04
Edinburgh excursions, from the free mile to the ship’s coach
Ordered by how each holds up against the only question a paid Edinburgh tour has to answer. What does this buy that a GBP 2.20 bus fare does not?
From Leith and Newhaven the answer is usually nothing. From Rosyth it is a road with no bus on it — and that is a real product.
If Edinburgh is one stop on a longer week, our Northern Europe cruises guide helps you decide which port earns the paid day. The berths themselves are covered in the Edinburgh cruise port guide.
Start here, because everything else on this page is priced against it.
The Royal Mile runs from the Castle Esplanade down to Holyrood — and walking it costs nothing.
So do the closes and steps off it, Greyfriars Kirkyard, Victoria Street and the Grassmarket, the Georgian grid of the New Town, Dean Village and the Water of Leith walkway, and Princes Street Gardens.
Two climbs give you the view. Calton Hill is short and easy, about 20 minutes from Princes Street.
Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park is a proper hill walk — allow 2 hours return and wear decent shoes.
The one warning here is the ground, not the money. The Royal Mile is steep and cobbled — and the walk from Waverley up to the castle is a genuine climb.
If your ship is at Leith, the free walk nobody mentions is The Shore — the old dockside with its bridges and warehouses, with the Water of Leith path heading inland from it.
- Time commitment
- Flexible. No published duration exists for a self-guided walk — none is needed.
- Getting there
- GBP 2.20 on a Lothian bus or GBP 2.40 on the tram from Leith; a taxi from the quayside is around GBP 10.
- Suits
- Almost everyone, on almost any call length, at almost any budget.
- Ship or independent
- Independent — and it is not close. Nothing on this walk needs a guide to unlock it.
Why it’s worth considering
The best of Edinburgh is the street pattern — you cannot buy access to a street.
Money not spent on a coach seat pays for the castle and lunch instead, which is a better day.
The catch
Cobbles and gradient. The Royal Mile is steep — Edinburgh does not flatten for anyone.
In August the Festival and the Fringe fill the city — the Royal Mile is impassable at times.
Verify before you book
- Your all-aboard — and whether you are walking back to a gangway or queuing for a tender
- Whether your call falls in August, when the whole city is running at a different speed
- That your shoes are the ones you would wear for a long day on stone
The single most-booked thing in Edinburgh — and the one most likely to go wrong for a cruise passenger.
Historic Environment Scotland puts the rule in its own words: ‘Once tickets are sold out online, there will be no further tickets available at the castle.’
Read that as written. It is not a queue warning — it is a closed door.
Booked online it is GBP 23.50 adult, GBP 19.00 concession and GBP 14.00 child 7-15. Family tickets run GBP 48.50 for one adult and two children, GBP 67.50 for two and two, and GBP 80.00 for two and three.
Walk-up is GBP 26.00 for an adult, when there is anything left to walk up to.
Now the part that matters for this port specifically. A timed entry and a tender do not go together.
The Flexi ticket is GBP 38.00 adult, GBP 30.50 concession and GBP 22.50 child, valid 7 days, and the castle says of it: ‘There is no need to pre-book a timeslot; simply select a date when booking online.’
On a Leith or Rosyth call, book the cheaper timed ticket — you are docked, and your morning is predictable.
On a Newhaven or South Queensferry call, the Flexi is what you pay so that a delayed tender does not cost you the GBP 23.50 outright.
The castle opens from 09:30 daily. Allow 2 to 3 hours — and remember the walk up to it is the climb everyone underestimates.
- Time commitment
- 2 to 3 hours inside, on Historic Environment Scotland’s own guidance, plus the journey in from your berth.
- Getting there
- Approximately 2 miles from Leith per Capital Cruising; approximately 3 miles from Newhaven; about 30 minutes on the X99 from Hawes Pier.
- Suits
- First-time visitors, and anyone who booked ahead. In peak season, genuinely nobody else.
- Ship or independent
- Independent, booked direct. A ship tour only earns it if the online tickets are gone and the tour includes entry.
Why it’s worth considering
The Crown Jewels, the Stone of Destiny, St Margaret’s Chapel and the One O’Clock Gun are all inside one ticket.
The view over the city from the ramparts is the one people actually remember.
The catch
The sell-out rule is absolute and the castle states it plainly. There is no arriving early and hoping.
