The National Museum of Scotland

Located just south of Edinburgh’s Old Town, adjacent to Greyfriars Kirk, the National Museum of Scotland fuses the antiquarian and cultural collections of the Museum of Scotland with the science, technology and natural history exhibits of the Royal Scottish Museum – a merger in 2006 that created a formidable array of thousands of curiosities to appeal to visitors of every age and background.

Housed in two distinctive buildings that retain their own unique design and atmosphere, the National Museum of Scotland’s reach extends far beyond the borders of the country, featuring historical, cultural and geological exhibits from Ancient Egypt, East Asia and around the world. But there’s a distinctly Scottish flavour to many of the galleries, tracing the development of the country from its earliest days and reflecting its emergence as a scientific and cultural superpower in a rapidly changing world.

Highlights to enjoy at the museum include Dolly the Sheep, the world’s first cloned mammal; the Jean Muir collection of costume; and the infamous Scottish Maiden – one of the earliest forms of the executioner’s weapon, the guillotine.