AroundTown MUSEUMS & ATTRACTIONS
■ EDINBURGH CASTLE AND NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Castlehill, 225 9846 (info)/ 668 8081 (bookings), edinburghcastle.gov.uk / nms.ac.uk/war Daily 9.30am–6pm. £14 (£11.20; under 16s £8.20). The Castle perches on top of a rocky outcrop at the head of the Royal Mile, and includes ceremonial rooms, fortifications, dungeons, and Scotland’s Honours or crown jewels. Inside, the National War Museum (nms.ac.uk) delves into the past 400 years of the country’s military history. Reconstructing Lives Until Feb 2013. A moving look at those who have lost limbs in war, whether military or civilian, and the advances in medical technology from the 16th century to the present that have helped them to cope.
■ THE EDINBURGH DUNGEON 31 Market Street, 240 1001 (info)/ 0871 423 2250 (bookings), thedungeons.com Mon–Fri 11am–4pm; Sat & Sun 10am–5pm. £9.20–£16.20 (under 16s £5–£12). A grizzly look into historical Edinburgh, with actor-led tours and rides, just above Waverley Station. Be careful in the cannibal caves . . . ■ EDINBURGH ZOO Corstorphine Road, 334 9171, edinburghzoo.org.uk. Daily 9am–5pm. £15.50 (£13; under 16s £11; under 3s free). Visitors can see the headline-grabbing giant pandas, the famous Penguin Parade and over 1000 other rare and interesting animals and birds at this site three miles west of the city centre.
■ GEORGIAN HOUSE 7 Charlotte Square, 0844 493 2118, nts.org.uk/property/georgian-house Daily 10am–5pm. £6 (£5; family £11–£16). Step back to the age when the affluent moved out of the squalor of the Old Town to the spacious
grandeur of buildings like this in Edinburgh’s wealthy New Town. ■ HOLYROOD PARK Holyrood Park Road, 652 8150, historic- scotland.gov.uk. Open at all times; Holyrood Lodge Information Centre daily 9.30am–3pm. Free. The main entrance to this large royal park, east of the city centre, is flanked by the Palace of Holyrood House and the Scottish Parliament Building. Its main feature is Arthur’s Seat, an 823-foot hill which has a number of smaller peaks and ponds surrounding it.
■ MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD 42 High Street, 529 4142, edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venues/mus eum-of-childhood Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; Sun noon–5pm. Free. Kids can learn about the toys, clothes and lifestyles of children of the past in this Royal Mile museum. Nostalgia for grown-ups guaranteed.
■ MUSEUM OF FIRE 76–78 Lauriston Place, 659 7285, lothian.fire-uk.org/museum Mon–Fri 10am–4pm; closed Sat & Sun. Free. The museum inside this fire station tells the story of the oldest fire brigade in the UK, formed in 1824. See genuine artefacts including horse- drawn fire engines and early motor models. ■ MUSEUM ON THE MOUND The Mound, 243 5464, museumonthemound.com Tue–Fri 10am–5pm; Sat & Sun 1–5pm. Free. Hosted inside the Bank of Scotland’s head office, this museum is all about money. Learn how money has evolved over the past 4000 years or try cracking a safe.
■ NATIONAL MINING MUSEUM SCOTLAND Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange, 663 7519, scottishminingmuseum.com Daily
64 THE LIST 24 May–21 Jun 2012
10am–5pm. £7.50 (£5.50; children free). Nine miles south of Edinburgh, this museum is one of the best- preserved Victorian collieries in Europe. Learn about the life of a miner by taking a tour around the site. ■ NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789, nms.ac.uk Daily 10am–5pm. Free. Renovated in 2011, this national beacon of culture has exhibitions on natural history, science and technology, Scottish history, art and design and world cultures in galleries surrounding a beautiful naturally-lit atrium space.
Fascinating Mummies Until Sun 27 May. £9 (£7.50; children £6; family £26). Including treasures from the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, world famous for its Egyptology collections, this exhibition looks at the complex and intriguing rituals surrounding death in Ancient Egypt.
FREE See Scotland By Train Until Sun 24 Jun. A collection of beautiful and distinctive Scottish railway posters.
FREE One Thousand Points of Light: Melvin Moti Wed 20 Jun–Wed 31 Oct. Installation by Dutch artist Melvin Moti, incorporating a film and various objects selected by him from the Museum’s collections. FREE Dr Livingstone, I Presume? Wed 20 Jun–Wed 31 Oct. Exhibition examining the life of the legendary missionary and explorer, created in partnership with the National Museums of Malawi.
