Camera Obscura And World Of Illusions

Exhibitions

Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH1 2ND

Tel: +44 (131) 2263709

Camera Obscura and World of Illusions - where seeing is not believing! Welcome to Edinburgh's oldest visitor attraction, delighting visitors since 1835.

Don't miss this Aladdin's cave filled with illusions, tricks, puzzles, hands-on experiences and unbelievable effects to experience and interact with. Get involved, play, touch everything! Don't miss the two exciting new exhibition spaces Bewilderworld and The Puzzling Zone! We have nearly doubled in size to bring you even more interactive fun. Will you find your way out of the magical mirror maze? Can you shrink yourself like Alice in Wonderland in the amazing Ames room? Will you manage to stay on your feet in the Vortex Tunnel?

BEWILDERWORLD. How will you find your way through the Mirror Maze? It's not as easy as it looks! Step in to the Vortex Tunnel and see if you can stay on your feet while the tunnel spins around you.

THE PUZZLING ZONE. Ever fancy being a little taller? Step into the amazing Ames Room and watch in wonder as you shrink and grow! What would you look like as an ape? Discover a new you in the morphing machine!

CAMERA OBSCURA: Come and see this amazing live moving panorama of the city. Spy on passers-by in the street below and pick them up in your hand! The Camera Obscura has now been delighting visitors for over 175 years!

ROOFTOP VIEWS: Perched high above the city, let the view take your breath away! 360° panoramas of Edinburgh and don't miss our fantastic, free high-power telescopes and binoculars which give close-up views of the city and far beyond.

MAGIC GALLERY: Catch your shadow, shake hands with your ghost and walk on water in the fishtank. Amazing optical illusions with endless hands-on fun! You'll be amazed at our giant kaleidoscopes and marvel at one of the world's biggest plasmadomes!

LIGHT FANTASTIC: Enter a new dimension in the U.K.'s only permanent gallery dedicated to the science and art of holography. You'll watch entranced as these eerily realistic 3D pictures change, appear and disappear before your eyes!

EDINBURGH VISION: See Edinburgh in 3D from the 1850s to the present day and make sure you try our live city viewcams which you can control. Scan right around the city and zoom in and out on anything (or anyone!) that takes your fancy! Step inside our giant pinhole camera and you'll laugh as your friends appear upside-down! Spot how hot you are in the Thermal Camera.

Gift shop - amazing range of puzzles, illusions, holograms, 3D posters and other unusual gifts.Money-back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied after your visit.

Tickets valid all day. Feel free to go out for lunch or coffee and come back again later to take advantage of our extended opening hours.

Money-back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied after your visit.

Information

Reviews

See what our visitors are saying on TripAdvisor

Gradings

5 Visitor Attraction

Opening Times

Open All Year

November-March Daily 10.00-18.00 (Closed 25th December) (Open till 20.00 for February half-term) (28/10/2012 - 30/03/2013)

April, May & June Daily 09.30-19.00 (31/03/2013 - 29/06/2013)

July & August Daily 09.30-21.00 (30/06/2013 - 02/09/2013)

September & October Daily 09.30-19.00 (Open till 20.00 for October half-term) (03/09/2013 - 27/10/2013)

* Open every day (except December 25th)
Late opening until 20.00 February and October Half-term and during Easter holidays.

Ticket Information

Ticket Type	Ticket Tariff
Adult	£11.95 per ticket
Child (5-15)	£8.75 per ticket
Senior	£9.95 per ticket
Student	£9.95 per ticket

Under-5's Free of charge

Road Directions

From City Centre follow signs for the Castle. From Mound (N) or George IV Bridge (S), turn up Lawnmarket (Royal Mile). To reach our attraction, go straight up towards the Castle. For metered parking turn left at the mini roundabout onto Johnston Terrace. Castle Terrace all day carpark is at the end of Johnston Terrace.

For satnav and GPS our postcode is EH1 2ND.

Public Transport Directions

From the nearest information centre:- Leave TIC onto Princes Street turning left. Turn left onto Waverley Bridge. At junction turn right to go up Market Street which will bring you to the Mound. Cross the road, go straight up via Mound Place and go up Ramsay Lane towards Edinburgh Castle. We are at the top of Ramsay Lane on the left hand side, opposite the Scotch Whisky Experience.

Getting there by rail:- From Edinburgh Waverley. Leave station via main exit onto Waverley Bridge turning left. At junction turn right to go up Market Street which will bring you to the Mound. Cross the road, go straight up via Mound Place and go up Ramsay Lane towards Edinburgh Castle. We are at the top of Ramsay Lane on the left hand side, opposite the Scotch Whisky Experience.

Getting there by bus: Numbers 23,27, 45 – closest stop is near on the Mound or George IV Bridge at the junction with the Royal Mile.

Getting there by air:- From Edinburgh Airport turn left onto the A8 travelling east towards Edinburgh City Centre. At Princes Street follow the traffic restrictions via Charlotte Square and Queen Street and then turn right at Hanover Street, continue all the way up the Mound turning right at the junction with the Royal Mile. To arrive at Camera Obscura &World of Illusions, continue straight up the Royal Mile towards the Castle. To park, bear left at the roundabout in front of The Hub (former church) and on-street metered parking is available on Johnston Terrace.