Walk-up costs GBP 26.00 against GBP 23.50 online, so waiting is dearer even when it works.
We could not confirm closing times through the year — only the 09:30 opening is published on the page we read, so check yours against your all-aboard.
Verify before you book
- Whether your berth is docked or an anchorage, because that decides timed against Flexi
- The castle’s closing time on your own date, which is not published on the tickets page
- That your party’s concessions are the ones you booked — 65-plus and unemployed are GBP 19.00, children 7-15 GBP 14.00
If your ship is at Leith, this is the shortest excursion in Scotland.
Britannia is permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal, next to the cruise berth — and describes its own location as 2 miles from the city centre and ‘only 20 mins from the city centre’.
April to October 2026, booked online in advance, an adult is GBP 23, a young person 16-21 or student GBP 11.50, and a child 7-15 GBP 11.50. Under-7s are free and an accompanying carer is free.
On the door it is GBP 25 adult and GBP 12.50 for the others. The flexible ticket is GBP 27, GBP 13.50 and GBP 18.00 for armed forces.
November 2026 to March 2027 is slightly cheaper — GBP 22 advance, GBP 24 door, GBP 26 flexible.
One practical warning that catches people at the till. Britannia takes card or contactless only on the day, with no cash at all.
The operator recommends 2 hours, which fits neatly around anything else you do.
From Newhaven or South Queensferry this stops being next door. It becomes a journey like any other, and it competes with the castle, not complements it.
- Time commitment
- 2 hours on the operator’s own recommendation.
- Getting there
- On foot from the Leith berth — Ocean Drive, Leith EH6 6JJ. From elsewhere, the tram and bus both serve Ocean Terminal.
- Suits
- Leith calls, short calls, families with under-7s, and anyone who would rather not spend the day travelling.
- Ship or independent
- Independent. A ship tour to a ship moored beside your ship is a hard sell.
Why it’s worth considering
It is the rare cruise-port attraction that is genuinely at the port, not a coach ride from it.
Groups of 15 or more get 10% off, which is worth asking about if you are travelling with friends.
The catch
It is only convenient from Leith. From the two anchorages it is an ordinary trip with a tender in front of it.
No cash on the day. Card or contactless only, and the ticket desk will not make an exception.
Verify before you book
- Which berth you have, because this recommendation lives or dies on that
- Whether your date falls in the April-to-October pricing or the winter one
- That you are booking the advance ticket, not the flexible one, if your berth is docked
If you tender into South Queensferry, this is the excursion, whatever else you buy.
Lothian Buses runs service X99 specifically for cruise passengers landing at Hawes Pier, non-stop to the east end of George Street outside the Hard Rock Cafe.
About 30 minutes, at least every 20 minutes while a ship is in — and ‘there is no need to book in advance’.
Now the part we are not going to tidy up for you. The fare is published in two of the operators’ own places and the two do not match.
Lothian’s own March 2025 news page gives adult return GBP 12.50, child 5-15 return GBP 6.25, adult single GBP 7.00 and child single GBP 3.50.
The Forth Bridges Cruise Project’s 2026 page gives GBP 14.00 adult return and GBP 7 child, and adds that the return also permits travel on other city network buses.
Lothian’s own current Cruiselink page shows no fare at all — it was returning a 404 when we last tried it. Both figures were read on 22 September 2026.
The likeliest explanation is a fare rise between the 2025 and 2026 seasons. We are not going to average two real numbers into a third one nobody charges.
You buy it as you board, so the price on the machine is the price. Carry the higher figure and check it on the step.
There is a combined ticket worth knowing about: X99 plus Edinburgh Bus Tours at GBP 34.00 for adults, with accompanied children travelling free on the tours.
- Time commitment
- Approximately 30 minutes each way, plus the 10-minute tender run and the queues at both ends, which nobody publishes.
- Getting there
- It meets the tenders at Hawes Pier. The alternative is Dalmeny station, approximately 800 metres away up a steep staircase.
- Suits
- Anyone tendering into South Queensferry who wants Edinburgh, not the village.
- Ship or independent
- Independent, comfortably. A non-stop coach every 20 minutes is what a ship transfer sells, at a fraction of the price.
Why it’s worth considering
It is the ship’s transfer without the ship’s price, run by the city’s own bus operator.
