HMY Britannia Museum

Address: HMY Britannia, Ocean Terminal, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland (EH6 6JJ)

Website: https://www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk/

Hours: Daily (hours vary seasonally; check official site)

Admission: Paid admission (adult ticket; check official site for current price)

HMY Britannia is the former Royal Yacht of the British royal family, now preserved as a museum ship in Leith, Edinburgh. The vessel served the royal family for over four decades and is open as a historic ship and exhibition.

Exhibits cover the yacht’s role in royal voyages, official receptions and state visits, with preserved state rooms, crew quarters and machinery spaces on public display. The ship demonstrates mid-20th-century naval design for a royal yacht and includes interpretive material on its operational history.

Built and launched in the early 1950s and decommissioned in 1997, the yacht carried members of the royal family on diplomatic and private voyages worldwide. After decommissioning it was permanently berthed as a museum and visitor attraction in Scotland.

The ship is moored at Ocean Terminal in Leith, on the Firth of Forth, close to central Edinburgh and accessible by public transport.

• Visitor experience: Audio-guided tours are available that explain the vessel’s state rooms, machinery spaces and royal apartments; visitor flows are organised by deck level.

HMY Britannia is berthed at Ocean Terminal in Leith, Edinburgh. From Edinburgh city centre it’s about 3-4 km north of Princes Street - roughly a 10-15 minute taxi ride or 25-40 minute walk depending on start point.

Public transport: Lothian Buses serve Leith and Ocean Terminal (look for buses to Leith/Ocean Terminal) with stops adjacent to the terminal; once at Ocean Terminal the Royal Yacht is immediately beside the shopping/terminal complex.

• Get there early or mid‑afternoon to avoid peak visitor flows from Ocean Terminal and cruise groups; weekdays are noticeably quieter than weekends.
• Enter via Ocean Terminal (the yacht is berthed alongside the shopping complex) and combine the visit with a short walk along Leith's waterfront to see the yacht from different external viewpoints.
• Book tickets online to reduce waiting time and spend time on the less crowded areas such as the crew's quarters and engine spaces, which are frequently faster to explore than the main state rooms.