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A grand Edinburgh building hung with "Peter Howson" exhibition banners at dusk.
Edinburgh

City Art Centre

The city's own gallery of Scottish art, six floors of it on Market Street across from Waverley, free to visit and open every day.

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Welcome

Across Market Street from the glass roofs of Waverley station, a tall stone building hung with exhibition banners holds Edinburgh's own collection of Scottish art.

The City Art Centre shows it on six floors, reached by escalators and a lift, and the collection turns over in rotation, so the walls are never the same for long.

The range is wide: historic and contemporary Scottish painting, photography and the applied arts, alongside touring exhibitions that fill whole floors. The Scotsman has called it the most important place for seeing Scottish art. There is a family art cart for children most days, a shop by the door and Mimi's Bakehouse on the ground floor for a scone before or after.

Entry is free for all but a few temporary shows, and the doors open every day from ten until half past four.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
Round the cornerBrewhemiaA beer hall under the old Scotsman building on Market Street, opened in 2017, with twelve copper tanks of Czech and Scottish beer.1 min by roadSee itBrewhemia
Before you go

Entry is free, though some temporary exhibitions charge.

Escalators and a lift reach every floor, and there is a shop and Mimi's Bakehouse cafe on the ground floor.

Where
2 Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DE, across from Waverley station.
Open
Every day, 10am to 4.30pm (last entry).
Access
Wheelchair access, a hearing loop, escalators and lifts to all floors.

Opening hours

Monday
10am–5pm
Tuesday
10am–5pm
Wednesday
10am–5pm
Thursday
10am–5pm
Friday
10am–5pm
Saturday
10am–5pm
Sunday
10am–5pm

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Where it is

On Market Street in the Old Town, across the road from Waverley station.

Close byThe other galleries and stairs of Market Street.
  1. The Fruitmarket GalleryThe Fruitmarket GalleryA free gallery of contemporary art on Market Street, in an old fruit and vegetable market of 1938.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. The Scotsman StepsThe Scotsman StepsA stair of 1899 from North Bridge down to Market Street, every step a different marble.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Gloved hands hang black and white photographic prints on a darkroom lineStillsStills, the city's centre for photography since 1977, with free exhibitions.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Mimi's shopfront with award chalkboards for Scottish Bakery and Café of the YearMimi's BakehouseThe City Art Centre cafe of Mimi's Bakehouse, a family bakery since 2010, known for its cakes and award-winning afternoon tea.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. The stone arch at the foot of Fleshmarket Close, its name above and steps climbing away, people walking up.Fleshmarket CloseThe close climbing steeply from Market Street, best seen from the bottom looking up.Under a mile 2 min by road
  6. Cockburn StreetCockburn StreetA curving Victorian street of turreted tenements, built in the 1850s.Under a mile 2 min by road
Directions
CafeBrewhemiaA step away
Marble café table with iced coffee, latte art and a cameraCafeGordon Street CoffeeA step away
The blue front of Stills on Cockburn Street.AttractionsStillsautomatA step away
The old sweetshop front of The Milkman on Cockburn Street, CONFECTIONS cut in the stone above.CafeThe MilkmanA step away
A window seat with cushions beside a brick wall hung with plants and a warm lamp, looking out on a street, inside a coffee shop in Edinburgh's Old Town.CafeThe MilkmanA step away
A flight of whiskies and their bottles on a table in a stone vault at the Lost Close, a chandelier behind.AttractionsThe Lost CloseA step away
A lamb shank in gravy on mash beside a haggis stack topped with neeps, on a wooden table at Makars Mash Bar.RestaurantsMakars Mash Bar0.2 miles
A table at Roti King: roti canai with a bowl of curry, nasi lemak with fried chicken and sambal, chicken satay, morning glory and glasses of iced tea.RestaurantsRoti King0.2 miles
Guide leads a whisky tasting group seated at a long purple-clothed tableToursEdinburgh Gin Distillery0.2 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the gallery, and when each is next free.

A hotel studio room with a beige fitted kitchen unit and stainless sink beside a bed dressed in white and teal cushions, a wall of black-framed pictures above a patterned headboard.Old Town Chambers
  • To stay
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the City Art Centre
Check datesA round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the City Art Centre
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the City Art Centre
Check datesA turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Edinburgh
  • A mile from the City Art Centre
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

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What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more in Edinburgh.

ArticleOctober in EdinburghArticleNovember in EdinburghCollectionThings to Do in Edinburgh on a ShoestringCollectionThings to Do in Edinburgh for Art Lovers
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For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .