Exhibition
Game On
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National Museum of Scotland
Prices from £9
Our museums
National Museum of Scotland
Open daily, 10:00 – 17:00
Free entry
Chambers Street, Old Town, City of Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
National Museum of Flight
Apr – Oct: Open daily, 10:00 – 17:00
Paid entry, Members free
East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, EH39 5LF
National Museum of Rural Life
Open daily, 10:00 – 17:00
Paid entry, Members free
Philipshill Road, East Kilbride, G76 9HR
National War Museum
Apr – Sep: Open daily, 09:45 – 17:45
Free entry with paid entry to Edinburgh Castle
Castlehill, Old Town, City of Edinburgh, EH1 2NG
What's on
- Event
Spotlight On: Cold War Scotland
Thu 5 Sep, 14:00 - 15:00Delve deeper into the stories of Cold War Scotland and explore how the period impacted and influenced Scottish lives, politics, landscapes and technologies.Just announced - Exhibition
Maps: Memories from the Second World War
–Through personal stories, photography and memorabilia, this new exhibition charts the creation and use of maps during the Second World War. - Event
Behind the Scenes Tours
Wed 28 Aug – Wed 30 Oct, 12:00 – 13:00Find out about our collection of aero-engines and propellers on a curator-led tour of our Object Store. - Event
Collection Centre Tours
Wed 28 Aug 2024 - Wed 26 Mar 2025, 10:30 - 11:45 and 13:00 - 14:15Go behind the scenes on a tour of our state-of-the-art collections and research centre in Granton, Edinburgh.Tickets available - Event
Nature Track Packs
22 Jun – 1 Sep 2024, 10:00 – 17:00Explore more at the National Museum of Rural Life this summer with our Nature Track Packs. - Event
Scotland Galleries highlights tour
1 Apr 2023 - 30 Sep 2024, Tues - Fri, 11:00 - 12:00Join our volunteer guide to explore Scotland’s stories through highlight objects in our Scotland Galleries.Free
Discover our collections
- Discover
The story of Dolly the sheep
Dolly the sheep was the first cloned mammal ever to be created from an adult cell. Affectionately named after country music legend Dolly Parton, Dolly caused excitement and controversy among both scientists and the public.Why is Dolly… - Discover
The pioneering women of ornithology
Known as ‘the good ladies' of bird collecting, Dr Evelyn Baxter (1879–1959) and Leonora Rintoul (1878–1953) were born one year, and just a few miles apart, in Fife. Together they devoted their lives to collecting and studying the birds of… - Discover
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots is one of the most famous yet enigmatic figures in Scottish history. Our collection contains a rich selection of objects associated with Mary. Explore her dramatic story and separate out the facts from the myths that… - Discover
A closer look at a Korean scroll painting
In our collection we have six Korean hanging scrolls that all date from the beginning of the 20th century. This was a time of great change that marked the end of the long-running Joseon Dynasty (1392 – 1910) and the beginning of the… - Discover
The Galloway Hoard
The Galloway Hoard is an exceptional treasure, discovered in 2014 by metal detectorists at Balmaghie, Kirkcudbrightshire. It contains over 5kg of silver, gold and other materials dating to c AD 900. The careful way it was buried helped… - Discover
Decoding a portrait of Maharaja Duleep Singh
‘Casualty of War: A Portrait of Maharaja Duleep Singh’ is a painting by renowned British Sikh artists The Singh Twins. As the last sovereign ruler of the Sikh Kingdom, Maharaja Duleep Singh (1838-1893) was deposed from the throne by the…
Our work
Collections departments
Our collections represent astonishing diversity, from fossils showing evidence of the earliest forms of life, to internationally important material from across the world.
Research
Research is crucial to our stewardship of the national collections and to the intellectual development of subject knowledge.
Our impact
Scotland’s National Collection is an important resource and we use it to create wide-reaching cultural, social, educational and economic impact.
Schools
Ignite curiosity, foster critical thinking, and enrich your learning and teaching with the help of our incredible collections.