We are going to be visiting our daughter this April in Stirling Scotland. We will be spending a day in Edinburgh, a day in Stirling area, and a day around Inverness. We will also be spending a day and a half in London. We think we can save money by getting a pass but can't figure out which pass to get. Places we want to see include Edinburgh Castle, sites on the Royal Mile, Stirling Castle, Culloden, Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness. In London we wanted to do the Eye, a double decker bus tour, the Tower, Westminster Abbey, and Churchill's Bunker. Does anyone know of a comparison of passes or have any advice? Thank you in advance.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
First a number of these properties are Historic Scotland. http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/ Check the website to compare individual prices vs the different prices that they offer. Historic Scotland includes Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle (and nearby Argyll's lodging), and Urquhart Castle. Culloden is the National Trust for Scotland. http://www.nts.org.uk/Home/ (BTW the Bannockburn Battlefield is also an NTS property. I heard that they just redid their visitor center.) All of these are terrific sites and well worth the time and money. The visitor centers are excellent. Stirling's Renaissance Palace was just reopened after a lengthy restoration. I can hardly wait to see what they did. Most of the other sites on the Royal Mile have their own entrance fees. Holyrood Abbey is Historic Scotland, but the palace is a Royal Property and so is separate. Historic Scotland has other sites near Edinburgh. Check their website. You can do it by geography. I'm going to leave the London section to the London experts. ; ) I did buy a membership in Historic Scotland a number of years ago which gets you into all sites. I like it because I get a magazine from them four times a year. That's how I know about Stirling's restorations. You might want to look at that option as well. Pam
Posted by
Fredericksburg, TX, USA
74 posts
We got the Historic Scotland pass mainly to be able to skip the line at Edinburgh Castle and to enter Urquhardt Castle and it was worth it. Our friends waited in line for 45 min. to get their tickets. With the pass, I also recommend Craigmillar Castle on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The ruin is huge and well preserved. It is just a few bus stops past the Dalkeith Rd. B and Bs recommended by Rick. Another great ruin we saw with the pass was Linlithgow Palace. It is situated on a loch with a great view from the highest tower. I think you can get the train from Edinburgh, but we stopped there right out of the airport when we arrived. The Four Marys pub in Linlithgow is a good lunch place. We definitely got our moneys worth from the two week pass.
Posted by
Tuscaloosa, AL
1152 posts
Skip the London Pass. We didn't find it useful. I think it would only help with the Tower in your schedule. I'd do it a la carte just in case you run out of time with only 1-1/2 days to spend in London. The Eye is somewhat overrated. The Tower, Westminster Abbey, and Churchill's Bunker were worth the visit, at least to me. There is a standard city bus route that does a circle of most sites that interest visitors. (Can't remember offhand which it was. I'll look it up and post it later.) If you can supply your own narrative, that would be cheaper than the guided bus tour.