Return to the Royal Yacht Britannia!

It has been a few years since we last wrote about the Royal Yacht Britannia and we were due to visit again- especially as they have a whole new Visitor Centre Exhibition. To add an extra special touch to this rediscovery of Britannia is that our visit was at the beginning of December with the ship beautifully adorned with decorations for the holidays. So, join us as we continue our celebration of the festive season as we once again step onboard the Royal Yacht Britannia!

Easily reached from the Edinburgh city centre via tram or bus, the Royal Yacht Britannia is located at Ocean Terminal shopping centre in Leith. As you enter the building, just follow the well-marked signage up the escalators until you get to the top floor.

As soon as you purchase your tickets, you enter the new Visitor Centre Exhibition with fascinating artefacts and stunning visuals on display. Be sure to take your time as you walk through because there is so much information about the history of Britannia.

The picture of Queen Elizabeth brushing away a tear at the decommissioning of the Royal Yacht Britannia was quite moving.

You also learn a bit about how and why it came to Leith.

Of course, this visit to Britannia had a slightly different tone as it was the first time we had visited since the Queen had passed away and she was succeeded by her son, King Charles.

Now, don’t let our Golden Retriever tour guides, Walter and Arthur, know this, but we were guided by some other celebrity canines for this journey. As many of you know, the late Queen famously had Corgis, and Britannia has decorated the ship with adorable Corgi stuffies dressed for the holidays. So, be sure to be on the lookout for them throughout this ‘explore and discover’ mission.

We know that Scotland gets a bad reputation for rain but be assured that there are sunny days. While they are few and far between in the winter, when it comes out, it is glorious. We were fortunate to have sunny conditions on the day we visited Britannia and enjoyed a beautiful sunset as we made our way from the top to bottom decks.

Walking through the interior of Britannia, you can understand just how many moving parts are involved in maintaining such a large ship. Fortunately, the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, the charity that now owns and operates Britannia, has a dedicated maintenance team.

Britannia is much larger than most people realise, and we certainly worked up an appetite during this visit. Therefore, it didn’t take much convincing for us to stop and get lunch at the Royal Deck Tearoom. The food was delicious (their Signature Platter is pictured below) and reasonably priced.

Britannia is also the only royal yacht in the world available for exclusive use for hire. Can you imagine hosting your party in the same State Dining Room where Queen Elizabeth and other heads of state once dined?

The Christmas decorations situated throughout Britannia are a perfect way to help you get in the holiday spirit:

If you are looking for some last-minute gift ideas, there are some adorable Christmas/winter items for sale in the gift shop. Of course, they have a wide variety of non-holiday keepsakes as well.

We hope you have enjoyed this wee exploration of the Royal Yacht Britannia! If you are in Edinburgh, we highly recommend that you take the time to head to the historic Leith shore and step onboard this incredible piece of floating history! Be sure to check out their website for more information on how you can you plan your visit.

Additionally, if you appreciated being guided around by Santa Corgis, why not let one of our adorable Golden Retriever tour guides show you around Edinburgh on one of our award-winning walking tours? Our human tour guide, Sami, is often accompanied by our older Golden, Walter, and his younger Golden brother, Arthur, is currently in training. We’re also pleased to let you know that all our tours are dog-friendly, so your canine family members can join as well. You can visit our website for more information on how to book this unique experience.

Until next time- Explore & Discover!