The 2025 timetable ran 7 May to 9 October, which is a fair proxy for when South Queensferry tender calls cluster.
The catch
It does not solve the tender. The coach is reliable; the water is the variable — and the queue back aboard is the pinch point.
The two published adult returns are not the same figure, and neither page looks stale on its face. That is a reason to carry a little extra, not a reason to argue with a driver.
Verify before you book
- The fare as you board, because the operator’s own pages disagree
- The last useful departure from George Street, against your all-aboard and the tender queue
- Whether your call date falls inside the season the X99 actually runs
This is the underrated recommendation on the page — and it exists because tenders are not guaranteed.
South Queensferry village is a few hundred metres to the right of Hawes Pier — one cobbled high street, the Hawes Inn, and the Forth Bridge directly overhead.
If your tender operation is running late or your call is short, that alone justifies going ashore without going anywhere near Edinburgh.
Maid of the Forth sails from the same pier the tenders land at — the lowest-risk paid thing in this port. You never leave the pier area.
The Three Bridges sightseeing cruise runs 1.5 hours beneath the Forth Bridge, the Forth Road Bridge and the Queensferry Crossing.
The Inchcolm Island trip runs 3 hours with a landing at the medieval abbey, plus seals and seabirds on the way.
No prices are printed here, because the operator does not print any. Its own timetable-and-prices page lists the trips and shows fares only inside the booking system.
The number to call is 0131 331 5000, at Unit 2, Hawes Pier, Newhalls Road.
One honest warning about the longer one. Three hours on a tender day is a real commitment — check it against your all-aboard before you commit, not after.
- Time commitment
- 1.5 hours for the Three Bridges cruise, 3 hours for the Inchcolm landing, on the operator’s own durations.
- Getting there
- It leaves from Hawes Pier, where the tenders land — the village is a few hundred metres away.
- Suits
- Short calls, nervous timekeepers, repeat visitors who have done Edinburgh, and anyone who came for the bridges.
- Ship or independent
- Independent, though a ship version removes the timing risk. Price both, because we cannot price one of them.
Why it’s worth considering
The best free view in Scotland of the Forth Bridge is a few minutes from where the tender puts you down.
Welcome guides from the Forth Bridges Cruise Project meet the tenders at the pier — the first question you have is answered before you ask it.
The catch
No published fares. We could not get a price from the operator’s own site, so budget blind or phone ahead.
A 3-hour boat trip on a day that starts with a 10-minute tender is most of your margin gone.
Verify before you book
- The fare, by phone, because the operator publishes none on its timetable page
- Sailing times against the tender schedule at both ends of your day
- Whether your call is at South Queensferry at all — this recommendation does not travel to the other three berths
The King’s official Scottish residence, at the foot of the Royal Mile — State Apartments, Mary Queen of Scots’ chambers and the ruined abbey.
In advance it is GBP 22.00 adult, GBP 14.00 for a young person 18-24, GBP 11.00 for a child 5-17 and GBP 11.00 for a disabled visitor, with an access companion free and under-5s free.
On the day the same tickets are GBP 26.00, GBP 17.00, GBP 13.00 and GBP 13.00.
Every category is cheaper in advance than on the door. Book it before you leave the ship.
An exclusive guided tour is GBP 55.00 per person — and a combined ticket with The Edwardians exhibition gives 10% off both, at GBP 14.80 to GBP 33.30 depending on category.
The Royal Collection Trust also sells GBP 1 tickets to people on named UK benefits, which is worth knowing if it applies to you.
Allow 1.5 to 2.5 hours. It pairs naturally with the castle only if your call is long — they are at opposite ends of a steep mile.
- Time commitment
- 1.5 to 2.5 hours inside, plus the journey in and the walk down the Royal Mile.
- Getting there
- At the foot of the Royal Mile. From Leith that is GBP 2.20 on the bus or around GBP 10 in a taxi from the quayside.
- Suits
- Longer calls, repeat visitors who have already done the castle, and anyone who prefers interiors to ramparts.
- Ship or independent
- Independent. The advance price is lower than the gate price and no coach changes that.
Why it’s worth considering
It is a working royal residence, not a museum, and the abbey ruin behind it is free of the crowds the castle carries.
The advance-versus-door gap is published and consistent, so the saving is certain, not hoped for.
The catch
It closes to visitors when it is in official use — and that is not something the ticket page predicts for your date.
