Museums
Our Dynamic Earth
the Concorde Experience at the National Museum of Flight
outside the National Mining Museum Scotland
Silver pendant found in a grave in Sweden. Vikings! exhibition.
Edinburgh and the Lothians are blessed with all the fascinating museums you would expect. See T-Rex at the National Museum of Scotland, Concorde at the National Museum of Flight and Steiff Bears at the world’s only dedicated Museum of Childhood.
National Museum of Scotland
Following a major refurbishment project, the newly reopened National Museum of Scotland now holds over 20,000 exhibits spread across 36 galleries.
Step inside the treasure house of the National Museum of Scotland to uncover stunning and surprising exhibits from around the world in its 16 new exhibition galleries, with 80% of objects being displayed for the first time.
Other fascinating exhibitions taking place at the National Museum of Scotland will include Vikings!, which opened in January and runs until 12 May, and Mary Queen of Scots, which runs from 28 June to 17 November. The Vikings! exhibition lets you discover the power of mythology and symbolism of Viking ships, gain fascinating insights into domestic life and death rituals, and view evidence of Viking workmanship in jewellery, metalwork, textiles and other objects. The National Museum of Scotland is the only UK venue for this exhibition of over 500 objects, which is a joint venture between, and produced by, the National Historical Museum in Sweden and MuseumsPartner in Austria.
Mary Queen of Scots is a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition developed by National Museums Scotland. It will include loans from public and private collections across Europe, including the Royal Collection. Discover her fascinating story and decide for yourself if she was betrayed by those she trusted, condemned to die a Catholic martyr, or was a murdering adulteress with her husband’s blood on her hands?
Museum of Childhood
The Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh is the world’s first museum which is dedicated to the history of childhood.
See toys and games from across the generations, marvel at teddies and dolls and listen to the sounds of a 1930s schoolroom.
Get hands-on with the dressing up costumes and games and make sure not to miss the brilliant collection of early Steiff Bears, Corgi cars and Barbie dolls.
Writers’ Museum
The Writers’ Museum in Edinburgh sits in the historic Lady Stair’s House which dates back to 1622, and celebrates the lives of three of Scotland’s great writers - Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson.
Hear all about these three great literary men at the Writers’ Museum: see portraits of Robert Burns, the fishing rod and smoking pipe of Robert Louis Stevenson and the actual printing press on which Sir Walter Scott’s famous Waverley novels were once printed.
Dynamic Earth
Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh is the only place in Scotland where you can travel through time and across the planet! Journey to the centre of the earth, feel the tremor of an earthquake and wander through an amazing tropical rainforest.
One of Edinburgh’s most popular family attractions is Dynamic Earth, opposite the Scottish Parliament. Embark on an incredible journey through the history of our amazing planet and get a fascinating glimpse of the future.
The day begins with the Big Bang and the creation of the earth. End up face to face with extinct dinosaurs and go to the bottom of the ocean. Walk in a tropical rainforest with squawking birds and chattering monkeys, and fly over glaciers.
National Museum of Flight
Discover the extraordinary story of how we took to the skies at the National Museum of Flight, uniquely located in a series of air hangars in East Fortune.
Explore the four hangars and witness the story of aviation, from the first military aircraft to supersonic flight.
Get up close to the magnificent Concorde and see this extraordinary aircraft just as she was when she last flew. Watch a film presentation about her epic final journey to East Lothian.
The East Fortune Airfield played a major role during both World Wars and you can enjoy a fascinating exhibition which brings this historic legacy to life alongside the National Museum of Flight’s 25 other hands-on activities - including the chance to try landing a plane successfully with the flight simulators!
An exciting annual air show is held here every year with air displays, military jets, historic planes and family activities.
Surgeons Hall Museum
The Surgeons Hall Museum in Edinburgh is Scotland’s largest medical museum and is recognised as a collection of national significance.
The exhibitions follow the story of surgery in Scotland from its earliest days, through the Burke and Hare murders to modern keyhole surgery.
Displays include early anatomical specimens and surgical instruments, a pocket book made from the skin of William Burke, and a hands-on keyhole surgery training unit.
National Mining Museum Scotland
The National Mining Museum Scotland is a fantastic 5-star visitor attraction which is based at one of the finest surviving examples of a Victorian colliery in Europe, the Lady Victoria Colliery at Newtongrange, just 9 miles from Edinburgh.
Visitors to the museum will enjoy a fascinating insight into the industrial communities and their work which has left its marks across the central belt. Marvel at the sheer size of the place, be astounded by the engineering brilliance behind all the machinery and retrace the footsteps and struggles of the thousands of miners and their families before them.
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Edinburgh and the Lothians sits on the eastern side of Scotland's central belt, in the heart of the country.
