Camera Obscura Reviews

My kids had a wonderful time and so did I. Even my elderly mother-in-law enjoyed herself. A must visit when in Edinburgh. Staff were so nice, I would highly recommend this place.

Its ok. Other than the camera obscura itself offers nothing new. Just the generic mish mash of sciency stuff you get served up at places like Landmark etc...

Busy but loads to see and do. Lots of interactive stuff and friendly staff

Really exiting place to go. Everyone loved the mirror maze!

Genuinely great attraction, go when it's quiet to get your money's worth with minimum stress (would be very stressful when busy or with lots of kids). Take some video, they're happy for you to film/photograph everything and there's some pretty cool stuff. From illusions to optical effects and the world's first camera obscura (which gives the building its name) is in the roof; primitive yet impressive technology and a great little show on several times a day.

Great place to come. Lots to do across 5 floors. You can easily spend a couple of hours here. You only get one go in the Camera Obscura, and you get a designated time to go, so don't miss your opportunity. After that, you can walk around the five floors as much as you want. You can even leave and come back later.

Surprisingly a lot to see and do. Good value for money. Loved the rotating tunnel.

Been here twice, it's fun for kids and the staff is brilliant!

Very fun and a unique experience. Must try it! Fun for all the family.

Wow this place is an amazing masquerade of science and well planned illusions. Must visit in a Edinburgh visit. The infinity tunnel and mirror maze are a must do. Of course the normal fancy mirrors make their presence felt here and there. The actual camera Obscura show is a lil overrated. The view from the top floor is amazing. A few binoculars makes it fancier. Highly recommended.

Well worth a couple of hours exploration if you are in Edinburgh. Great place, great staff.

My boyfriend and I decided to visit and ended up getting there later than planned. We were advised that the show was all booked up but if we still wanted to come in we could get a discount or we could come in now and then come back for a show tomorrow. We decided to skip the show and instead took our time going through the rooms and getting involved with the interactive displays. It was a blast and I'm sure kids would love it 3 times more than us two big kids. I would recommend it to anyone really but if you are not a fan of big crowds and don't mind missing the show I would recommend going mid-afternoon like we did.

The most fun party your eyes and brain can experience with a healthy side of local history and physics. Simply mind blowing. Get thee there whether local or tourist, young or old, family trip or girls weekend (try a late night summer visit after ((just one or you'll ruin it!)) a glass of wine...). if you don't enjoy, there's a money back guarantee. I guarantee you will not need it.

It was a magical place, full of interactive games. If you have kids, it's a must. A little bit pricy in my opinion.

Be warned - it gets VERY full at peak times! They are open until 10pm, so if you have the option, try to go later. Most of the exhibits are "hands on" so you will have more fun if you're not queuing for everything. The mirror maze and vortex tunnel were particularly good - we didn't let a little motion sickness stop us from trying them three times!

Worth a visit but our 9 year old got bored half-way through... I would probably go there again just to walk through The Vortex Tunnel & Mirror Maze again - amazing sensations! Sadly, we couldn't get out onto Rooftop Terrace as the day was super windy and it rained non-stop.

Don't miss this place! It's full of really interesting rooms. It was an amazing and fun experience + the service was fantastic.

The Camera Obscura tour was great, but a lot of the entertainment on the floors after feels a bit filler. Good for the kids though.

Great place for fans of optical illusion and science. Glad I didn't go on a Saturday (the line was out the door).

This place is so great for adults and kids! The terrace has beautiful views too which is a bonus on a sunny day!

Great fun place to visit. Unfortunately the camera obscura is closed, which wasn't communicated on the website but as we booked tickets. However we had great fun as a family. Recommend to take your own wipes as it's very interactive and some people may prefer to wipe down contact areas before use

Really good, had lots to do that can take hours, there's always something there. Lots of amazing things, and most of it is hand-on activities

Was very apprehensive about this whole idea but left with a smile on my face. Ok price for the location and a lot more fascinating and interesting than anticipated. Not usually my kind of pick but glad we went!!

A fun place to spend a few hours even if you don't bring kids. We went in the evening and were told that the camera obscura show relies on daylight so we could choose between reduced admission or being able to come back the next day. We chose the latter. Very friendly and nice staff. We had a great time but it was pretty busy even at night and there will probably always be lots of children screaming and running around. The camera obscura show the following day was good and worth going back for. We got there at 9:30. Around noon the place was crazy busy with a long line waiting to get in. Do go in the morning or later in the evening if you don't want to wait to try all the different things.

