Is the Edinburgh City Pass 2022 worth it? Edinburgh City Pass review

When looking through the below Edinburgh City Pass prices, you’ll see that you have 3 choices to sort though, each of which offers a child rate and an adult rate. Child rates apply to children that are 5 to 16 years old while children 4 and under get into attractions for free. The prices below are listed in British pounds.

• Adult 1 Day Pass £45, Child 1 Day Pass £20
• Adult 2 Day Pass £55, Child 2 Day Pass £26
• Adult 3 Day Pass £65, Child 3 Day Pass £30

When looking through the above prices, you’ll want to keep in mind that these rates are valid for 2020, and will change next year. Also, no matter what size pass you choose, each one is activated when you visit your first attraction and is valid for consecutive calendar days. This means if you activate your pass on a Friday, then you have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to use it.

>>>Buy the Edinburgh City Pass at the lowest available price

Bright Bus Tours – £10.00

A hop-on hop-off tour, the Bright Bus Tour takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete, but you can get on and off at each sight. Headphones are included so that you can hear a pre-recorded guide. Tours run from 9am to 5pm.

The Edinburgh Dungeon – £17.00

A 70 minute scary but fun tour, The Edinburgh Dungeon is a great attraction for those over the age of 14. During this attraction you’ll learn about roughly 1000 years of Scotland’s history with special effects and thrill rides. Tours start about every 15 minutes, so you’ll have lots of options throughout the day to join in.

Dynamic Earth – £15.95

Great for all ages, Dynamic Earth guides visitors through the powers of nature and offers films throughout the year that explore the focus of nature and its different climates. Interactive displays are a hit here, as well as the 360 degree dome technology in the ShowDome cinema.

Edinburgh Zoo – £19.95

The well reviewed Edinburgh Zoo is home to over 1,000 animals and is fun for the entire family. Here you’ll get to see wallabies, monkeys, lemurs, various species of birds, and many, many more. You’ll also get to take part in the zoo’s daily keeper talks and animal handling sessions. If driving a car, you’ll want to note that there is a parking fee of £4.00 that is not included with the pass.

Nelson Monument – £6.00

A unique design that supposed to look like an upturned telescope, the Nelson Monument was built to celebrate the victory and death of Admiral Lord Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar. The museum at the bottom of the monument houses even more information, making this a very fun way to learn about Scotland’s past.

Hopetoun House and Grounds – £11.50

If you’re a fan of Outlander, then you’ll want to make sure to enjoy the Hopetoun House and Grounds on your itinerary. This location was used in the first 3 seasons of Outlander and is considered to be one of the best examples of 18th century architecture in Britain. Within the 170 acres of property, you’ll find several great nature trails to enjoy.

To make sure that we answer this question completely, we’re going to construct a sample itinerary, which you’ll see directly below. But before we do that, let’s touch on what is included in the pass. Whether you select a 1 day, 2 day, or 3 day pass, you’ll gain access to 23 popular area attractions, a free local guide book that outlines where each attraction is with a map and offers local tips on what to see and do, free airport transfer with a return tram ticket, and special offers on other city experiences.

To find out if you’ll really save money with the Go Edinburgh City Pass, let’s look at the 3 day adult sample itinerary below.

3 Day Adult Edinburgh City Pass

• The Edinburgh Dungeon £17.00
• Bright Bus Tours £10.00
• Edinburgh Zoo £19.95
• Forth Boat Tours £20.00
• Harry Potter Tour £14.50
• Scott Monument Museum £8.00

When totaling the gate fees for each of the attractions listed above, the total comes out to £89.45. The cost of a 3 day adult Edinburgh City Pass is £65. That means that with this particular itinerary, you’ll save £24.45. Though savings will change a bit as each itinerary differs, as long as you visit a few attractions a day, you’ll save quite a bit of money with the pass.

Because all of the attractions and activities included with the pass are popular and well reviewed, we’d say that each and every attraction is worth a visit. You’ll just want to keep in mind that if you’re traveling with young children, there are a few attractions that are not suited to that age group, so you’ll want to skip those or have an adult within your group watch the little ones while you enjoy the attraction. Luckily, there are lots of attractions to choose from, so you shouldn’t have any difficulty finding attractions that everyone can participate in and enjoy.

Because the Edinburgh City Pass is presented on a daily basis instead of a number of attractions basis, you can visit as many attractions as possible each and every day of your chosen path length. So, in order to get the most out of your pass, and save the most amount of money, you’ll want to try to visit a few attractions each day. If you only visit one attraction a day, you’ll either not save any money, or at least very little. Also, because you’ll receive a detailed guide with each pass purchase, and the fact that you don’t have to pick your attractions until you activate your pass at the first attraction, you’ll want to research each attraction before your visit. If you don’t and end up visiting an attraction not suitable for children while you have kids in tow, you’ll have to then turn around and decide on another attraction, which will use up some time and limit the number of attractions you can visit that day.

The Edinburgh City Pass is a great way to save money while visiting the city of Edinburgh. With a choice of either a 1 day, 2 day, or 3 day pass, available both to children and adults, you’ll really get to customize a short trip here. And because there are so many attractions and activities to choose from, 23 in total, if you’re traveling with a group or family, you shouldn’t have any problem finding a mixture of attractions that appeal to everyone. With that in mind, there are a few attractions that aren’t suitable for young kids, which will be outlined in the pass guide that you’ll receive with each pass purchased.

>>>Buy the Edinburgh City Pass at the lowest available price

After purchasing your pass or passes through the link above, you’ll then get to choose either a digital pass or a physical pass. If you select a digital pass, it will be instantly emailed to you whereas if you select a physical pass, it will be mailed out to you with an additional cost of £2.50. It generally takes about 5 days for deliveries within the UK and 10 days for international deliveries.

Photos from Flickr users barnyz, Chris Yunker, James F Clay, Terry Madeley, and mattlucht.