Edinburgh Military Tattoo Tours

Experience one of the greatest shows on earth - the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on one of 77 multi-day journeys through Scotland. The Edinburgh Military Tattoo is set against the iconic backdrop of Edinburgh Castle and takes place annually during the month of August as part of the Edinburgh Festival.

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Featured Operators Featured Operators

Albatross
"At Albatross Tours, we are all about ‘creating remarkable memories that last a lifetime’. We genuinely set out to create unique, immersive, European regional more touring experiences to satisfy and delight our travellers.

The one aspect that everyone loves about us, is that we pace our itineraries so well. Our longer stays of 2, 3, 4 and even 5-night stopovers in each destination means you will get quality “My Time” to explore and experience hidden delights at your own pace. It’s all about balance…

Something else we know you will love is that our tours are genuinely inclusive, from feature dinners to scheduled attractions, everything really is included in the upfront price – so you can forget about ‘optional’ expenses. Even tips for your tour manager and driver are covered.

Lastly, our European Summer holidays have group sizes of just 10 to 28 fellow travelers, all on a full-sized luxury coach which means you will travel in style and comfort for your entire journey. Come share our love of Europe!"
Tours Tours1
Budget:Premium
Accommodation:4-5 Star
Abercrombie & Kent
Abercrombie & Kent, the world's premier luxury travel company, has been at the forefront of immersive, experiential travel for over six decades. Founded more as a luxury safari operator in Africa, A&K now offers an array of luxury touring experiences and cruises across the globe. What sets us apart is our ability to control every aspect of your holiday experience, thanks to our extensive global network of over 60 offices and portfolio of cruise ships, luxury lodges, and tented camps.

Specialising in intimate small group journeys with an average group size of 12 guests, when you travel with us you can trust that you will be expertly taken care of every step of the way. From Morocco to Madagascar, Lima to London – experiencing the world with A&K will be a holiday to be treasured forever.
Tours Tours1
Budget:Luxury
Accommodation:4.5 - 5 Star
Cosmos
At Cosmos, we like to think of ourselves as experts in ‘thrillology’ – the art of bringing you an experience, time and time again. With over 50 years of more ‘wow’ under our belts and no sign of slowing down, we know how to curate value touring holidays that you’ll never forget; creating the experiences you’ve always dreamed of and showing you the ones, you never thought of. Our job is to take care of the planning and logistics, so that all you have to focus on is living your dreams!
Tours Tours6
Budget:Affordable
Accommodation:3 - 3.5 Star

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Modern Meets Tradition Since 1950 Modern Meets Tradition Since 1950
Pairing military tradition with contemporary music, the Tattoo has something for everyone. What many maybe don’t know, is that since it's inception, the Tattoo has always included cutting edge music from the time.
No Year Is The Same No Year Is The Same
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo celebrates musicians and performers from all around the world and the event's themes change every year so each Tattoo is different from the previous one. The regular Scottish and British read more regiments vary their musical and drill performances from year to year, and there are different guest regiments from various different countries.
Who Doesn't Like Fireworks! Who Doesn't Like Fireworks!
Other than musical performances, with marches and other military ceremonies, you can also expect several spectacular firework displays at the tattoo throughout August! Friday & late night Saturday performances often offer read more an enhanced fireworks displays.

