Tourist excursion bus in Edinburgh, routes. Transport in Edinburgh How to ride a sightseeing bus in Edinburgh
In London, as in any other tourist city, visitors are offered a large selection of “hop-on, hop-off” bus tours. They cost over £20, although the only thing that sets them apart is the presence of an audio guide. For those who just want to explore London, there are more budget-friendly options. The easiest way is to walk along the city streets. The most popular walking routes with full descriptions of interesting sights can be found on this website. But, of course, this option requires a lot of effort. It is unlikely that you will be able to wander around all day. I suggest you combine your holiday with free sightseeing in London using some of the bus routes. London's famous double decker gives you the opportunity to see the capital from the top platform of a bus. To do this, you just need to have one of the travel ticket options. .
Cannoy Street For just a few pounds you can see most of the sights without the annoying chatter of a guide. Just like on excursion buses, if you have any strength left, you can get off at any stop, explore the surroundings and continue along the route further.
Route No. 11
One of the best bus routes for exploring the city is number 11. Start your tour at Liverpool Street Bus Station, go up to the second floor and try to get a front seat. The trip to Chelsea will last 40 minutes. The route starts in the heart of the City, runs along Threadneedle Street (past, and.
Ludgate Hill Further on the left you will see St Paul’s Cathedral, and beyond the Thames you will see the Tate Gallery of Modern Art. Then, as you drive along Fleet Street, you will see the Royal Courts of Justice on your right.
Royal Courts Building Next, having traveled along The Strand to Trafalgar Square, the bus will turn left onto , where , and will appear in front of you. Along the way, don't miss Banqueting House, the Mounted Guard building and. You might want to get out here to get a better look at all these sights. You can continue past , through Pimlico to Chelsea Hospital and Sloane Square, along the King's Road, ending in Fulham.
Route RV1
Another worthwhile route, RV1, runs from through Southwark to Covent Garden Piazza.
Covent Garden at Christmas Take the RV1 bus at Tower Bridge. The bus stop is on the opposite side of the tower. You will pass the following attractions:
— Tower Bridge;
- Southwark Cathedral;
Southwark Cathedral Tate Gallery of Modern Art - Tate Gallery of Modern Art;
South Bank - South Bank;
- National Theatre;
National Theater Royal - Waterloo Bridge;
Somerset House - Somerset House;
Somerset House Covent Gardens - Covent Gardens;
Heritage Bus Routes No. 15 and No. 9
Two routes (9 and 15) use the old-fashioned 'Routemaster' double-decker buses that Londoners love. The traditional old-style red double-decker bus (with a conductor and an open platform at the back) was a much-loved symbol of London. So when they were replaced in 2005 with new style buses, many were disappointed. Fortunately, the mayor decided to retain some of the old 1960s buses for two "heritage routes." Heritage routes operate only between 9:30 and 19:00, the rest of the time there are regular city buses on the line. So if you want to ride a classic London bus, beware: Heritage buses have an open platform and stairs at the back.
The Strand On modern conductorless buses, you must enter through the front door and touch your card to the card reader or show the driver your paper card. On routes 9 and 15, traditional Routemaster buses operate differently. You can simply board the bus, take a seat and wait for the conductor to check your ticket.
Today, the main form of passenger transport in Edinburgh is buses. They operate around the clock and strictly on schedule. At each stop there is an electronic board that displays the arrival time of buses. The interval of their movement is from 10 to 30 minutes. Find out more information about Edinburgh bus routes at Mybustracker.co.uk.
An unlimited day ticket for an adult costs £3. In addition, the city has a system of transport cards (for three, seven days). Tickets are sold from machines installed at bus stops; they are easily recognized by their bright red color. You can also buy a ticket from the drivers, but they usually don’t have change, so you need to prepare an even amount of money.
For tourists, the Edinburgh Pass is issued - a card that gives the right to free entry to most museums, provides discounts in restaurants and shops, and free travel around the city and to the airport. A one-day card costs £24, a two-day card costs £36, and a three-day card costs £48. You can buy the Edinburgh Pass at information offices at the airport, train station and in the city itself.
Edinburgh was once famous for its trams, but more than fifty years ago the tram service was discontinued. Currently, work is underway to restore it, and by 2014 it is planned to launch 27 updated tram lines.
More detailed information about Edinburgh's transport system is contained in the corresponding section of the city's official website.
Tourists who wish to independently move around Edinburgh and its surroundings by car can use
Although all the attractions of Edinburgh's most popular tourist areas - the Old and New Towns - are located within 15-20 minutes' walk of each other, public transport in the Scottish capital is also popular with visitors to the city.
Edinburgh has a developed public transport system based on shuttle bus services. Unlike London, Edinburgh does not have its own metro or a developed network of city and suburban trains, and the tram service in the city is planned to be fully restored (after its closure in 1956) only by 2019.
