Edinburgh Travel Guide

Museums & Galleries

National Gallery of Scotland: Scotland’s finest collection of European paintings and sculpture is housed at this important Edinburgh museum. Works dating from the Renaissance era through the 19th century are featured, including those by Botticelli, Cezanne, El Greco, Monet, Pissarro, Raphael, Tiepolo, Titian and Van Dyck.

Visitors can access the Royal Scottish Academy via the newly-built, award-winning Weston Link; and nearby, you’ll find the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, at Queen Street.
The Mound. Open: 10:00 to 17:00 daily; until 19:00 on Thursday.

Opposite the National Gallery is the stylish Dean Gallery, opened in 1999 to showcase a major collection of sculpture by the renowned Eduardo Paolozzi. In addition, the gallery displays works by surrealists Dali and Magritte, and also a collection of works by Picasso.

In order to make it easy to visit the city’s most important galleries, a free bus operates hourly from 11:00 to 17:00 between National Gallery and the Dean Gallery in the West End, and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery of Scotland in the city’s New Town.
75 Belford Road. Open: 10:00 to 1700 daily; until 19:00 on Thursday.

The museum is conveniently linked with the Royal Museum of Scotland, housing a rather eclectic collection of exhibits, ranging from examples of Japanese art to the actual stuffed remains of the first cloned animal: 'Dolly the Sheep'. From the museum’s rooftop terrace you can enjoy lovely views of the entire city.
Chambers Street. Open: 10:00 to 17:00, Monday and Wednesday to Saturday; 10:00 to 20:00 on Tuesday; and 12:00 to 17:00 on Sunday.

Writers’ Museum: is dedicated to three of Scotland’s literary giants: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. Exhibits chronicle their lives and work and include personal items such as Robert Burns’ writing desk and Sir Walter Scott’s chess board.
Lady Stair’s House, Lady Stair’s Close, Lawnmarket. Open: 10:00 to 17:00, Monday to Saturday and 12:00 to 17:00 on Sunday, during the Edinburgh Festival.