Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Museum

Address: Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 75 Belford Rd, Edinburgh EH4 3DR, Scotland

Website: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/visit/scottish-national-gallery-modern-art

Hours: Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, closed Mondays

Admission: Free (general admission to National Galleries Scotland sites)

The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is the national gallery for 20th- and 21st-century art in Edinburgh, displayed across two nearby buildings commonly called Modern One and Modern Two. The complex also includes an extensive outdoor sculpture park that presents large-scale works in a landscaped setting.

Inside the galleries are displays of British and international modern and contemporary art, with rotating temporary exhibitions alongside the permanent collection. The outdoor sculpture park links the two buildings and provides year-round access to major works set among lawns, paths and mature trees.

The gallery buildings are housed in repurposed 19th-century properties adapted to museum use and form part of the National Galleries of Scotland’s modern-art programme. The site supports education, exhibitions and public programming for modern art.

The galleries are located west of Edinburgh’s city centre near Dean Village and Stockbridge, within walking distance of central Edinburgh and accessible by local transit.

• Two-site layout: Operates across two nearby buildings - commonly called Modern One and Modern Two - linked by an outdoor sculpture park that hosts large-scale works.
• Sculpture park: The sculpture park presents works in a landscaped setting and is a key outdoor highlight alongside the indoor galleries and temporary exhibitions.

What to See#

• Modern One: Modern One, one of the gallery buildings housing permanent collections of 20th-century and contemporary art and rotating temporary exhibitions.
• Modern Two: Modern Two, a second nearby gallery building that contains additional modern and contemporary collections plus exhibition spaces and public galleries.
• Sculpture Park: An outdoor sculpture park located between the two buildings that displays large-scale modern and contemporary sculptures set in landscaped grounds.

The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is in Edinburgh’s West End on Belford Road/West Register Street. It’s about a 20-25 minute walk (roughly 1-1.5 miles) west from Princes Street and around a 10-15 minute walk from Haymarket railway station. The site is served by Edinburgh’s Lothian Buses (various routes into the city centre and Haymarket); expect a short walk from nearby bus stops to the gallery.

• Start at Modern One to see the core collection, then follow the short path to Modern Two and the sculpture park-the outdoor grounds between the buildings are often quieter and hold major works that people miss.
• Aim for mid-morning on a weekday to avoid school-group rushes; temporary exhibitions in either building are rotated regularly, so check the gallery's website and prioritize those you want to see.