Two paid interiors in one Edinburgh call is a lot of indoors on a day you also have to travel back from.
Verify before you book
- That it is open to visitors on your call date before you buy the advance ticket
- Whether the combined Edwardians ticket applies to the date you want
- Your walk back, because the palace end of the Royal Mile is the far end from the castle
The most-sold paid hour in Edinburgh after the castle — and it sits on Castlehill at the top of the Royal Mile.
The Silver tour is GBP 25 for 50 minutes and includes one whisky tasting, with a look at a collection of 3,384 bottles. It runs in 21 languages and is family-friendly.
The Gold tour is GBP 39.75 for 75 minutes with five tastings across the Scottish whisky regions. It is 18-plus and ID is required.
A Taste of Scotland is GBP 95 for 3 hours, with six whiskies and a three-course meal, also 18-plus, with four departures daily.
Look at those three against your call length, not against each other.
Fifty minutes fits any Edinburgh day. Three hours plus travel does not fit a short one, and on a tender day it is most of your margin.
The venue is open 10:00 to 20:00 daily, which is more forgiving than most things on this page.
- Time commitment
- 50 minutes, 75 minutes or 3 hours, on the operator’s own durations.
- Getting there
- 354 Castlehill, at the top of the Royal Mile — the same climb as the castle, so pair the two.
- Suits
- Anyone who came for whisky, families on the Silver tour, and rainy afternoons.
- Ship or independent
- Independent. Book direct and pick the length that fits your all-aboard.
Why it’s worth considering
It is the one paid thing here that scales to the time you actually have.
The Silver tour is the rare whisky product a family can do together.
The catch
The two longer tours are 18-plus with ID required — a problem if your party is not.
Three hours and a meal is a committed afternoon on a day that ends with a queue for a tender.
Verify before you book
- Which tour you have actually booked, because the three are very different products
- That everyone in your party is 18 or over for the Gold and the Taste of Scotland
- The departure time against the walk back down the Royal Mile
Free · Chambers Street
The National Museum of Scotland, and the free afternoon
Scotland’s national collection — and it costs nothing.
Dolly the Sheep, the Lewis Chessmen, natural history, design, and a roof terrace with a view over the city.
Open daily 10:00 to 17:00, with charges only for some special exhibitions.
Allow 1.5 to 3 hours, or twenty minutes if the weather turned and you just want a roof.
It is five minutes off the Royal Mile — the obvious pairing with a castle morning.
One thing we are not saying. Scotland’s other national galleries are traditionally free too, but we only checked this one — so this is the only one this page calls free.
- Time commitment
- 1.5 to 3 hours if you work at it; far less if you are sheltering from the wind.
- Getting there
- Chambers Street, a short walk off the Royal Mile. GBP 2.20 on the bus from Leith gets you close.
- Suits
- Families, budget travellers, rainy calls, and anyone whose castle ticket sold out.
- Ship or independent
- Independent, obviously. Nothing free needs a coach.
Why it’s worth considering
It is genuinely good — free entry means it costs you nothing if you only last an hour.
The roof terrace is one of the better views in the city and nobody charges for it.
The catch
It closes at 17:00, which is earlier than a long summer call.
Special exhibitions are charged separately, so the free line has one exception.
Verify before you book
- The 17:00 closing time against a late all-aboard
- Whether the exhibition you came for is one of the charged ones
- Your route back, because Chambers Street is the far side of the Old Town from the tram
Everywhere else on this page argues against the coach. Here it argues for it.
Rosyth is around 15 miles from Edinburgh, on the Fife side — and the welcome team’s own material calls it a busy industrial port.
There is no public transport at the port gate. None.
The independent route is a taxi or ship coach 1 mile to Inverkeithing station, then ScotRail to Waverley in about 26 minutes from GBP 7.40 return, with up to 98 trains a day.
That is cheap, frequent and perfectly doable. It also has two failure points and it eats time at both ends.
The taxi is approximately GBP 10 for four passengers, so for a family it is not the money that decides this — it is whether you want to organise a car back from an industrial gate on a schedule.
The port’s free welcome-team bus, run by staff in purple uniforms, goes to Dunfermline about 15 minutes away and to North Queensferry. It does not go to Edinburgh.
