The Scottish National Gallery: Things to Do

Summary

The Scottish National Gallery is situated in the heart of Edinburgh, midway between East and West Princes Street Gardens.

The gallery is free to enter and is one of the city’s must-do attractions thanks to its priceless collections featuring some of the world’s finest artworks, many of which were created by Scottish artists.

A unique feature of the Scottish National Gallery is that it has an underground exhibition space that joins the Royal Scottish Academy, so visitors can explore the art in both buildings without having to go outside.

The highlights

1: Like all of Edinburgh’s best attractions, the Scottish National Gallery is completely free to enter – as are the national portrait and modern art galleries.

2: The Scottish National Gallery offers visitors the chance to see some of the world’s finest artworks from the likes of Rembrandt, Raphael and Titian as well as Scottish-born artists such as Ramsay, Raeburn and Wilkie.

3: The National Galleries of Scotland comprises three magnificent galleries – the Scottish National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

The national gallery and the RCA are located immediately next to each other while the National Portrait Gallery is an 8-minute walk away on Queen Street.

The National Gallery of Modern Art, meanwhile, is located 1.5 miles to the west and takes 30 minutes to walk, but there is a free shuttle bus that runs between both galleries.

Visiting tips

1: There’s a very clever Scottish National Gallery guide that you can download to your phone that provides information about most of the artworks in the collection as well as an overview of the life of each artist.

Simply scan the artwork with your phone and the app will download a collection of fascinating details as well as an audio guide. Apple: Smartify. Android: Smartify.

2: Visitors are spoilt for choice when it comes to places to eat in Edinburgh, but the restaurant and café in the Scottish National Gallery are highly recommended.

Both the restaurant and café feature views over Princes Street Gardens and the café has an outside terrace that’s a nice place to eat on a sunny day.

3: Return visitors to any of Scotland’s national galleries should consider getting a Friends membership.

For one annual payment visitors can enjoy unlimited free entry to all paid exhibitions, a 10% discount in all cafés, free entry for children, and free car parking.

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Overview

The Scottish National Gallery is virtually impossible to miss if you take a walk through the centre of Edinburgh, as not only is it one of the most architecturally impressive buildings in the city, it’s located in the dead centre of the ever-popular Princes Street Gardens.

The gallery is home to one of Europe’s finest collections of artworks by artists from across the globe, but special consideration has been given to Scotland and the gallery contains one of the most comprehensive collections of Scottish masterpieces in the country.

The location of the Scottish National Gallery means it’s a great place to explore when the weather closes in as within the space of less than a mile tourists can walk between the Scott Monument, the Museum on the Mound, the National Museum of Scotland, and a wide range of restaurants including those at the superb Balmoral Hotel.

Both the Scottish National Gallery and the adjacent Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) welcome huge numbers of visitors each year, partly due to the quality of art on offer and partly because it’s completely free to view these masterpieces (although there are charges for some exhibitions).

During a visit, it’s possible to meander through galleries containing many of the most important artworks in the world including paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Constable, Turner, Monet, and Van Gogh.

Meanwhile, the biggest part of the collection covers the entire history of Scottish painting and features works by Ramsay, Raeburn, Wilkie, and McTaggart.

In fact, there’s so much to see in both galleries that most visitors will find themselves lost in the world of art for the best part of an afternoon, and that’s before visiting the nearby National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery of Modern Art, both of which are also free to enter.

Tourist information

Tourists are spoilt for choice when it comes to things to do in Edinburgh, but the Scottish National Gallery deserves to sit somewhere near the top of any sightseeing itinerary.

If nothing else, the architecture of the national gallery is very Instagram-worthy and a visit to Scotland’s capital city wouldn’t be complete without a selfie or two in front of it.

The Scottish National Gallery building was designed by celebrated Edinburgh architect William Playfair to house the national art collection of the RSA when plans were put in place to rehouse the collection in the 1840s.

The start of the construction was marked by a foundation stone laid by Prince Albert in 1850 and after opening it housed the national art collection until 1912 when the RSA moved into an adjacent building.

After extensive remodelling, the Scottish National Gallery re-opened with an emphasis on showcasing a selection of Scottish and European art – a theme which it continues to this day.

By 1970 it was decided that additional storage space would be required to house the nation’s artworks so an extensive series of basement galleries were constructed, which were further extended in the early 2000s so that the separate buildings of the RSA and the national gallery effectively became one building.

This underground area is particularly popular with tourists as it houses an excellent restaurant and café along with a gift shop that sells reproductions of some of the artworks that can be seen in both galleries.

The café and restaurant overlook Princes Street Gardens, so stopping for a meal or a coffee at either venue is highly recommended.

Visitors carrying bags will be pleased to know that all sites of the national galleries have lockers available which cost around £2 per person. In the national gallery, the lockers are located on the ground floor next to the cafe.

Discover more places to visit in Edinburgh with: Places to Visit in Edinburgh – The Ultimate Guide.

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Things to do nearby

Balmoral Hotel. 1 Princes St, Edinburgh EH2 2EQ. 6-minute walk. A grand Victorian hotel in Princes Street. The Balmoral Hotel sports a luxurious interior and has several spaces to eat and drink including the glass-domed Palm Court and the ultra-chic Bar Prince.

Princes Street Gardens. This is a sizeable public park in the centre of Edinburgh. There are numerous monuments and statues inside the landscaped gardens including the Scott Monument.

Calton Hill. Edinburgh, EH7 5AA. 11-minute walk. A prominent landmark in Edinburgh that offers panoramic views of the city. Also the location of the city planetarium, the National Monument and the Nelson Monument.

Princes Street. 1-minute walk. Arguably the most famous street in Scotland. Princes Street is the first port of call for most visitors to the city as it offers a wide range of shops and restaurants and borders Princes Street Gardens.

Museum on the Mound. The Mound, Edinburgh, EH1 1YZ. 4-minute walk. A museum located in the historic Bank of Scotland head office. Visitors can explore the history of money in Scotland with a collection of exhibits that include the country’s oldest banknote and £1 Million of real notes.

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Frequently asked questions