Royal Edinburgh Ticket, Explorer Pass or Edinburgh Pass?
Three bundles carry Edinburgh Castle in their name. Only one of them includes the Palace, the Royal Yacht and the bus. Here is what each covers and for whom it makes sense.
from £81
Get the Royal Edinburgh Ticket- Castle, Palace, Britannia and 48h bus
- Castle time slot reserved for you
Comparison
What is included where?
The Royal Edinburgh Ticket next to the Historic Scotland Explorer Pass and the Edinburgh Pass of Tiqets - attractions, bus, validity and adult price.
| Included | Royal Edinburgh Ticket | Explorer Pass | Edinburgh Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh Castle | included, slot reserved | included, book slot yourself | guided tour |
| Palace of Holyroodhouse | included | not included | included |
| Royal Yacht Britannia | included | not included | not included |
| Hop-on hop-off bus | 48 hours, 3 routes | not included | not included |
| Scotch Whisky Experience | not included | not included | Silver Tour |
| Other sites | none | 70+ Historic Scotland sites | 10 % off other Tiqets tickets |
| Validity | 48 hours of bus travel | 14 consecutive days | per attraction |
| Adult price | £ 81 | £ 48 (summer 2026) | 109.49 € |
Table of Contents
Three bundles, three ideas
The names overlap, the products do not. The Royal Edinburgh Ticket - sold on this site as the Edinburgh City Pass - is the combined ticket of Edinburgh Bus Tours: guaranteed entry to Edinburgh Castle with a reserved time slot, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Royal Yacht Britannia and 48 hours on three hop-on hop-off routes. It is built for two days in the city.
The Historic Scotland Explorer Pass is a country pass. For £ 48 per adult in summer 2026 (£ 39 concession, £ 29 for children aged 7 to 15, £ 100 for a family) it opens more than 70 sites in the care of Historic Environment Scotland for 14 consecutive days - Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Urquhart Castle, Skara Brae, Fort George and many more. It does not include the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Royal Yacht Britannia or any bus, and Castle visits have to be pre-booked online for guaranteed entry. It is not sold on this site.
The Edinburgh Pass is a Tiqets bundle: an entry ticket with guided tour of Edinburgh Castle, the Silver Tour of the Scotch Whisky Experience on Castlehill with a tasting and a souvenir glass, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, plus a 10 % discount code for other Tiqets tickets in the city. At 109.49 € it costs more than the Royal Edinburgh Ticket and leaves out Britannia and the bus.
Which one for which trip
- Two or three days in Edinburgh, all three royal sights: the Royal Edinburgh Ticket. Nothing else bundles the Palace, Britannia and the transport, and the Castle slot is reserved at the counter - the decisive point in summer, when online Castle tickets sell out.
- A road trip through Scotland with the Castle as one stop among many: the Explorer Pass. Book the Castle slot as soon as you know your date; add the Palace and Britannia as single tickets if you want them.
- Whisky before royalty, no Leith: the Edinburgh Pass. You get a guided Castle tour and the whisky tasting, but pay more and travel on your own.
- Only the Castle: none of the three. Buy the single online ticket early; see Is it worth it? for the thresholds.
Whether the ticket beats single tickets for your group is calculated on the page Is it worth it?; what each attraction offers is on the pages Edinburgh Castle, Palace of Holyroodhouse and Royal Yacht Britannia.
Questions about the comparison
Which bundle for which trip. All answers are on the FAQ page.
Is the Explorer Pass cheaper for the Castle? +
Yes, if the Castle is the only Edinburgh sight on your list and you go on to Stirling, Urquhart or Skara Brae: at £ 48 for 14 days the pass covers more than 70 Historic Scotland sites. It covers neither the Palace nor Britannia nor the bus, and you have to book your Castle time slot yourself.
What does the Edinburgh Pass add? +
A guided tour of the Castle and the Silver Tour of the Scotch Whisky Experience alongside the Palace. It does not include the Royal Yacht Britannia or the bus, so Leith is on your own account.
Which one for two days in Edinburgh? +
The Royal Edinburgh Ticket: it is the only bundle with all three royal sights and the transport between them, and the Castle slot is reserved when you redeem it. See Is it worth it? for the calculation.
All three royal sights on one ticket
Get the Royal Edinburgh Ticket - Castle with reserved slot, Palace, Britannia and 48 hours of hop-on hop-off bus.