Buses in Edinburgh
City buses in Edinburgh are operated by Lothian Buses (whose burgundy and beige omnibuses have become a symbol of the city), owned by the City Council, as well as the private transport company First Buses. These carriers share city stops among themselves, coordinating their routes with a single schedule. At each stop there is an electronic display showing the time until the next bus arrives.
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Bus schedules and routes in Edinburgh can be found using the BusTracker online system, which provides real-time information, as well as from booklets sold in newsstands and on the websites of carriers. The main destination of bus routes is the city center, as well as Edinburgh Airport and the region of East Lothian neighboring the capital.
After midnight, special night buses leave the city streets, the routes of which duplicate the daytime routes.
Guests of the city also have the opportunity to take sightseeing tours of the Scottish capital using open tourist omnibuses .
Bicycles in Edinburgh
For those who like to get around the city by bike, Edinburgh offers plenty of options. Special bike paths (without car access) crossing the central areas of the city, as well as the presence of numerous bicycle rental companies, allow you to travel around the Scottish capital on two wheels with maximum comfort.
Where to rent a bike in Edinburgh
Biketrax Company
Address: 11 Lochrin Place, Tollcross, Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: +(44 131) 228-66-33
www.biketrax.co.uk
The Leith Cycle Company
Address: 1 Cadzow Place, Abbeyhill, Edinburgh, Midlothian EH7 5SN, Scotland
Phone: +(44 131) 652-17-60
leithcycleco.com
Tickets and prices
Each of the Edinburgh transport companies uses its own ticket system, which is combined with One-Ticket travel cards (they can also be used to pay for travel on trains and ferries). City bus tickets in Edinburgh can be purchased from ticket machines at bus stops and in the driver's compartment. One-Ticket passes can be purchased online.
A single bus ticket in Edinburgh costs £1.40 and a full day ticket costs £3.50.
Remember that shuttle bus drivers in Edinburgh traditionally do not give change from notes of any denomination, so their passengers should always carry small change with them.
Edinburgh bus tours cost from £13 per passenger. You can purchase combined tourist passes (Royal Edinburgh Ticket, GRAND - Ticket), which allow you to combine visits to several bus excursions with free entry to key city attractions.
The cost of a One-Ticket travel pass depends on several factors - travel distance, validity period and modes of transport it covers. For example, a seven-day bus pass within Edinburgh costs £22.20.
The Royal Mile gets its name from the fact that it stretches from Edinburgh Castle to Holyroodhouse Palace, which is the official residence of the reigning monarch in Scotland. This is where you can start your walk (note that in July, when the reigning monarch is in Edinburgh, Holyroodhouse is closed to the public).
It will be interesting both as a historical site - here are the rooms where the tragic events unfolded, and the ruined abbey nearby, and as an active place for receptions of the Scottish nobility. A Russian audio guide will guide you through all available rooms, which is included in the ticket price.
After inspection Palace of Holyroodhouse take a walk in the wonderful royal park. If the weather is good and you have the desire (and strength) for active recreation, then you can try to climb the hill that rises to the right of the palace (if you are facing it). This Arthur's Seat(Arthur’s Seat), height is 251 meters. A gentle path leads to the slope; from above there are amazing views of the city and you can make excellent ones.
The following points on your Edinburgh tour are located nearby. Undoubtedly, the child will be interested Museum "Our Dynamic Planet"(Our Dynamic Earth) - an attraction in the style of modern exhibitions with exploding supernovas and stuffed animals. This is a building with a white domed roof. Inside, interactive technologies will recreate for you both the volcanic past of the Earth and modern natural phenomena such as earthquakes and tides. The museum is open from 10 to 17 hours, daily in summer, except Monday and Tuesday in winter.
For adults, there is also its own “attraction” - ultra-modern Scottish Parliament building, where anyone who wants to be convinced of the democratic ways of governing the country is freely admitted (after appropriate checks at the entrance, reminiscent of security checks at the airport). 
You can enter the meeting room even during debates. Tours of Parliament (including the office premises) begin every 20 minutes from the lobby. If the child is under 6 years old, then while the parents are inspecting the building, he can be left free of charge here in the children's room under the supervision of teachers. You can have a snack during the day from 11.30 – 14.30 in the local cafe.
Our advice: from Tuesday to Thursday, Parliament opens at 9 am, so to get as much done in a day as possible, you can start the morning with a visit and then explore Holyrood. However, you can do exactly the opposite - plan a city tour so as to visit Holyrood before it closes. And then there is Parliament, which works longer in the summer. Be sure to check opening hours at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/visitandlearn/16435.aspx
Also see the official description of the work of the Scottish Parliament in Russian.
Return to the Royal Mile again and continue your route along it. Note that the buildings here are somewhat different from the "upper" end of the street, this is Canongate, the city of the canons. On your right you will pass Canongate Kirk, an Episcopal church where the Queen attends services during her visits to Edinburgh. 
