National Museum of Scotland
Edinburgh · United Kingdom · Founded 1998
Scotland's flagship national museum in the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town — free entry, covering Scottish history, science, technology, world cultures, and design.
About National Museum of Scotland
The National Museum of Scotland occupies two adjoining buildings in Edinburgh's Old Town: the original Victorian Royal Museum building (1866), with its magnificent glass-roofed Grand Gallery, and the striking modern addition opened in 1998, clad in honey-coloured Clashach sandstone. The combined complex is one of Scotland's most visited attractions.
The collections span the full range of human knowledge — Scottish history and archaeology from prehistory to the present, world cultures, science and technology, art and design, and natural history. Dolly the sheep — the world's first cloned mammal — is one of the most famous objects. Admission to the permanent collection is entirely free.
Collections & Highlights
Frequently Asked Questions
A small ask before you go
You've just explored one of humanity's greatest collections of beauty. Art has the power to move us, inspire us, and change how we see the world. But millions of people will never see beauty like this — not because the art isn't there, but because they can't see at all.
Preventable blindness, caused by conditions like cataracts and trachoma, affects people of all ages across the world's poorest communities. A small gift — for the cost of a museum ticket — can provide a simple surgery to restore someone's sight and transform their life.