The 6 best free things to do in Edinburgh

One museum, two conjoined buildings. The modern half of this complex on Chambers Street opened in 1998 and tells you everything about Scotland from its geological and prehistoric past to its social and political present. The older half with the soaring Victorian atrium – massively refurbished over several years then reopened in 2011 – is more of a crowd-pleaser with galleries covering the natural world, science and technology, art and design, and more.

A local authority-run museum on the Royal Mile, this venue tells the story of playthings from throughout the ages: vaguely spooky dolls, marionettes, Meccano, mannequins in period costume, model trains, go-karts, bicycles, even a Dan Dare-branded radio station. It’ll make adults over a certain age go wobbly with nostalgia.

This organisation runs the city’s premier art galleries and the permanent collections won’t cost you a bean. This includes the Scottish National Gallery complex at the Mound, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art buildings on Belford Road and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street. 

Scotland’s parliament has been in operation since 1999 and has occupied its Holyrood premises since 2004. The bold design here – by Catalan architect Enric Miralles – was always controversial but the best way to appreciate the exterior is to walk up nearby Salisbury Crags and see the complex from above. If you like it, you might find Miralles’s interior even better. Visits are free and allow access to the striking main chamber and elegant committee rooms.

Founded in the 17th century as a physic garden at Holyrood, the RBGE now has four sites across Scotland but the main one is here in north Edinburgh, covering more than 28 hectares. It has a world-class collection of plants, a selection of cafés, an art gallery and many rules – it’s not a public park – but sitting among the beautiful floral displays is still relaxing. 

Occupying the old Canongate Tolbooth where justice was meted out from the late 16th century onwards, this museum looks at ordinary Edinburgh citizens from the past century or two. From tenement life before the advent of modern amenities, through trade unionism, football and war, right up to the late 20th century, the tale is compellingly told through displays, tableaux and mannequins.