Free entry at the National Museum of Scotland. Filled with rich history and interactive booths…read more There is a cafe with grab and go options and a gift shop too. The best photo op is the third floor balcony overlooking the atrium! Such a gorgeous spot and great option to get out of the rainy weather!

It's the museum on Chambers Street. The entrance is in the round tower that is across the street…read morefrom Greyfriars Bobby. You might as well rub his nose for good luck before crossing over. There is a beautiful & bright atrium in the heart of the museum. You can see all 4 floors from this spot as you look up from the first floor. There are galleries and exhibits all around it. We started our journey on the ground floor of the tower in the Kingdom of the Scots, and then worked our way up and over. It truly is the perfect place to go on a rainy morning. The best part is that it's free admission, but donations are always welcomed. There were many highlights for me. The Maiden that was used for public executions in Grassmarket, Mercat Cross, and Castlehill was certainly eerie to look at along with some of the torture devices used back in that period. The display of items belonging to Mary, Queen of Scots was presented beautifully. Especially that lovely jeweled necklace. The exhibits of the Americas was nicely done. I even saw a gut parka on display that was similar to one we saw in Alaska earlier this year. The displays of musical instruments and ceremonial dance costumes was vibrant & interesting. I was drawn to the Bloody Empire display. It was a very artistic expression of anarchism in the form of wallpaper. It's unique. I have to say the same thing about the Slit Gong musical instrument that is said to bring out the voices of a dead ancestor. Very creepy stuff! The subject matter lightened up a bit as we walked through the technology & industry part of the museum. It was cool to see "The Hawk" as well as the display of bicycles and phones (including a Mickey Mouse one). But, I think the best part was the spectacular view of Edinburgh from the open rooftop. It would have been better on a sunny day, but it was still a great sight to see. It's worth taking those outdoor spiral steps up to see it. I love that there's a mini garden with upland grasses and plants along the lookout walls of the roof. A nice little touch. We spent about 2 hours here, but could have easily stayed longer. There's a balcony café on what is technically the 3rd floor of the building (2nd floor when looking up from the main atrium). There is a fee-based exhibit called "Monkeys Our Primate Family" that may be of interest to some. It ends on 30 Nov 2025. Overall, the museum is great fun for all ages. It's a great way to learn more about the Scottish innovators throughout history.

Take no notice of the mini-map - it is wrong. The museum is located on Grand Parade. The address is…read morecorrect. We visited on a drizzly June Sunday in 2010 and were pleasantly surprised. Admission was cheap and it passed an hour or so. The exhibits remind you of a bedroom quickly tidied with the arrival of visitors. There is no logic to the displays, they simply are. Famous names sit next to anonymous teddy bears. Virtually every type of toy is represented. Modern toys and games sit alongside favourites of days gone by. We were able to show our 11 and 8 year olds toys which we had as children. The museum is well worth a visit.

Situated in the heart of Edinburgh, the Scottish National Gallery is a small but delightful museum…read more While Scottish artists are the main focus, the National Gallery also houses works of art from famous European artists. All of Edinburgh's publicly owned museums and galleries offer free entry to their permanent collections, and National Galleries Scotland manage five buildings which provide access to a fantastic array of artworks. In the very heart of Edinburgh, on the Mound, which connects both Old and New Town, is the original National Gallery of Scotland itself, alongside its sister gallery, the Royal Scottish Academy building. Inside the building is a sumptuous series of open spaces with works by some of the world's greatest classic artists on display, alongside iconic works by Scottish painters. Artists like Rembrandt and Van Dyck are represented alongside Monet, Reubens and Titian, as well as British painters like Constable and Turner. One iconic picture which is often considered a definitively Scottish work is Edwin Landseer's Monarch of the Glen, featuring a majestic stag in front of a Scottish Highland backdrop.

Superb gallery in Edinburgh - well worth the visit…read more We stopped by on our third morning and had a wonderful time. This is not a massive (aka tiring) place, but it has excellent representation of Masters (Rubens, Rembrandt, Titian), and even a specially designed octagonal room dedicated to Nicolas Poussin's Seven Sacraments (1644-1648) - considered one of the greatest sets of paintings in the history of Western art. But my favorites pieces were by lesser known English, Scottish and Italian artists - such as Monarch of the Glen, Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch, and The Campbell Sisters. They have a small cafe which we visited when we needed a little coffee and cookie break, and the staff were very helpful and gracious. Would be happy to return.

