A multi-level open museum space with balconies and an arched ceiling. There are lots of visitors looking at objects on display.

National Museum of Scotland

With thousands of amazing objects across multiple galleries, the Museum offers you a world of discovery all under one roof

Visitor information for National Museum of Scotland

Admission details:

Free entry

Contact:

Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF

Tel: 0300 123 6789

Opening hours:

Open daily, 10:00 - 17:00

Closed 25 Dec. Open 26 Dec, 12:00 – 17:00. Open 1 Jan, 12:00 – 17:00.

What's on

  1. A person controlling a large inflatable illuminated octopus puppet.
    Event

    Manipulate Festival: Ocho the Octopus

    Sat 7 Feb, 10:00 - 13:00
    Ocho the Octopus puppet stops off at the National Museum of Scotland for a morning of free pop-up performances and a puppetry inspired craft activity.
    Free

    National Museum of Scotland

    Find out more
  2. Three performers dressed in colourful outfits. On the left is a gold and silver owl, a black raven is in the middle, and a red bear is on the right.
    Event

    Manipulate Festival: Europe, Meine Liebe, Mon Amour

    Sun 8 Feb, 10:30 - 16:00
    Enjoy short pop-up theatre performances in the museum’s Grand Gallery, inspired by artist Bruno Gallagher’s travels around Europe.
    Free

    National Museum of Scotland

    Find out more
  3. A close up of a musician playing a violin with the Grand Gallery in the background.
    Event

    Live Music Mondays

    Mon 15 Dec – Mon 16 Feb, 12:45 – 13:30
    Come along to free live music performances featuring folk, classical, traditional Scottish, and modern fusion styles. 

    National Museum of Scotland

    Find out more
See what else is on

Stories from the collections

  1. Twelve bronze objects, including some rounded fittings with concentric circle designs and a rattle pendant. They are all silvery, with some green corrosion on the surface.
    Discover

    What is the Peebles Hoard?

    The Peebles Hoard is a spectacular collection of bronze, leather and wooden material. Dating to the Late Bronze Age (c.1000-800 BCE), it contains several hundred elements from a complex set of objects. A complete sword in a wooden scabbard…
    Keep reading
  2. A curling stone from Ailsa Craig.
    Discover

    The Roaring Game: Scotland's curling stone island

    Written by Dr Bob Gooday
    Did you know that all curling stones are quarried on a small, uninhabited island in the Firth of Clyde called Ailsa Craig?
    Keep reading
  3. Colourful printed cotton with blue geometric print and a blue red and green selection of fruits and flowers in the centre.
    Discover

    The material lives of ordinary people: rare 19th century Chinese cotton

    Written by Dr Rachel Silberstein
    When you think of historical Chinese dress, what material comes to mind? Most people would probably assume silk. But the majority of the population in Qing dynasty China (1644-1911) actually wore cotton.However, this reality is not…
    Keep reading
  4. Skull of adult Siberut Macaque facing forward with a black background.
    Discover

    6 world-class type specimens in our stores

    Written by Dr Andrew Kitchener, Dr Rachel Walcott & Dr Andrew Ross
    Type specimens are among the most important objects in natural science collections. They are the specimens on which the scientific names of species of animals, plants or minerals are based.  Animals and plants are named using the Linnaean…
    Keep reading
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