In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Book a timed ticket for Edinburgh Castle (£23.50 online, £26 at the gate): once online tickets sell out, nothing is sold at the castle. The Real Mary King’s Close and a slot at Camera Obscura sell out too. The Palace of Holyroodhouse is shut on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 17 September to 20 May. St Giles’ Cathedral has charged £12 since 5 October 2026. The Palm Houses at the Botanic Garden (reopened 2 October 2026) need a £5.50 timed slot, though the garden is free. Sundays: St Giles’ opens at 13.00 and the One O’Clock Gun is silent. US, Canadian, Australian and EU visitors need a UK ETA (£20) before they fly. Prices are in pounds. Or book a tour: Scotland City Tours’ castle tourad (from £35, entry included) and the Loch Ness, Glencoe and Highlands day tourad (from £57.80) put the guide in one booking (GetYourGuide).
What to book before you go
Prices are the adult rate in pounds, from the operators. Buy from the operator: search results for the castle and Holyroodhouse include sites with the sights’ names in their web addresses that say on their own pages they are independent or fan sites.
Edinburgh Castle above Princes Street Gardens. Photo: Iain Lees, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
| Sight | Book how far ahead | Adult price | Book at | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh Castle | Book before you travel: nothing is sold at the castle once online tickets sell out | £23.50 online, £26 at the gate. Flexi £38 | edinburghcastle.scot | Closed 25 and 26 December. One O’Clock Gun not on Sundays |
| Palace of Holyroodhouse | Book in summer; the Trust advises arriving after 11.00 | £22 booked, £26 on the day | rct.uk | Shut Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 17 September to 20 May. Closed 24 to 26 December 2026 |
| Royal Yacht Britannia | Optional; walk-up tickets are always available, card only | £23 online, £25 at the door to October; £22 and £24 from 1 November | royalyachtbritannia.co.uk | In Leith, by tram. Closed 25 December and 1 January |
| Real Mary King’s Close | Book ahead: it frequently sells out | From £28.50 Standard, £25 Essential | realmarykingsclose.com | No photography, cashless, under-5s not admitted |
| Camera Obscura | Book a slot: it sells out in holidays and at weekends | £24.95 in 2026, £25.95 in 2027 | camera-obscura.co.uk | £4 off Early Bird and Night Owl slots. Stairs only |
| St Giles’ Cathedral | Book for fast-track entry; tickets also sold in person | £12 for non-residents of Scotland aged 16 and over | stgilescathedral.org.uk | Charges since 5 October 2026. Opens 13.00 on Sundays |
| Palm Houses, Botanic Garden | Book a timed slot | £5.50. The garden is free | tickets.rbge.org.uk | Reopened 2 October 2026. Other glasshouses closed |
| Rosslyn Chapel | Book a 90-minute slot | £12 | rosslynchapel.com | No photography inside. Opens 12.00 on Sundays |
| Scotch Whisky Experience | Tickets can be rescheduled up to 48 hours before | Silver £25, Gold £39.75 | scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk | Bring photo ID. Tasting for over-18s |
- The castle: Edinburgh Castle tickets compares the timed ticket, the Flexi ticket and the five guided tours with entry.
- Holyrood: the Palace of Holyroodhouse has the opening days, the 1-Year Pass and the King’s Gallery combined ticket.
- Underground: the Real Mary King’s Close, the South Bridge Vaults and the Edinburgh Dungeon are three separate things. Ghost tours and vaults compares them.
- The views: the best views in Edinburgh separates the free hills from the paid towers.
Does a pass pay back?
Three passes cover parts of the list, and none covers all of it. Edinburgh City Pass: is it worth it? has the sums.
- The Royal Edinburgh Ticket is £81 for 48 hours and covers the castle, Holyroodhouse and the Royal Yacht Britannia, with three hop-on hop-off bus tours. The Palace’s Tuesday and Wednesday closure applies and no alternative is offered.
- The Edinburgh City Pass is £55 for one day, £75 for two and £90 for three. It covers 20 or more smaller attractions, but not Holyrood, Britannia, the Real Mary King’s Close, the Dungeon, St Giles’ or the castle.
- The Historic Scotland Explorer Pass is £48 in summer (1 April to 31 October) and £38 in winter, for 14 days. It covers Edinburgh, Stirling and Urquhart Castles. Stirling Castle cannot be pre-booked with it in February and March 2027.
