The National Museum of Scotland maintained its place as the most popular attraction in Scotland, according to the latest figures from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) released this week.
While 10 out of the top 11 attractions were in London, led by the British Museum with 5,820,860 visitors in 2023, Scotland performed well with six of the ten most popular places outwith the British capital.
The total number of visits to ALVA sites in 2023 was 146.6million - a 19 per cent increase on the previous year, although down from the pre-pandemic record of 163.9 million visits in 2019. Meanwhile, indoor attractions saw a 23 per cent increase in visitors compared to just a 2 per cent increase in outdoor attractions.
Here are Scotland's 13 most visited attractions.
5. Riverside Museum
Last year's fourth most visited attraction drops down a place, but remains in the top five. Glasgow's Riverside Museum, located on the banks of the Clyde, came 26th place in the UK with 1,265,011 visitors in 2023. | National World
6. Edinburgh Botanic Gardens
The most popular outdoor attraction in Scotland was Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Gardens which saw a four per cent increase on 2023, with 1,041,391 visitors. | Canva/Getty Images
7. National War Museum
Contained within Edinburgh Castle, the National War Museum enjoyed an 11 per cent rise in visitors to 773,213 - placing it 46th in the UK. | National World
8. Edinburgh Zoo
They may have lost their giant pandas but Edinburgh Zoo still maintained their place in Scotland's ten most popular attractions. A modest three per cent rise to 618,719 visitors placed them 59th in th UK. | Getty Images