Pre-booked excursions leave directly from the ship’s side — and the terminal has lounge facilities and free WiFi while you wait.
So at Rosyth, buy the transfer or the tour unless you are confident and willing to organise a taxi. That is the one berth here where the coach is buying access, not commentary.
- Time commitment
- About 26 minutes on the train each way, plus a 1-mile road leg nobody publishes a time for.
- Getting there
- Taxi or ship coach to Inverkeithing, then ScotRail. Some ships run a coach to the station.
- Suits
- Anyone at Rosyth who wants Edinburgh, and particularly anyone travelling with children or limited mobility.
- Ship or independent
- Ship, and it is not close. Of the four Edinburgh berths, this is the only one where paying for the all-aboard guarantee actually changes your risk, because there is no public transport at the gate at all.
Why it’s worth considering
The ship waits for its own coach — and from 15 miles away, on the far side of a bridge, that matters.
You are docked at Rosyth, so the weather risk that shapes the anchorages is simply absent here.
The catch
No line publishes a Rosyth transfer price on any source we checked, so you cannot price it from this page.
Dunfermline is 15 minutes away on a free bus and is a genuine alternative. If your call is short, consider not going to Edinburgh at all.
Verify before you book
- Your line’s transfer price against approximately GBP 10 a taxi and GBP 7.40 return on the train
- Whether a ship coach to Inverkeithing station is offered separately from a full tour
- The last train back from Waverley against your all-aboard, with the taxi leg added on top
The city’s own hop-on hop-off, run by Lothian, not a reseller — which matters, because the same company runs the X99 from Hawes Pier.
There are three routes: CitySightseeing Edinburgh with multi-language audio and Horrible Histories for children, the Edinburgh Tour with a live English guide, and the Regal Tour, which is the one that runs down to Leith.
An individual tour ticket is GBP 20 per adult, valid 24 hours from purchase on-site. Grand 24 and Grand 48 tickets cover all three city tours and are sold with 10% off online.
Up to three children travel free with every paying adult or senior on individual tours and on Grand 24, which is the best family arithmetic in this port.
It departs from Stop GG on George Street as of 6 September 2026, having previously left from Waterloo Place. Check that before you walk to the old stop.
The one to ask about is the Royal Edinburgh Ticket: 48 hours of bus tours plus guaranteed entry to Edinburgh Castle, Holyroodhouse and Britannia.
That guaranteed-entry clause is the point — it solves the castle sell-out problem in one purchase.
We cannot tell you what it costs. The operator’s homepage advertises a saving of up to 25%, or GBP 27 per adult, and does not display the price itself — so price it yourself before you assume it beats buying direct.
From Hawes Pier there is a combined X99 and bus tour ticket at GBP 34.00 adult, with accompanied children free on the tours.
- Time commitment
- Individual tickets run 24 hours from purchase on-site; Grand 48 runs 48 hours. A single loop is an afternoon.
- Getting there
- Stop GG on George Street — which is also where the X99 sets down from Hawes Pier.
- Suits
- Families using the three-children-free rule, limited mobility, and anyone whose castle ticket needs guaranteeing.
- Ship or independent
- Independent, booked direct with Lothian. Ship-sold pairings mark up a gate price you can pay yourself.
Why it’s worth considering
The Regal Tour reaches Leith, which most city loops do not.
Three children free per paying adult is a real saving in a city where the castle charges GBP 14.00 a child.
The catch
The Royal Edinburgh Ticket’s headline price is not published on the operator’s homepage, so we have printed none.
A bus loop of a compact city you can walk is a weaker buy here than in a sprawling one. Buy it for the guaranteed entries or for the seat, not for the route.
Verify before you book
- The Royal Edinburgh Ticket’s actual price against GBP 23.50, GBP 22.00 and GBP 23 bought separately
- That you are departing from Stop GG, not the old Waterloo Place stop
- Whether your call is long enough to use a 24-hour ticket for more than one loop
05
Ship tour or on your own, and why the answer changes with the berth
Most ports get one answer to this question. Edinburgh gets four, because Forth Ports runs two docked berths and two anchorages under one city name.
At Leith, independent wins comfortably
You are docked, so there is no weather risk and no tender queue — and the city centre is 3 miles away.
A taxi from the quayside is around GBP 10, a Lothian bus single is GBP 2.20, a tram city single is GBP 2.40 and a City Day covering both is GBP 6.00. A ship tour has to justify itself against that — and for a castle-and-Royal-Mile day it usually cannot.