Hours and closed days
| Sight | Hours | Closed or late |
|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh Castle | 9.30 to 18.00 (last entry 17.00) to 30 September; 9.30 to 17.00 (last entry 16.00) from 1 October | 25 and 26 December; opens 11.00 on 1 January; 24 December closes 16.00 |
| Palace of Holyroodhouse | 9.30 to 18.00 to 31 October; 9.30 to 16.30 from 1 November | Tuesday and Wednesday, 17 September to 20 May; 24 to 26 December 2026 |
| Royal Yacht Britannia | 9.30 to 18.00 (last entry 16.00) April to October; 10.00 to 17.00 (last entry 15.00) November to March | 25 December and 1 January |
| Real Mary King’s Close | 9.00 to 22.30, last entry 21.00, in October 2026 | Open seven days |
| Camera Obscura | 9.00 to 21.30 to 23 October; 8.30 to 21.30 on 24 to 31 October; from 1 November Monday to Thursday 9.30 to 19.30, Friday 9.30 to 21.00, Saturday 9.00 to 21.30, Sunday 9.30 to 20.00 | 25 December |
| St Giles’ Cathedral | Monday to Friday 10.00 to 18.00; Saturday 9.00 to 17.00; Sunday 13.00 to 17.00 | Services Sundays 9.30 and 11.00 |
| Royal Botanic Garden | From 10.00; closes 17.00 (February to October), 16.00 (November, January), 15.30 (December). Palm Houses slots 10.15 to 16.15 | 25 December and 1 January |
| Rosslyn Chapel | Monday to Saturday 9.00 to 17.00; Sunday 12.00 to 17.00 | 24, 25 December and 1 January |
| National Museum of Scotland | 10.00 to 17.00 daily | 25 December; opens 12.00 on 26 December and 1 January |
| National Galleries, the Mound | 10am to 5pm daily | |
| Writers’ Museum | 10.00 to 17.00, last entry 16.30 | |
| Nelson Monument | 10.00 to 15.30 daily | Closes at short notice for maintenance |
Opening times that change
- Tuesdays and Wednesdays: Holyroodhouse is shut from 17 September to 20 May. Everything else on the list is open.
- Sundays: St Giles’ opens at 13.00, Rosslyn Chapel at 12.00, and the One O’Clock Gun is not fired at the castle.
- 25 December: the castle, the Palace, Britannia, Camera Obscura, the Botanic Garden, Rosslyn Chapel and the National Museum of Scotland are closed.
- 1 January: Britannia, the Botanic Garden and Rosslyn Chapel are closed; the castle opens at 11.00 and the National Museum at 12.00.
Free things worth a line
- Museums and galleries: the National Museum of Scotland, the National Galleries of Scotland and the Writers’ Museum are free, though special exhibitions charge. See Edinburgh museums.
- Hills and gardens: Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Park (open 24 hours), Calton Hill and the Botanic Garden (not the Palm Houses) cost nothing. See the Arthur’s Seat hike.
- Not free: St Giles’ Cathedral and the Palm Houses. Free things to do in Edinburgh lists what is still free.
- The street: the Royal Mile walk runs from the castle to Holyrood for the price of the sights you go into.
The Lawnmarket stretch of the Royal Mile. Photo: Mike McBey, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Edinburgh’s visitor levy
Hotels, rentals and hostels add a levy of 5% of the room cost before VAT for the first five nights of a stay, for stays from 24 July 2026. It applies to everyone staying in paid accommodation, UK residents included. The council’s visitor levy pages list the exemptions. Where to stay in Edinburgh has the areas and hotels.
Getting in from the airport
Edinburgh Airport to the city centre compares the options.
- Tram: less than 35 minutes to the city centre, every 7 minutes in the daytime, first tram from the airport at 06.30 and last at 22.52. A single is £7.90 and an open return £9.50.
- Airlink 100 bus: about 30 minutes to Waverley Bridge, up to every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day. A single is £6.00 and an open return £8.50.
Getting around
The centre is walkable. Edinburgh public transport has the rest.
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Single, Lothian bus or tram in the city zone | £2.40 |
| City DAY (unlimited Lothian buses and trams, not Airlink or the airport) | £6.00 |
| NETWORK day (includes Airlink and the tram to the airport) | £14.00 |
On the tram you must tap on and tap off with a contactless card. Without a valid ticket the on-board fare is £10.
