Edinburgh Museums and Galleries
Edinburgh Museums and Galleries are one of the best ways to discover a city renowned for its rich history and culture, with a wide range of free-entry museums and galleries. Many of them currently have limited capacity due to the ongoing situation, but so you do not miss out, here is a list of Edinburgh’s museums that includes our favourites, along with their websites so you can book your visit.
The Museums have been arranged arbitrarily. We could have organized them in many different ways due to their diversity.
National Museum of Scotland
The National Museum of Scotland is a must-visit with free admission for all audiences, from the youngest members of the family to the oldest.
It’s located less than 500m from the Royal Mile and St Giles’ Cathedral. Inside you’ll find the a very eclectic collection of objects:
- Formula One cars you can climb into
- Industrial Revolution era machinery
- Prehistoric objects
- Celtic tombs
- Taxidermied animals in the natural history section and even the famous first cloned animal, Dolly the sheep (also taxidermied)
If you’re traveling with children, don’t worry—the museum is designed for them to play, touch, and interact with Scotland’s history.
The museum’s main gallery was built in 1861 and is a magnificent example of iron architecture. Standing over four stories high and topped with a glass ceiling that fills the space with light, its beauty leaves no room for indifference.
Visit the National Museum of Scotland
Scottish National Gallery
The Scottish National Gallery stands out both for its collection and for the building that houses it. Built between Edinburgh Castle and the New Town in a building reminiscent of ancient Greek temples, it’s a must-visit for painting enthusiasts.
Its permanent exhibition features great Italian Renaissance paintings, among which Titian stands out, as well as excellent examples of international and Scottish Impressionism, including Monet, as well as genre painting that allow us to imagine and understand what life was like in these lands not so long ago.
Visit Scottish National Gallery
Edinburgh Writers’ Museum
The Writers’ Museum is the city’s most hidden museum. Located in a small house tucked away among the alleyways of the Royal Mile, its interior pays tribute to the city’s three most universally renowned writers: Robert Burns (Auld Lang Syne), Walter Scott (Rob Roy), and Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island).
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With an extensive collection of personal objects, illustrations, and texts that already belong to the history of Scottish and world literature, exploring this museum means getting to know the life of each of them.
The house that contains the museum was built in 1622 and, although many varied restorations have been carried out since then, it’s still easy to imagine what life must have been like inside for people of high birth in its interior.
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Edinburgh’s Portrait Gallery is, unfortunately, the least visited of the city’s major galleries and museums, although it’s undoubtedly one of the most interesting. Built between 1885 and 1889 with the intention of preserving Scotland’s cultural heritage, it’s the first gallery built in the world for this purpose—in London you can find a sister gallery, but it came after Edinburgh’s.
Its construction is inspired by the Doge’s Palace in Venice, and on its main facade stands a sculptural ensemble composed of more than 25 statues of men and women who were part of Scotland’s past.
Inside you’ll find the history of this nation told through a magnificent collection of paintings and sculptures of kings, explorers, poets, writers, philosophers, and inventors.
Visit the Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Museum of Childhood
In this museum you can relive your childhood in what’s considered “The world’s noisiest museum,” as many children explore it every day accompanied by their parents.
It’s a visit dedicated to families—adults can enjoy seeing the toys you, your parents, and grandparents played with, while the youngest ones will get an experience that goes beyond today’s technology. The collection spans from the 18th to the 21st century.
It has different floors to discover: Victorian trains, antique dolls with period clothing, embroidery sets, construction kits, miniatures, teddy bears…
A journey into the world of emotions and nostalgia awaits you at the Museum of Childhood.
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is part of the National Galleries of Scotland. It’s located very close to the Dean Village neighborhood and is housed in two historic buildings: Modern One and Modern Two. Its collection features modern and contemporary art.
MODERN ONE The Modern One building was the former 19th-century John Watson orphanage, built by William Burn.
Its collections include early 20th-century European art, works by artists of the caliber of Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Pierre Bonnard, Samuel John Hope, among others. Also notable is its international post-war art collection featuring Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Joan Eardley…
In its park there is a mound surrounded by crescent-shaped pools that was redesigned by Charles Jencks in 2002 and christened “Landform Ueda.” It’s filled with sculptures by major international artists such as Ian Hamilton Finlay and Barbara Hepworth.
MODERN TWO The Modern Two gallery was the work of another of Edinburgh’s great architects, Thomas Hamilton, although it originally functioned as an orphanage.
It wasn’t until 1999 that Terry Farrell & Partners converted the building to display the work of sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi and the great Dadaist and Surrealist art collection of the Edinburgh Gallery of Modern Art.
Surgeons’ Hall Museums
Surgeons’ Hall is the principal museum of the history of surgery in Scotland. The museum itself is a great work of art and forms part of a complex of buildings with the appearance of Greek temples found throughout the city of Edinburgh, designed by architect William Henry. This is one of the reasons why Scotland’s capital is known by the nickname “Athens of the North.”
Visitors can learn about forensic medicine and the surgical advances of key figures in Scotland such as James Syme and pre-anesthetic surgery, Joseph Lister and antiseptic, James Young Simpson and chloroform.
The museum also shows the more sinister side of 19th-century Edinburgh, as we can see a pocket book bound in human skin—specifically, that of the famous Victorian serial killer William Burke.
Anatomical Museum
The truth is this is one of the most difficult museums to locate, as it’s housed within the Old Medical School building on Teviot Place. It has a large collection with around 12,000 objects and specimens that tell us the story of anatomy teaching at the University of Edinburgh over the last 300 years.
Much of the collection is related to pathology, anatomy, zoology, phrenology, pharmacology, anthropology, ethnography, and forensic medicine. One of this museum’s biggest draws is that it displays the skeleton of the famous serial killer William Burke.
Learn more about the Anatomical Museum
The People’s Story Museum
The People’s Story Museum of Edinburgh chronicles the history of its working class from the 18th century to the present day. It’s located in a historic building, the Canongate Tolbooth.
More about The People’s Story Museum
Museum of Edinburgh
This may not be Edinburgh’s most visited museum, but for us it’s one of the most important for understanding the history and essence of the city.
We recommend starting your visit in the screening room to watch a simulation of the city’s creation from the most ancient times before the establishment of Edinburgh’s Old Town and New Town.
Some of the objects that attract the most attention are Bobby’s collar, the 1638 National Covenant of Scotland, and James Craig’s plans for Edinburgh’s New Town.
Museum on the Mound
The Mound refers to the artificial hill that was created during the construction of Edinburgh’s New Town to connect it with the Old Town. The museum is located at the top of this mound.
This Museum is housed in the historic Bank of Scotland branch, one of the most beautiful structures in the entire city, which for this reason alone is worth the visit. It’s also known by people living in Scotland as the Museum of Money.
They invite us to visit with the following attractions: Do you want to open a safe? Fancy seeing a million pounds? And see the oldest banknote from a Scottish banking institution?
Admission to the Museum on the Mound is free. Museum on the Mound
The Georgian House
If you’re a fan of series like Bridgerton, The Georgian House located in Edinburgh’s New Town is a must-visit for you.
It’s a 19th-century Georgian mansion built for the aristocracy of the time and designed by the great architect Robert Adam. You can find more information about this museum in our guide to Edinburgh’s New Town.
Recommendation for Edinburgh Museums and Galleries
While most museums in Scotland are free, it’s customary to leave a donation. Contribution boxes are typically placed at museum exits to support the preservation of Scottish culture.
Have fun exploring Edinburgh museums and galleries!