4 ways to save in Edinburgh

    reparing a trip on our own requires a lot of reading and a lot of planning. Organized tours have the advantage of having a group tickets. When WE go on our OWN we are free to choose and that is perfect. But we need to calculate more: hotels, transport, entrance tickets.

Thankfully there is a lot of reduction options in Scotland! This article will tell you how to save in Edinburgh, but some of those things are valid in the whole area.

For those who won’t stay in Edinburgh – Explorer Pass

The most advantageous thing is the EXPLORER PASS. It is a wonderful thing that, once paid, gives you the FREE access to over 70 Historic Scotland attractions!!!

How does it work?

Think of it as an ID. You get your number, you show it at the entrance and voila! Tickets are being printed just like that.

How to get it?

ONLINE.

Go to this site and follow the instructions. At the end of the process, you will be given a document with your number and a code to scan. You can print it or have it on your phone. But take the advice of a guide – have it both ways, just in case.

The process is really fast, so you can decide almost at the last moment.

What do you need to know?

Explorer Pass can be bought for 3, 7 or 14 days.
You must choose – for example for a 3-day Pass you have 5 day period to put your days there.

Summer PRICES are as follows (starting with the 1 April):
3 days – Adult £33, Concession £26,50, Child £21, Family £66
7 days – Adult £40, Concession £32, Child £26, Family £80
14 days – Adult £45, Concession £36, Child £29, Family £90

In this place, your ideas and plans are very important. You are very likely to group your attractions into 3 days – either for an Edinburgh weekend or for a self-prepared car tour.

Examples:

• Edinburgh Castle (Adult £19,50), Craigmillar Castle (Adult £6) and Inchcolm Island’s Abbey (Adult £6) – so, not that profitable, but…
• Edinburgh Castle (Adult £19,50)/or more + organized tour from Edinburgh to Stirling (castle £16)/Dunfermline (Abbey and Palace £6)/St Andrews (Castle £9) etc. (there exist plenty of 1-day tours) starts to sound much better
• Whatever comes to mind with a car, like…

Personal itinerary:

• Day 1 of EP – start in Urquhart Castle in Highlands, then to George Fort
• Pause day – Return journey to Edinburgh
• Day 2 of EP – Stirling Castle
• Day 3 of EP – round-trip of Fife (Dunfermline, St Andrews)
• this was only a part of the tour, it is just to show you an idea (no details)

This link will take you to the Historic Environment for Scotland Webpage. You can download there the Explorer Pass leaflet and map. I always find it easier to visualize my itinerary with a map. It should help you a little bit more.

And if you wish to have some advice, message us – maybe we will clarify something for you.

For those wanting only Edinburgh – Royal Edinburgh Ticket

If you decide to stay in the city and explore it to its fullest, read this part. There is plenty to visit in Edinburgh and a lot of attractions are free to enter. You will not be bored even with 5 days here! And there is everything: attractions, self-guided walks, “countryside” walks and nightlife to cover.

So how do we save?

Being Royal

If you want to visit the top, paying attractions think of the ROYAL EDINBURGH TICKET. It is a ticket that gives you the entrance to the Castle, Holyrood Palace and Royal Yacht Britannia with the additional City-sightseeing busses (3 lines) for 2 days.

Want proof?

Adult entrances to those 3 attractions cost £53, Grand 48 (Edinburgh Bus Tours, 3 busses for 48 hours) cost £24. Together it makes £77 and with the Royal Ticket, you pay… £57!!!

And! You get a fast track… Well, you already have your ticket, so there is no point in standing in a queue, right? One last thing to add – tickets to the attractions are valid for about a week (not 48 hours!!!), busses are for 2 days.

Is this option good? Bad? You decide – everything depends on your plans.

How do you buy a Royal ticket?

Do it online, in Tourist Information Points or with Edinburgh Bus Tours personnel. They are stationed at the entrance to Princes Street Gardens on Waverley Bridge – just go to one of the ticket sellers standing there. Or go to Lothian Bus HQ – 31 Waverley Bridge (same street, at the bottom, next to Edinburgh Dungeon). As for the I-centre – it is next to the City Chambers, on the Royal Mile.

Word of advice – you cannot buy a royal ticket with the bus tour drivers, but they are very helpful, so do not hesitate to explain to them your needs.

City Busses vs City-sightseeing

A question comes to mind here. Is it worthy to get those busses?

City sightseeing or rather Edinburgh Bus Tours are very well organized in the city. You have 3 main busses and seasonal tours (to Queensferry, North Berwick or around town).

The most commonly known is the red Citysightseeing – this one will take you around the Old Town mainly. There are the audio-guide onboard and Horrible Histories for kids there.

But there is a green Edinburgh Tour that does, almost, the same route but with live commentary. There is an actual guide onboard.
The blue line (Majestic Tour) takes you to Royal Botanic Gardens, Leith and Newhaven with a stop at Holyrood Palace.

All 3 attractions from Royal ticked are covered here. All the essential places in Edinburgh are covered. The busses go every 15 minutes, the whole tour with each of them takes 1h20 minutes so…

It is quite ok. You basically do not need public transport. You just need to remember that the busses run between 9 and 19 in summer. But well, all the attractions are already closed then.

In comparison, public transport in Edinburgh is very well covered. Prices are ok, there is plenty of possibilities of savings – day ticket for £4,5 for once (more here). You can use every bus, so no need to wait for a specific one. Plus the ticket is valid until midnight…

No commentary or guide though…

Hmmm…

Nobody said it would be easy, guys! and there is a good joke (click here) about that!

Next – remember about discounts!

An ADULT is easy – full price, usually terrifying.
But in Edinburgh CHILDREN between 5 and 15 years of age pay 30-40% less almost everywhere. Children that haven’t finished 5 years yet do not pay.

CONCESSIONS are for students with valid ID and seniors over 60 years old. Usually around 10-20%.

There are also FAMILY TICKETS – reserved for 2 adults and 1-3 children between 5 and 15 years.

Always ask!

Buy Online

Tickets to many places in Scotland are usually cheaper if you buy/reserve them online. Planning is good for everyone.

Just to give you an example from Edinburgh!

In Edinburgh Dungeon – sort of a fun, thrilling experience showing you horrible histories from the city in a theatrical way – it is the best way to buy tickets. Online you pay £14. If you walk there from the street the price is over £17. And there is a long queue in the high season!
Same with Ghost Bus Tour and the Castle.

SECRET TIP – you can buy tickets to these attractions with Edinburgh Bus Tours. Very good option to avoid queues, if you decide at the last moment.

This would be everything, more or less… I do not think you would be interested in group reductions – unless there are at least 15/20 of you all together. There are also memberships – but I doubt you want it as well. The most common in Scotland is the National Trust of Scotland, but it is for at least a year (about £50). It is like the Explorer Pass but gives you a free entrance to more specific, local attractions – Gladstone Land for example. It is rather a thing for people living in Scotland… or those making a tour of a lifetime.

Let us end with the “joke” statement – decisions, decisions, decisions…