Free things to do in Edinburgh
The National Museum of Scotland, both national galleries, Holyrood Park, the Botanic Garden and the Royal Mile itself cost nothing.
14 picks that fit, best first. The order follows the live forecast and the time of day.
Arthur's Seat and Holyrood Park
Holyrood
An extinct volcano in the middle of the city, an hour’s climb to a view of everything.
Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Calton Hill
New Town
A ten-minute climb to the unfinished Parthenon and the best sunset in the city.
Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
National Museum of Scotland
Old Town
Dolly the sheep, dinosaurs, Scottish history and a free rooftop terrace.
Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
The Royal Mile and its closes
Old Town
The spine of the Old Town from the castle to Holyrood, with hidden closes off both sides.
Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Dean Village and the Water of Leith
Dean
A riverside village of old mills a few minutes from the West End, and a walkway to Stockbridge.
Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
Grassmarket and Victoria Street
Old Town
The curved street of coloured shopfronts and the square of pubs beneath the castle.
Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
National Galleries: Scottish National Gallery
The Mound
Titian, Turner and the Scottish painters in a neoclassical gallery on the Mound, free.
Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Portobello Beach
Portobello
Two miles of sand and a Victorian promenade, twenty minutes from the centre by bus.
Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Inverleith
Seventy acres of garden with glasshouses and a skyline view across the lawns.
Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Garden free; glasshouses ticketed
Cramond and the tidal island
Cramond
A Roman fort, a harbour village and a causeway to an island you can only reach at low tide.
Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Greyfriars Kirkyard
Old Town
The graveyard of Greyfriars Bobby, the Covenanters and, allegedly, some Harry Potter names.
Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
New Town
A red sandstone palace of Scottish faces, from Mary Queen of Scots to Billy Connolly, free.
Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Pentland Hills
Day trip
Proper hill walking half an hour from the city, with reservoirs, ridges and views to the Highlands.
Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- A full day
The Writers' Museum
Lady Stair’s Close
Burns, Scott and Stevenson in a seventeenth-century house off the Royal Mile, free.
Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Good to know
What are the best free things to do in Edinburgh?
The National Museum of Scotland, both national galleries, Holyrood Park, the Botanic Garden and the Royal Mile itself cost nothing. There are 14 free picks here, and the order changes with the weather: on a wet day the free museums and galleries come first, on a fine day the parks and viewpoints do.
Do free attractions in Edinburgh need booking?
Some do, at busy times. Where a place is free but asks you to book a slot, the card says so, and the official site link takes you to the booking page.