A walk up a hill to Castlegate brings you to Jedburgh Castle Jail and Museum, once site of…read moreJedburgh's medieval castle. The castle was totally obliterated by the Scots in the early 1400s to ensure the English didn't make use of it. In the 19th century Jedburgh Prison was built on the site. The grusome experience of prison life in the 19th century is laid bare here via displays, cellblock recreations and audio visual shows. A jailer's house is also onsite. Jedburgh Castle is medieval, the prison dates from the 1820s Built in 1820 Jedburgh Castle Jail is an important example of Howard Reform Prison architecture. The history of the Royal Burgh of Jedburgh is shown in the Jailer's House. I have mixed feelings about this place. When I went it was getting towards dusk. The place is huge and very lonely/empty. I wandered around the floors alone, looked at the condemmed cell, saw everything but never felt comfortable. Suddenly I had to get out and I actually ran. It is supposedly haunted. I bet! Go with a crowd on a sunny day if this kind of place appeals to you. was £2 entrance.

Was here investigating paranormal events at the Gaol back in the mid 1990s with a really nice bunch…read morefrom Gateshead. for a change i'm not going to write a history and all the photos got lost in a computer crash. so we spent a wonderful evening at the place it' so incredibly atmospheric, heavy doors and little cells a pervading musty odour of decay everywhereand beware of the rooms that have mannequins in them I first encountered there, without warning, in the dark at about 11.30 at nightguess how I felt.. Parts of this place are incredibly creepy well worth a visit if passing.

There's so much to see and do at this museum that it was well worth the £12 entry. There's 3…read morehangars to explore with planes of all different sizes from olden day to modern planes. You can step on board a few planes and the highlight for me was seeing Concorde and getting to walk under it to really appreciate the size of the plane. One thing I really liked about the museum was that there weren't many restrictions. You could get close to the planes and nobody batted an eyelid. There's lots of flight based games for kids to play and the big kids of course. When I visited you could buy tickets for a short helicopter ride too. It's a great day out even if you're not really interested in planes. The museum has stories on the people who flew and travelled on planes as well as the history of the hangars.

The Museum of Flight based out at East Fortune, an airbase that has worked hard in service to the…read morecountry though both our World Wars and other military activity, as well as being a base for some of the air services. At £12 for an adult day ticket, I was a little wary initially about whether it would be worth it, however several colleagues had recommended it as a good day out so we gave it a go. I am sold! We had a wonderful day, there is so much to see and do. There are around 10 hangers, all filled to bursting with planes (surprise, surprise), but also memorabilia, parachutes, air ships, science experiments for children (also very exciting for adults). I particularly enjoyed doing the pilot tests; it would appear I my calling is definitely not to fly (shame, as I do love the uniforms!). The whole space is really interactive, there are touch screen video presentations seemingly everywhere you look so you can find out much more about the background and history of the planes, see them in flight, and hear from those who were lucky enough to fly them. Some of the planes, including concord you can even get on board. There is everything from air ship flight simulation to bombing target practice and much, much more.

My bf is a huge transport fan so it was yesterday on a sunny sunday that we found ourselves taking…read morea drive out here on one of their running days. The museum is open every sunday but when you have a running day it means you can get a chance to go a wee ride on some of the vintage buses. Entry is £7 per adult and includes access to the bus rides. There were loads of really well maintained vintage buses there and it was fun to go out on them and get a wee tour of the fife countryside. Most of the staff that work there are volunteers and are happy to explain the history behind all of the vehicles. If you are into collecting models of buses,trains etc theres a big indoor space with a good variety of stalls to browse and my bf assured me that the prices were really reasonable. Lots of public toilets and a cafe and the usual burger van selling hot food etc. Whilst this is not somewhere i would go usually I actually quite enjoyed it and my bf did too.

I visited the Bus Museum during a Doors Open Day and I was pleasantly surprised. The buses are…read morelovingly restored by keen amateurs and I was amazed at how many I recognised from my youth. You don't have to be a spotter to enjoy the Scottish Bus Museum.

This is a fantastic little volunteer run air museum. Staff extremly helpfull & friendly. We went on…read morea Sunday arfternoon & was pleasantly supprised at the access to the aircraft, especially the Vulcan Bomber. There is a well informed museum, It was a pleasure not to surrounded by hordes of people. Good athentic location next to Carlisle Airport. I didn't realise there was a voucher availible untill writing this review but am more than happy to support volunteers efforts. No cafe but the reception did provide hot & cold drinks, crisps.