Entry rules for the UK
Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, which is outside the Schengen area, so the EU’s Entry/Exit System and ETIAS do not apply. The UK’s own system is the electronic travel authorisation, the ETA.
| Citizen of | What you need | Passport | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | A UK ETA before you fly | Valid for the whole stay | Apply at gov.uk/eta |
| Canada | A UK ETA | Valid for at least the expected stay; travel on the passport used for the ETA | The UK enforces the ETA from 25 February 2026 |
| Australia | A UK ETA for a visit of less than 6 months | Valid for the stay | |
| EU, EEA and Switzerland | A UK ETA, except Irish citizens | A passport: a national ID card does not work for a holiday | Irish citizens need no ETA |
| United Kingdom | None | A British passport |
- The ETA costs £20 and is valid for 2 years or until the passport expires, whichever is sooner, for any number of visits of up to 6 months each. Everyone needs one, babies and children included.
- Apply in the UK ETA app or at gov.uk/eta/apply. A decision usually arrives by email within a day and can take up to 3 working days, so apply before you book flights you cannot change. Other websites charge more; the official fee is £20.
- An ETA does not guarantee entry. It is tied to the passport you apply with, so a new passport needs a new ETA.
- More: the sister site London Travel Geek has a UK ETA guide.
The rules come from gov.uk, the US State Department, the Canadian and Australian government travel pages and gov.uk’s page on entering the UK.
Day trips
Day trips from Edinburgh compares every trip by train, bus and tour, with Glasgow, the Kelpies, North Berwick, Loch Lomond and Northumbria as sections. The ones with something to know:
- Loch Ness, Glencoe and the Highlands: a 12 to 13 hour coach day, and Skye is not a day trip.
- St Andrews: the train and a bus, or a tour.
- Stirling Castle: a Historic Scotland site, so the Explorer Pass applies.
- Rosslyn Chapel: Lothian bus 37 from Princes Street takes 45 to 60 minutes.
Food, drink and when to go
Where to eat in Edinburgh lists the restaurants, afternoon tea in Edinburgh and Edinburgh food tours set the options side by side. Best time to visit Edinburgh gives the weather by month, with Christmas in Edinburgh, Hogmanay in Edinburgh and Edinburgh in August for the festive and festival dates.
Other cities nearby
Dublin has its own guide to what to book. Ireland is outside the UK, so the ETA does not apply there, and Aer Lingus and the ferry operators between Britain and Ireland ask every passenger for a passport. The Dublin guide has the entry rules.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- December 2025: the Elephant House café on George IV Bridge reopened after a fire in 2021.
- 25 February 2026: the UK began strict enforcement of the ETA.
- 24 July 2026: Edinburgh’s visitor levy began.
- 2 October 2026: the Palm Houses at the Royal Botanic Garden reopened after a five-year restoration.
- 5 October 2026: St Giles’ Cathedral began charging £12.
- 1 November 2026: Royal Yacht Britannia’s online adult price falls to £22, and the Explorer Pass moves to its winter price.
- 2027: Camera Obscura’s adult price rises to £25.95.
Plan the trip
- Where to sleep: where to stay in Edinburgh compares the areas, and hotels near the Royal Mile lists the hotels beside it.
- Getting there and about: Edinburgh Airport to the city centre and Edinburgh public transport.
- When to go: best time to visit Edinburgh, Christmas in Edinburgh, Hogmanay in Edinburgh and Edinburgh in August.
- The sights: the castle, Holyroodhouse, the Royal Yacht Britannia, the Real Mary King’s Close, Camera Obscura, St Giles’ Cathedral and the Botanic Garden Palm Houses each have a ticket guide. Edinburgh museums, free things to do and the best views cover the rest, and Edinburgh City Pass: is it worth it? runs the pass sums.
- Walks and tours: the Royal Mile walk, the Arthur’s Seat hike, Edinburgh walking tours, ghost tours and vaults, whisky tours and Harry Potter in Edinburgh.
- How many days: Edinburgh in one or two days builds the plan round the bookings.
- Day trips: day trips from Edinburgh, with Loch Ness and the Highlands, St Andrews, Stirling Castle and Rosslyn Chapel.
Itineraries
Day-by-day plans for a first visit.
