The Scottish National Gallery is a beautiful art gallery in the centre of the city which has been a landmark in Edinburgh for over 150 years. Since its creation in 1859, it has homed some incredible art and now it possesses stunning works from; Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, El Greco, Velázquez, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Dyck, Tiepolo, Landseer, Gainsborough, Constable, Turner, and Angelica Kauffmann amongst many others. The most comprehensive part of the collection covers the history of Scottish painting – including Ramsay, Raeburn and Wilkie.
How old is the Scottish National Gallery?
Fun fact if you download the app “Smartify” when walking around the gallery all you have to do is hold up your camera and it will tell you tons about each painting. During the 1900s the Gallery operated under a different name “Royal Institution For The Encouragement Of The Fine Arts In Scotland” which was what it was called when it was founded in 1819. The name “Scottish National Gallery” was not used until 2012 when the Gallery’s organisation rebranded.
- Open from 10 am-5 pm every day
- Free entry
- They have both a café and a restaurant inside – both called “Contini”
- You are able to become a member as well as make a donation
- Home to over 92,000 works of art
