Museums in Edinburgh

10 museums and galleries not to miss in Edinburgh

Art, history, literature and whisky: Edinburgh has museums for every taste, and most of them are free.

National Museum of Scotland

Scotland’s history, science and world cultures in one unmissable museum. Free entry.

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Scottish National Gallery

Scotland’s great art gallery, with masterpieces from the Renaissance to the 20th century. Free entry.

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Museum of Edinburgh

The story of the city told through its treasures, in a 16th-century house on the Canongate.

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Writers’ Museum

A tribute to Robert Burns, Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson in Lady Stair’s House.

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Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

Modern and contemporary art in two buildings and sculpture gardens, a short walk from Dean Village.

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The People’s Story

The everyday lives of ordinary Edinburgh people over three centuries, in the old Canongate Tolbooth.

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Scottish National Portrait Gallery

The faces of Scottish history, in a spectacular red sandstone Gothic building in the New Town.

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Jupiter Artland

Contemporary art in the open air: a sculpture park set in woodland just outside Edinburgh.

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Museum of Childhood

Toys, games and memories from other eras in the world’s first museum dedicated to childhood. Free entry.

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Scotch Whisky Experience

Learn how Scotch whisky is made and explore its regions, with a tasting included, next to the Castle.

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