Summary: This post outlines 20 free places to visit in Edinburgh, including free museums, free tours, and free things to do at night in Edinburgh. Use this list to plan your next Edinburgh adventure!
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Edinburgh is such an exciting, unique, and beautiful city to visit. There are countless things to do in Edinburgh, so it can be overwhelming when you’re planning your itinerary, but I’m hoping this list will help with that!
My 3-5 Day Edinburgh Itinerary lists a number of activities in Scotland’s capital. However, if you’re traveling on a budget or simply don’t want to spend a lot of money, there are a ton of free places to visit, tours to take, and things to do in Edinburgh as well.
Free Tours in Edinburgh
While these tours are technically “free,” the guides rely on tips to actually make money. It’s common to hear them say “pay what you think the tour is worth at the end.” Depending on how much I enjoyed the tour, I try to give anywhere from $10-$20 per person. They’ll usually take electronic payment, but just in case, try to have a bit of cash on you (ideally in the local currency!).
1. Harry Potter Walking Tour
The Potter Trail walking tour is one of the best tours I’ve ever taken! Even my non-Potterhead boyfriend had a good time. This tour is great for all ages. There were young kids on our tour as well as adults, and everyone had a good time.
JK Rowling wrote a lot of the Harry Potter series in Edinburgh, and this tour takes you around to all of the spots of inspiration. You’ll start to see the city through Harry Potter’s eyes!
Book The Potter Trail online here!
2. Greyfriar’s Bobby’s Edinburgh Walking Tour
Bobby was a Skye Terrier who was said to have guarded his owners grave for over a decade! There is now an infamous statue of him outside of Greyfriar’s Kirkyard and he serves as a beloved symbol of loyalty in Edinburgh.
This walking tour is hosted by Rowie (another Skye Terrier) and her owner, so it’s the perfect option for dog lovers to get to know the city!
Book Bobby’s Walking Tour online here!
3. Sandeman’s Walking Tour
This free walking tour is the perfect way to get acquainted with Edinburgh. You’ll explore the Royal. Mile, take a walk through Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, and see Grassmarket (which doesn’t have grass or a market, but lots of pubs!). The tour lasts about 2.5 hours.
They also have a free walking tour that talks about the dark side of Edinburgh which will be more geared toward Edinburgh’s history with the Plague, witches, and more interesting dark topics.
Book Saneman’s Walking Tour here!
Free Museums in Edinburgh
One of the great things about Edinburgh is that there are a lot of places you can visit for free – including most museums! This is the perfect day to spend a rainy afternoon in the city. Here are the free museums to explore in Edinburgh:
4. The Writer’s Museum
The Writer’s Museum is tucked into a little alley off of High Street. It houses details and artifacts from three famous Scottish writers: Robert Burns, Walter Scott (who the Scott Monument honors), and Robert Louis Stevenson.
5. National Galleries of Scotland
There are three different galleries in Edinburgh that make up the National Galleries of Scotland, and they are all free places to visit in Edinburgh.
- National: located on the Mound
- Modern: located just off of Prince’s Street
- Portrait: located on Queen Street
Visit any of these galleries to get your art fix while in Edinburgh!
6. National Museum of Scotland
National Museum of Scotland is one of the more popular free places to visit in Edinburgh, especially when it’s raining. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon learning about Scotland’s history and beyond!
7. Museum of Edinburgh
Museum of Edinburgh is a bright yellow building right on the Royal Mile toward Holyrood Park. Entry is free with a recommended, yet voluntary, donation of 3 pounds. This is a fantastic place to learn more about Edinburgh’s rich history.
8. Museum of Childhood
Just like the Museum of Edinburgh, this museum also has a recommended, but voluntary, donation of 3 pounds to enter. Here, you’ll learn about all the toys, games, books, and clothing that children used to play with and wear in Scotland dating back to the 1800s.
9. The People’s Story Museum
If you want to learn about the average working class person in Edinburgh from the 18th through 20th centuries, this is the museum for you! You’ll see objects, images, and even read personal stories from the people that lived in Edinburgh up to hundreds of years ago.
10. Museum on the Mound
Museum on the Mound is all about Money, and luckily, it doesn’t cost any to get in! Learn how art, technology, crime, trade, and security all link back to money in this museum.
