Scottish National Portrait Gallery

This red-sandstone Gothic building on Queen Street houses portraits of the figures who shaped Scottish history, from monarchs and poets to scientists and sporting heroes. Opened in 1889 as the world's first purpose-built portrait gallery, its entrance hall is decorated with a processional frieze and star-spangled ceiling. The collection ranges across paintings, photography and sculpture, with rotating exhibitions on Scottish identity. Admission to the permanent displays is free, and the building is a landmark of the New Town.