Which ticket to buy
The official ticket, the tours that include entry, and which sells out first.
Tickets
Edinburgh Castle Tickets: Prices, Flexi, Guided Tour
Edinburgh Castle is £23.50 booked online and £26 at the gate, and once the online allocation sells out no tickets are sold at the castle. The £38 Flexi ticket, the £6.50 official tour, the One O'Clock Gun, the Honours of Scotland, opening hours and how long to allow.
Tickets
Palace of Holyroodhouse Tickets, Opening Days, Hours
A Palace of Holyroodhouse ticket is £22 booked ahead and £26 on the day. From 17 September to 20 May it is shut on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and it is closed 24 to 26 December 2026. Hours, the 1-Year Pass, the King's Gallery combined ticket and what is inside.
Tickets
Royal Yacht Britannia Tickets, Prices and Hours
A Royal Yacht Britannia adult ticket is £23 online and £25 at the door from April to October 2026, and £22 online from 1 November. Hours, the Royal Tea tour at £89, how to get to Leith by tram, how long to allow and what is on each deck.
Tickets
Real Mary King's Close Tickets: Prices and Tour
Real Mary King's Close tickets: Standard from £28.50 with free changes, Essential from £25 with a £15 change fee. One hour underground on 58 steps, no photography, cashless, and how it differs from the South Bridge Vaults and the Edinburgh Dungeon.
Tickets
Camera Obscura Edinburgh Tickets, Prices and Hours
Camera Obscura and World of Illusions tickets are £24.95 for an adult in 2026 and £25.95 in 2027. The £4 Early Bird and Night Owl slots, the ScotRail Kids for a Quid code, opening hours to the end of 2026, what is on each floor and how long it takes.
Tickets
St Giles' Cathedral Edinburgh: Tickets, Hours, Charge
St Giles' Cathedral on the Royal Mile began charging on Monday 5 October 2026: £12 for visitors aged 16 and over who do not live in Scotland. Who enters free, what the ticket includes (the Thistle Chapel and guided tours), opening hours and Sunday services.
Tickets
Edinburgh Botanic Garden Palm Houses: Tickets, Hours
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is free, but the Palm Houses, reopened on 2 October 2026 after a five-year restoration, need a timed ticket: £5.50 for an adult, slots from 10.15 to 16.15. Garden hours, the glasshouses that stay closed, the walk from each gate and how to get there.
Tickets
Best Views in Edinburgh: Free and Paid Viewpoints
Edinburgh's viewpoints with price and hours: Arthur's Seat (251 m) and Calton Hill free, the Nelson Monument open 10.00 to 15.30, the Scott Monument (221 steps), the Camera Obscura roof terrace at £24.95 and the castle's Half Moon Battery on the £23.50 ticket.
Tickets
Museums in Edinburgh: Free Entry, Hours, Exhibitions
The National Museum of Scotland and the National Galleries are free in Edinburgh, 10am to 5pm daily, though some exhibitions charge. The Writers' Museum is free, and Surgeons' Hall Museum is £10 for an adult. Hours, what to see in each, and the closed days over Christmas.
Tickets
Free Things to Do in Edinburgh
What is still free in Edinburgh: the National Museum of Scotland, the National Galleries, the Writers' Museum, Arthur's Seat, Calton Hill, the Royal Botanic Garden and the Water of Leith. St Giles' Cathedral has charged £12 since 5 October 2026, and the Palm Houses are £5.50.
Tickets
Rosslyn Chapel from Edinburgh: Tickets, Bus 37, Hours
Rosslyn Chapel is £12 for a 90-minute timed slot, seven miles south of Edinburgh. Lothian bus 37 takes 45 to 60 minutes, photography is banned inside, and Sundays start at noon. The carvings to find, the order to go round and the tours that include it.
Tickets
Edinburgh City Pass Worth It? Pass and Ticket Sums
The Royal Edinburgh Ticket is £81 for the castle, Holyroodhouse, Britannia and three bus tours, the City Pass from £55 covers 20 smaller attractions and the Explorer Pass £48 or £38 the Historic Scotland castles. What each leaves out, and the sums.
Tickets
Edinburgh Walking Tours: Free, Paid and Themed
Edinburgh walking tours from £16 for a 2-hour Old Town walk, £18 for the witch trials or Dean Village, £25 for a literary pub tour and £45 by bike. The tip-based SANDEMANs walk, what each route covers, where they start, and why none include the castle.
