Holyrood Palace combo tickets: do the maths first
The £94.50 problem
I watch people burn money on this every summer. They book the castle, then Britannia, then the palace, then a bus ticket to link them, each on a separate website. Adult advance prices in 2026: castle £21.50, Britannia £22, Holyrood £22, 48-hour bus £29. That’s £94.50. The Royal Edinburgh Ticket is the same four things for £81, rated 4.7 from 3,120 reviews. Charlie, an American reviewer, called it great value against booking separately, which is just arithmetic. It also solves a practical problem: the three bus routes connect sights that are otherwise a fair walk apart — Craig from Canada said the buses “saved our feet”, and Britannia in particular is well outside the old town. My full write-up is the Royal Edinburgh Ticket review.
How the 48 hours actually work
You exchange your voucher at the ticket office on Waterloo Place, opposite the Apex Waterloo Hotel — a few minutes from Waverley Station. Do this first, because your castle entry time is reserved at the exchange, and August castle slots sell out. From there the 48 hours run on your clock: three hop-on hop-off routes, multilingual handsets included at the palace and Britannia (the castle handset costs extra). Svetlana from Russia had it right — the office reserves your entrance times and the ticket suits one to two days. My usual shape for it: castle and Royal Mile on day one, Britannia and Holyrood on day two, buses in between.
The palace is closed 16–25 May and 27 June–5 July 2026, and every Tuesday and Wednesday outside 21 May–7 September. On palace closure dates the bundle substitutes a King’s Gallery entry instead — a decent consolation, but if Holyrood itself is the point, pick your dates around the closures. The best time to visit page lists them all.
The guided alternatives
The bundle above is self-guided. If you want a person leading at least part of the day, there are two combos worth knowing about.
The £85 Castle Guided Tour & Holyrood Palace Ticket runs a 10:00 guided castle tour from Advocates Close (black umbrella, yellow logo, opposite St Giles’ Cathedral), then a 14:00 self-guided palace visit with audio guide — staff walk you down the Mile in between. Honest framing: it’s new, with 8 reviews at 4.3. The guided castle half gets the praise; some reviewers found the self-guided palace half felt unaccompanied after it. Details in the combo review.
The £99 Royal Tour is the five-hour small-group version: guided castle visit taking in the Honours of Scotland, the Great Hall and St Margaret’s Chapel, a guided Royal Mile walk, then Holyrood entry with audio guide, with both entries and bus transport included. It needs a minimum of four people to run and doesn’t suit wheelchair users, so read the small print before booking for a couple.
| Edinburgh: Castle Guided Tour & Holyrood Palace Ticket | Best valueEdinburgh: Royal Attractions with Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours | The Royal Tour: Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood, Royal Mile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £85 | £81 | £99 |
| Covers | Castle + palace | Castle, Britannia, palace + buses | Castle, Mile walk, palace |
| Time | 3 h, one day | 48 h, your own pace | 5 h, one day |
| Live guide | Castle half only | None — handsets | Castle & Royal Mile |
| Rating | 4.3 (8 reviews) | 4.7 (3,120 reviews) | 4.7 (8 reviews) |
| View → | Book this → | View → |
Best value bundleEdinburgh: Royal Attractions with Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours
Castle comboBoth entries includedEdinburgh: Castle Guided Tour & Holyrood Palace Ticket
Small groupBoth entries includedThe Royal Tour: Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood, Royal Mile
One day or two?
Castle and Holyrood fit comfortably into a single day — they sit a mile apart at opposite ends of the Royal Mile, 20–25 minutes downhill. Castle in the morning, lunch on the Mile, Holyrood after 14:00 is the order I’d walk it; the castle comparison page has the full same-day plan. Add Britannia and the 48-hour bundle starts earning its second day.
Can’t make these dates?
Browse more available holyrood palace tickets and find one that fits your schedule — all with instant confirmation and free cancellation.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Royal Edinburgh Ticket worth it?
If you were going to visit the castle, Britannia and Holyrood anyway, yes — £81 against £94.50 booked separately, with the bus network included and your castle time reserved when you exchange the voucher. If you’d skip Britannia, the maths gets much thinner; check the individual prices on the ticket prices page before deciding.
What happens if the palace is closed on my dates?
During palace closures — 16–25 May and 27 June–5 July 2026, plus Tuesdays and Wednesdays outside the summer season — the Royal Edinburgh Ticket substitutes a King’s Gallery entry. The castle and Britannia parts are unaffected.
Where do I exchange the Royal Edinburgh Ticket voucher?
At the ticket office on Waterloo Place, opposite the Apex Waterloo Hotel. Go there first: your castle entry time is reserved on exchange, and in peak season the good slots go early.
Which combo has the most guiding?
The £99 Royal Tour — a live guide through the castle and the Royal Mile walk, with the palace done self-paced on the included audio guide. The £81 bundle has no live guide at all; the £85 combo guides the castle half only.