Must see attraction when in Edinburgh. Views from the top of the building are also very striking

Amazing views from the top. I lost half a day wandering through the 6 floors. Definitely good fun day for adults and kids alike.

A very interesting experience. Came here as a wee boy and decided to check if it was still the same. It wasn't! It was far better. The optical illusions were great fun, great quality. Loved to ones you could get involved in too. My son was almost 8 and he loved it too. Watch out for the bridge in the tunnel!

My daughter absolutely loved this place, she didn't want to leave. Definitely recommend this place.

Really worth doing however I strongly advise to be there right after they open to enjoy the visit in peace.

Very interesting museum. Loved the live CCTV. Great for a couple of hours and really worth the price.

Bit disappointed with this attraction, only found the vortex and mirror room interesting. It's definitely overpriced and it doesn't feel like a safe place to be in. Lots of touching of exhibits involved, don't know if this is safe given the current pandemic? Also their track and trace app doesn't work properly. However, the staff are very friendly and helpful, the location is great as it's next door to Edinburgh castle and the whiskey experience.

Very interesting and interactive place, suitable for all ages. Also the panorama from the roof is amazing. But the most amazing spot is the Vortex Tunnel.

Really interesting and fun day, the camera obscura was great to see the sights of Edinburgh.

Exceeded my expectations, was pretty cool and worth going to.

An experience of its own kind. Great to see a camera working since 1641

Good array of different visual attractions suitable for young and old alike.

Such a great day out!

Many attractions in Edinburgh were pricey but I thought this was totally worth the price. Everything is very interactive, so you won't be bored! I spent an afternoon there with my adult brother and sister-in-law and it was so much fun, even for adults!

Loads to do and interact with and, just when you think you're done, there's loads more on the way back down. Thoroughly recommend for all ages. Just be careful what you're doing on the street outside, you never know who might be watching :-)

Great experience with lots of interesting stuff to do. Really good to see it, especially on a clear day since the camera obscura is conditioned by the weather. Quite a few peculiar things to see here.

Absolutely fantastic! Great for both kids and adults too

Top class attraction and staff are all friendly and knowledgeable . A fantastic location as right in the heart of Edinburgh in front of the castle. Will definitely be back.x

great place some of the exhibits are cool and the staff are very nice and helpful. I like how you can leave and come back whenever you want

Really great fun! Amy did our camera obscure tour and was an absolute star! Totally worth a visit, def bring your kiddos!

Great place! If you have children, BRING THEM! An hour of fun is easy to get here. Adults can also be entertained if you take time to look around!
The Camera Obscura was fun to see and hear about! Worth it, especially if you have children!

One thing to notice is that there are no lifts. The stairs are a bit narrow as well but that is only to be expected by an old building.

Went to this place on the recommendation of a friend. You are first directed to the top floor where in a dark room, they show you a lot of old town Edinbugh through a pin hole camera. The experience was quite fascinating probably also because of the wonderful lady who explained the views to us. Christine I think her name is.

The rest of the building is quirky but not out of the world. If you have some time to kill, it is worth spending time here.

Fascinating museum with an interesting history. Dan gave an excellent show to begin the visit, and we then descended through the floors, where there were numerous intriguing optical illusions, artworks and interactive displays. The mirror maze and spinning tunnel were great fun, and the views of the city from the top of the tower are superb on a clear day. All in all a very enjoyable place for the whole family to visit.

An enjoyable few hours entertainment, fuin for the adults as well as the kids - which is just as well as we did not take any kids..

Some really good illusion, the tunnel seriously messes with your brain!!!

Great experience for kids and adults
We had so much fun in this place! Kids didn't want to leave. A lot of interactive exibits, we spent almost 3 hours there without noticing. Seem to have discount tickets after 17,but it's not advertised.

I'm glad we did this before our Edinburgh Castle trip because you get the lay of the land and get to experience a trippy environment that was a lot of fun!

Great and fun place to visit with or without kids! Easily 2 hours spent here and the show is well worthwhile seeing. No lift and a lot of stairs so be mindful of this if your health isn't too great or you have little ones.

Great attraction. Well worth the entrance fee. Lots to do and see.

A great place to visit. Lots of attractions as well as the camera. Good place to take children as lots of hands on exhibits.

Fantastic experience!
The camera obscura tour was just ok, but the rest of the building is 6 stories of optical illusions, experiments and super cool stuff. It's a bit expensive (although they do student discounts) but definitely worth it. They have stuff that I hadn't seen in any science museum!

