The Grand Neo-Classical National Gallery at the centre of Princes Street stands out for being the only sizeable structure on the southern side of the road.

It houses Scotland’s premier collection of pre-20th-century European art. It's not as vast as national collections elsewhere in Europe, but thoroughly worthwhile nonetheless and much more manageable too.

Highlights

Pick up the free floor-plan leaflet to be sure not to miss any highlights:

Foremost among them, due to in part to its Scottish theme, is Sir Edward Landseer’s iconic stag, The Monarch of the Glen.

Among the Scots painters the local favorite is the Rev Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch by Henry Raeburn. The dignified Reverend in action on Edinburgh’s main body of water has become an iconic image for the gallery and is available in several forms in the gallery shop.