National Museum of Scotland
National Museum of Scotland
4.5
Speciality Museums • Natural History Museums
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10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Explore the diversity of the natural world, world cultures, science and technology, art, design and fashion, and Scottish history, all under one roof.
Suggested duration
More than 3 hours
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- Jemma EEdinburgh, United Kingdom30 contributionsLovely day out to see some cool stuffWhat a wonderful venue, and the perfect escape from the cold Scottish winter weather! We visited as a family of 4, with two young children. Additional to all the main exhibits, there are two distinct younger children’s areas. We visited both and our toddler really enjoyed both spaces. The upstairs area has an excavation interactive display that she had a lot of fun with, digging for Dino bones! The down stairs was better for the baby as had more baby sensory things. We really enjoyed the floor piano and making shadow puppets! The main exhibits themselves are brilliant and it would many days of visits to make your way around everything! We stayed for lunch in the bistro and as a family of 4, we felt it was a bit over priced and the service was slow- which can be tricky with hungry toddlers in tow. I’d highly recommend bringing a pack lunch if visiting with children!! There’s even a pack lunch room! Plenty of space to run around here, and also very buggy friendly. Our personal highlight - visiting the top floor/roof to look out of the observation deck- amazing views, and it feels like an urban oasis!Visited February 2020Traveled with familyWritten March 6, 2020
- Mireille SLondon, United Kingdom66 contributionsWe saw Dolly the Sheep!Entrance to the museum is free but you must book in advance due to covid-19 restrictions. Also due to the pandemic, much of the museum is still closed to the public but don’t let that put you off. There is still a lot to see, much of which is very interesting. Masks are required at all times and there is a one way system in place, but in all honesty the one way system was probably a good way of ensuring you also get to see each exhibition without missing out on anything! The highlight of course was Dolly the Sheep (& the rest of the natural history/animals section), they also have a wonderful fashion exhibition showing the evolution of fashion over time.Visited August 2020Traveled with friendsWritten August 28, 2020
- Feepee22Motherwell, United Kingdom26 contributionsAbsolutely brilliantI visited the museum with my husband and 2 children (9 and 4 years old) and I have to say it was incredible. A lot of the exhibits are very interactive which is great for children and there is even a small soft play area for toddlers - perfect for letting them run around while you have a seat for a while! There are so many things to see and do in the museum that an afternoon just wasn’t long enough for us. You could easily spend a full day here. The main hall is somewhere really beautiful to sit and watch people and there is also a small cafe there. There is also a cafe at the entrance to the museum where we had lunch. It is slightly pricey but the food was really delicious and the children’s food was freshly cooked and tasty. The layout of the museum is really easy to understand and there are lifts so all levels are accessible to everyone. I can not recommend this place enough. It is absolutely fantastic and we will definitely be going back.Visited January 2020Traveled with familyWritten January 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
22,208 reviews
Excellent
16,569
Very good
4,494
Average
897
Poor
170
Terrible
80
Ian L
Perth, Australia532 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
Compact, easy to navigate and explore. Lots of variety for all ages and interests. Connections to Scotland's past as well. Good fun.
Written August 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DunelmArts
Aberdeen, UK1,094 contributions
Jul 2023 • Solo
My main reason for visiting the museum was the "Beyond the Little Black Dress" exhibition, which was excellent. This exhibition had an admission charge, but the rest of the museum is free, although donations are welcomed. Pick up a floor plan at the entrance which wil help you navigate the various collections. The areas with the interactive exhibits for children can get quite crowded, but other parts of the museum are relatively quiet.
Written August 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mel D
Cambridge, UK2 contributions
Aug 2023
Many interesting exhibitions around the museum from natural history to history of technology. You could easily spend all day here and we will be back hopefully sometime soon. Its also very interactive for those with children.
Written August 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Annette19m
Pontefract, UK74 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
Stunning building with so much to see. Room after room of interesting things.
Animals, the earth, Egypt, Scottish history, science, travel etcetera etcetera. Fantastic.
Animals, the earth, Egypt, Scottish history, science, travel etcetera etcetera. Fantastic.
