Edinburgh Hop-on Hop-off City Tour
4.5
Edinburgh Hop-on Hop-off City Tour
By Bright Bus Tours
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About
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 0-120
Duration: 1h 10m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Audio guide: German, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, English, Italian, French, Spanish
More
- Free headphones to keep
- 24 Hour Validity
- Wheelchair accessible
- Pushchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 300251P1- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Most travellers can participate
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 300251P1
From
C$29.35
per adult
Select date and travellers
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- Donna m0 contributionsReallyI don’t like writing a review that is a certain amount long because there is not a lot you can say. Your people and service were great and I would recommend you.Written September 17, 2024
- EliseHei0 contributionsFriendly and good serviceWe took the airport express bus early in the morning. The grew was very friendly and helpful and met us with a smile. The service is excelent.Written September 14, 2024
- 31dellm0 contributionsBritannia TourThe Britannia tour- this tour was boring and the recorded guide was ou of sink with the locations. Very frustrating. Not worth the time.Written August 25, 2024
- gingerjo2170 contributionsBest way to see EdinburghBest way to see Edinburgh! We were staying for 2 days so bought the 2 tours ticket and did the city tour on our first day, then the Britannia tour on day 2. Very informative, good commentary via headphones and great way to see the area. Would highly recommend both tours and the ticket price is very good value for money.Written August 20, 2024
- Vacation203403601390 contributionsKind and generous employeesPaul, Stuart, and Ross - helped me out in an episode with lost paper return tickets. I lost them somewhere in the city, probably in the Scottish Parliament when I got my things off on security checks. I was on a very low budget. They checked the transaction on my bank account and confirmed that I bought a return ticket between the airport and Edinburgh city Centre today. Thanks A LOT!!!! Very kind people. All the best to themWritten August 17, 2024
- I7977NRalisonm0 contributionsPleasant afternoonVery pleasant couple of hours I live in Edinburgh but I learnt so much wonderful that you can get off at points of interests on the way the sale staff James at Waterloo place was very helpfulWritten August 11, 2024
- Maija V0 contributionsEasy way to see an overviewNice staff, smiling, helpfull and polite. The Tour gives you good overview to Edinburgh. Audioguide was nice too. Edinburgh festival made change to the route in the evening.Written July 23, 2024
- yupeix20230 contributionsSmooth & easy processBooked the wrong tickets, have to request for refund. All process so smooth! Get refund the same day! Thank you so much! Highly recommendedWritten July 21, 2024
- Mark F0 contributionsFirst ClassExcellent Tour, very reasonably priced. You can hop on and off as much as you like so you don’t have to rush taking in the sights. Would definitely recommend 👍🏼Written July 19, 2024
- 847zuziam0 contributionsAirport BusI would like to recommend everyone to get on this amazing bright orange bus. Very cheap and comfortable. Fantastic experience. Got to the airport in one piece. Comically large receipts for sale also.Written July 13, 2024
- glennpY2938FF0 contributionsVery Enjoyable.Using the Hop-On-Hop Off tour bus was extremely convenient and inexpensive. You could get a 1 or 2 day pass and use this as often as you wished. It enabled us to see everything at our pace rather than being rushed. Highly recommend this, great way to see all the sights of the city.Written June 17, 2024
- Dunja_K_Ri0 contributionsGood Airport Express Waverly-AirportTook the Airport Express Waverly-Airport directly after arriving at the train station (follow the signs „way out princess road“. Could receive tickets (around 4 Pound each) on the bus. Fast and safe ride.Written June 1, 2024
- nick_pepin0 contributionsThank You, Jim!After a great day across and around the city, my pregnant wife and dog had the great pleasure of riding with Jim on Saturday evening of May 25th as he was the most delightful and hospitable host we could have had. From not only taking the time to engage with a curious young boy on the route, but he also made sure my 8-month pregnant wife had the safest and easiest ride. Thank you, Jim, as that was only day one of our two-day pass. We hope to see you again tomorrow!Written May 25, 2024
- 926sheilab0 contributionsBetter than Edinburgh Bus tours!Big shout out to the driver who very kindly picked us up after we waited an hour for the Regal tour bus which never arrived. Would recommend to all tourists.Written May 18, 2024
- Tlgirl0 contributionsEdinburgh Tour. A bit confusingThe tour was good but getting to the start point and understanding how to get on and off was unclear. A map was provided but the stops were not clearly marked.Written May 16, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
196 reviews
Excellent
127
Very good
33
Average
13
Poor
9
Terrible
14
mforkner
Pataskala, OH610 contributions
May 2023
I bought the multi day combination tickets prior to our arrival. After a bit of a difficulty finding the proper company and boarding location (turns out several similar companies operate in Edinburgh), we utilized the Bright Buses extensively to orient ourselves and to get from place to place. The canned "guides" were of little value, but the ability to get around by bus fairly easily was great. most of our use was on the City Center buses, but we did use the Brittania bus to go to the yacht one day. We practically had a personal bus tour on the way there and the driver was very helpful in jotting down return information and warning us of a "hole" in the schedule. This turned out to be an excellent purchase (even though I had to get an employee to verify the 7-day purchase (most of the employees insisted that I had 3-day tickets since the one I purchased well in advance is apparently no longer offered. After she wrote on them, we experienced no further problems. My guess is any of the Hop On Hop Off options are fine, but we were certainly happy with Bright.