Tickets
Edinburgh Ghost Tours and Vaults: Which to Book
Edinburgh's underground is three different things: Mary King's Close (£28.50), the South Bridge and Blair Street vaults (£16 to £31 for a tour) and the Dungeon, a live-actor show from £19. Which tours go underground, the age limits, and day or night.
Tickets
Edinburgh Whisky Tours: Which Experience to Book
Edinburgh whisky tours from £25: the Scotch Whisky Experience beside the castle (Silver £25, Gold £39.75), the Johnnie Walker Experience on Princes Street, Holyrood Distillery and evening tastings from £36. What you drink, the age and ID rules, and the distilleries outside the city.
Tickets
Harry Potter Edinburgh: What Is Real and What Isn't
J.K. Rowling wrote in Edinburgh's cafés and finished the last book at the Balmoral. Greyfriars has graves with the names, and Victoria Street and George Heriot's are fan theory. The sites to see, a free walk, tours from £14 and the Highlands film location.
Day trips from Edinburgh
Out and back in a day, with the tours compared against going on your own.
Day trip
Day Trips from Edinburgh: Train, Bus or Tour
Stirling is 41 minutes from Edinburgh by train, St Andrews 53 minutes to Leuchars, Glasgow 47 minutes and North Berwick 35. Loch Ness and Glencoe are a 12-hour coach tour from £42.75, and Skye needs three days. The day trips compared on time, entry price and what a tour adds.
Day trip
Loch Ness Day Trip from Edinburgh: Is It Worth It?
A Loch Ness and Glencoe day trip from Edinburgh is a 12 to 12½ hour coach day from £42.75, or £69 in a 16-seat minibus. What each tour stops at, the Glenfinnan Viaduct alternative, extras like the £22 cruise and Urquhart Castle, the Jacobite steam train and why Skye needs three days.
Day trip
St Andrews Day Trip from Edinburgh by Train
St Andrews is 53 minutes from Edinburgh by train to Leuchars, then a short bus, or about 1 hour 30 minutes by direct bus. The castle is £10 online, the cathedral grounds are free and closed Tuesday to Thursday in winter. The tours from £57, and the Fife rail works in October 2026.
Day trip
Stirling Castle Day Trip from Edinburgh by Train
Stirling Castle is 41 to 49 minutes from Edinburgh by train, then a half-mile uphill walk. Entry is £18.50 online and £20.50 in person, 25% off with the car-free code GOOD25. Hours, the Explorer Pass rule for February and March 2027, and the Loch Lomond and Kelpies tours from £45.
Where to stay
Areas and hotels, chosen for a visitor rather than a resident.
Where to stay
Where to Stay in Edinburgh: Areas and Hotels
For a first visit, stay in the Old Town or around Princes Street and the New Town. Eight Edinburgh areas compared with distances to St Giles' and Waverley, 18 hotels with rooms and Michelin Keys, and the 5% visitor levy on the first five nights.
Where to stay
Hotels Near the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, by Distance
Hotels near the Royal Mile in Edinburgh by straight-line distance from St Giles' Cathedral, from Fraser Suites at 80 m to BrewDog DogHouse at 540 m: Market Street Hotel, Virgin Hotels, Hotel du Vin, The Balmoral and more, with rooms and Michelin Keys.
Airport transfers
From the airport to the centre, every option priced and timed.
Getting around
Tickets, passes and the transport a visitor actually uses.
What's on, month by month
Festivals, holidays and closures that change a visit.
Events
Best Time to Visit Edinburgh, Month by Month
Edinburgh month by month from the Met Office 1991 to 2020 averages: highs of 12°C in April and 19°C in July, April the driest at 46 mm, October the wettest at 83 mm. Christmas from 14 November, Hogmanay, Burns Night, and the Fringe and Tattoo from 6 August 2027.
Events
Edinburgh Christmas Market 2026: Dates, Rides, Ice Bar
Edinburgh's Christmas runs 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. The market in East Princes Street Gardens is free; the Big Wheel is from £12 and the Star Flyer from £15.50. The Polar Ice Bar (18+), the family ice experience, hours and the closed days.