Written August 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ryanprint
Green Bay, WI207 contributions
Apr 2023
Don't overlook this National Museum of Scotland. There are a lot of very interesting exhibits whether you're a social sciences, physical sciences, art, or just scotish nostalgia fan. Everything is well organized, and feels like you've got like 8 museums alll in one - i could've probably spent days in here. The lower levels, which had everything from Rocket demos to Dolly the Sheep, to an exhibit of old F1 cars was probably my favorite.
Written August 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michał K
8 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
The biggest museum in the city. An impressive number of exibitions from all around the World. For smaller visitors there is a number of interactive attractions. Be aware of the crowds of turists during the high season.
Written August 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PingSwe
Gothenburg61 contributions
Aug 2023
Very good museum, that cover a wide range of topics. Everything from old dinosaur, vehicle, inventions, citilizations, design.
I did a unplanned visit just to beat of some time before my flight. But it turned out way more intresting than I thought. I spent in total 2 hours there but could easily spent 4hours there if I was not in rush to catch a flight. Even if your not intrested in ANY of the topics I think you could easily spend 40-60min there just to see everything.
You walk around kind of like a maze and each section cover different topics. Amazingly the museum has free entry, but you can make a voluntarily donation with card or cash around the ground floor.
I did a unplanned visit just to beat of some time before my flight. But it turned out way more intresting than I thought. I spent in total 2 hours there but could easily spent 4hours there if I was not in rush to catch a flight. Even if your not intrested in ANY of the topics I think you could easily spend 40-60min there just to see everything.
You walk around kind of like a maze and each section cover different topics. Amazingly the museum has free entry, but you can make a voluntarily donation with card or cash around the ground floor.
Written August 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jason E
193 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Fantastic place to visit for all ages. The museum itself is massive and has multiple floors with multiple genres of displays. You could easily spend most of the day here looking at everything. Plenty of interactive displays to keep kids interested. The only issue we had as a family was trying to work out the layout of the building and trying to make sure we didn’t miss out on anything. On the whole well recommended.
Written August 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mallorne
Edmonton, Canada66 contributions
Jul 2023
The discovery hall sadly shows an almost complete absence of Scottish physicists! The exhibit on electrical engineering fails to mention the Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell, arguably the third most important physicist of all time after Newton and Einstein, who unified electricity and magnetism into a single set of equations that bear his name and is regarded as the founder of the field electrical engineering which the exhibit is mainly about!
Similarly, Lord Kelvin, a professor at the University of Glasgow, who made major contibutions to the field of thermodynamics is not mentioned when talking about discoveries in this area. There are also some inaccuracies in the displays, for example one showing an undersea data cable from 2014 states that it "transmits thousands of bits of information". Modern cables transmit _trillions_ of bits of information _per second_.
While there are interesting exhibits many of the signs lack any details hugely reducing the educational value so that even when Scottish contributions are mentioned, such as Watt, no details at all are given as to what he did.
I was left with the distinct impression that the science and discovery hall was put together by people who have little to no understanding of the fields of the exhibits. Scotland has a proud history of major contributions to physics and engineering (and I say that as a non-Scot) and this museum does not do it justice at all and misses out so much detail that the educational value of a visit is hugely diminished.
Similarly, Lord Kelvin, a professor at the University of Glasgow, who made major contibutions to the field of thermodynamics is not mentioned when talking about discoveries in this area. There are also some inaccuracies in the displays, for example one showing an undersea data cable from 2014 states that it "transmits thousands of bits of information". Modern cables transmit _trillions_ of bits of information _per second_.
While there are interesting exhibits many of the signs lack any details hugely reducing the educational value so that even when Scottish contributions are mentioned, such as Watt, no details at all are given as to what he did.
I was left with the distinct impression that the science and discovery hall was put together by people who have little to no understanding of the fields of the exhibits. Scotland has a proud history of major contributions to physics and engineering (and I say that as a non-Scot) and this museum does not do it justice at all and misses out so much detail that the educational value of a visit is hugely diminished.
Written July 31, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah A
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Family
Great day out for all ages. Lots to see and do and coffee shop for snacks. Learn about the history of Scotland and technology through the ages.
Written July 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Huffers57
York, UK97 contributions
We missed seeing any of the Scotland story exhibits. We used the Chambers Street entrance. Should we have used a different one as there seems to be no direct link from the main museum to any of the Scotland areas.