Free Places to Visit in Edinburgh
Many of the places in this section of the list are simply areas that are fun to walk around. There are a couple specific buildings or exhibits, but for the most part, you’ll find hikes, gardens, and neighborhoods below.
11. Arthur’s Seat
Arthur’s Seat is a gorgeous hike that you can get to by simply walking from almost anywhere in Edinburgh. It starts at Holyrood Park and there are many routes to the top, but a common loop trail is around 2.5 miles with 885ft of elevation gain. It’s quite steep in parts, so I’d wear athletic shoes if you can!
This hike is an excellent opportunity to get outside of the city if you don’t have a chance to drive out to the Scottish Highlands. It’s a fairly popular trail, so depending on the time of day you start, there will likely be other people around.
At the top, you’ll get sprawling views of Edinburgh. You can do this hike in the early morning or evening to get a beautiful sunrise or sunset in the background.
12. Dean Village
Dean Village is a very quiet section of Edinburgh that resembles a fairytale. Walking around this area is one of the very common free places to visit in Edinburgh because it’s very pretty to just look at the buildings and walk along the river.
13. Prince’s Street Gardens
Right along Prince’s Street near the Scott Monument, you’ll find Prince’s Street Gardens.
This area has a very interesting history that you’ll likely learn on any of the Edinburgh walking tours. It used to be a big lake where residents’ trash got thrown. It was also used during the witch trials as a test to see if someone was a witch. They were thrown into the lake and if they floated to the top, they were a witch. If not, they weren’t…but they also sunk to the bottom of a garbage lake.
Moving on from that gruesome thought, this area is now a beautiful grassy park with walkways, benches, flowers (depending on the time of year), and the infamous Ross Fountain. You can get an excellent view of Edinburgh Castle from Ross Fountain!
You can often hear bagpipers playing near Prince’s Street Gardens. It’s a wonderful free place to visit in Edinburgh.
14. High Street aka Royal Mile
Walking down High Street, otherwise known as the Royal Mile should be on everyone’s Edinburgh bucket list. The Royal Mile runs from Holyrood Palace to Edinburgh Castle and it’s called the Royal Mile because it’s the route that the royals would walk when they were commuting from Holyrood Palace to the castle.
Almost the entire length of the street is lined with shops, restaurants, bars, and other fun things to do and see. You’ll see much more of this the closer you get to Edinburgh Castle. This is where you’ll find shops for tweed, cashmere, wool, and other souvenirs.
Even if you don’t end up buying anything, this walk is beautiful and you’ll get to see a lot of Edinburgh’s moody, gothic architecture.
15. Royal Botanic Garden
The Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh is a lovely free activity for all ages to enjoy. Admissions to the gardens are free and you can see a collection of beautiful plants and flowers spanning 70 acres. Their living collection is over 350 years old!
It’s a little outside of Old Town Edinburgh and about a 30-minute walk from Edinburgh Castle. This walk will show you some of the new part of Edinburgh, or you can opt to take a cab.
Find all the visitor information here!
16. St. Giles Cathedral
Located right on High Street, somewhat close to Edinburgh Castle, St. Giles Cathedral is free to enter and look around, but they do take donations if you’re able to give. This has been a working church for 900 years!
Find the opening hours and visitor information here.
17. Calton Hill
Calton Hill is a great spot to see a view of Edinburgh from above. It’s much shorter than Arthur’s Seat, so if you’re short on time or don’t want to do a full hike, Calton Hill is a great alternative. This is one of the popular free places to visit in Edinburgh at sunset or sunrise as you’ll get a magnificent color show over Edinburgh!
Calton Hill is also a UNESCO World Heritage site and has quite a few monuments to look at on the top.
18. Portobello Beach
Portobello Beach is a few miles from Old Town Edinburgh and is a great spot to swim or sunbathe in the summer. There are several shops, restaurants, and bars that line the two miles of sandy beach, so you could easily spend a whole day here.
Read More about Edinburgh
I hope this list of free places to visit in Edinburgh helps you plan your next trip! While you’re here, I have a few more posts that you should read to make that trip even better:
- The Ultimate Edinburgh Itinerary for 3-5 Days
- Scotland Road Trip Itinerary (7-10 Days)
- How to Spend 24 Hours in Edinburgh
The Comments
Carole
Thanks so much for sharing all of this wonderful helpful information.