See & Do

Camera Obscura & World of Illusions, Edinburgh

Attraction

Hightlight

Dog Friendly
Family Friendly

Visit Camera Obscura and World of Illusions where seeing is not believing! Britain’s most fun attraction and fun for all ages.

With five floors and over 100 interactive, hands-on exhibits, we have something to entertain all ages. Tour Edinburgh’s streets without moving. Test your brain against mind-bending illusions. Take spectacular city scape photographs from our Rooftop Terrace. It’s all part of the Camera Obscura & World of Illusions experience.

You’ll need at least two hours to discover it all! A swirling light vortex; a maze of mirrors; a chance to swap noses with a friend; see yourself grow, shrink and stretch; play eye-spy with our city viewcams; and mess with your mind with brilliant visual effects.

Situated just a stone’s throw from Edinburgh Castle, at the top of Edinburgh’s historic Royal Mile, come and discover the first ever purpose built visitor attraction in Edinburgh, in operation since 1853, and see history and modern marvels together under one roof.

Feel free to leave us a message…we want to hear from you!

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Opening Hours

Monday: 8:30 - 22:00

Closed

Tuesday: 8:30 - 22:00

Wednesday: 8:30 - 22:00

Thursday: 8:30 - 22:00

Friday: 8:30 - 21:00

Saturday: 8:30 - 22:00

Sunday: 8:30 - 22:00

Video

FAQ's

How long does a visit take?

Most people find it takes about one hour and 45 minutes to get around all our attractions. Go at your own pace and spend as long as you like enjoying the illusions.

Can I book tickets online?

Yes. You can book a date and time slot for entry on our 'Book Now' page. We'll be monitoring the number of visitors carefully throughout the day, and capacity per time slot will be limited to guarantee that everyone gets the very best experience. Please note: we do not currently work with any 3rd party websites selling our tickets, so please ensure you only buy tickets directly from our website. If you have already purchased tickets from someone else, please contact them for a refund.

Can I buy a ticket on arrival?

Yes, if we have spaces available, you can buy tickets on the day at our front desk. However, we would recommend booking online in advance for guaranteed entry and to avoid disappointment.

What ages are the attractions suitable for?

All ages. From babies to grandparents, everyone loves Camera Obscura. There’s something for everyone, even those that are hard to impress. The proof? Parents of teenagers often tell us we were the highlight of their family’s Edinburgh trip.

Can I store my luggage during my visit?

Is there a lift?

Our wonderful 17th-century building is listed by Historic Environment Scotland so for the timebeing, we are a stairs-only attraction. We hope to find a way to make it more accessible in future. Please contact us if you have any questions about access – we’ll do everything we can to help.

What’s the best time to visit?

Can I bring my pet?

We pride ourselves on being a pet-friendly attraction and can provide water bowls you can take around with you to maintain your pet's comfort and wellbeing. We offer all our furry friends a treat of a dog or cat biscuit on arrival. Dogs must be on a short leash at all times and well behaved during their visit. Cats must be on a leash or in a carrier at all times. We recommend calling ahead to let us know you're bringing your cat.

Google Reviews

Camera Obscura & World of Illusions

4.615192 reviews

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Lina Mistry-Miles

2 weeks ago

Great place to visit! Make sure to watch the show, we had a great time wondering around. We took our golden retrievers in too (dogs allowed for free) Lots of stairs - 6 flights. Under 100 steps up to the top. And then you walk down the floors gradually

Wassim Ayass

2 months ago

A must-visit for a fun and memorable experience! Each floor is filled with incredible optical illusions that kept us entertained and amazed the whole way through. We had a great time exploring all the interactive exhibits. The Camera Obscura itself was fascinating—both fun to watch and interesting to learn about its history. And the view from the rooftop is absolutely stunning, offering one of the best panoramas of Edinburgh. A fantastic place for all ages!

Paul Taylorson

a month ago

While on holiday in Scotland my daughter was desperate to visit this attraction. We were not disappointed over 5 floors and a roof terrace there were many unusual things to see . We found it great fun and although quite busy not so bad you couldn't get round. We visited during fringe week so Edinburgh was crazy busy so if you're not great with crowds avoid august. Quite steep hills to walk up to get to Obscura so comfortable shoes are a good idea. Overall a very good experience and good value if you like the unusual things in life.

Jack Manchester

a week ago

Incredibly wacky place. But very fun, and much better than I expected. I spent a good 2 hours in here, far longer than I thought I would. The staff are very friendly - we were served by Matthew who was very nice! Julian gave us a very interesting and amusing talk about the Camera as well. It's not the best place to visit in Edinburgh, but if you've got some spare time, definitely give this place a visit. My only criticism is that the tickets are very expensive, and I'm not sure how they can justify that.

Raghav Modi