At Newhaven, independent is easy — once you are ashore
Newhaven is approximately 3 miles out and the tram calls there, so the road half is as cheap as Leith’s.
The difference is that the ship anchors offshore and you tender in, 15 minutes each way plus queues nobody publishes. Build that in — and do not buy a timed entry you cannot move.
At South Queensferry, the transport is excellent and the risk is in the water
The X99 runs non-stop from Hawes Pier to George Street in about 30 minutes, at least every 20 minutes, for GBP 12.50 or GBP 14.00 return depending on which of the operators’ own pages is current. Dalmeny station is approximately 800 metres away with trains to Waverley in 16 to 20 minutes from about GBP 6 return.
On transport alone, independent is the better buy. On risk it is a tender day, not a docked one — and the queue back aboard is the pinch point that produces pier runners.
At Rosyth, the ship’s transfer genuinely earns its price
You are docked, so the weather risk is gone. You are also 15 miles out with no public transport at the port gate at all.
The independent route is a taxi or ship coach 1 mile to Inverkeithing, then a 26-minute train from about GBP 7.40 return. Cheap, and two failure points — so buy the transfer unless you are confident and willing to organise a car.
The rule underneath all four
At a docked berth you can book a timed ticket ashore with reasonable confidence. At an anchorage you cannot — Edinburgh Castle is the case in point. Once online sells out there are no tickets at the gate, and a fixed timeslot does not care that your tender was late.
That rule is not about Edinburgh. It applies at every anchorage on this itinerary — and it is worth carrying with you.
How each option compares in Edinburgh
| Excursion | Lean ship excursion when… | Independent works when… |
|---|
| The Royal Mile and the free city | Almost never — nobody sells the walk itself | Always, from any of the four berths |
|---|
| Edinburgh Castle | Online tickets sold out and the tour includes entry | You booked ahead — GBP 23.50 online, or the GBP 38.00 Flexi on a tender day |
|---|
| The Royal Yacht Britannia | Almost never; it is beside the Leith berth | Always, and especially from Leith at GBP 23 online |
|---|
| Getting in from Rosyth | Usually. 15 miles, no bus at the gate, two connections | You are happy to organise a taxi and a train each way |
|---|
| Getting in from South Queensferry | Only if you want the all-aboard guarantee on a tender day | The X99 runs every 20 minutes for GBP 12.50 to GBP 14.00 return |
|---|
| Getting in from Leith or Newhaven | Rarely — the tram and the bus both do this for GBP 2.40 or GBP 2.20 | Almost always |
|---|
| The Forth bridges by boat | If timing worries you — the ship waits for its own tour | You are at South Queensferry and phone Maid of the Forth for a price |
|---|
| A city bus tour | Rarely — ship pairings mark up a GBP 20 gate price | You want the Regal route to Leith, or three children free per adult |
|---|
Short answer
Find out which of the four berths you have, then buy in this order. Book Edinburgh Castle before you sail — the timed ticket if you are docked at Leith or Rosyth, the GBP 38.00 Flexi if you are anchored off Newhaven or South Queensferry. Take public transport from Leith and Newhaven at GBP 2.20 to GBP 6.00, and the X99 from Hawes Pier at GBP 12.50 to GBP 14.00 return. Buy the ship’s transfer at Rosyth and nowhere else. On either anchorage, treat your ashore time as provisional — that is what an anchorage means.
07
Edinburgh logistics: four berths, the fares and the season
The four berths, and what each one actually is
- LEITH — docked. Two berths, maximum 210 metres length overall, 30 metres beam and 9.7 metres draft, inside an enclosed dock entered through lock gates. 3 miles from the city centre, approximately 2 miles from Edinburgh Castle
- ROSYTH — docked. Two berths, maximum 250 metres length overall and 8.0 metres draft, with an air draft limit of 49.2 metres less the height of tide. Around 15 miles from Edinburgh, no public transport at the port gate
- NEWHAVEN — anchorage. ‘Cruise vessels showing Newhaven will anchor off shore and tender into the harbour.’ 15-minute tender, two tender berths, takes 300-metre-plus ships at up to 11 metres draft, approximately 3 miles from the city centre
- SOUTH QUEENSFERRY — anchorage. Tenders to Hawes Pier, ‘a 10 minute journey under the spans of the bridge’; the facilities note gives 15 minutes. 9 miles from the city centre, and it takes 300-metre-plus ships too
- The planner above assumes the tender case, because two of the four are anchorages and that is the version of this port day that goes wrong
The rule that comes out of that split
At a docked berth — Leith or Rosyth — you can book a timed ticket ashore with reasonable confidence. The ship is tied up and the gangway does not care about the wind.
