Royal Yacht Britannia Reviews (Edinburgh, Scotland)

One of Edinburgh's must see attractions!

Belfast, United Kingdom

August 19, 2010

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Whilst on a weekend break in Edinburgh recently, we took the opportunity of visiting the Royal Yacht Britannia, a very popular attraction for visitors to see just outside the main city of Edinburgh in Leith. The Royal Britannia is very easy to ...Read more Whilst on a weekend break in Edinburgh recently, we took the opportunity of visiting the Royal Yacht Britannia, a very popular attraction for visitors to see just outside the main city of Edinburgh in Leith.

The Royal Britannia is very easy to find, and you can reach it either by car or by bus. We had a car, so we chose to follow the Brown and White tourist signs to the attraction. The entrance to the Britannia is actually part of a shopping complex, but if you follow the signs for the blue car park, and park at level 5, this will bring you out at the floor of the entrance to Britannia. The car parking is free - a real bonus!!

The tickets to Britannia are on the pricey side, with an adult ticket costing £10.50, with reductions for senior citizens, families and children. Students and military also have reduced fares of £9.00. If however, you have tesco clubcard vouchers, you can use their website, to exchange £5 worth of tesco vouchers to £20 of Britannia tickets, like we did, making it only a £1 for us to enter this attraction - excellent value, and really worth considering if you shop at Tesco supermarket and receive their tokens.

Britannia is open all year round, with the exception of Christmas and New Year's Day, although opening times change depending on the season, and it is worth checking ahead to see these, depending on your time of travel. It is also advisable, especially if you are visiting in the peak summer season to be there when it opens, as it gets very busy very very quickly. We arrived very early, and we were so glad, because when we were leaving the ship was crammed.

Once you go through the ticket desk, you can walk aroundvery interesting information boards, which tell you some of the history of the Royal Yacht, as well as photographs, some signed, of the Royal family and their various visits on the Royal Britannia. I have to say I stood and read each of the boards fully as it was very interesting - much more so than I had anticipated.

You will then come to another desk, where when you show your ticket, you will be able to pick up a hand held audio guide which is available in a huge amount of languages. These are very easy to work, and every aspect of the ship is labelled with the number you put into your audio guide which will then tell you the history or more information about the area of the ship you are standing in.

The whole attraction is superbly laid out. You follow the guided route the entire way round, and for every deck of the ship, you come back inside to either walk down the next flight of stairs or take the lift. It is very well catered for people with disabilities, and for those who find climbing steps more difficult.

You will see numerous things on the boat, including the officer's areas, the Queen and the Duke's private bedrooms and studies, as well as their drawing room, dining room, kitchens etc etc. Those who are interested in royalty will be in their element, however that's not to say that you need to know much or be a fan of the Royal Family to enjoy the attraction.

After a short time exploring you can stop off at the Royal Tea Room on the boat itself, which looks out across the sea. This is a lovely place to stop off, and the waiter service is excellent, as was the tea and scones we were served. It is a must on the trip - especially is you want to feel like royalty.

All in all, whether you like royalty or not, this is still a magnificient attraction to visit in Edinburgh, and ideal for all the family. You will certainly not be bored along the way, and the information that you receive through the audio if useful, very interesting and very easy to listen to, with facts and anecdotes about events aboard the yacht. Excellent attraction! Close

The Royal Yacht Britannia

by Drever

Ayr, Scotland, United Kingdom

April 26, 2007

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Best of IgoUgo The Royal Yacht Britannia launched at John Brown's Shipyard in Clydebank in 1953, and served Queen and country for 44 years on 968 official voyages. She now bobs in serene retirement in the historic port of Leith, allowing visitors such as I to step ...Read more The Royal Yacht Britannia launched at John Brown's Shipyard in Clydebank in 1953, and served Queen and country for 44 years on 968 official voyages. She now bobs in serene retirement in the historic port of Leith, allowing visitors such as I to step on-board to enjoy the Britannia experience. Tours begin in the Visitor Centre on the second floor of the Ocean Terminal building where you receive an audio-guide.

On board, hundreds of original items are on display, including prints, paintings, the baby grand piano, furniture, silverware, and gifts given to The Queen from nations around the world.

At the Royal Apartments, we learn that the Queen and Prince Phillip had separate rooms on board though connected by an adjoining door. Philip’s is more masculine. The rooms themselves are small but airy. The Queen and Prince Phillip's offices are also different in style with his less fussy.

The Sun Lounge on the Shelter Deck was one of The Queen's favourite spaces. Fitted out in teak, it had a feel of warmth and airiness. It offered privacy and here, Her Majesty liked to take breakfast and afternoon tea while enjoying spectacular views through the large picture windows.

The Drawing Room, with its chintz-covered sofas, deep armchairs, and luxurious Persian rugs, witnessed both official functions and private entertaining. Princess Diana, Princess Margaret, and Princess Alexandra liked to play the baby grand piano, which sits in the corner.

The State Dining Room is the largest and grandest room on board and witnessed spectacular banquets while playing host to the rich, the famous, and the powerful. It took three hours to set the 56 places for a state banquet. Measurement using a ruler determined the position of every knife, fork, and spoon. We viewed it laid for dinner with cutlery and glassware sparkling. Now, corporations can hire the State Dining Room to entertain important clients and receive the same meticulous attention to detail.

Britannia's nerve centre was the 1950s Bridge. From here, the officers navigated, issued orders, kept the logbooks, and planned and plotted every mile of the ship's progress.

The gleaming Engine Room is a testament to 1950s British marine engineering. The two pairs of high- and low-pressure steam turbine engines carried Britannia over one million miles. The Sickbay and Operating Theatre, with their original 1950s fittings, have a stark and slightly ominous appearance; Britannia doubled as a hospital ship in wartime. The original crew’s NAAFI shop now serves as a sweetshop where visitors can buy fudge made in the ship's galley, and other traditional sweets.

Britannia carried a royal car for use in countries where official cars were hard to find. The royal barge lies to the side of the yacht.

At the end of your tour, you hand back your audio guide and pass through the Britannia Gift Shop. It took us 1.5 hours to complete the tour.

Visiting Britannia it is worth the entrance fee: Adults: £9, Senior: £7, Students: £5, Children: £5, Family ticket: £25 Close

From journal Leith and district – sail, steam & flight

Royal Yacht Britannia

by Kate06

Union, New Jersey

January 1, 2006

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You can visit the Royal Yacht Britannia and take a self-guided audio tour. Before going aboard the Royal Yacht, you can read about the life of the royal family and view photographs, uniforms, and special collections of the family. The rooms aboard ...Read more

From journal December in Scotland

Royal Yacht Britainnia

by panda2

California, California

July 12, 2003

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Visit the Royal Yacht Britannia and explore it through displays, exhibits, photographs, and a tour with the audio wand. There are five decks of the ship available to walk around to view, including the royal apartments, sun lounge, royal bedrooms, ...Read more

From journal EDI

Royal Yacht Britannia

by stevepage

dundee, United Kingdom

July 12, 2002

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Entry costs £7.75, visitor centre for the yacht which conveyed the royal family on its trips around the globe, tours are self led and very busy in the high season so book ahead.

From journal Out and about in Edinburgh

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Royal Yacht Britannia

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One of Edinburgh's must see attractions!

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