Scotland's national museums and galleries do not charge, and Edinburgh has the best of them. The city is also small, steep and walkable, with a hill in the middle that children treat as a challenge.
The one thing to plan around is August, when the festival makes everywhere busy and the street performers become a free show in their own right.
Free things to do in Edinburgh with children
- National Museum of Scotland — The best free family museum in Britain, arguably. A soaring Victorian Grand Gallery, hands-on science floors, Dolly the sheep and a roof terrace with a view over the city.
- Museum of Childhood — Free, on the Royal Mile, and full of toys from every era. Small, quick, and a good stop between other things.
- Arthur's Seat and Holyrood Park — An extinct volcano in the middle of the city. Free to climb, and the walk up to the Salisbury Crags is manageable for most children.
- Scottish National Gallery and Portrait Gallery — Both free, both central, both with family trails.
- Princes Street Gardens — Under the castle rock, with a playground and the trains running past below. Free.
Worth paying for
Not free, but cheap enough to be worth it, and all reachable without a car:
- Camera Obscura and World of Illusions — Charges, and is not cheap, but the mirror maze and the rooftop optical trickery earn it.
- Portobello Beach — A short bus ride for a proper sandy beach and a promenade.
Getting to Edinburgh by train
Edinburgh Waverley is directly under the city centre, with Princes Street above it and the Old Town up the steps.
Going by train also means nobody has to find a parking space, and children can move about, look out of the window and eat crisps for the whole journey.
Click here to book train tickets to Edinburgh
Opening hours, admission prices and booking requirements change, and some attractions close on certain days or for refurbishment. Always check the attraction’s own website before you set off. This page was written in August 2026.
Disclosure: the train ticket link on this page is an affiliate link. If you book through it I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
