3 Best Sights in Edinburgh, Edinburgh and the Lothians

Opened to the public in 1859, the Scottish National Gallery presents a wide selection of paintings from the Renaissance to the Postimpressionist period within a grand Neoclassical building. Most famous are the Old Master paintings bequeathed by the Duke of Sutherland, including Titian's Three Ages of Man. Works by Velázquez, El Greco, Rembrandt, Goya, Poussin, Turner, Degas, Monet, and Van Gogh, among others, complement a fine collection of Scottish art, including Sir Henry Raeburn's Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch and other works by Ramsay, Raeburn, and Wilkie. The gallery also has an information center, a quirky gift shop, and the excellent Scottish Cafe and Restaurant.

Set within a magnificent red-sandstone Gothic building from 1889, this gallery is an Edinburgh must-see. Conceived as a gift to the people of Scotland, it divides into five broad themes, from Reformation to Modernity, with special galleries for photography and contemporary art—all centered around the stunning Great Hall. It also plays host to regular temporary exhibitions, including the annual BP Portrait Award.

Situated down a narrow close off Lawnmarket is Lady Stair's House, a fine example of 17th-century urban architecture. Inside, the Writers' Museum evokes Scotland's literary past with such exhibits as the letters, possessions, and original manuscripts of Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns, and Robert Louis Stevenson.