National Museum of Scotland

The National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street brings together two very different buildings. The Victorian building, partly opened in 1866, has a Venetian Renaissance front and a soaring cast-iron Grand Gallery designed by Francis Fowke and Robert Matheson, inspired by the Crystal Palace. Next door, the sandstone Museum of Scotland building by Benson & Forsyth opened in 1998, with angular forms that echo brochs and castle defences. The two were merged in 2006, and the Victorian side reopened after a major refurbishment in 2011. Entry is free.

The collections range across natural history, science and technology, art and design, world cultures and the story of Scotland itself. In the Scottish galleries you can see eleven of the Lewis chessmen, the carved medieval gaming pieces found on the Isle of Lewis, and the Maiden, an early beheading machine that predates the French guillotine. Dolly the sheep, the famous cloned sheep, is displayed in the science galleries, and the Millennium Clock, a large kinetic sculpture, is a favourite with children when it moves.

The museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm, closing only on 25 December, with shorter hours on 26 December and 1 January. Some special exhibitions carry a charge. It is easy to spend half a day here, but you can also dip in for an hour and focus on one floor. Families tend to head to the natural world and science galleries, while history lovers should start at the lower levels of the Scottish galleries and work upwards chronologically.

Do not miss the roof terrace, reached through the Museum of Scotland building, which has open views over the Old Town towards the castle. There are places to eat and drink in the museum and a shop, and the museum publishes its accessibility information on its website.

Chambers Street is a few minutes' walk from the Royal Mile via George IV Bridge, and from Greyfriars Kirkyard and the Grassmarket. Because it is free and under cover, the museum is the ideal plan for a wet afternoon in Edinburgh, and it suits families, solo travellers and anyone wanting context for the castle and palace before visiting them.