CATEGORY · RAINY DAY APPROVED
Museums in Edinburgh
Most of the museums here are free, which helps when you fancy a wander without committing to a fee. Museum on the Mound lets kids crack open a safe and hold a million pounds, no charge. The Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage has old fire engines and hands-on displays, also free. Out at Prestongrange, the old Victorian colliery site has an engine shed full of locomotives and a free audio tour to guide you round. For a paid trip, Camera Obscura on the Royal Mile has five floors of illusions and a rooftop view, from £17.95 and fine from any age. The Chocolatarium suits six and up, from £18.50, with a chocolate-making tour and forty flavours to taste. Surgeons Hall's anatomical specimens are better saved for children ten and older. If it is raining, the National Library's Discovery Room gives younger kids toys and books to dig into while you look round the free exhibitions.
11 places 3 upcoming events 6 free to visit
What's on: museums
WED 7 OCT · +51 MORE DATES
Museum Workshop: Hands-on Learning for Small Groups
Museum on the Mound
Free
THU 8 OCT, 10:00 · +17 MORE DATES
School Visit: Fully Structured Class Experience
Museum on the Mound
Free
MON 12 OCT, 10:30 · +33 MORE DATES
Money Museum Challenge: Explore, Investigate, Discover
Museum on the Mound
Free
Places for museums
from £17.95Camera Obscura Edinburgh
Edinburgh · ages 0+
Five floors of illusions and mind-bending exhibits on the Royal Mile, topped off with a rooftop view over the city.
ToiletsGift shopBooking required
Cockburn Geological Museum
Edinburgh
A minerals, rocks and fossils collection you view by arranging a visit with the curator, not a drop-in museum.
Booking required
FreeFruitmarket Gallery
Edinburgh
Free contemporary art galleries right by Waverley Station, with a proper café for afterwards.
ToiletsCaféGift shopWheelchair accessible
from £1.50John Knox House
Edinburgh · ages 7+
A wonky old High Street house turned trail of Scottish tales, from Greyfriars Bobby to the Gruffalo, with free art on the side.
ToiletsGift shop
FreeMuseum of Scottish Fire Heritage
Edinburgh
Old fire engines and hands-on displays on Scottish firefighting history, free to get in.
Accessible toiletBaby changeDog friendlyPushchair friendly+3 more
FreeMuseum on the Mound
Edinburgh
Free museum where kids can crack open a safe, handle a million pounds and see Scotland's oldest banknote.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingGroup bookings+5 more
FreeNational Library of Scotland
Edinburgh
Free exhibitions on Scotland's history plus a Discovery Room of toys and books for younger kids to dig into.
ToiletsCaféWheelchair accessible
FreePrestongrange Museum
Prestonpans
Wander a real Victorian colliery site with an engine shed full of locomotives and a free audio tour to guide you round.
CaféFree parkingGroup bookingsWi-Fi
from £5.50Surgeons Hall Museum
Edinburgh · ages 10+
Five hundred years of surgical history told through anatomical specimens and pathology displays, best saved for older kids.
Accessible toiletBaby changeToiletsWheelchair accessible
from £18.50The Chocolatarium
Edinburgh · ages 6+
A guided chocolate tour where kids make their own bar and taste their way through 40 flavours, best from age six up.
Birthday partiesBooking requiredGift shopGroup bookings+3 more
FreeWee Museum of Memory
Edinburgh
A free hands-on museum of everyday objects from the past, with weekly craft and reminiscence sessions.
Free parkingPublic transport nearbyToiletsWheelchair accessible
Good to know: museums in Edinburgh
Are any of them free?
Yes, Fruitmarket Gallery, Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage, Museum on the Mound, National Library of Scotland and 2 more are free to visit.
What does a paid visit cost?
Paid entry starts from £1.50 at John Knox House. Prices, ages and facilities are listed on every place page, taken from each venue's own published price list.
Whereabouts are they?
You'll find museums in Edinburgh and Prestonpans. Every place we list is in or around Edinburgh, and each listing has the full address and directions.
More ways to plan a day out
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