Royal Yacht Britannia

Over het museum

Britannia was launched on 16 April 1953 at the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank. For more than 44 years she served as the floating residence of Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family, sailing over a million nautical miles on state visits, official receptions, honeymoons and family holidays, and carrying a crew of around 220 Royal Yachtsmen.

The yacht was decommissioned in Portsmouth on 11 December 1997. Edinburgh was soon chosen as her new home, and Britannia opened to the public on 19 October 1998, berthed beside the Ocean Terminal shopping centre in the Port of Leith. She is now looked after by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, a Scottish charity, and is preserved much as she was in royal service.

Visitors tour the five decks with commentary, from the Bridge and the State Apartments, including the State Drawing Room and Dining Room, to the crew's quarters and the Engine Room, and can take tea in the Royal Deck Tearoom. A new visitor centre on the second floor of Ocean Terminal opened in May 2025.

Hoogtepunten

• The Bridge, from where the yacht was commanded
• State Apartments, including the State Drawing Room and State Dining Room
• Queen Elizabeth II's favourite room aboard
• Crew's quarters and the gleaming Engine Room
• Royal Sailing Exhibition
• Royal Deck Tearoom with views over the waterfront

Vaste collectie

• State Apartments – The rooms where the royal family relaxed and entertained, including the State Drawing Room and the State Dining Room.
• Crew's Quarters and Engine Room – The working areas below decks where the Royal Yachtsmen lived and worked, ending in the engine room.
• Royal Sailing Exhibition – An exhibition on the royal family and sailing, which forms part of the tour.

Opgericht

1998

Beheerder

The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices for April to October 2026: adult £23 online in advance, £25 on the day. From November 2026 to March 2027 the adult price is £22 online, £24 on the day and £26 for a flexible ticket. Standard tickets include the commentary in 42 versions and a free annual pass for 12 months. Residents with an Edinburgh (EH) postcode get a 2-for-1 offer at the ticket desk. Discounts are also listed for NHS staff and Blue Light Card holders, and ASVA card holders enter free.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal
• Audiodescriptie

VisitScotland classes Britannia as Category 1 for wheelchair access without assistance. The five decks are reached by lifts and ramps from the visitor centre on the second floor of Ocean Terminal, but wheelchairs must be no wider than 670 mm to see the whole tour, and the tour is not suitable for Shopmobility electric wheelchairs; mobility scooters may not fit. Five wheelchairs can be borrowed free at the ticket desk. Seating is provided along the route. Dedicated disabled parking is on levels C and E of the Ocean Terminal car park. Guide, hearing and other assistance dogs are welcome. The commentary is also available as an English-language audio tour for visitors with a visual impairment, in Braille, in plain English, and with British and American Sign Language on tablets; the staff are trained in dementia awareness.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk
• Verschoonruimte

A children’s version of the tour commentary is included. Buggies are welcome on board, except for the widest double buggies (maximum width 670 mm). Baby changing facilities are in the visitor centre and on board, and there are parent and child parking bays on levels A, C and E of the car park.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The entrance to the tour is on the second floor of Ocean Terminal. The satnav postcode is EH6 6JJ. Taxis drop off outside the shopping centre, and cyclists can follow the traffic-free Water of Leith path to bike racks outside.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant: niet aanwezig
• Museumwinkel
• Garderobe

The Royal Deck Tearoom is on the tour route (soups, sandwiches, cakes and scones, first come first served, admission ticket needed). Luggage can be left at the Handset Desk. The shop sells souvenirs and royal gifts, and the NAAFI on board is open from 10:45 to 17:00 from April to October. The Fingal Hotel, a floating hotel ship owned by the same trust and a 5–10 minute walk away, has the Lighthouse Restaurant.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Privéfeesten
• Zakelijke evenementen

The yacht can be hired for exclusive evening events, drinks receptions, private tours and seasonal dinners.

Je bezoek plannen