The Canongate ends at the crossroads where a pub with the sonorous name " End of the world"(World's End).
Next, depending on the age of the child, select the most interesting places to visit. With small children you can go to Museum of Childhood(Childhood Museum), admission is free. You may not immediately notice it on the Royal Mile (it will be on the left when driving from Holyrood, address 42 High street, open from 10-17, on Sunday 12-17). Inside, children will find not only a collection of old toys and books, but also antique slot machines.
With teenagers you can go to Edinburgh Dungeon(the Edinburgh Horror show), it is located nearby, on Market Street, parallel to the Royal Mile, opposite Waverley station. The attraction is built on the same principle as in other cities (see article about), but it also uses “local folklore”, for example, there are “Ghosts from Mary King’s Close”
For details, opening hours and to book tickets, visit http://www.the-dungeons.co.uk/edinburgh/
And you can end the day with a tour of the central cathedral in Edinburgh (St Jiles Cathedral). It is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., but on Sundays access to visitors is usually closed earlier due to organ music concerts held here (access to them is free).
The Scottish capital is a stunning city, beckoning with its elegant narrow streets, interesting museums, peerless Gothic temples and other remarkable places. Knowledgeable tourists advise exploring all these attractions on foot in order to feel the fabulous spirit of an unusual city. However, if you are in Scotland for just a couple of days, but want to learn as much as possible about its wonderful capital, tourist buses in Edinburgh– this is exactly what you need for the most complete and informative introductory tour.
Excursion transport in the Scottish capital, as in many other European cities, is represented by beautiful colored buses traveling along the city's circular routes, which cover the most popular attractions. Edinburgh also operates the hop-on hop-off principle, familiar to all experienced tourists, which allows you to move freely on buses of one of the carrier companies during the validity period of the purchased ticket. During the journey you will be able to:
- choose a convenient seat on the second or first floor of the bus, from where it will be most convenient for you to enjoy the trip
— use an audio guide that will tell interesting stories about the most iconic places of the city that you come across along the way
- leaf through tourist brochures describing routes and pointing out the main attractions of the capital
— get off at your favorite stop and take any passing bus after you finish exploring this area.
Additionally, sightseeing buses are the most suitable option for traveling to noteworthy places in the Edinburgh suburbs.
Tourist bus routes in Edinburgh
is a small city, but the location of many unique attractions on its territory has made it possible to create an extensive excursion transport system. There are six tourist bus routes in the Scottish capital:
1) Green Route or Edinburgh Tour. Traveling in this direction allows you to enjoy the beauty and grace of the series of streets of the Old Town, which have become one of the most interesting routes in the Scottish capital. This trip allows you to see many of the city's attractions on the Royal Mile: Holyroodhouse Palace, Edinburgh Castle, the Scottish Parliament building, the amazing Our Dynamic Planet museum and some others.
2) The Red Route or City Sightseeing Edinburgh allows you to go on an exciting trip through the expanses of not only the Old but also the New City and, in addition to the places listed above, also see: the National Gallery of Scotland, the Royal Academy, a stunning portrait gallery and other monuments.
3) Red and White Route, also called MacTours City Tour. Allows you to explore the traditional sights of the capital with the help of interesting stories from a live guide. This direction involves a trip through: the Old Town, one of the central streets of Edinburgh, Princes Street, and a ride along the foot of the largest hill, Canton Hill.
4) Blue and yellow buses heading in the direction of the Majestic Tour, the main purpose of which is to introduce tourists to the incomparable Royal Botanical Garden, as well as departure to the wonderful metropolitan yacht "Britannia", owned by the royal family and long ago turned into an extraordinary museum on the ocean.
5) Orange route or Edinburgh World Heritage Official Tour. It allows you to enjoy a wonderful journey through Edinburgh's museums. The planned route of this bus involves an exciting trip from the National Gallery to the museums of modern art. The highlight of the route is the passage through the wonderful green oasis of the city, reminiscent of a small European village - Dean Village, as well as a walk along the beautiful Water of Leith river.
6) The Bus & Boat Tour route is the most modest route of tourist buses; its cars only deliver city guests to the central port, from the piers of which luxury white boats depart for a picturesque cruise along the Firth of Forth.
You can distinguish a bus of a particular route by the corresponding inscriptions on the body (usually they are covered with liveries indicating the Latin names of the directions that were noted above), as well as the color of the cars, which, as a rule, corresponds to the color of each of the routes.
The starting and ending point of each destination is Waverley Bridge, located on the expanse of Princes Street. The frequency of excursion transport on all routes is 10-20 minutes.
Tourist bus ticket prices
Tourist bus ticket prices in Edinburgh depends on the selected duration of the subscription (usually from 1 to 3 days). For an exciting one-day introductory tour, adults will pay around £14, while a child's ticket will cost around £6. Some pricing features may vary depending on the route chosen.