Edinburgh Help

I'm thinking the most straightforward day for Edinburgh would be to taxi to Waverley Bridge, take the HOHO to see Edinburgh Palace, Holyrood Palace and shop a bit on the royal mile? Is there a way to add the Britannia in there easily? I think it is not walkable from Newhaven Pier to Leith to see the yacht? Thanks for any info

If you want to visit Britannia (which was my favourite of the Edinburgh sites we visited) and the Royal Mile, you could book a bus that includes Britannia and the Royal Mile along its route. We docked at South Queensferry and booked with Timberbush (http://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk/our-tours/shore-excursions/1-day-edinburgh-city-tour/) for transportation and they helped arrange the Skip-the-Line tickets for us, but I saw many bus options at Leith, including, I believe, the "Majestic" version of the HoHo: http://edinburghtour.com/news/edinburgh-is-majestic, who offer a ticket that includes admission to the yacht, the castle, and the palace, and would probably be more convenient for you if you come into Newhaven? I don't know if it is walkable from Newhaven to Leith, but it doesn't look far on the map? I'd start by heading to Leith, visit Britannia, and then catch the Majestic HoHo from there. (ETA: If you can Hop On at Leith. I don't know.)

If it was me, I would take a taxi straight to Edinburgh Castle, then walk down Royal mile to Holyrood Palace and then catch the HoHo bus from Holyrood Palace. It’s a very uphill walk to the Castle the other way. It’s a nice walk down royal mile, and you can stop, shop and eat along the way. There is a lot to see along the Royal mile, and you could spend the whole day just in the 1 1/2 to 2 miles between the castle and the palace!

Whoops, I thought I was the first person replying! Trosebery’s idea sounds a great option as well! My post sounds rather rude when it comes in third, which was not meant at all.

I'm thinking the most straightforward day for Edinburgh would be to taxi to Waverley Bridge, take the HOHO to see Edinburgh Palace, Holyrood Palace and shop a bit on the royal mile? Is there a way to add the Britannia in there easily? I think it is not walkable from Newhaven Pier to Leith to see the yacht? Thanks for any info

I’ve got lots of good news for you Cleobella! First of all the Royal yacht Britannia is well worth a visit and within walking distance from Newhaven - probably 20 minutes level walk. You could do that at the beginning or end of the day and I agree that it is well worth the visit.

You can take this hop-on, hop-off bus either from Newhaven harbour or Ocean Terminal where Britannia is located. I must say this is an entirely strange location for such a famous ship because to access it, you have to go through the shopping centre.

For your tour in the city, I would recommend starting at The Palace of Holyroodhouse because the bus stops there, but it means an uphill walk to the Castle/ along the wonderful sights of the Royal Mile.

Please feel free to ask me for more info about anything I’ve mentioned or have a look at our website http://www.cruiseforth.com

Thanks to all. I like the idea of walking or taxi-Ing to the Britannia and then

catching the HOHO to Edinburgh Castle and having a nice downhill walk from there. I guess I could take the HOHO back to ocean terminal too and then just walk back to Newhaven pier?

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Thanks to all. I like the idea of walking or taxi-Ing to the Britannia and then

catching the HOHO to Edinburgh Castle and having a nice downhill walk from there. I guess I could take the HOHO back to ocean terminal too and then just walk back to Newhaven pier?

 

 

 

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Better than that. The Majestic Tour actually stops at Newhaven Pier. http://edinburghtour.com/tours/majestic-tour.

Or if you didn't fancy walking you could get the hop-on hop-off bus from the pier, get off at the first stop (Ocean Terminal) to visit Britannia then get back on to go up to the Castle etc before heading back to the ship, also on the bus

On another thread there was a comment that not all taxis took credit cards. We will be arriving in South Queensferry on Brilliance on June 23. Since it is our first stop, we will not have any pounds. Is there an ATM machine near the tender stop? Would a taxi accept Euros? What are our options?

Also, since we will be visiting several Scottish ports, I am considering the Explorer Pass. It seems an economical option and provides fast pass into Edinburgh Castle. Does anyone have any experience with it?

Thanks for the help.

On another thread there was a comment that not all taxis took credit cards. We will be arriving in South Queensferry on Brilliance on June 23. Since it is our first stop, we will not have any pounds. Is there an ATM machine near the tender stop? Would a taxi accept Euros? What are our options?

 

Also, since we will be visiting several Scottish ports, I am considering the Explorer Pass. It seems an economical option and provides fast pass into Edinburgh Castle. Does anyone have any experience with it?

 

Thanks for the help.

I cannot answer your first question as Edinburgh was our last stop in Scotland (and everyone we knew took a tour or the train from South Queensferry), but in answer to your second question: yes, we used the print-at-home Explorer Pass and it was easy. We bought the 3-day pass (which can be used for any 3 days within a 5 day period) and simply showed it at the entrance at Stirling and Edinburgh Castles and, I believe, Urquhart. No lines, no hassle.

But note that it does not include Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

On another thread there was a comment that not all taxis took credit cards. We will be arriving in South Queensferry on Brilliance on June 23. Since it is our first stop, we will not have any pounds. Is there an ATM machine near the tender stop? Would a taxi accept Euros? What are our options?

 

Also, since we will be visiting several Scottish ports, I am considering the Explorer Pass. It seems an economical option and provides fast pass into Edinburgh Castle. Does anyone have any experience with it?

 

Thanks for the help.

I think most of the black cab at South Queensferry take credit cards but could you not get some GBP before you leave home? Like you, we mainly use credit card but always have some of the local currency as a back up.