Things to do in Edinburgh when it rains
Rain in Edinburgh tends to blow through, so the trick is a museum or a gallery for the worst of it and a viewpoint the moment it clears; the National Museum and the galleries are free and central.
13 picks that fit, best first. The order assumes the conditions in the title; the live forecast only nudges it.
National Museum of Scotland
Old Town
Dolly the sheep, dinosaurs, Scottish history and a free rooftop terrace.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
National Galleries: Scottish National Gallery
The Mound
Titian, Turner and the Scottish painters in a neoclassical gallery on the Mound, free.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Royal Yacht Britannia
Leith
The Queen’s former yacht, moored in Leith with every deck open to walk through.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- Over £25
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
The Real Mary King’s Close
Royal Mile
A guided tour through the seventeenth-century streets buried under the City Chambers.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Grassmarket and Victoria Street
Old Town
The curved street of coloured shopfronts and the square of pubs beneath the castle.
Mostly under cover. Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
New Town
A red sandstone palace of Scottish faces, from Mary Queen of Scots to Billy Connolly, free.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Camera Obscura and World of Illusions
Castlehill
Five floors of optical tricks, a mirror maze and a Victorian camera obscura at the top.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Dynamic Earth
Holyrood
A journey from the Big Bang to the ice age, with an earthquake floor and a planetarium.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Surgeons' Hall Museums
Nicolson Street
Anatomy, pathology and the story of Burke and Hare, in the Royal College of Surgeons.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
The Scotch Whisky Experience
Castlehill
A barrel ride through the making of whisky, then a tasting beside the world’s biggest collection.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- Over £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Stockbridge
Stockbridge
A village within the city: delis, charity shops and a Sunday market by the river.
Mostly under cover.
- Under £10
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
The Writers' Museum
Lady Stair’s Close
Burns, Scott and Stevenson in a seventeenth-century house off the Royal Mile, free.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
The Stand Comedy Club
York Place
A basement comedy club with shows most nights and a free improv session on Sundays.
Comes alive in the evening.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Good to know
What can you do in Edinburgh on a rainy day?
Head indoors. Edinburgh has 13 rain-proof picks on this list, from free museums and galleries to covered markets and food halls. The list is re-ordered for the live forecast, so the strongest indoor options come first when it is actually raining.
Are there free indoor things to do in Edinburgh?
Yes. Look for the "Free" label on the cards. The National Museum of Scotland, both national galleries, Holyrood Park, the Botanic Garden and the Royal Mile itself cost nothing.