Royal Edinburgh Ticket review: the 48-hour bundle
The maths
Bought separately in 2026: Edinburgh Castle advance ticket £21.50, Royal Yacht Britannia £22, Holyrood Palace £22, and a 48-hour hop-on hop-off bus ticket £29 — £94.50 all in. The Royal Edinburgh Ticket bundles the four for £81, about £13.50 saved, and spares you three separate booking screens. The working is laid out with the other bundles on the combo tickets page.
How it works on the day
You exchange your voucher at the office on Waterloo Place, opposite the Apex Waterloo Hotel, and your castle entry time is reserved there and then — worth doing early, since castle slots go fast in summer. Multilingual handsets are included at Britannia and Holyrood; the castle’s handset costs extra. The three bus routes run you between the sights and around the city for the full 48 hours. One thing to plan around: when the palace is closed for royal events, the ticket substitutes entry to the King’s Gallery instead — the 2026 closure dates are on the best time to visit page.
What bookers say
Charlie, from the US, called it great value against booking everything separately, which matches the arithmetic above. Craig from Canada said the three bus routes “saved our feet”; Hannele from Finland found the routes covered the whole city with short waits. Svetlana noted the office reserved her entrance times and thought it best used over one to two days. Rachel, a UK visitor, singled out the staff — bus crew Dexter and Richard by name — and Cynthia found it convenient for all the attractions.
What works
- About £13.50 cheaper than the four parts bought separately
- Castle entry time reserved for you when you exchange the voucher
- Buses double as your transport — three routes for the full 48 hours
- Handsets included at Britannia and Holyrood
Worth knowing
- The castle audio handset costs extra
- You have to start at the Waterloo Place office to exchange the voucher
- Needs one to two full days of sightseeing to earn its keep
- During palace closure dates you get the King’s Gallery instead of Holyrood
Exchange the voucher first thing on day one and take the castle that morning — your entry slot is reserved at the office, and Holyrood is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays for most of the year, so check which of your two days it’s actually open.
Who it suits
First-time visitors with two days who want the big royal sights without working out buses and separate bookings — Britannia in particular is a ride from the centre, and the getting there page shows how the palace fits into the picture on foot. If your whole interest is the palace, the plain entry ticket at £22 is the better buy.
Other tickets to consider
Skip the queueAudio guide includedEdinburgh: Palace of Holyroodhouse Entry Ticket
Castle comboBoth entries includedEdinburgh: Castle Guided Tour & Holyrood Palace Ticket
Small groupBoth entries includedThe Royal Tour: Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood, Royal Mile
Frequently asked questions
Does the Royal Edinburgh Ticket really save money?
Yes, if you use all of it. Castle (£21.50), Britannia (£22), Holyrood (£22) and a 48-hour bus ticket (£29) come to £94.50 separately; the bundle is £81. The combo tickets page compares it with the other combinations.
How long is the ticket valid?
48 hours from when you start using it, covering all three entries and the three hop-on hop-off bus routes. Bookers like Svetlana found it best spread over one to two days — trying to cram all three sights into one day is possible but joyless.
What happens if Holyrood Palace is closed during my visit?
On royal-event closure dates — 16–25 May and 27 Jun–5 Jul 2026 — the ticket substitutes entry to the King’s Gallery. Check the closure dates before you pick your 48 hours, and remember the palace also shuts Tuesdays and Wednesdays outside high summer.
Is an audio guide included at all three attractions?
Multilingual handsets are included at Britannia and at Holyrood. At the castle the handset costs extra. What the palace guide covers, room by room, is on the what to see inside page.