Galleries and Museums

Edinburgh's first class museums and galleries attract the best travelling exhibitions as well as being home to their own impressive collections. Here is a small selection of the best.

• National Gallery of Scotland
  The oldest gallery of the five that go to make up The National Galleries of Scotland, The National is situated on The Mound in the heart of Edinburgh. This beautiful building is home to an internationally-renowned collection of works by Bassano, Van Dyck, El Greco, Velazquez and Boticelli among many others. For more information on galleries run by the National Galleries of Scotland visit www.natgalscot.ac.uk
• The Scottish Gallery of Modern Art
  One of the real pleasures in Edinburgh is a walk along the sylvan Water of Leith to the modern art gallery. Home to an ever-changing selection of work from its permanent collection of modern masterpieces, the Gallery is the place to see Bonnard, Matisse, Leger, Picasso, Bacon, Hockney and the Scottish Colourists. A regularly changing temporary exhibition programme makes every visit a unique pleasure.
• The Dean Gallery
  Situated just across the beautifully sculptured lawns of the modern art gallery lies The Dean, created to house Eduardo Paolozzi's eclectic works. The gallery also features a wealth of touring exhibitions and works from the National Galleries of Scotland permanent collection.
• Scottish National Portrait Gallery
  A gallery dedicated to portraiture through the ages, this gallery represents a unique visual history of Scotland. Home to a priceless permanent collection, the Gallery also plays host to regular touring exhibitions.
• Peoples Story Museum
• Museum Of Childhood
• The Writers Museum
  www.edinburgh.gov.uk
• Surgeons' Hall Museum, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
  www.rcsed.ac.uk
• Newhaven Heritage Museum
• Museum On The Mound
  www.museumonthemound.com
  Other Museums
  Three of Scotland's National Museums are in or near Edinburgh. All very different, they are well worth including in your plans:
  National Museum of Scotland
  National War Museum at Edinburgh Castle
  National Museum of Flight
  Find out more at www.nms.ac.uk
  Make sure you take the time to visit the Museum of Edinburgh, home to important collections relating to the history of Edinburgh, from prehistoric times to the present day and The Writers' Museum, dedicated to lives and work of Scotland's great literary figures, in particular Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson.
• Commercial Galleries
  Information on many of Edinburgh's private and commercial galleries can be found at:
  www.edinburgh-galleries.co.uk