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A red-walled octagonal gallery of the Scottish National Gallery, a marble statue at its centre among gilt-framed paintings.
Edinburgh

Scottish National Gallery

A free national gallery on the Mound, with art from 1300 to 1945 from Titian and Vermeer to the Glasgow Boys, open daily 10am to 5pm.

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Welcome

The Scottish National Gallery stands on the Mound, just off Princes Street, an Ionic temple of a building put up between 1850 and 1859 to the designs of William Playfair.

Inside, top-lit octagonal and lozenge-shaped galleries hold the national collection of art from 1300 to 1945. The international paintings run from Titian, Velázquez, Rembrandt and Vermeer to the Impressionists, and the Scottish galleries follow Scottish art from 1800 to 1945 through William McTaggart, Anne Redpath, Phoebe Anna Traquair and the Glasgow Boys.

Among the best-loved works on show are Landseer's The Monarch of the Glen, Wilkie's Pitlessie Fair and Van Gogh's Olive Trees. Entry is free, though some exhibitions charge, and the gallery is open every day from 10am to 5pm. The main entrance is in East Princes Street Gardens, where The Scottish Cafe & Restaurant looks east across the Gardens and the gallery shop is close by.

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Round the cornerJolly JudgeA small pub at the foot of James Court off the Lawnmarket, with low beamed ceilings, a warm fire, real ales and a long list of malts.1 min by roadSee itJolly Judge
Before you go

Open every day and free, with a charge for some exhibitions.

There is a cafe and restaurant, and a shop.

Where
The Mound, Edinburgh EH2 2EL, just off Princes Street. The main entrance is in East Princes Street Gardens, off the Mound.
Open
Every day, 10am to 5pm, with last admission at 4.45pm. Closed on 25 and 26 December, and open from noon to 5pm on 1 January.
Price
Free; some exhibitions charge.
Booking
No booking is needed for a general visit. Paid exhibitions have timed tickets that can be booked in advance.
Getting there
Five minutes on foot from Waverley Station. Trams stop at the Mound on Princes Street, and all city centre and Princes Street buses pass the gallery.
Parking
There is no public car park on site. Two accessible spaces can be booked in advance, and there is metered on-street parking close by and the St James Quarter multi-storey car park.
Dogs
Guide, hearing and assistance dogs are welcome, as are emotional support dogs with an identifying lead or harness. Other animals are not allowed in the buildings.
Access
The main entrance in the Gardens is reached by a gentle, step-free path of about 200 metres from the Mound, or by 29 steps. Two smaller ramped entrances on the Mound lead into the historic gallery, and the accessible rear entrance of the Academy building has a lift. Wheelchairs can be borrowed free of charge.
Food
The Scottish Cafe & Restaurant is open 10am to 5pm, with last orders at 4pm; booking is requested but not required. Cafe Espresso is open 10am to 4pm.

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 the Mound in the centre of Edinburgh, just off Princes Street, with the main entrance in East Princes Street Gardens.

Close byPrinces Street and the Mound.
  1. The dining room of the Scottish Cafe & Restaurant at the National Gallery.The Scottish CafeUnder a mile 1 min by road
  2. Wooden chalets of the Christmas market in East Princes Street Gardens, hung with greenery and signs.Edinburgh’s Christmas MarketEdinburgh's Christmas market in East Princes Street Gardens, from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, free to enter, with the big wheel above it.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Makars’ CourtMakars’ CourtA courtyard off the Lawnmarket beside the Writers' Museum, its flagstones cut with the words of Scotland's writers, begun in 1997.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Princes StreetPrinces StreetThe southern edge of James Craig's New Town of 1767, built on one side only, so the whole street faces its gardens and the castle.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Ross FountainRoss FountainA French cast-iron fountain of mermaids and cherubs, given to the city by a gunmaker and opened in 1872 beneath the castle rock.1 mile 4 min by road
  6. Edinburgh CastleEdinburgh CastleA royal castle on its rock at the top of the Royal Mile, in its time a palace, garrison and prison, and home of the oldest Crown jewels in Britain.1 mile 5 min by road
Directions
Bar stools face shelves of spirits lit above a patterned tiled floorRestaurantsNumber OneA step away
Set table beside a brick fireplace with clock and mirror aboveRestaurantsWhiski RoomsA step away
Turreted stone building with a Makars' Court sign in Edinburgh's Old TownAttractionsWriters’ Museum in Lady Stair’s CloseA step away
Turreted stone tenement with crow-stepped gables and a lamppost in Edinburgh's Old TownAttractionsWriters' MuseumA step away
Pavement slab inscribed with Robert Garioch's verse "In Embro to the ployAttractionsLady Stair's CloseA step away
Hanging pub sign for the Jolly Judge on a stone wallRestaurantsJolly JudgeA step away
Bronze sculpture of a basket with a carved oar motif on its stone plinthAttractionsSusannah Alice Stephen MemorialA 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 BarA step away
Whirlybird's dining room on Victoria Street, with wooden tables and chairs, a stone wall, fringed lamps and a tall window onto the street.RestaurantsWhirlybird0.2 miles

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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
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  • Under a mile from the National
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  • Sleeps 2
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  • Under a mile from the National
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  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the National
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 National
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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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.

From the magazineA Guide to Arts & Culture in EdinburghArticleBest Picnic Spots in EdinburghCollectionThings to Do in Edinburgh on a ShoestringCollectionScotland's Best Art Galleries
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For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .