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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

Scotland's national gallery on the Mound: international art from 1300 to 1945 and the best of Scottish painting, open every day and free.

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Welcome

On the Mound, the great ramp of earth between the Old Town and the New, stand two classical temples one behind the other.

The rear one is the Scottish National Gallery, and inside it hangs the nation's collection of art from 1300 to 1945.

The octagonal rooms are painted a deep red and hung close with pictures, as galleries once were. The international collection runs through Titian, Velázquez, Rembrandt and Vermeer to the Impressionists, and the Scottish galleries tell the story of Scottish painting from 1800 to 1945, with William McTaggart, Anne Redpath, Phoebe Anna Traquair and the Glasgow Boys among the names. From some windows there are wide views across Princes Street Gardens.

The gallery is open every day from ten until five, and it is free to go in; only some exhibitions charge. There is a cafe and restaurant, and a shop of art books and gifts.

Round the cornerEdinburgh’s Christmas MarketThe Christmas market in East Princes Street Gardens.1 min by roadSee itWooden chalets of the Christmas market in East Princes Street Gardens, hung with greenery and signs.
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.
Open
Every day, 10am to 5pm.
Entry
Free; some exhibitions charge.

Opening hours

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

On the Mound, between Princes Street and the Old Town.

Close byPrinces Street and the Mound.
  1. The dining room of the Scottish Cafe & Restaurant at the National Gallery.The Scottish CafeUnder a mile1 min by road
  2. Lady Stair's Close and the Writers' Museum, a tall old house with a turret.Makars’ CourtA courtyard off the Lawnmarket with Scotland's writers cut into the flagstones.Under a mile1 min by road
  3. Edinburgh Castle rises above trees and lawns of Princes Street GardensPrinces StreetThe southern edge of the New Town, built on one side only.Under a mile1 min by road
  4. Ross Fountain in Princes Street Gardens with Edinburgh Castle behindRoss FountainA French cast-iron fountain of 1872 beneath the castle rock.1 mile4 min by road
  5. Edinburgh CastleEdinburgh CastleA royal castle on its rock at the top of the Royal Mile.1 mile5 min by road
Directions
Bar stools face shelves of spirits lit above a patterned tiled floorRestaurantsNumber OneA step away
Wooden chalets of the Christmas market in East Princes Street Gardens, hung with greenery and signs.AttractionsEdinburgh’s Christmas MarketA 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
Antique bureau with candlestick and quill pen beside a stone windowAttractionsGladstone’s Land0.2 miles
Stay nearby

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

A man walks past Bucken Booths entrance flanked by black lamp postsOld Town Chambers
  • To stay
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the National
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 National
Check datesWest End Muse
  • 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
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Find out more

For further reading, before you go.