It's mostly a big selection of optical illusions. The camera obscura showing at the top floor is impressive and the staff makes an amazing job presenting it. It felt a bit overpriced.

Absolutely fantastic, 6 floors of illusions and light and mirrors. My boys, aged 14 and 12 loved it. The Vortex Tunnel was an experience that we had to go through several times it was so good. Great views of Edinburgh and the castle from the top floor

Great for toddlers. Very interactive. Fun for adults too

What should I say? Average visitors spend 2h in there. We've been there for 3h in the morning and for 1.5h in the evening.
The view from the roof top terrace beautiful and, the camera obscura itself was something I've never seen and very interesting und then there are several illusions (some more and some less interactive) on 4 floors.

This place is brilliant, great for kids 3 and up and really has a lot to do. It gets very busy so get there early but take your time. You can pop out and back in all day if you like and it's well worth the visit.

It's fun to be there but it is too expensive. I would like to pay less for a single entry ticket instead of having a ticket for the whole day

Wonderful place to visit for any age. Must see attraction in Edinburgh. Don t miss the 15 minutes show. Beautiful presentation of old age technology. Well worth the money...

Great attraction to see, with some fun and interesting illusions. The main camera presentation was engaging and fun, although it's completely weather dependent so make sure you go on a sunny day!
Great views from the top floor as well.
Taking away one star as the price was a bit on the steep side.

Really good, house of illusions is definitely worth the visit

Visited Camera Obscura for the Google City Experts night, and had an absolutely amazing time. The mirror maze was a definite highlight, but being able to transform yourself into - variously - a man, woman, child, chimpanzee, or cartoon was hilarious. I'm definitely going to be going back during the daytime to test out the camera obscura on the top floor, as it doesn't work at night.

So much fun, and definitely very highly recommended :)

Advertised as Edinburgh's best attraction. I don't doubt that but it is spread over 6 floors and after struggling up Castle Hill and almost collapsing it was too much. It's also oar for Edinburgh prices - rather expensive.

This place is quite a lot of fun. It's packed full of great displays, fascinating information, and friendly staff. It's a must-see.

Brilliant experience! Every single floor was interactive and mind boggeling! The views from the top of the building was beautiful, especially of the Christmas market at night time. Great recommendation from the receptionist suggesting to start from the top and work our way to the bottom. Especially liked the mirror maze and the spinning room! Also on exit, I liked the talking genie, the marriage machine and the coin press! Great experience, would come back. Prices are okay but a bit excessive.

Camera Obscura offers great views of Edinburgh and the castle! Start at the top and work your way down the floors, it's fascinating to see the old equipment at work but just as much fun to work our way down the floors to each of the optical illusions. You should definitely put it on your list - but maybe when it's not at the height of tourist season.

Very good attraction, kids loved the glass labyrinth and the light tunnel. Camera obscura is good, you need the weather not to be cloudy to have a perfect view of the city

Awesome but a little pity that people have such unraised kids..

Really busy, expensive and outdated Ive got better apps on my phone

Surprisingoy fun with plenty to do! Even for 2 mid-20s guys.

Top floor was entertaining and had awesome views, all the other floors had loads to do to keep you busy for a few hours so we'll worth the price. Especially because you can go in and out as much as you like.

The lowest floor has a trippy light tunnel thing which really confused my head and made me feel hammered. Well worth it.

This place is really cool. Would be weird if you didn't enjoy

A lot of great illusions many (most?) Of which you may have already seen on the internet. Great pastime for kids if you have 1-2 hours to kill.

Expensive tickets. Family or group tickets would be great. No option.

Not a good as I thought it would be quite pricey for what it is... but all the same is probably worth a visit

A fantastic place which we really enjoyed however there's a lot of stairs and no warning about this before you enter. If your even slight incapacitated (sprained ankle or sore knee etc) don't bother. And the staff won't tell you either.

Absolutely amazing really fun for kids and grown ups

It is a very interesting and informative trip. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and would definitely recommend it

Cool place for adults and kids. It is interactive and educational. It's also a lot of fun.

Great attraction close to Edinburgh Castle. Very good value for money.

Incredibly fun and interesting place, perfect for fun photos and spending a few hours! You can go back and forth so easy to pop in an led out between meals (and breaks in the rain!)

We had a great time exploring the many illusions that kept us entertained for hours, the pinhole camera show by Dougal/Beyonce/Help :) was fantastic he made it a funny and enjoyable experience for all ages, highly recommend to everyone visiting Edinburgh we will be back again.