National Museum of Scotland

About this place

Interactive galleries covering history, science, technology, and natural world, with family trails.

Free to enter and covering everything from natural history to world cultures, this museum combines a grand Victorian glass-roofed hall with modern galleries tracing Scotland's story from its geological formation to the present day. Dolly the Sheep, the first mammal successfully cloned from an adult cell, is on permanent display and remains a firm favourite with children and adults alike. Family trails and hands-on activity stations are dotted throughout, making it easy to keep younger visitors engaged across what is otherwise a fairly serious collection. Its central location makes it easy to combine with other Old Town attractions, and the whole building is fully accessible.

Make a day of it — within 5km