09 Mar 2025
Tags: Edinburgh, Scotland, Royal Family, Royalty, Fingal, floating hotel, luxury floating hotel, five star hotel, luxury hotel, Boutique hotel
The Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh has revealed its plans to open a new world-class visitor centre and retail experience to elevate their visitor journey from spring 2025.
Computer-generated images released today offer a glimpse of what people can expect to see when the doors open to the public.
The enhanced visitor centre will incorporate 'never before seen' images and films, setting the scene of the Royal Yacht's rich history, giving visitors an enhanced sense of arrival before stepping aboard the Yacht itself.
The newly developed fascinating exhibition 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 new state-of-the-art gift shop will be a cornucopia of Royal and heritage gifts, as well as unique treasures inspired by Britannia. Souvenirs for visitors to take home a memento of their time aboard Britannia.
Both the new visitor centre and gift shop will be situated back on the second floor of Ocean Terminal in Leith, which is currently going through redevelopment, including a reconfiguration of the existing space. A replacement enclosed walkway will take visitors directly from Britannia's visitor centre across to the ship's top deck – The Bridge, to start their tour.
2025 also sees exciting developments afoot for Britannia's fleet of former Royal racing and sailing yachts; Bloodhound, Bluebottle and Coweslip. Recent investment by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust has seen the fleet of three vessels, all formerly owned by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, restored in all their glory. The trio will be taking to the water with wind in their sails over the course of 2025.
Developed and managed by the award-winning team at The Royal Yacht Britannia, Edinburgh's luxury floating hotel, Fingal (Tripadvisor's No.1 UK Luxury Hotel) is also enhancing the dining experience for guests following an expansion of its award-winning Lighthouse Restaurant & Bar. Fingal's restaurant, with its stylish nautical interior, is a world-class foodie destination which boasts 2 AA Rosettes for culinary excellence.
In addition and new for 2025, Fingal's original Bridge is being developed into a thoughtfully designed new private dining experience, offering a tailored and immersive gastronomic journey for guests, inspired by Fingal's working life at sea.
For more information on The Royal Yacht Britannia, go to www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk
For more information on Fingal Hotel, go to www.fingal.co.uk
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Notes for editor:
PHOTOS & CGI
- Computed generated imagesof the new new world-class visitor centre and retail experience at The Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh are available on Dropbox via the link below. Please note that these CGI images arefor illustrative purposes only to offer an early indication of what to expect when it opens to the public in spring 2025.
- Photos of The Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh are available on Dropbox via the link below:
- Photos of Fingal Hotel in Edinburgh are available on Dropbox via the link below:
The Royal Yacht Britannia
The Royal Yacht Britannia was home to 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 is now a five-star visitor attraction, as well as an exclusive-use evening events venue. Visitors enjoy a fascinating insight into Queen Elizabeth II's former floating palace, and the lives of those who lived and worked on board.
Britannia attracts around 350,000 people from across the world every year and is proud to have one of the world's most translated audio tours with over 30 languages, English Braille script, and British and American Sign Language tour tablets.
One of the UK's most accessible tourism destinations, allowing each and every visitor access to explore all five decks of the ship, plus the Royal Deck Tearoom with stunning waterfront views, and Gift Shop within Ocean Terminal.
Britannia is owned by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust (Registered Charity No. SC028070). The Trust's responsibility is to maintain and preserve Britannia in keeping with her former role and to display her to the public as a key part of British maritime history. The Trust is a wholly self-funding, not-for-profit, charitable organisation. Britannia is the official headquarters of the Association of Royal Yachtsmen.
Over successive years, The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust has been gifted several yachts to add to the 'fleet', kindly on loan from the Royal Collection. In 2010, the Trust took delivery of Prince Philip's former Royal Racing Yacht Bloodhound, which is now berthed alongside Britannia. Visitors can also view Prince Philip's Flying Fifteen keelboat, Coweslip, designed by the legendary Uffa Fox, presented to the Royal couple as a wedding present in 1949. Following an eighteen-month restoration by David Heritage Racing Yachts, International Dragon class yacht Bluebottle has joined Bloodhound and Coweslip at Britannia. Built in 1947, Bluebottle was gifted by the Island Sailing Club of Cowes, Isle of Wight, as a wedding present for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
Fingal Hotel
The £5m investment by The Royal Yacht Britannia has seen this classically designed ship transformed to provide the ultimate in luxury.
Launched in 1963, Fingal, a former Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) tender was the last ship to be built by the Blythswood Shipbuilding Company in Glasgow. Like all NLB Ships, Fingal was Leith registered but spent most of her service life working out of Oban for 30 years, followed by her last six working years, based in Stromness, Orkney. She was sold to a private owner who maintained the ship for 14 years before Britannia purchased the vessel in August 2014.
Now transformed into a 22-cabin, luxury floating hotel, permanently berthed in Leith, Edinburgh, Fingal Hotel has started a new chapter. Fingal's nautical interior has all the glamour and style of a superyacht, with an old-world elegance that is completely unique.
Communications Specialist & Director
Jonathan James Perkins MCIPR Limited
Travel & Tourism | Food & Drink | Hospitality
Email: jonjamesperkins@gmail.com
Mobile: 07894 711 515
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