Royal Yacht Britannia

Britannia was launched in 1953 and served until 1997, covering more than a million nautical miles on around nine hundred and sixty voyages. She was decommissioned rather than replaced and is now moored permanently at Leith as a visitor attraction run by a charitable trust. Five decks are open on a self-guided audio route: the bridge, the state dining room laid for a formal dinner, the drawing room with a grand piano, the sun lounge, the crew's quarters and mess, the engine room with its polished machinery, and a garage on the deck fitted to carry a Rolls-Royce Phantom, loaded through a side opening. The design brief included the requirement that she could be converted to a hospital ship in wartime, which she never was. A 1936 racing yacht is moored alongside as part of the visit.

What you actually see

• The state rooms - dining room laid for a formal dinner and the drawing room.
• The engine room - polished machinery kept as it was in service.
• The Rolls-Royce garage - a deck space fitted to carry a car aboard.
• The crew's quarters - mess decks and cabins shown alongside the state areas.

When to go

Year-round; the ship is indoors and open daily except Christmas. Booking a timed slot avoids queues in summer and during the August festivals, which are the busiest weeks.

Honest expectations

The route involves stairs between decks, though a lift covers most of it. Numbers are high in summer and the narrow corridors bottleneck. The audio guide sets the pace and there is no alternative route. It is a fair distance from the city centre.

Nearby

Leith's shore and restaurants are a short walk; central Edinburgh is twenty minutes by tram.