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Surgeons' Hall Museums and soup at Union of Genius
Edinburgh

Surgeons' Hall Museums – Pathology, Surgery and Soup

A few hours, from Waverley Station and back.

The route

Surgeons' Hall Museums tell the story of surgery in Edinburgh, from the tools of the old operating theatres to the specimens of the pathology gallery, gathered over the years to teach medical students.

It's all under one roof, and a short walk from Waverley. Add a bowl of soup on Forrest Road and it's a rainy morning well spent for curious grown-ups and older children.

Before you go

  1. Book accommodation nearby

    If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.

    Old Town ChambersClose byOld Town ChambersA place to stayMoment George IV BridgeClose byMoment George IV BridgeSleeps 2West End MuseClose byWest End MuseSleeps 4The Scott HotelA mile awayThe Scott HotelA hotel

The day

Edinburgh

A morning in the Old Town spent almost entirely under a roof. Two unhurried hours among the surgeons' collections on Nicolson Street, then a warming bowl of soup round the corner, and you're back at Waverley by early afternoon.

About three and a half hours

  1. Surgeons’ Hall Museums

    Surgeons’ Hall Museums

    An attraction

    It's a 15-minute walk from Waverley over North Bridge and up South Bridge to Surgeons' Hall Museums on Nicolson Street. There's no car park, so come on foot. You don't book an ordinary visit: buy your ticket at reception on Level 3, from £10 for an adult at the time of writing, and give it the two hours the museum suggests. Start in the Wohl Pathology Gallery, then the History of Surgery Gallery and the Dental Collection; a lift serves every floor. Human remains are on show, so there's no photography, and the museum recommends it for ten and over.

    More about Surgeons’ Hall Museums

  2. 8 min on foot

    Union of Genius

    Union of Genius

    Lunch

    Walk 8 minutes west from the museum to Union of Genius at 8 Forrest Road, a small café given over to soup. There are fresh soups every day, with chillies, focaccia sandwiches, börek, coffee and bakes alongside. There's no booking; just walk in. It's open every day through lunch, until 5pm, so a bowl at about 12.40 is safe.

    More about Union of Genius

If it rains

All of it is under a roof, so this is a morning made for the rain: the only wet part is the 15-minute walk from Waverley, and the 8 minutes on to Forrest Road for lunch.

Union of Genius