The Scottish National Portrait Gallery provides a visual history of Scotland from the 16th century to the present day, told through portraits of the people who shaped it: royals and rebels, poets and philosophers, heroes and villains. The collection includes masterpieces of European and American portraiture as well as some of the greatest portraits by Scottish artists. The gallery also houses the national photography collection, the core of which is its vast holding of work by Hill and Adamson, the Scottish pioneers of photography. Most of the best known figures of Scottish history are represented, including such luminaries as Mary, Queen of Scots, Bonnie Prince Charlie and Robert Burns. Contemporaries include the novelist Irvine Welsh, actor Sean Connery and the footballer Danny McGrain. Almost as remarkable as the collection itself is the distinctive neo-gothic building, purpose designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson in the 1880s.

Open Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 12-5pm. Extended hours during the Edinburgh Festival. Closed 25 and 26 December only.

Admission to the permanent collection is free. Entrance charges are made for special exhibitions.

Gift shop; Café; Disabled Access; Education Services.