National Gallery of Scotland (Edinburgh): This museum boasts a small but choice collection whose presence in Edinburgh is firmly entwined with the city's self-image as the cultural capital of Scotland. (Glaswegians, however, will happily dispute that idea.) Gallery highlights include works by Velázquez, Zurbarán, Verrocchio, del Sarto, and Cézanne.
National Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh): In 1998, the collections of the Royal Museum of Scotland and the National Museum of Antiquities were united into a coherent whole. Here you'll find everything you ever wanted to know about Scotland, from prehistory to the Industrial Age. Among its myriad items, the museum has a milk bottle once carried by Sean Connery and a 2.9-billion-year-old rock from the Isle of South Uist.
The Burrell Collection (Glasgow): Sir William Burrell (1861-1958), a wealthy industrialist who devoted much of his life to accumulating art, is responsible for this collection. Set in a postmodern building in a suburb of Glasgow, it's one of Scotland's most admired museums, with a strong focus on medieval art, 19th-century French paintings, and Chinese ceramics.
Hunterian Art Gallery (Glasgow): This museum owns much of the artistic estate of James McNeill Whistler, as well as a re-creation of the home of Scotland's most famous designer, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. On display are grand oils by Whistler, Rubens, and Rembrandt, not to mention one of the country's best collections of 19th-century Scottish paintings.
Aberdeen Art Gallery (Aberdeen): A treasure-trove of art from all over the world, this prestigious gallery has exhibits ranging from the 1700s to the present, from Hogarth to Reynolds to Picasso. The museum is also home to the most important temporary exhibits in northeast Scotland.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
