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Attraction · Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Written by RuinMyTrip Editorial from published research and official sources, not from a personal trip. It is not a traveler review and is never counted in the community rating. How we research.
Scotland's national museum on Chambers Street in the Old Town, combining Scottish history and archaeology with natural history, world cultures, science and technology across a Victorian grand gallery and a modern extension.
Because it is free, comprehensive and central, and because the roof terrace gives a view of the castle and the Old Town that costs nothing. It is also the obvious answer to a wet Edinburgh afternoon, of which there are many.
Free entry, a collection broad enough to suit almost any interest, and a genuinely impressive Victorian grand gallery. The roof terrace is free and underused. Being free means a short visit is not a waste, so you can come back.
The building is a maze where the Victorian and modern halves meet, and the signage does not entirely solve it. Special exhibitions carry a charge. During the festival and on rainy days the central galleries get very busy.
Families, budget travellers, anyone caught in Edinburgh weather, and visitors who want one substantial cultural stop without adding to an already expensive trip.
You have a single day in Edinburgh and want it to be about the city itself rather than a museum. The Old Town, Arthur's Seat and the walk down the Royal Mile are all free too.
Go up to the roof terrace first, because most visitors never find it and it is quietest early. Enter from Chambers Street for the grand gallery rather than the modern side entrance. Since it costs nothing, treat it as two short visits rather than one exhausting one.
Entry is free. Some special exhibitions carry a charge.
A short walk from Edinburgh Waverley station, or up from the Grassmarket. Numerous bus routes stop on nearby Nicolson Street and George IV Bridge.
Chambers Street in the Old Town, between the University of Edinburgh and the Royal Mile, with Greyfriars Kirkyard immediately behind and the Grassmarket downhill to the west.
Two to three hours for a broad visit. An hour is enough for one wing plus the roof terrace, and costs nothing.
The museum is step-free with lift access to all floors including the roof terrace, and publishes detailed accessibility information.
The single best-value attraction in Edinburgh, on the simple grounds that it is excellent and free. Start on the roof terrace, pick two wings rather than all of them, and come back if the weather turns again.
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Write the first reviewWritten by RuinMyTrip Editorial from published research and official sources, not from a personal trip. It is not a traveler review and is never counted in the community rating. How we research.
The National Museum of Scotland has free entry, with charges for some special exhibitions only. In a city where the castle, the underground tours and most of the Royal Mile attractions all charge, that single fact makes this the best-value few hours in Edinburgh. The collection is unusually broad: Scottish history and archaeology in one wing, natural history, world cultures, science and technology in another, joined…
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