National Museum of Scotland

Explore the 36 galleries at The National Museum of Scotland. The museum has recently undergone a £47m renovation, finally joining its two halves together. The more modern half, dating from 1998, was designed by architects Benson & Forsyth and displays objects made in Scotland. The Victorian half was built in stages from 1861 to 1889 and was designed by Robert Matheson & Francis Fowke. The older part of the museum shows objects that Scottish explorers, soldiers, scientists and inventors brought back with them from their travels and also holds pieces from Charles Darwin, who studied at Edinburgh University from 1825-1827.

There is a brand new entrance hall with a café, shop and information desk and there are many activities for the children. They can try their hand at making their own Viking bread, or build a plane to escape from the rainforest. They can also make their own dinosaur or bear mask, plus many more games and things to do and make.