The Best Free Museums & Art Galleries in Edinburgh for Backpackers
- Jay
- May 22
- 6 min read
If you're visiting Edinburgh and looking to explore the city's history, culture, art and past, you'll be pleased to know that almost all of the major museums and art galleries in the city are free to visit, with some exhibitions costing extra only if you choose to add them on to your trip.
That's what makes Edinburgh perfect for a 'museum crawl', a great afternoon for backpackers spent in some architecturally stunning buildings and taking a look around the exhibits. We've put together our favourite places to check out, (almost!) all just a short walk from the backpackers' hostels in the Old Town.
Looking for the perfect place to stay during your visit to the Scottish Capital? Scotland's Top Hostels has you covered - with 3 affordable social backpackers hostels located slap bang in the middle of town:
Explore our three legendary Edinburgh backpackers hostels here:
For the most social and lively party vibes:
To stay right in the middle of town and close to the action, but a bit more laidback:
For the best mix of social and chill:
The National Museum of Scotland
If you only visit one free museum in Edinburgh, most backpackers will likely tell you to make it the National Museum of Scotland. It's massive, right in the middle of the Old Town, and manages to cover everything from Scottish history through to fashion, science, zoology and ancient culture. You could choose to spend an hour speedrunning the place, or easily lose an entire rainy afternoon wandering through the different floors.
Highlights include the stuffed remains of Dolly the Sheep, the first cloned animal, who was born just outside of the city, alongside the Scottish Maiden, an early beheading device that predates the guillotine (if you're travelling with French pals, best not to mention it!). Also make sure to check out the Lewis Chessmen, 12th century walrus ivory chess pieces that were hand carved and found on the distant Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.
It's housed in two huge buildings that were joined together in 2006, but the oldest dates back to the 1800s, and located on Chambers Street which was deliberately built to house the museum. Don't miss the huge central hall, flooded with national light and that occasionally plays host to Ceilidhs (Scottish Folk Dance Parties) in the evening.
National Galleries of Scotland - Portrait, Modern & National
The three locations of the National Galleries are split but all worth visiting. Each one houses a different type of artwork, 'Portrait' & 'Modern' maybe being self-explanatory, but the most expansive exhibition is at the 'National' (yes, it's really called National Galleries of Scotland - National on maps and the like).
National
Located at the foot of the 'Mound' next to the Old Town, just minutes away from backpacker hubs like Castle Rock Hostel, is the easiest to casually drop in while you're wandering around Edinburgh. Right outside you'll find Princes Street Gardens, which makes a neat pairing to visit on a sunny day.
Inside you'll find a vast collection of works from European and Scottish painters, as well as from further afield, including Titian, Rembrandt and Vermeer to Monet and Van Gogh and Picasso, Hockney and Warhol.
Portrait
Even if art galleries aren't your thing you are bound to enjoy a trip to Portrait, the building itself is remarkable with huge red sandstone gothic walls covered in murals, dramatic arches, stained glass windows and one of the most impressive entrance halls of any museum I've seen in Europe.
The gallery itself tells a surprisingly engaging story of Scotland through portraits of those who have shaped the country, from Kings and Queens through to musicians, actors, activists and more. They play a little fast and loose with the term 'portrait' too, don't go in expecting a stuffy old art museum, as Portrait is impressively diverse and up to date.
Modern
Head a little bit out of the city centre into Dean Village and just beyond you'll find the two buildings that make up Modern - the creatively named Modern One and Modern Two. It takes around 35-40 minutes to walk there from the backpacker hub of the Old Town, but in good weather there's a scenic stroll to be had travelling through the New Town and then along the edge of the Water of Leith to reach this picturesque part of the city.
Once you get there, you'll find the two buildings side-by side, one a neoclassical architectural wonder, and the other a converted building that was originally a 19th-century orphan hospital. Inside Modern One you'll find a focus on contemporary art from the early 20th century drawn from both Scottish and International Artists.
In both buildings expect to find a mix of painting, sculpture, photography, film and installations with exhibitions that regularly rotate. Modern Two also houses the National Galleries' Dad and Surrealist collection, one of the most impressive found in Britain, featuring works from Salvador Dali.
Museum of Edinburgh
It's easy to walk past this Museum, sat right on the Royal Mile on the way to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the start of the trail to hike nearby Arthur's Seat. Tucked into a bright yellow 16th century building, the exhibition tell the story of how Edinburgh grew from a cramped medieval slum (one of the largest in Northern Europe) through to the modern capital of Scotland.
The exhibits focus on every day life, from the old trades of the city, how the street layouts were redesigned by Victorian town planners, and highlights some of the details you can spot around Edinburgh, which is a city covered in layers and layers of history everywhere you look. A trip here makes a neat addition to a walking tour, such as the free ones provided every Saturday at High Street Hostel, just a short walk away.
The Writers' Museum
Squeeze through the tiny opening at Lady Stair's Close on the Royal Mile, just off from the Lawnmarket, and you'll find yourself in Makars' Court - a relatively new part of the city that has become an evolving monument to the literary history of Scotland, with paving slabs featuring quotes from famous books and poems in English, Scots and Gaelige (the three national languages of the country).
Overlooking the court you'll find the Writers' Museum, housed in a 17th-century townhouse, and dedicated to three of Scotland's most famous writers; Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. The exhibits include original manuscripts, letters, portraits and personal belongings that give you a closer look at their lives and work. It's a small museum that makes a great addition to your 'museum crawl', and probably will take you around 30-45 minutes to wander through.
City Art Centre
Just next to Waverley Station you'll find the City Art Centre, squeezed in between the Old and New Towns. It's a modern and spacious building compared to some of the other museums listed here, with large galleries that host rotating exhibitions rather than a fixed single collection. The focus is mostly on visual art connected to Scotland, including photography, painting, sculpture and contemporary installations that can all be quite different depending on when you visit.
The gallery often champions Scottish artists alongside broader international work, and makes an easy stop to fit in to a day of exploring the city.
The People's Story
If you're wandering down the Royal Mile, you'll likely be struck by the historic Canongate Tolbooth, a large building that sticks out of the Canongate on the Royal Mile with a large clocktower. Inside you'll find The People's Story, which looks to bring to light the stories of everyday people around the city and explain its turbulent history through their eyes rather than those of the Royals or Politicians.
Inside, the exhibits unpack the lives of ordinary people including working-class communities, trades, housing and the social movements which redefined life in the city. There's recreated rooms, personal stories, photos and objects that explore these topics, and again this makes a nice shorter addition to a day of meandering around Edinburgh's Old Town (which is one of the best things you can do while visiting!)
Where Backpackers Stay to Make the Most of Edinburgh's Free Museums & Art Galleries
Most backpackers who are interested in checking out the free Museums and Art Galleries choose to stay in and around Edinburgh's Old Town. If you want to be in the heart of everything, it's the best base, and there are three hostels that make it convenient, comfortable and social for backpackers to stay:
For the most social and lively party vibes, located very close to the National Galleries and Writers' Museum:
To stay right in the middle of town and close to the action, but a bit more laidback, just steps from The People's Story and Museum of Edinburgh:
For the best mix of social and chill, close to the National Museum of Scotland and City Art Centre:
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