National Museum of Scotland

Edinburgh, Scotland

The National Museum of Scotland has a wealth of treasures, where you can imagine archaeologists going around and telling people that their items belong in a museum.

Scotland is home to a rich cultural history of its own, so the National Museum of Scotland is divided into major sections; the first focuses primarily on Scotland from the Prehistoric to today, and the other sections focus on the natural world, world cultures, collecting stories, art, design, and fashion, and science and technology. With Uncle Rick’s suggestion to focus on the Scotland exhibits, we split into three groups, so Wyatt, Henry, and I tackled the Scotland section of the museum.

The Scotland section is arranged chronologically, from prehistoric times on the bottom floor to the modern day. The floors include -1 for Beginnings and early people, 0, 1, and 2 for the Kingdom of the Scots, 3 for Scotland Transformed, 4 and 5 for Industry and Empire, and 6 for Scotland: A Changing Nation. Going from the basement to the ceiling takes the visitor through all of Scottish history. There are artifacts from Robert the Bruce and William Wallace. Many pieces from the Lewis Chessman set found on the Isle of Lewis are on display here. The collection includes items related to the Jacobite Rebellion and to the Treaty of Union. There are artifacts from the Industrial Revolution as Scotland became an early adopter of industry. The exhibits also feature exhibits about the Scottish Diaspora, as there are at least 25 million people of Scottish descent worldwide, with many residing in former parts of the British Empire, including the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The exhibits are crafted to show what it means to be Scottish, and arguably the tour through Scotland is the best display of exhibits in this museum. 

Above the Scottish Section is the Rooftop Garden Terrace. The garden features grasses and heathers from across Scotland. The view also provides great views of the city. Edinburgh has one of the prettiest skylines of any city that I have visited, so a trip to the museum should include going to the rooftop garden. If you go, know that there is only one elevator to the roof, and it is very crowded

We went through the Scottish section of the museum over a few hours, so we did not have much time to see the rest of the collection. We made a special point of seeing the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton.

The National Museum of Scotland can be visited at no cost, and with a collection so vast, it is a great way to learn about everything that Scotland has to offer. If you are targeting a specific exhibit, you can make a short visit. For example, the one exhibit that I wanted to see the most was Dolly the Sheep, which was pretty easy to get to in the museum. Otherwise, I would encourage any visitor to budget a few hours to see the exhibits. This museum definitely could offer many repeat visits, and if you were based in Edinburgh, it could be beneficial to visit the museum over multiple days.

For a few hints when visiting, the staircases and elevators go to different floors, and they do not all connect. It takes a little bit of time to figure out how everything connects. There are three cafés in the museum, but we opted to eat at Nando’s across the street. There is a cloakroom, so if you have a bag, you will need to store it before going into the exhibits. The museum has free WiFi, but my service kept going in and out throughout our visit. The museum has many visitors, but the only place that felt truly crowded was the elevator to and from the garden terrace.

Rick Steves rates the National Museum of Scotland at the two-triangle, try-hard-to-see level. As a national museum, I would put it on par with the National Museum of Denmark, the British Museum, or the Smithsonian, as it has numerous artifacts that are displayed well for all visitors. Sometimes travelers will spend too much time in museums, but the Scotland display is world-class and is a model not only in effective displays but also in storytelling. After my visit, I felt better informed about the country I was visiting, and that might be the best thing a national museum can provide to a non-citizen.