Written by 
As the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh has a lot going on. The city is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the combined Old and New Towns site in the central city, and the Forth Bridge in the suburb of South Queensferry), and it has been recognized as a City of Literature. It is often ranked as the United Kingdom’s second most-visited city (after London), and is home to the Fringe, by many counts the world’s largest performing arts annual festival. With such cultural cache, it would make sense that the city is also home to many important museums. It is not two but three museum groups that have their headquarters in the city
First is the group of museums that deal with Edinburgh as a city, its local history and its population. The Museums and Galleries Edinburgh group is run by the local city Council. It includes the Museum of Edinburgh, the Museum of Childhood, the Writers’ Museum, the Queensferry Museum, the People’s Story Museum, the City Art Centre, and Lauriston Castle, in addition to the entries to Scott and Nelson Monuments.
The National Museums Scotland group deals with the nation as a whole. They include the titular National Museum of Scotland and the War Museum at the Castle, both in Edinburgh. The National Museums of Flight (in East Fortune, site of the R34 Memorial) and Rural Life (in East Kilbride) complete their offerings.
The third group is the art-focused National Galleries of Scotland, which operates the titular Gallery, Modern Art One and Two, and the Portrait Gallery.
As is the case with many museums, there are more items in these collections that can be displayed at any given time. The National and Council museum groups are quite open in allowing public access to the centers where they keep their off-display collections.
For the Council museums, this is a location within the city’s Georgian New Town, on the Broughton Market Street. The collection center building was once the actual Broughton Market itself, making it a part of Edinburgh’s evolving history. The space is crammed and full of surprising finds, making for a fascinating visit.
Given the much larger size of their collections, and their importance for Scotland as a whole, the National Museums group’s facilities are a complex of several purpose-built new buildings. Opened in 2014 and located in Granton, close to Edinburgh’s waterfront, the area was once known for its post-industrial slump, although it is currently in a process of revitalization thanks to works like the collection center. It is divided into different spacious warehouses depending on the collections, from natural history and industrial heritage to Scottish archaeology.
Know Before You Go
The location on map is for the Collection Centre of the National Museums (242 W. Granton Road). Guided tours for this facility start at £10 per person. They last about 75 minutes and can be booked via their website. Available on limited dates throughout the year, each day offers a morning and afternoon visit.
The Collection Centre of the Edinburgh Council Museums & Galleries is located at 10 Broughton Market. Their once-daily, 1-hour tours are free (£3 donated suggestion) and can also be booked online. They open 2-3 days per month on average, usually Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Also in Granton, the National Galleries have an art depot that operates similarly to a collection center. This can only be visited on very special occasions, however, usually the Open Doors Days in September. As of 2024, there are tentative plans to open it regularly under the name The Art Works in the future.