In June 1836 some boys hunting rabbits on the north-east slopes of Arthur’s Seat pulled aside three slabs of slate and found a tiny cave. Inside, arranged in tiers, were seventeen miniature coffins, each about ten centimetres long, each containing a carved wooden figure dressed in hand-stitched clothes.
No one has ever established who made them or why. Suggestions at the time ran from witchcraft to a sailors’ charm; a more recent theory links the number to the seventeen victims of the murderers Burke and Hare, whose crimes shocked Edinburgh in 1828 — a symbolic burial for people who were denied one. Eight of the coffins survive, and they have been on display in the National Museum of Scotland since 1901.
They are a small part of an enormous museum. The Victorian Grand Gallery is one of the great interiors of the city, and the Scottish galleries next door tell the country’s story from its rocks to the present day. Entry is free.
Top things to do at National Museum of Scotland
Find the Arthur’s Seat coffins
They are in the Scottish galleries, in the section on belief and daily life in the 18th and 19th centuries. Ask at the information desk for the current location — displays are occasionally rearranged.
Start with the rocks
The lowest level of the Scottish galleries, “Beginnings”, explains the volcanoes and ice that made the Edinburgh landscape. It is the best possible primer for a walk in Holyrood Park.
Go up to the roof terrace
Take the lift to level 7 for a free rooftop view over the Old Town to the castle in one direction and Arthur’s Seat in the other.
See the star exhibits
Dolly the sheep, the Lewis chessmen, the Millennium Clock and a Tyrannosaurus rex cast are all here. Half a day disappears easily.
How to get to National Museum of Scotland
- On foot: the museum is on Chambers Street, five minutes south of the Royal Mile via George IV Bridge and ten minutes from Waverley station.
- From Holyrood Park: about 20 minutes’ walk from the palace, or 15 from the park’s Holyrood Park Road entrance.
- By bus: many Lothian services stop on South Bridge and George IV Bridge.
Insider tips
- Entry is free; some special exhibitions are ticketed.
- It is the city’s best wet-weather plan when the hill is in cloud.
- Greyfriars Kirkyard is directly opposite the museum’s rear entrance.
Best tours & tickets for National Museum of Scotland
These top-rated experiences pair well with a visit to National Museum of Scotland:
Walking tour from €21 Edinburgh: Harry Potter Magical Guided Walking Tour
Edinburgh is where much of Harry Potter was written, and this hugely popular tour visits the places said to have inspired it: the curve of Victoria Street, the gravestones of Greyfriars Kirkyard and the cafés where the early chapters took shape. Light-hearted, family-friendly and very well reviewed.
- Victoria Street and Greyfriars Kirkyard
- The cafés and schools linked to the books
- Fun for families — more than 13,000 reviews
Walking tour from €19 Edinburgh: Old Town History Walking Tour
Two hours on foot through the medieval Old Town with a knowledgeable local guide: the Royal Mile, hidden closes, Greyfriars and the stories of the people who lived here. An inexpensive, well-reviewed way to get your bearings on your first day.
- The Royal Mile, closes and courtyards
- A thousand years of Edinburgh history
- Low price, high rating