Written June 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your kind feedback; it has brightened our day! From the entire Bright Bus team, we can’t wait to have you back on board.
Written December 25, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Dipali M
1 contribution
Nov 2022
Had a very disappointing experience with Bright Bus tours. My mother and I decided to board the bus at stop no. 4 since its near our accommodation, but the driver didn't bother to stop to let us on even though he had seen us wave down the bus. Defeats the purpose of a hop on hop off! Finally, we had to take a taxi to St. Andrews Square (stop 1) to board the bus. Complained to the Bright Bus attendants there who could only offer a feeble apology while giving us more bad news for the day - the frequency of the buses would be slower due to delays and indeed, we had to wait for half an hour at the Parliament Stop to board the next bus. And to top it all off, the sound quality of the commentary on the bus was of a very poor quality making it hard to hear. I'd say, pay that extra 5 pounds and go with City Sightseeing Tours for a smoother experience.
Written November 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
I am saddened to hear that you had a negative experience with us. Unfortunately, now and again the congestion in the city can impede on the frequency of all tours across the city centre.
With regards to not hearing the commentary, there is a volume control switch at the port you insert your headphones into and you could have adjusted this to the level that you desire.
I am disappointed to learn that one of our drivers did not stop for you, especially if you were standing at one of our stops as they are certainly trained to pull in if there is someone waiting at the stop or not. I would be grateful if you could email more detail of this, such as the date, time and a description of the driver so that we can investigate it further: enquiries@mcgillsbuses.co.uk
Many Thanks,
Tony
Written November 12, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Matt S
7 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
We were apprehensive; after we’d bought the tickets a guy from the red buses said he was sorry he hadn’t gotten to us first, because his company is the original and the best. As it goes, it was fantastic, all of the staff were great, the commentary was interesting and really well paced. It was good enough to keep my Mrs quiet for a full circuit, so it must have been good.
The maps and earphones were good and included in the price.
Had we not taken the tour with the hop on hop off, we would have missed loads around the city.
They offer a discount for blue light card holders so in addition to it being well worth a tenner, there’s the extra kudos for them supporting our service people.
The maps and earphones were good and included in the price.
Had we not taken the tour with the hop on hop off, we would have missed loads around the city.
They offer a discount for blue light card holders so in addition to it being well worth a tenner, there’s the extra kudos for them supporting our service people.
Written April 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Matt, thank you very much for taking the time to review your experience of Bright Bus Tours and for the 5 star rating.
I'm so glad to hear that you chose our Edinburgh City Tour and that you and your wife had a fantastic time listening to our commentary and enjoyed the sights.
Thanks and we hope to see you on board again when you next visit.
Scarlett
Bright Bus Team
Written April 22, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Karen B
Los Angeles, CA338 contributions
The company is very disorganized. They have aid Cruise boat coming into town and didn't plan for it. Took 2 hours to get on the bus and they're very disorganized. But if you want to get off at a stop you have to risk not being able to get back on because they have no space for anyone. I would not use them again. They should be more organized I saw people waiting in line to get on the bus for 3 hours. I bought a ticket on Groupon for 10 lb which is the regular price of the ticket. So what I did is I walked to the last stop so I didn't have to wait 2 hours in line for a tour bus to come and take me on a rotation of the city. Avoid it all costs
Written September 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Scott
Leicester, UK1 contribution
Oct 2021 • Friends
What a great way to see Edinburgh. Having never been to the Scottish capital before, we decided the best way to see what it had to offer was by an open top bus. It was a great way to see the city and the bus took us to lots of interesting places, in fact it was difficult to shortlist the places we wanted to visit after we got off the bus! Headphones were provided if you wanted to listen to the commentary which was available in 9 languages. The commentary was clear to hear and had lots of interesting facts, as well as some good wit! Our tickets was valid all day so we could get on and off as often as we wanted. The buses were frequent so we weren’t stuck anywhere when we wanted to move onto the next place. The staff were ever so friendly and helpful, and the bus was well driven and very clean. All in all and fantastic way to see Edinburgh. I’d definitely use them again!
Written November 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi,
Thank you very much for the great 5 star review of Bright Bus Tours and for travelling with us.
I'm delighted to hear you had a positive experience exploring Edinburgh for the first time onboard our Hop-On Hop-Off City Tour.
We look forward to seeing you onboard again soon.
Scarlett
Bright Bus Team
Written November 2, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Judith H
1 contribution
We went on the Bright Bus Tour with my 3 year old today. He has been wanting to go on the big orange open bus for months and was very excited to have his birthday treat today.
Overall the visit was okay. We’re local to Edinburgh, so finding the stop at St Andrew Square was easy and buying the tickets too. A bus was just about to leave so we didn’t have to wait for long at all.
