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 with a pram is talking to a museum worker, in the grand gallery at the national museum of scotland. The museum worker is at a small stand, with a sign saying 'Engagement team' behind them.
    Event

    Find Out Fridays

    5 Sep 25 - 26 Jun 2026, every Friday afternoon during term time 13:30 – 16:00
    Drop-in Friday fun for families of all ages.
    Free

    National Museum of Scotland

    Find out more
  2. A parent and child play with red Lego bricks on a table.
    Event

    Giants: Half Term Big Build

    Sat 14 - Sun 22 Feb, 10:30 - 16:00
    Get inspired by our Giants exhibition and join us this half term for LEGO activities for all the family.

    National Museum of Scotland

    Find out more
  3. Large 3D origami like sculptures of giant animals, in the giants exhibition space. In the foreground is a woolly mammoth, with glass panels on the legs that show real fossilised bones inside.
    Event

    Giants: Half Term

    Sat 14 - Sun 22 Feb, 10:30 - 16:00
    Join us in the Grand Gallery for free family activities to celebrate the recent opening of our new exhibition, Giants.
    Free

    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. Two small, unlaced, worn dark leather ankle boots against a black and grey background.
    Discover

    Footwear lost and found

    Written by Dr Emily Taylor
    In the National Museums Scotland European footwear collections, there is a small but vital group of items that have been found in different places across Scotland and London. To understand why they are important aspects of British culture,…
    Keep reading
  3. 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
  4. 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
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