I can't say much more about Culross that Deborah M. hasn't said, but it's a stunning little town…read more in Fife that is beautifully conserved. From the Abbey ruins at the top of the hill running down past the Hanging Gardens, and with lovely little galleries at the bottom, it's a great place to spend a couple of hours. Just a shame you have a view of Grangemouth on the other side, but I think that just about captures the idiosyncracy of Scotland!

Truly amazing NTS property comprising an entire 17th century town, its fabric lovingly preserved…read more Back in the day, Sir George Bruce of Carnock was an innovator and a bit of a shrewd businessman. He oversaw the first modern approach to coal mining and was heavily involved in shipping and import-export to the Netherlands. Signs of this are in the architecture throughout the town as it exists today. The Palace itself was Bruce's family residence and is as it was. Truly atmospheric 17th and 18th century furnishings. Most of the murals are very old. The surrounding gardens are a treat. The hourly tour (free with admission) takes you on a ramble through the cobbled town and into the town hall, the Bishop's house and to the Mercat Cross. You will see a place seemingly untouched by time with amazing little details like the owl holes (ask, you won't be disappointed) and the "risps" on all the doors of the older houses. This was what people used instead of a doorbell. Only things missing are the sounds and the smells. See the film about the house and town shown inside the palace. Hours can be weird and it is shut in winter, though you can walk about the town for free. Bring a packed lunch and make a day of it. There's a play park near the beach for the little people and a tea room nearby. The Abbey up the hill is also worth a look in. That's where Sir George and his family are buried in style. Two thumbs up.

This is a great little museum that's packed with fun stuff. You can easily get round most if it in…read morean afternoon and it's small enough that you can really talk to the staff and get all your questions answered.

A small and friendly museum. Usually you have a quiz to take you round and 'see' Alnwick before…read morethings changed. Every few months new exhibits come to town. It is set over three floors and is bit off the beaten track. It is fairly cheap to get in and family tickets are available.

A day trip to Rosslyn Chapel may be within seven miles of Edinburgh, but it feels like stepping…read moreinto another realm. The chapel is easily accessible by bus--a roughly 50-minute journey from the city centre. Our route had more than forty stops, yet I didn't mind at all. We were seated on the top deck of a double-decker, watching the city slowly give way to the Lowlands, enjoying glimpses of Edinburgh's outer edges as we made our way toward the chapel. Rosslyn Chapel is steeped in mystery, but if it looks familiar, that's because it is! Rosslyn Chapel was the inspiration for the book and film the Da Vinci Code. As such, she's a magnet for tourists looking to get a taste of intrigue. Dan Brown may have brought this chapel into popular culture in his book The Da Vinci Code, but this chapel was famous in its own right long before that. Rosslyn Chapel has been loved for both its amazing decorative artwork as well as the mystery that surrounds it with people for decades. After the "Da Vinci Code" movie, thousands of people came here every day looking to find some truth in the story, and thousands of people walked away disappointed. But whether you believe in the Da Vinci and Templar theories or not, this church is still an interesting place to visit. The chapel was founded by William Sinclair of the Sinclair family, a noble family descended from Norman knights who moved to Scotland when they fell out with William the Conqueror in the 11th century. The chapel itself is actually quite small. Standing 12 meters tall and 21 meters long, it was originally built to be a full style Gothic cathedral in the shape of a cross. However, when William Sinclair died his son decided to stop construction. He closed up the "top" and just made the existing building into a much smaller chapel. You can spend hours looking over all the reliefs, statues, and images. They are fascinating. The most fascinating one is the American maize (corn), which was not discovered at the time this church was built. Over one of the windows, there is clearly maize, leading many people to theorize the Sinclairs had contact with America years before Columbus did. (Though that isn't exactly revolutionary, as it's well documented that Columbus was not the first European to discover America.) we had a timed ticket and they have their own guide tht gives you a tour (on certain time). so check out the time when you enter.

I thought it was worth the cost. You have to buy a years pass but we were only going to be there…read moreonce. They do give discounts if you are in military, unemployed, disabled or over 65. Im unemployed and disabled but my hubby didnt mess with the discounts. It's a smaller place than i expected but the detail was stunning. I wish they had allowed photography id have been there all day. So much symbolism and history in every detail but you need a zoom lens to really see it. It was beautiful and so much stone detail it was gaudy. There are yours and information but I'm more visual. I asked why no photos and they claimed someone tripped and try to sue. I would pay extra to be able to do my thang with camera without having to sneak.