When in Edinburgh, add the following to your must-see list:
Palace of Holyroodhouse: You will enjoy walking through the wonderful state rooms, the Mary Queen of Scots bedroom, the old Abbey and lush grounds. Make sure to visit the museum or Queen’s Gallery which has some wonderful paintings, jewelry and other decorative objects that were purchased by or given to the Royal Family. You can buy your tickets online before you go and combine it with a visit to Buckingham Palace in London if you are headed that way.
Scottish National Gallery: Make sure to add this to your list of things to do in Edinburgh. There are temporary exhibitions plus a permanent collection including impressionist paintings by Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin and Degas.
Scottish Galleries of Modern Art: Located in two separate buildings across from each other on Belford Road in beautiful park-like settings. The permanent collection is in building one which also has a lovely cafe with great outdoor dining. The second building has more temporary exhibitions and not much of a permanent collection presentation.
Scottish National Museum: On Chambers Street, a short walk from the Castle, this is a museum featuring displays on natural history, art and design, world culture, science and technology and Scottish history. The Benson + Forsythe new wing, completed in 1998, is interesting but the newly renovated Great Hall in the old building is really the highlight of the museum. There are four cafes in the building including a well-known restaurant in the tower. The café on the second level of the Great Hall is the best as it has the best views.
If you have time you might book a reservation for Jupiter Artland. This is a venue, outside of town, where well-known artists, sculptors and land artists have been commissioned to put installations within nature. Hopefully the weather will be good!