Chris P
Laguna Hills, CA114 contributions
Not sure I understand your question. We entered through Chambers Street. I believe that is the main entrance. There is access to the entire museum from that entrance. Seems we went up some stairs from entrance and that took us to the main multi story room. From there all the exhibits and rooms were available.
Is there parking as I don’t want to get the train through and then a taxi?
National Museums Scotland
Edinburgh, UK12 contributions
Hi,
The National Museum of Scotland is based in the centre of Edinburgh and we do not have on-site parking. The Museum is a 10-15 minute walk away from Edinburgh Waverley train station.
More information on city centre parking and transport options are available on the main website.
Paula-Te-Amo
Stockton-on-Tees, UK24 contributions
Is it wheelchair accessible
National Museums Scotland
Edinburgh, UK12 contributions
We want everyone who comes to our museums to enjoy their time with us and make the most of their visit.
There is level access to the Museum via the main doors to the Entrance Hall on Chambers Street and the Tower entrance at the corner of Chambers Street and George IV Bridge.
Four designated public parking spaces are available for disabled visitors in Chambers Street. There is no charge for these spaces. However, please note that they cannot be booked in advance.
Wheelchairs are available for loan at no charge. Please note wheelchairs cannot be booked in advance. On arrival, ask about availability at the Information Desk. Small mobility scooters are permitted inside the museum.
Lifts are available to all floors and there is a variety of seating throughout the museum. Accessible toilets are also available on most floors and there is a Changing Places (U) toilet in the Entrance Hall on Level 0.
You can download a map of the museum to see the exact locations of our lifts and accessible toilets.
We hope you enjoy your visit!
elizabethjl2016
Dundee, UK161 contributions
How long would you allow to visit the RIP IT UP exhibition ?
buddhastummy
Calgary, Canada54 contributions
Unfortunately, I cheaped out and didn't go in to that. Based on what I could see and size wise, I would guess at least an hour if not two.
How much for That
National Museums Scotland
Edinburgh, UK12 contributions
Admission to the National Museum of Scotland is free, although donations are welcome and are increasingly critical to enabling us to continue our work. If you would like to visit one of our major exhibitions, tickets cost around £10 for adults (free for Members).
Mr Jeremy W
1 contribution
Can dogs go in
Kirsty F
Edinburgh, UK55 contributions
I’m sorry I don’t know, I’d assume guide dogs would be allowed
Peabrain2013
Edinburgh, UK195 contributions
Is there air conditioning on hot days?
SafariGirl100
Banbury, UK422 contributions
We went on a hot day. It was not fully air con and felt a bit stuffy but not nearly as bad as outside. Lots of enclosed areas to keep cool
GeordieOzzie
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK14 contributions
It seems parking in Edinburgh centre is extortionate, is there somewhere on the outskirts we can park and ride to the museum? We are only in Edinburgh for one day and will be travelling back down to Newcastle after the museum.
National Museums Scotland
Edinburgh, UK12 contributions
A number of buses go via the city centre and stop outside the museum on Chambers Street, or nearby on George IV Bridge and South Bridge. Single and day tickets are available.
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Claim your listingNational Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about National Museum of Scotland
- National Museum of Scotland is open:
- Sun - Sat 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- We recommend booking National Museum of Scotland tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 35 National Museum of Scotland tours on Tripadvisor
- According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience National Museum of Scotland:
- City Sightseeing Edinburgh Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour (From $21.08)
- Edinburgh Walking Food Tour With Secret Food Tours (From $101.13)
- Edinburgh: 3-Hours Walking Tour - English Tour Guide (From $19.76)
- Edinburgh Rail Trip from London with Castle entry and Hop-on Hop-off bus (From $287.16)
- Highlights & Hidden Gems With Locals: Best of Edinburgh Private Tour (From $112.94)
- Hotels near National Museum of Scotland:
- (0.08 mi) Hotel Du Vin & Bistro
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- Restaurants near National Museum of Scotland:
- (0.00 mi) Balcony Cafe
- (0.01 mi) The Museum Brasserie
- (0.09 mi) The Cellar Door Restaurant
- (0.11 mi) Union of Genius
- (0.10 mi) Divino Enoteca
National Museum of Scotland Information
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