9 Amazing free things to see and do in Edinburgh

Just a mile from Edinburgh’s busy city centre lies a 72-acre horticulture haven, home to an astonishing array of plant and tree life. Founded in the 19th century, the Botanics is a collection of landscaped gardens where hundreds of species flourish from around the world. Find everything from Scottish heather, Chinese bamboo and giant redwoods to Victorian palm and glasshouses home to desert cacti, tropical orchids, carnivorous pitcher plants. 

Explore the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 

Drop into the neoclassical Scottish National Gallery on The Mound and come face to face with masterpieces by Botticelli, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Velázquez, Monet and Van Gogh, alongside iconic Scottish paintings like Sir Henry Raeburn’s The Skating Minister and Landseer’s Monarch of the Glen. The collection is huge, spanning medieval religious paintings to monumental Renaissance canvasses and vivid Impressionist works; all of which are free to enjoy. For more culture, head to the National Museum of Scotland, or discover contemporary art at the Modern One and Modern Two galleries.  

View the collections of the Scottish National Gallery 

Embrace your inner child at the Museum of Childhood on the Royal Mile and discover the toys and games from generations past, from dolls and teddy bears to books, clothes, games and schoolroom objects dating as far back as the 18th century. Highlights include a wooden fashion doll – basically an early Barbie – from 1740 and most poignantly, a teddy owned by a child who travelled on the last Kindertransport out of Vienna in the 1930s. 

Visit the Museum of Childhood 

Follow the Water of Leith to the picturesque Dean Village, where the river winds beneath stone bridges and architecture that harks back to the area’s grain milling past – you can still spot carved mill stones and plaques decorated with bread and pies on some of its buildings. Look over the water to the red sandstone of Well Court, built in the 1880s to house local workers, before continuing beneath Dean Bridge and onwards to Stockbridge. 

Explore Dean Village 

Take a break from the city and head to the Pentland Hills Regional Park. With around 100 km of interconnected walking trails, choose from gentle waterside walks to more challenging climbs that lead to ridges with views towards the city skyline, Firth of Forth and beyond. Follow the Harlaw Biodiversity Trail to learn about local plants and wildlife along the route or pick up the pace on the Flotterstone route for sweeping views across the surrounding hills.    

Plan your visit to Pentland Hills Regional Park  

Duck down Lady Stair’s Close from the Royal Mile to find a museum dedicated to Scotland’s literary Holy Trinity: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. See rare books, manuscripts, portraits and personal belongings including Burns’ writing desk and the printing press used to produce Scott’s Waverley novels. Outside, you can read quotations inscribed on the flagstones of Makar’s Court. 

Explore The Writers’ Museum  

Running a cobbled ‘Scot’s Mile’ from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to Edinburgh Castle is the historic beating heart of the city, lined with museums including the preserved 16th century tenements of Gladstone’s Land and John Knox House, with narrow closes and wynds running off on either side. Near the top of the Mile, turn down George IV Bridge, and follow the colourful Victoria Street curving downhill to the Grassmarket, a medieval marketplace now teeming with pubs, cafés and restaurants, with Edinburgh Castle looming above. 

Discover the Royal Mile and Grassmarket 

See Edinburgh through the eyes of generations of city inhabitants at The People’s Story Museum. Housed inside the historic Canongate Tolbooth on the Royal Mile, its ethnographic collections span 300 years, containing photographs, objects and first-person testimonies that reveal how people from all walks of life worked, played, served their country and worked towards better future.  

Learn more about The People’s Story Museum 

Hop on the tram and let yourself be whisked down Leith Walk towards the Firth of Forth to explore Edinburgh’s historic port district. Start at The Shore, where converted warehouses and cobbled waterfront streets recall Leith’s maritime past. Take your pick from an array of independent shops, cafés and restaurants – grab a bite to eat at Browns of Leith, a former engineering works now home to a lively food court. You can also check out the crafts stalls, free exhibitions and pop-ups at Custom House and Custom Lane. On Saturdays, head to Leith Market for more mouthwatering street food and artisanal products.  

Spend some time in Leith 

This list was created by VisitScotland to showcase a range of experiences. It isn’t ranked in any specific order.