Latest Reviews

What our clients are saying about their Edinburgh Military Tattoo experiences
Scotland Country Roads Country Roads of Scotland , NS, Canada, May 2026
This was a very good bus trip, and we particularly enjoyed travelling by ferry to the Orkney Islands. It is something not normally included in many Scotland trips. The sites there- Italian Chapel, Ring of Brogdar, Skara Brae and Skaile House were particularly interesting. Ethan Battison helped us tremendously in planning this trip and we highly recommend him.
Costsaver 15 Day Britain and Ireland tour Britain and Ireland Experience , SA, Australia, May 2026
Thanks to Tracy for looking after our booking with the Middle East conflict affecting the uncertainty of the tour. We had a great tour with only 20 people on our tour with plenty of room on the bus. The downside was having 20 on board some elected not to rotate with nothing being inforced. We had great commentary from our tour director Simmone of the read more history of the UK. Some of the optional tours were a bit expensive due to our dollar compared to the English pound and Euro. We had a record heat wave for May in the UK with only 2 days we had rain for half an hour on our optional walking tours which we accepted. The accommodation was good apart from Treacy's in Waterford being an Irish Pub. A couple of hotel meals were an inconvenience due to the hotels booking out dinners and the the hotels being out of town was not acceptable and treated as such. More time in Dublin would have been nice as we only had time to go to the Guiness factory with 8 of us doing the tour on our own which should have been part of the optional tours. If you want to see the UK Costsaver 15 day Britain and Ireland experience is worth considering.
The British Isles indepth The British Isles in Depth , NSW, Australia, May 2026
A fantastic journey through England, Scotland, Nth Ireland, Ireland & Wales. For taste of everything this trip delivered, seeing some amazing places, although limited in time you still get a chance to wander through and take in the history and architecture. Lucky to have had a great group throughout this journey. Tour guide was good. Bus was comfortable read more and the driver/s were always cheerful and helpful. Generally the accommodation was pleasant. The extra excursions that were offered, well worth it. It was a great experience, seeing so much in the time frame.
18-day grand tour of Britian and Ireland starting on 2/5/2026 Grand Tour of Britain & Ireland , QLD, Australia, May 2026
The whole trip was a highlight for us. The accommodation at hotels was verry good, we would recommend this trip at this time of the year for other travelers. The weather was sunny for most days with very little rain. Our bus driver Joe was exceptional, professional and well dressed. We had mobility issues and he went out of his way to assist us particularly read more with luggage. Last but certainly not least was Peita our tour guide. His knowledge of all the places we travelled to and in-between was fantastic. We would also like to thank Hannah Perry from Global Journey for her excellent advice and professionalism. With thanks, John and Jan.
Ireland & Scotland Highlights of Ireland & Scotland , NSW, Australia, Oct 2025
Again Global Journeys and Grace thank you for all travel assistance. Trip was amazing what beautiful countries to explore & through Cosmos a breeze. Loved every minute. Put on your bucket list. Will definitely recommend trip to everyone
Thanks 😀
Trip to Ireland and Scotland Highlights of Ireland & Scotland , NSW, Australia, Oct 2025
My tour departed on 24 October. There are 46 in our group (too big for my liking). In Ireland it rained nearly everyday so probably should pick an early departure date. In Scotland the drive was a really scenic drive with trees with yellow leaves on both sides of the roads. It rained less in Scotland. Booking with Hannah is so easy and she is such read more an efficient and professional agent. I will book with her again.

The only downside is I don't like our tour guide Kathryn Dolan because she accused me of taking one token (1 pound) from her for the bus ride(at Giant of the Causeway), which I didn't because I was waiting for her to buy the return tickets for me. For this incident she didn't apologize to me. More than 19 people from our group were on the bus. They must have all heard the conversation. I think I have travelled more than 15 tours with Cosmos. I think this is the last tour with Cosmos. She is the second tour guide that I didn't give her tips to in my more than 15 years of travel time. Her 1 pound mistake made her lose 72 pounds tips from me and I wonder how many of my tour mates will give her tips and I purposely gave the tips to the driver in front of her face, and she didn't give me the after tour feedback form that I normally get. (GJ: Ouch!)

FAQ's

Common questions about The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
When does the Edinburgh Tattoo perform?

Annually, during the of the  month of August as part of the Edinburgh International Festival.

Are tickets to Edinburgh Tattoo included in our tour price?

Yes. Some of the more affordable trips offer tickets to the Military Tattoo as an optional excursion, but the majority include tickets to the event. Departure prices for journeys that pass through Edinburgh during August are slightly more expensive, and the inclusions for each trip will spelt out in the itinerary if the Edinburgh Tattoo is included.

What happens if it rains at the Edinburgh Tattoo?

Embrace the rain! There's no cover at the arena, however no performance of the Tattoo has ever been cancelled. In the event of inclement weather, rapmacs are available for purchase from the souvenir kiosk on the Castle Esplanade. Umbrellas are not permitted.

Are there fireworks every night at the Edinburgh Tattoo?

The show's big bangs and fireworks display thunder across Edinburgh each night, particularly on Fridays and Saturdays when the Tattoo holds an extended fireworks display.

What should we wear?

Lots of layers! It may be August, but dress as if you are going out to play in the snow. This means hats, scarves and gloves too.