National Museum of Scotland
About the Museum
The National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street is really two buildings joined together. The older half is a Victorian palace of cast iron and glass, opened in 1866 as the Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art, and its Grand Gallery is one of the great interior spaces of Britain. The newer half, faced in golden Clashach sandstone and opened in 1998, was built to tell the story of Scotland from its geology to the present day. Between them they hold collections of natural history, world cultures, science and technology, decorative art, fashion and Scottish archaeology and history, all under one roof and all free to visit.
The Scottish galleries run chronologically from the basement upward, starting with Early People and the Kingdom of the Scots and climbing through industry and empire to the twentieth century. The Victorian building holds the natural world galleries with their suspended whale skeletons and animals, the world cultures galleries, and the science and technology floors where Dolly the sheep lives. Highlights include the Lewis chessmen, the Hilton of Cadboll Pictish stone, the Monymusk Reliquary, the Millennium Clock, and Dolly herself.
A first visit can feel overwhelming, so it helps to choose. The Grand Gallery, the Kingdom of the Scots gallery and the Early People gallery give you the essentials in about two hours. The roof terrace on level seven has one of the best views of Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town, and it is easy to miss.
Before You Go
- Admission to the permanent galleries is free; only some temporary exhibitions are ticketed.
- The main entrance on Chambers Street brings you into a stone vaulted hall on Level 0; go up the stairs or lift to reach the Grand Gallery on Level 1.
- Take the lift to the roof terrace on Level 7 for a free panoramic view over the Old Town and the castle.
- The Millennium Clock performs on the hour; arrive a few minutes early to get a spot near the front.
- Weekday mornings and late afternoons are quieter; weekends and school holidays are busy in the Grand Gallery and the Explore gallery.
- Photography without flash is allowed in the permanent galleries.
- Free lockers and a cloakroom are available near the entrance.
Collection Areas
Highlights
12 works. Each work has a full written and audio guide.
