All free museums and attractions to visit in Edinburgh

If you are on a budget Edinburgh (Scotland) still has a lot to offer for you culturally, including free museums, free activities and free attractions. 17 museums and attractions in Edinburgh can be visited without charge.

Are you looking for free things to do in Edinburgh? These are the best places to visit:

  1. National Museum of Scotland1

    National Museum of Scotland

    Edinburgh
    The National Museum of Scotland is housed in a Romanesque Revival building. The collection of the museum includes a wide variety of objects that are displayed on seven floors, including artifacts from the age of dinosaurs up to current technology and science. It takes visitors on a journey through t
  2. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh2

    Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

    Edinburgh
    The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh lets visitors explore and tries to explain the world of plants by its wide collection of plants.
  3. Scottish National Gallery3

    Scottish National Gallery

    Edinburgh
    The National Gallery of Scotland opened in 1859 and is housed in a neoclassical building designed by William Henry Playfair. The gallery houses a collection of both classical and modern art from various countries. The displays are organized according to countries and periods. Highlights of the perma
  4. Scottish National Portrait Gallery4

    Scottish National Portrait Gallery

    Edinburgh
    The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art museum in Edinburgh housed in a red sandstone Gothic revival building that was built between 1885 and 1890, designed by Robert Rowand Anderson. The museum holds the national collections of portraits and the Scottish National Photography Collection. Th
  5. National War Museum Scotland5

    National War Museum Scotland

    Edinburgh
    The National War Museum Scotland is dedicated to the 400 years of wars and battles. Visitors can see military equipment and weapons, but there are also uniforms, kilts, medals and silverware on display. Besides that, the museum features a special exhibition devoted to Highland soldiers who rebelled
  6. Museum of Edinburgh6

    Museum of Edinburgh

    Edinburgh
    The Museum of Edinburgh is housed in a historical building from the late 16th century and tells the story of the city's history, guiding visitors through Edinburgh's past to reveal its origins and legends. Among all the objects in its collection is ​a copy of the National Covenant, an artifact from
  7. The Museum on the Mound7

    The Museum on the Mound

    Edinburgh
    The Museum on the Mound exhibits treasures from the HBOS collections. Located in the historic Bank of Scotland Head Office, the museum takes a look at the story of money which features art & design, technology, crime, trade and security.
  8. Peoples' Story Museum8

    Peoples' Story Museum

    Edinburgh
    The Peoples' Story Museum is a museum in Edinburgh that aims to cover the ordinary lives of Edinburgh's common folk.
  9. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art9

    Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

    Edinburgh
    The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is a museum in Edinburgh. It houses the collection of modern and contemporary art dating from about 1900 to the present with over 6000 paintings, sculptures, installations, video work, prints and drawings. The museum is situated in two buildings that face
  10. Writers' Museum10

    Writers' Museum

    Edinburgh
    The Writers' Museum is a literary museum that is devoted to three Scottish writers. Once collection is dedicated to Robert Burns, a Scottish national poet and lyricist. Another collection focuses on Robert Louis Stevenson, a poet and novelist, the author of Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. And
  11. The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum11

    The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum

    Edinburgh
    The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum is a museum in Edinburgh. The museum features exhibits related to: social history, costume and textiles and weapons and war. Key themes, people and exhibits in the museum include: objects used by the scots greys at the battle of waterloo, eagle and standard of t
  12. Royal Scots Regimental Museum12

    Royal Scots Regimental Museum

    Edinburgh
    Royal Scots Regimental Museum is a museum in Edinburgh that tells the story of the Regiment in chronological order on pictorial wall panels supported by maps, display cases, tableaux and dioramas. Its medal collection is partly on display. Besides this, the museum features weapons, pictures, collect
  13. Water of Leith Visitor Centre13

    Water of Leith Visitor Centre

    Edinburgh
    Water of Leith Visitor Centre is a museum in Edinburgh. The museum features exhibits related to: inland waterways and natural sciences.
  14. Reid Concert Hall Museum of Instruments14

    Reid Concert Hall Museum of Instruments

    Edinburgh
    Reid Concert Hall Museum of Instruments is a museum in Edinburgh. The museum features exhibits related to: music.
  15. Anatomical museum15

    Anatomical museum

    Edinburgh
    Anatomical museum is a museum in Edinburgh which holds a collection of around 12,000 objects and specimens that tell the story of 300 years of anatomical teaching at the University of Edinburgh. The collection is partly related to pathology, anatomy and zoology with anatomical teaching models, human
  16. 16

    Cockburn Geological Museum

    Edinburgh
    Cockburn Geological Museum is a museum in Edinburgh. The museum features exhibits related to: natural sciences.
  17. 17

    Museum Collections Centre

    Edinburgh
    The Museum Collections Centre houses objects spanning a wide range of subjects. Visitors can view the reserve collections of the social history, Museum of Childhood and applied art collections when the items are not on display in the museums.

All museums in Edinburgh