Royal Yacht Britannia, Edinburgh

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Tread the decks Princess Diana trod, see pictures of Royalty, see the Queen's Bedroom... You go to Ocean Terminal and go to the top floor, pay your money and pick up an audio baton in the language of your choice. You then press the appropriate buttons when you reach the numbered plaques around the ship.

I felt very proud to be British when I visited the Yacht.... it was a symbol of our country abroad. I liked all the history and the stories about the boat. The funny thing is that it is not as luxurious as I would have expected it to be, very low key and austere for a Royal Yacht. The old fashioned communcation system was like something from WW2, but of course the boat was built just after that. Technology was not like it is today.

If you are feeling like doing something a bit special, you can hold corporate events on the ship. The Kitchens are still working kitchens!

You can get 10% off the ticket by printing the discount voucher on the website.

My interest in things royal continues. Strange because I am a republican! Anyway, really enjoyed my tour of the royal yacht. Very interesting to see the luxurious surroundings in which the royals travelled and to compare it with the somewhat more spartan quarters of the crew.

This is such an activity that you don't want to miss. How often can you board the Queens Royal Yacht?

Well, it is out of commission now, but you certainly can tour it.

Tickets can be purchased at the Oceanside Mall and boarding takes place there.

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The ship was the Queen's private yacht until "retired" a few years back. Its a floating palace.

I was sceptical about going (being a fervent republican etc) but I enjoyed it and its well worth seeing (but expensive - £10 per head). I suppose it will be high maintenance.

It takes 2 hours max to get round.

For more info, please have a look at my Leith-pages...
Edinburgh was successful in its bid to become Britannia's new home. She is now owned by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, a charitable organisation whose sole remit is the maintenance of Britannia in keeping with her former role. Britannia is now permanently moored in Edinburgh's historic port of Leith and visitors can step on board the ship that was once home to the world's most famous family.

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In Leith is a new shopping mall located, Ocean terminal, next to it the Brittania is docker after it was discarded by the Queen.
I made a tour on the ship. You get some sort of phone (in most languages) and this gives you the information.

All in all it didnt give me the impression this was a royal yacht. It was very outdated and in my opinion not at all luxurious. It was big for sure so there was plenty of space.
I think this is more for the Brittish who are way more connected with the Royal family and have more knowledge of this boat.

Britannia was used by the Royal Family for state visits, holidays and honeymoons. Built in the 1950s on the river Clyde in Glasgow, she was decommissioned in the late 1990s and docked in Leith (a controversial and decidedly unpopular decision with Edinburgh's Glasgewian rivals) for visits by the public. Entry to the yacht/ship is via a large shopping mall, and the audio tour is quite informative. The (inevitable) souvenir shop is full of royal memorabilia.

After serving the royal family for over 40 years the yacht retired and is now resting at the Ocean Terminal, Leith, Edinburgh. The yacht is open to the public from 10:00-3:30 in winter and 9:30-4:30 in summer.
Tour the yacht with a selfguided audiotour . This tour is availlable in 7 languages: english, french, german,dutch, italian, spanish and japanese.
There is also a visitor centre and shop.
In the Ocean terminal is a huge shopping centre in which you can easily spend the rest of the day.

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This is well worth a visit a pit expensive to go round but worth it.
The Royal yacht is the only ship with a garages ant the Rolls Royce Phantam is still in its garage.
It is surounded by a new shopping centre with a car park also.

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Ths ship was launched at John Brown's Shipyard in Clydebank in 1953. She served the Royal Family for 44 years, on 968 voyages all over the world. Decommissioned in 1997, she is now on public display. If you want to know about Britain's royals, this is a must-see.