At an anchorage — Newhaven or South Queensferry — treat every minute ashore as provisional. Keep a wide margin before all-aboard, and avoid non-refundable timed entries far from the pier.
Nobody publishes the sea state at which tender operations stop. Neither Capital Cruising nor the Forth Bridges Cruise Project states a threshold, so there is no number to plan against — only a margin to keep.
Fares, in the operators’ own figures
- Lothian Buses: adult single GBP 2.20, adult DAYticket GBP 5.50, flat across zones A and B. Drivers cannot give change
- Edinburgh Trams: city adult single GBP 2.40, day return GBP 4.60, City Day covering tram and Lothian Buses GBP 6.00. Child 5-15 city single GBP 1.20, city day GBP 3.00
- Airport zone: adult single GBP 7.90, open return GBP 9.50, Network Day GBP 14.00, child airport single GBP 4.00
- Trams run every 7 minutes, first 05:20 from Newhaven and last 23:56, with the airport running 06:30 to 22:52. Tickets must be bought or a smartcard validated before boarding
- Cruiselink X99 from Hawes Pier: GBP 12.50 adult return on Lothian’s March 2025 news page, GBP 14.00 on the Forth Bridges Cruise Project’s 2026 page — bought on boarding, so check the price as you get on
- ScotRail: Dalmeny to Waverley from GBP 6 return, 16 minutes average, up to 51 trains a day. Inverkeithing to Waverley from GBP 7.40 return, 26 minutes average, up to 98 trains a day
- Taxis: Leith to the city centre around GBP 10; Rosyth to the rail station approximately GBP 10 for four passengers. No fare is published for South Queensferry into Edinburgh
- Airlink 100 for anyone flying around the cruise: adult single GBP 5.50, open return GBP 8.00, Network DAYticket GBP 12.50
The journey time we are not printing
Edinburgh Trams publishes frequency and first and last trams, not journey times — and its timetable page was not reachable when we checked.
The only time figures that exist for this corridor are Capital Cruising’s 15 minutes from Leith to the city centre and the Royal Yacht Britannia’s ‘only 20 mins from the city centre’. Neither is a tram timetable, so neither is printed as one.
Turning a frequency into a journey time would manufacture a precision we don’t actually have — so we’re not publishing one.
Money, and the two places it behaves oddly
Pounds sterling. Scotland issues its own banknotes, which are legal currency and accepted throughout Scotland — and cards and contactless are near-universal.
Two exceptions catch cruise passengers. Lothian bus drivers cannot give change, so a cash single needs GBP 2.20 exactly.
The Royal Yacht Britannia is the other one — card or contactless only on the day, with no cash at all.
Tipping around 10% in restaurants where service is not already added is the general norm, and not something we verified from a primary source — so treat it as a custom, not a rule.
The season, the light and the wind
April to October, per Forth Ports, across Leith, Rosyth, Dundee and the Newhaven and South Queensferry anchorages. Lothian ran the 2025 X99 timetable from 7 May to 9 October, which is a fair proxy for when tender calls at South Queensferry cluster.
Edinburgh is far north. Midsummer gives daylight past 22:00; an early-April or late-October call is dark by late afternoon and cold.
On the Forth the variable is wind, not rain. Wind and swell are what suspend tenders at the two anchorages, and a docked call at Leith or Rosyth is unaffected.
Bring a windproof layer whatever the forecast says.
How busy it gets
Forth Ports announced 159 cruise calls across its Scottish facilities for 2026, within approximately 260 Capital Cruising vessel calls and over 450,000 passengers across its UK ports. For 2024 it announced 161 calls and 235,000 passengers on Scotland’s east coast, against 149 vessels in 2023.
No breakdown by berth or anchorage is published — so nobody can tell you the odds of drawing a tender. The full berth picture is in our Edinburgh cruise port guide.
