Museum of Childhood

About this place

Free museum on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, packed with historic toys, games and childhood memorabilia.

Opened in 1955 as the world's first museum devoted entirely to the history of childhood, this Royal Mile museum is packed floor to ceiling with historic toys, dolls, games and books, spanning generations of Scottish and international childhood. Rather than being purely a look-but-don't-touch collection, several sections encourage hands-on play with reproduction toys, giving children a genuine connection to the exhibits rather than just their parents' or grandparents' nostalgia. Its compact, slightly old-fashioned charm makes it a distinctly different museum visit from Edinburgh's larger, more polished national collections. Its Royal Mile location makes it an easy stop while exploring the rest of the Old Town. Entry is free, and while most of the museum is accessible, the historic building has some stairs between floors.

Make a day of it — within 5km