Visit Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh | Tour Details & Highlights
Explore the origins and evolution of our planet at Scotland’s largest interactive attraction – Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh.
Read on to learn all the essentials about visiting Dynamic Earth – including the best way to get there.
About Dynamic Earth
Opened in 1999 by Queen Elizabeth II and funded by the Millennium Commission, Dynamic Earth is an immersive science centre and planetarium. The centre is situated at the foot of Arthur’s Seat, on the site of an old brewery left to the city for public use. It showcases the epic story of all that shaped our planet “from beginning to mend” through interactive exhibitions, workshops and more.
Each exhibition offers a look into a different aspect of our planet’s past and present-day development. Learn about the Big Bang, explore millions of years of evolution and extinction, and experience the recreation of some of nature’s most impressive occurrences, like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and a tropical monsoon.
This world-class centre is open to all members of the public and offers educational fun for children and adults alike.
Visiting Details
Dynamic Earth visiting times are from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM, with the last entry allowed at 4:00 PM. Prices for general admission tickets start at £12 for children and £19.50 for adults. Tickets are available to purchase at the front desk.
However, we recommend booking your Dynamic Earth tickets in advance to avoid long queues on arrival. If you prefer only to visit the planetarium, separate tickets are available.
It generally takes around 2–3 hours to take a self-guided tour of all the immersive galleries and enjoy a planetarium show. There is also an on-site café and gift shop where you can grab a bite and find a memento to take home.
Highlights
Dynamic Earth is packed with carefully designed attractions.
Here are just a few stand-out exhibitions you won’t want to miss during your visit.
How It All Started
Get a front-row seat to the origins of the universe. Witness the Big Bang from a spacecraft deck and learn about Earth’s formation.
The Planetarium
Experience space as you’ve never seen it before in the 360° Dynamic Earth Planetarium dome. Boasting explosive surround sound and incredible visuals, the planetarium hosts presenter-led shows and dome films that’ll leave a lasting impression.
Polar Extremes
Have you ever wanted to touch an iceberg? The Polar Extremes gallery offers you the opportunity to touch a real iceberg while learning about Earth’s icy polar regions.
Restless Earth
If you’ve never experienced an earthquake before, this gallery allows you to experience the might of this natural occurrence as well as the heat of a volcano. You’ll also learn what goes on below the surface and why such events take place.
Scotland’s Time Lords
Travel 13.7 billion years into the past with the help of some of the country’s pioneers in modern earth science – Scotland’s “Time Lords.” Step into the ‘Deep Time’ machine and witness the creation of planet Earth.
Accessibility
Dynamic Earth aims to make every visitor’s experience as enjoyable as possible in the following ways:
- All areas as wheelchair accessible – carers enter for free.
- Relaxed Opening Hours are open to all, with added features to improve sensory comfort. These include a lower visitor capacity, video captions, British Sign Language interpretation, and staff with disability and neurodiversity awareness training.
- Request an explorer pack at the front desk for helpful tools like ear defenders, stress balls, sunglasses and a magnifying glass.
- The sensory map enables visitors to prepare for or avoid overwhelming sensory experiences like flashing lights, strong scents, low lights and loud noise.
Journey to Dynamic Earth With Bright Bus Tours
Dynamic Earth is located on Holyrood Road near some of Edinburgh’s biggest attractions. This includes Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the National Museum of Scotland. This means you can make an entire day out of exploring the city centre.
With so many attractions to see, it may feel overwhelming having to catch a taxi or bus each time. That’s where we come in! Bright Bus Tours offers the brightest, fastest, cheapest way to explore Edinburgh.
Our Bright Bus City Tour includes 15 stops at many of Edinburgh’s most exciting attractions, including Dynamic Earth. Our buses stop by every 15 minutes, offering you the best seat in the city to your next destination.
Forget stressing about getting around the city! Hop on our bus to
Dynamic Earth and explore Edinburgh the Bright Bus way today.