Edinburgh’s Royal Yacht Britannia to open ‘world-class’ visitor centre and gift shop

The visitor centre will incorporate a newly developed exhibition that tells Britannia’s story from the build of the last Royal Yacht in John Brown's Shipyard to the ship's new life as a five-star visitor attraction.

The Royal Yacht Britannia was in the service of Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family for over 40 years, sailing over a million nautical miles around the world, calling at more than 600 ports in 128 countries. Situated in Edinburgh's historic Port of Leith, Britannia attracts around 350,000 people from across the world every year.

Edinburgh’s Royal Yacht Britannia is set to open a new visitor centre next year | Marc Millar

The tourist attraction will also open a new gift shop which staff say will ‘be a cornucopia of Royal and heritage gifts’. Other plans for next year include three Royal racing ships and sailing yachts returning to water following investment from The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust.

The ships include Bloodhound - Prince Philip’s former racing yacht and Coweslip, which was presented to the Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s as a wedding present in 1949.

Edinburgh’s luxury floating retreat, the Fingal Hotel have also made plans to enhance their dining experience following an expansion of their award-winning Lighthouse Restaurant & Bar.

Fingal’s original bridge is being developed into a new private dining experience, offering a tailored and immersive gastronomic journey for guests, inspired by Fingal’s working life at sea. The restaurant is a world-class foodie destination and boasts two AA Rosettes for culinary excellence.

To stay up to date with developments you can visit the Royal Yacht Britannia and Fingal Hotel websites.