Extra days in Edinburgh
Hi fellow travelers
We are taking this tour mid September and I was hoping to get some suggestions as to what else to do in Edinburgh after the tour ends. We are staying extra 2 days and I would like to cover all the other highlights the tour misses. Also, during the day tour that Tauck offers do we go inside the Castle or just drive by it?
TIA for all the recommendations
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I wrote a review of the tour from our Jun 2023 trip including what we did on our extra days.
will look it up, thank you
Claudia,
Do you remember if you got to go inside the Edinburgh Castle and see the exhibits or did you just stopped in front of it. Our tour in Madrid skipped inside visits to the Palace so we had to go back
We had a guided tour within the walls then time to explore the interior buildings on our own. That includes where the crown jewels are housed. We were on our own after the guided tour.
Thank you
On ESW years ago we couldn't access much of the castle since it was still an active military facility and barracks. We saw the small chapel then stood in a slow moving line to pass through a few rooms and displays before seeing the less-than-impressive crown jewels.
Visit Craigmillar castle and Rosslyn Chapel. You can get to both via the Lothian bus.
I enjoyed seeing the royal yacht Britannia (about 20 minutes from downtown by bus) then had tea in their lunchroom. A great way to spend a few hours.
Ah yes Smarks, we really enjoyed Britannia! When I was last in Edinburgh in 2018, I never even got to the castle which I had not been to since about 1976. It was during the Fringe festival, and we really enjoyed all the crowds and street theater. By the time we decided to go up to the castle, the access was closed off, I guess ready for the Tattoo. We did go to the Edinburgh tattoo. We went to Holyrood house which I loved and the Botanic gardens. As castles go, to me, Edinburgh castle is nothing special.
The main draw of Edinburgh castle for me is the views around the city. You get much more of an interior tour at Stirling.
The tram is the best way to get to Britannia now. The line was extended that far last summer.
Many years ago we went to Scotland with a different company. We took a train to St.Andrews on our own and really enjoyed our time there.
Thanks everyone. Looking forward to the trip
Hi, everyone, I'm taking this tour starting a day early, departing Sept. 27. Any suggestions as to how much cash (pounds) to bring along? I will have 2 credit cards (AMEX and VISA). I understand that some tips will be appropriate. Thanks.
All tips are paid for except driver and tour director. You will need cash for them, recommended amounts $12 a day each person for the tour director and $8 pp or the bus driver.
Regarding tipping for the bus driver and tour director, my "math" based on $12 USD/day and $8 USD/day is about 70 Pounds for the director and 45 pounds for the bus driver. Does that sound right?
Depends on the exchange rate on the day. It’s changing quite a bit at present
That’s pretty lucrative! $ 12.00 x 12 days times 44 people assuming a full bus equals $ 6,864.00 for the tour director.
And $ 8.00 x 12 days x 44 people equals $ 4,224.00 for the bus driver..
Including room and board.
The average weekly UK salary is about £ 689.00 = US$ 618.00
Just my musings !
Not all Tauck tours have that many people and whereas pre-pandemic, Tauck always paid their tour directors more money for leading the small group tours, they don’t anymore
80% of what a TD earns is from tips. They don’t work all year in some cases and are away from friends and family and on call 24/7 while on tour. I’m fine with the amour of tip but hate having to carry around that amount of money in cash.
Cathy. I think you would love to see the Royal Yacht Britannia and Holyrood house over the castle tour, what do others who have been to these think?