National Museum of Scotland

Why visit

National Museum of Scotland is worth allowing time for because it combines well-presented collections that connect objects and evidence with wider British and international history. The site is more useful than a quick photograph: its surviving features give clear evidence of how the place developed and how people used it. Key things to concentrate on are permanent collection galleries and objects and displays linked to the site’s central story. Its position in or near Edinburgh also makes it a practical anchor for exploring the surrounding region without reducing the visit to a simple landmark stop.

What you will see

• permanent collection galleries.
• objects and displays linked to the site’s central story.

History

The National Museum of Scotland opened in its present combined form in 2006, joining the historic Royal Museum building with newer galleries developed from the Museum of Scotland opened in 1998.

Photographs

David Dixon · CC BY-SA 2.0 · full attribution on the image credits page.

Visitor tips

1. 1

   Allow enough time for the principal features rather than treating the stop only as a photograph.

2. 2

   Check the official visitor page shortly before travel for access, booking and any temporary restrictions.

About Central and Southern Scotland

Edinburgh and Stirling’s royal strongholds, national collections, modern public art and the planned industrial village of New Lanark.