The driver of our bus unfortunately wasn’t too friendly. We were getting off on the Royal Mile. It was busy and there was a bit of a queue with traffic. When we approached the stop, we started to make our way down from the top back of the bus. With a small child this takes a little bit of time. When we got to the bottom, the bus started moving again. The driver could have checked that everyone who was moving had gotten off the bus but had failed to do so. When I said that we had needed a bit more time with a child the driver told us “that doesn’t make a difference”. We had hardly moved away from the stop and were still stuck in traffic so not only was this rude but also entirely unnecessary. He eventually let us off the bus after an abrupt “you ready now?”
I would have expected a bit of a friendlier face and better customer service.
I won’t use Bright Tours again after that experience and try one of the other operators.
Overall the visit was okay. We’re local to Edinburgh, so finding the stop at St Andrew Square was easy and buying the tickets too. A bus was just about to leave so we didn’t have to wait for long at all.
The driver of our bus unfortunately wasn’t too friendly. We were getting off on the Royal Mile. It was busy and there was a bit of a queue with traffic. When we approached the stop, we started to make our way down from the top back of the bus. With a small child this takes a little bit of time. When we got to the bottom, the bus started moving again. The driver could have checked that everyone who was moving had gotten off the bus but had failed to do so. When I said that we had needed a bit more time with a child the driver told us “that doesn’t make a difference”. We had hardly moved away from the stop and were still stuck in traffic so not only was this rude but also entirely unnecessary. He eventually let us off the bus after an abrupt “you ready now?”
I would have expected a bit of a friendlier face and better customer service.
I won’t use Bright Tours again after that experience and try one of the other operators.
Written September 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Judith,
I am really sad and disappointed to read this review. This is not normally how our staff condone themselves at Bright Bus Tours but please be assured that the matter will be investigated further.
I would appreciate if you could provide more information by contacting us via email: enquiries@mcgillsbuses.co.uk.
Thank you,
Tony
Written October 23, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
alisonsX5407TB
42 contributions
Jul 2022
The hop on hop off City Tour £10 is worth doing on arrival in Edinburgh so you can learn all about the City and see where to visit in more detail later. The audio tour was ok. although in hindsight it might have been nice to have a real life commentary. However this is the best option if you are on a budget or want to save money to spend on other things.
Written July 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Alison,
Thank you so much for taking the time to review your experience.
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed learning all about Edinburgh. I appreciate your feedback on the live guide suggestion, our multilingual commentary allows our customers to learn about the history of the city in various languages.
We hope to see you back on board, perhaps to try our Britannia Tour.
Many thanks,
Scarlett
Written August 1, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sab E
19 contributions
Tour was informative and the drivers are kind. I give this your a 4/5 because of this of your first time doing this type of tor it can be confusing since there’s no instructions on how, or where to catch a bus- or how to identify one of the bus stops. The ticket only comes with the address of the first stop
Written December 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Sab,
Thank you for taking the time to review Bright Bus Tours and I'm very glad you enjoyed our Edinburgh City Tour!
Thank you for the constructive feedback regarding the instructions - our team are always on hand to help you navigate the city and of course access the tour audio. Perhaps on your next visit you can also pick up one of our maps which details our full stop list, and everything you need to know about Bright Bus Tours. This information is also available on our website, the link for this can be accessed on your ticket if required.
Thank you again for the positive review, and we hope the rest of your time in Edinburgh was enjoyable.
Thanks
Carolyn
Written January 12, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Joanne H
Chorley, UK604 contributions
It was £8 each for our tickets and it was great value to see the city. A recorded guide was available for information about the sights and it was handy to be able to jump on on and off the bus at various stops around the city. Great value!
Written December 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Joanne, thank you so much for your review of our Edinburgh City Tour. We hope to see you on board again soon.
Thanks,
Scarlett
Bright Bus Team
Written December 7, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Wendy D
Parkland, FL13 contributions
I’ve taken many hop on/hop off tours and this was probably the worst. There are a total of 14 stops and only about 4 of them were announced through a recording of the city tour. Many stops were just driven by. The driver couldn’t give us directions and didn’t even know the stop number we were getting off at. I would recommend trying another company before this one although it was the cheapest of the ones I looked at.
Written April 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
what is the closest stop to Edinburgh Waverly train station?
Written June 1, 2022
St.Andrews Square is only a 5 minute walk away from the train station. You head out of the station towards Princess Street and cross over to the shopping side and walk up past McDonald's. When you pass the tram stop you will see all the tour buses including the Orange Bright Bus one.
Written June 3, 2022
Do I have to start my first journey at St Andrew’s square?
Written May 25, 2022
No you can purchase your ticket off of the people with banners you can't buy on the bus. You can get on at any of tourist destination s on the route the ticket lasts for 24 hours.
Written May 26, 2022
Yes the whole trip on the bus is that time if you don’t get off.
What is good to know whether you get 24 hour or 48hour ticket -it starts from the time you get on the bus for the first time. So if you start the first trip at 11am -your ticket will expire at 11am on the next day or two days.
Hope this helps.
Written May 6, 2022
There is no need for one to worry. Online display will continue guiding u. They also provide running commentary via earphones provided on the bus.
Written November 3, 2021
April till October 6pm and November till March 4pm.
Written September 29, 2021
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