Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Free gallery in a red sandstone Gothic Revival building on Queen Street, devoted to portraits of the people who shaped Scotland.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery was founded in 1882 and is housed in a red sandstone Gothic Revival building on Queen Street, designed by Robert Rowand Anderson and built between 1885 and 1890. The newspaper owner John Ritchie Findlay paid for the building, which was planned to hold both the portrait collection and the museum of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. It is regarded as the first building in the world designed specifically as a portrait gallery.
The collection shows portraits of Scots, though not necessarily painted by Scots, and also includes the Scottish National Photography Collection. When the antiquities collection was merged with the Royal Scottish Museum in 1985 and later moved to Chambers Street, the portrait gallery gradually took over the whole building. It closed in 2009 for its first comprehensive refurbishment, carried out by Page\Park Architects, and reopened on 1 December 2011.
Inside, the elaborate murals and sculpted decoration are a highlight in themselves; the Great Hall has murals and a ceiling painted with the zodiac. Since 2023 the National Galleries Scotland group has called the building simply the Portrait.
Highlights
- Portraits of Mary, Queen of Scots, Robert Burns and Robert Louis Stevenson
- Contemporary portraits of Scottish figures such as Billy Connolly and Tilda Swinton
- The Great Hall with its murals and zodiac ceiling
- Scottish National Photography Collection
- Café Portrait and the table-service restaurant The Nook
Permanent exhibitions
- The Great Hall – The ornate entrance hall with its murals and zodiac ceiling, open to all visitors free of charge.
- The Modern Portrait – A free display of contemporary portraits of well-known Scots from film, music, science, sport and the arts.
- Founded
- 1889
- Operated by
- National Galleries of Scotland
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · Concessions are available for disabled visitors to paid exhibitions; carers accompanying visitors with disabilities enter exhibitions free of charge. |
|---|---|
| Groups (10+ people) | –Schools and community groups of 10 or more can book free self-led visits to all the galleries. |
Admission to the permanent displays is free and does not need to be booked. Some special exhibitions are charged.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: not available
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description
The main entrance has 4 steps or a permanent ramp, and a member of the gallery team opens the front door during opening hours. Lifts with audio announcements serve all floors. Wheelchairs can be borrowed free of charge. The gallery has no car park; the drop-off point for disabled visitors is in the one-way lane behind the building (North St Andrew Lane), where visitors press the buzzer at the Groups Entrance, and parking for Blue Badge holders in the back lane is currently suspended. A semi-enclosed welcome area with comfortable seating, weighted blankets and sensory items, ear defenders, large print labels and sensory maps are available. A filmed BSL tour, a BSL introduction and an audio-described introduction can be used on a smartphone. Guide, hearing and assistance dogs are welcome.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Stroller-friendly
- Baby changing facilities
The Art Spot guide for young children can be picked up in the gallery or used online, and an art trolley by the main entrance has drawing materials, story books, ear defenders and sensory bags. Family drop-in sessions and relaxed mornings for autistic children and children with learning disabilities are held at set dates. There are baby changing facilities and a buggy park, and baby carriers are welcome.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
St Andrew Square tram stop · 2-min walk
The tram stop at St Andrew Square is a two-minute walk. Bus numbers 10, 11, 12, 16, 26 and 44 pass the gallery, and any Princes Street bus to the east end of the street is within walking distance. Edinburgh Waverley station is a few minutes’ walk away.
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
There is no car park at the gallery and very little on-street parking nearby; the nearest car park is St James Quarter.
- Accessible parking: not available
The gallery is about ten minutes’ walk from the National and fifteen minutes from the Royal Mile. There is cycle parking at the front of the building.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant
- Museum shop
- Lockers
- Wi-Fi
Free visitor wifi is listed among the facilities. Café Portrait with counter service and The Nook, a table-service restaurant for brunch and lunch (booking advised). Coin-operated lockers cost £1 or £2 and bags above 55 cm × 40 cm × 20 cm are not allowed in the galleries. Gallery shop.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
- Corporate events
Café Portrait and The Nook can be hired for meetings and private events; further hire spaces are listed on the venue hire pages.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (EN) |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Non-flash photography and filming for personal use are welcome; flash and tripods are not allowed, and some works carry a no-photography label. |
| Good to know | Free digital audio tours, an audio-described tour and a BSL tour can be used on a smartphone. Guided tours can be requested from the gallery. Food and drink are not allowed in the galleries. |
