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Places listed on this page.
Free means general admission. Special exhibitions and events can be ticketed, some places ask you to book a free slot, and some suggest a donation. Check the venue before you go.
Every entry below is a gallery and museum in our Edinburgh guide whose own website said, when we read it, that entry is free. We quote what the page said, link the page, and do not give opening hours, because they change. If a venue's page changes, we remove it at the next check.
Free museums, galleries and sites
- Official site for City Art Centre (opens in new tab)
City Art Centre
Its page says admission is generally free, with charges for some temporary exhibitions.
- Official site for Museum of Edinburgh (opens in new tab)
Museum of Edinburgh
Its page says the museum is free to visit.
- Official site for Museum on the Mound (opens in new tab)
Museum on the Mound
Its page says admission is free.
- Official site for National Museum of Scotland (opens in new tab)
National Museum of Scotland
Its page says free entry, with charges for some special exhibitions.
- Official site for Writers' Museum (opens in new tab)
Writers' Museum
Its page says the museum is free to visit.
Free self-guided walks
Following a walk costs nothing, though places you pass may charge. Each walk page has a map, the route, stops and a GPX file.
- Water of Leith Walkway: Thirteen miles along the river from Balerno to Leith, easiest taken in sections.
- Union Canal: Lochrin Basin to Slateford: A level towpath section from the canal's Edinburgh terminus, part of the Forth & Clyde/Union route.
Getting around Edinburgh for less
Local transport: Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams. Lothian lists contactless on bus with "TapTapCap", described as "contactless payments with daily and weekly capping", Ridacards (valid on all services), the M-Ticket app, and cash with exact fares.
Fares and tickets: Lothian fares and tickets (opens in new tab), Lothian TapTapCap (opens in new tab). Our getting around guide compares every destination.
Where next in Edinburgh
Open the Edinburgh guide for neighbourhoods, eating and getting there. For sights that need a timed ticket, see what to book ahead; for indoor ideas on a wet day, see the rainy-day guide.
Other destinations
- Free things in London
- Free things in Bath
- Free things in Bristol
- Free things in Cambridge
- Free things in Cornwall
- Free things in Glasgow
- Free things in Liverpool
- Free things in Manchester
- Free things in Northern Ireland
- Free things in Oxford
- Free things in the Cotswolds
- Free things in the Jurassic Coast
- Free things in the Lake District
- Free things in the Scottish Highlands
- Free things in Wales
- Free things in York