Events
Hogmanay in Edinburgh 2026/27: Street Party, Tickets
Edinburgh's Hogmanay 2026/27: the Torchlight Procession on 29 December (from £8.50), The Fratellis on 30 December (from £42), the Street Party on 31 December and Underworld in the Gardens (from £79). Official ticket sellers, age limits, what you can bring.
Events
Edinburgh in August 2027: Fringe, Tattoo, Hotels
The Edinburgh Fringe and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo both start on Friday 6 August 2027. Fringe to 30 August, Tattoo to 28 August, Tattoo tickets on sale. Edinburgh hotels were over 90% full at £242.72 a night in August 2024.
Food and drink
Where to eat, what to order and when to book.
Food and drink
Where to Eat in Edinburgh: Michelin, Pubs, Haggis
Where to eat in Edinburgh: seven Michelin one-star restaurants and five Bib Gourmands, then the places 14 publishers name most: Timberyard, The Palmerston, The Kitchin, Ardfern and LYLA. Haggis, whisky bars and fish and chips, with hours and booking rules.
Food and drink
Afternoon Tea in Edinburgh: Prices, Days, Booking
Afternoon tea in Edinburgh at the operators' own prices: the Colonnades from £75 (Wednesday to Sunday), the Witchery £60 (Monday to Friday, not in August), Prestonfield House £70, the castle's Christmas tea £70 with admission. Days, booking rules and a £54 tea with castle views.
Food and drink
Edinburgh Food Tours Compared, With Prices
Edinburgh food tours from £38 for a 2-hour Royal Mile walk with tastings to £105 for a 3-hour four-venue meal, with Secret Food Tours at £89.99 and EatWalk Tours' times beside GetYourGuide's prices. Haggis, whisky, a folk-music dinner and how to choose.
Walks
Self-guided routes, stop by stop.
Walk
Arthur's Seat Hike: Routes, Time, Closed Paths
Arthur's Seat is free and the park is open 24 hours. The short route from Dunsapie Loch, the route from Duddingston, and the 4.75 km loop from Holyrood (2 to 2.5 hours). The Radical Road and the climbing areas are closed, and the High Road is closed to cars.
Walk
Royal Mile Walk, Edinburgh: Castle to Holyrood
Walk Edinburgh's Royal Mile from the castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in 1.9 km: Castlehill, the Writers' Museum, St Giles', the Real Mary King's Close and the Canongate. A map, the Google Maps route, every price and opening time, and which day each stop is shut.
Plan your trip
The rules and costs that apply to every city on the site.
Common questions
What do I need to book before going to Edinburgh?
A timed ticket for Edinburgh Castle, because once the online allocation sells out nothing is sold at the gate. Also the Real Mary King's Close, which frequently sells out, a slot for Camera Obscura and a timed slot for the Palm Houses at the Botanic Garden. The Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Royal Yacht Britannia can be booked ahead for a lower price, and Rosslyn Chapel sells 90-minute slots.
Which Edinburgh sights are closed on which days?
The Palace of Holyroodhouse is shut on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 17 September to 20 May. St Giles' Cathedral opens at 13.00 on Sundays and Rosslyn Chapel at 12.00. The One O'Clock Gun is not fired on Sundays. On 25 December the castle, Holyrood, Britannia, Camera Obscura, the Botanic Garden, Rosslyn Chapel and the National Museum of Scotland are closed.
How much is Edinburgh Castle?
£23.50 for an adult booked online and £26 at the gate. A Flexi ticket, valid on any day in a 7-day window with no time slot, is £38, and the official guided tour adds £6.50.
Is St Giles' Cathedral free?
No. From Monday 5 October 2026 it is £12 for visitors aged 16 or over who do not live in Scotland. Residents of Scotland and children under 16 enter free.
Do I need a visa or permit to visit Edinburgh?
US, Canadian, Australian and EU visitors need a UK electronic travel authorisation (ETA) for a normal visit, £20, valid for 2 years or until the passport expires, with each stay up to 6 months. EU citizens need a passport: an ID card does not work for a holiday. Irish citizens need no ETA.
Is there a tourist tax in Edinburgh?
Yes. The visitor levy is 5% of the cost of the room before VAT, charged on the first five nights, for stays from 24 July 2026. It applies to everyone, including UK residents.
How do I get from Edinburgh Airport to the centre?
The tram takes less than 35 minutes to the city centre, at £7.90 for a single. The Airlink 100 bus takes about 30 minutes for £6.00 and runs 24 hours a day.