

Muniba_H, Jul 2022

Great tour with audio and we were able to hop on and off with ease. Great value also valid for 48 hours.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Hi Muniba, Thanks so much for your review of Bright Bus Tours, I'm delighted you had the opportunity to hop on and off and enjoy everything to see and experience in Edinburgh. We would love to welcome you back again soon to try out our Britannia Tour! Many thanks Carolyn

Great staff!

sylvevl, Jul 2022

We really enjoyed this bus tour! A lot of information and great sights pointed out. The staff was very friendly. Somehow our tickets weren't pulling up and the staff in the square were really helpful.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Hello, Thank you very much for the 5 star review of Bright Bus Tours. I am so delighted that you had a great experience on board our Edinburgh hop-on, hop-off City Tour. Many thanks, Scarlett

Great way to see the City

Timothy_Q, Jul 2022

It was nice to sit and listen to the history on the earpiece. It was great being on the top with the openness to see everything. Driver gave enough time to get off and on, which was great!

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Hi Timothy, Thank you for choosing Bright Bus Tours - I am pleased to hear that you had a great experience on board our Edinburgh City Tour seeing the beautiful sights from our top deck and learning more about the historic capital. Many thanks, Scarlett

A must do for a short stay to edinburgh!

Vaalmiki_S, Jul 2022

Saw the highlights of the city in one day. The bus was not overly crowded,quite comfortable and easy to catch. The commentary was interesting even for the kids. I think its a must do to get the most of edinburgh on a short stay.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Hello, Thank you so much for your review of our Edinburgh City Hop-On, Hop-Off Tour. I'm delighted that you enjoyed the tour, and that your family also had a great time - we really do hope that our tour offers something for everyone. I hope you had a wonderful trip, and we would love to welcome you back on board - perhaps to try our our Britannia Tour next time! Thanks again, Carolyn

Would recommend the trip

Jeanne_B, Jul 2022

Just great lots to see plenty of info while doing the tour. No more to say good value for the money.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Hello Jeanne, Thank you for choosing Bright Bus Tours - I am so delighted that you had a great experience on board our Edinburgh City Tour. I hope you had a wonderful trip. Many thanks, Carolyn

Hot Hot Hot

Kenneth_S, Jul 2022

Extreme uncomfortably high temperature on this day...bus stationary at certain stops way too long.Shade in downstairs area but visibility poor upstairs only limited shaded seats available.Headphones of such poor quality that not worth using.Sorry an unforgettable poor experience....did the company think...."this is a very hot day (33 degrees on 18 July) should we be doing anything different?

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Hello Kenneth, Thanks for your review, I must say I am puzzled to read your review as the themes you have noted are very unusual complaints for us to receive. Regarding the temperature - as I'm sure you are aware, during the time of your visit the UK experienced record breaking temperatures - the warm weather impacted several day to day activities and would indeed have meant that your open top tour was a very warm experience. This is very unusual for us to experience in Scotland - where more often we battle 4 seasons in a day. I do feel it is perhaps unfair to score us poorly based on unusual circumstances wholly out of our control. In relation to your comment about our headphones - I am very sorry again to read that you found these to be unsatisfactory. This again is not a complaint we see often from our customers, however I appreciate that everyone has their own preference. For this reason, our headphone ports allow you to use your own headphones should you prefer. As an open top tour operator in Edinburgh, I'm sure you can understand that the options to 'do something different', as you've suggested are limited. We operate all year round in a variety of temperatures, offering sunglasses and poncho's to passengers often if required in response to the ever-changing Scottish climate - however I'm sure you can appreciate opportunities to diversity our business offering are limited. Thanks again for your review, Carolyn

Well Worth the Cost

Robert_M, Jul 2022

Great overview of Edinburgh’s city center and old town. Clean, comfortable bus with easy on and off.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Hi Robert, Thank you for taking the time to review your experience with Bright Bus Tours - I'm delighted to see that you enjoyed our Edinburgh City Hop-On, Hop-Off Tour! We do hope to welcome you back on board soon, perhaps to give our Britannia Tour a try! Thanks again Carolyn

...

Questions?

Product code: 300251P1

Explore Similar Things to Do

Privacy and Cookies Statement About Viator Careers Sitemap Supplier Sign Up Travel Agents Become an Affiliate News Viator blog

Terms & Conditions

Edinburgh Hop-on Hop-off City Tour

From $12.21

Select Date and Travelers

Overview

What's Included

Departure & Return

Departure Point

Departure Time

Return Details

What To Expect

Additional Info

Cancellation Policy

Frequently Asked Questions

Traveler Photos

Questions?

Explore Similar Things to Do

Attractions in Edinburgh, United Kingdom