■ NATIONAL MUSEUMS COLLECTION CENTRE 242 West Granton Road, 247 4770, nms.ac.uk Visits by appointment only or with occasional tours. Following the redevelopment of the National Museum, two new collection buildings have also been added to the storage and conservation centre at Granton. From vintage motorbikes to whale and dinosaur bones – it’s all there.
■ OUR DYNAMIC EARTH Holyrood Road, 550 7800, dynamicearth.co.uk Daily 10am–5.30pm (last entry 4pm). £10.80 (£9.50; under 16s £7.20; under 3s free). Take an interactive journey through the history of the earth. Go to the tundra or the bottom of the ocean, never being more than a stone’s throw from the Scottish Parliament and Arthur’s Seat. See spotlight, page 63. ■ PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE Royal Mile, 556 5100, royalcollection.org.uk Daily 9.30am–6pm (last admission 5pm). £10.75 (£9.80; under 17s £6.50; under 5s free). The official Scottish residence of the Queen, this baroque palace houses the great artworks and tapestries of its regal residents.
■ ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH Inverleith Row, 552 7171, rbge.org.uk Daily 10am–6pm. Free; glasshouse entry £4.50 (£3.50; children £1; family £9). These gardens, founded in the 17th century, cover over 70 acres and are just one mile from the city centre. There are glasshouses and cafés within the grounds, as well as art exhibitions at Inverleith House. FREE Green Universe: a microscopic voyage into the plant cell Until Fri 1 Jun. Exhibition of photographs showing in amazing detail the internal structure of plant cells.
FREE Hard Rain: Whole Earth? Until Sun 1 Jul. Environmental exhibition inspired by the lyrics of a Bob Dylan song.
FREE We are extInked Until Fri 27 Jul. Three years ago, a hundred people each volunteered to be tattooed with an image of one of 100 threatened British species, and then act as an ambassador for the species. Learn about this fascinating crossover of environmentalism and body art.
■ ROYAL OBSERVATORY VISITOR CENTRE Blackford Hill, 668 8404, roe.ac.uk/vc Entry by arrangement or at Public Astronomy evenings (weekly, Fri 6.30pm & 8pm). Public Astronomy evenings £4 (£3). See the stars through the research centre’s magnificent copper domes at weekly astronomy evenings, as well as special one off events throughout the year. ■ ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA Ocean Terminal, Leith, 555 5566, royalyachtbritannia.co.uk Daily 9.30am–4pm (last admission). £11.75 (£10; under 18s £7.50; under 5s free; family £34). Take a guided tour of the ornate floating royal residence (and the naval quarters below) and learn about life aboard the yacht which served the royal family for almost 50 years.
■ SCOTCH WHISKY EXPERIENCE 354 Castlehill, 220 0441, scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk Daily 10am–6pm; entry is as part of a tour. Tours £12.50–£50 (£10–£25; under 18s £6.50). Learn more about Scotland’s tastiest export with a tour and tasting session. There is also a bar and restaurant if you need a few more drams to help decide which is your favourite. ■ SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT Horse Wynd, 0800 092 7500, scottish.parliament.uk Opening hours vary according to whether Parliament is in session, see website for details. Free. See Spanish architect Enric Miralles’ magnificent (and controversial) Holyrood building, take a tour of the interior, sit in on a debate or look at the artwork on display.
■ SCOTT MONUMENT Princes Street Gardens East, 529 4068, edinburghmuseums.org.uk Mon–Sat 9am–4pm; Sun 10am–6pm. £3. Commemorating Sir Walter Scott, this is the largest monument of any writer in the world. Take all 287 steps to the top for a great view of the city, and occasional exhibitions.
■ SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE AND JOHN KNOX HOUSE 43–45 High Street, 556 9579, scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk. Mon–Sat 10am–6pm. Free entry to SSC; John Knox House £4.25 (£3.75; children £1; under 7s free). A stylish contemporary building appended to the 15th-century home of Protestant reformer John Knox, housing materials relating to Scotland’s rich oral culture.
■ SURGEONS’ HALL MUSEUM Nicolson Street, 527 1649, museum.rcsed.ac.uk Daily noon–4pm. £5 (£3). Home to permanent collections on pathological anatomy, the history of surgery and dentistry, as well as temporary exhibitions, talks and occasionally gruesome hands-on events. Watching on the Heights: The Life and Work of Joseph Lister Until Fri 28 Sep. As part of the celebrations to mark the centenary of pioneering surgeon Joseph Lister’s death, the museum holds an exhibition of artefacts, documents, instruments and specimens relating to his work.