Camera Obscura Reviews

A fun attraction, well worth a couple of hours of your time. You can also leave and return at any point during the day you have purchased your ticket.

Amazing loved every minute of the place, the view over Edinburgh was brilliant.

Having lived in Edinburgh for 5 years, this was one of the few tourist attractions I'd never visited. I went along when Google invited me to an event there, and was blown away. The place is wonderful, with something to look at and try and work out in every corner, nook and cranny. I had an excellent time exploring the mirror maze, walking through the vortex and playing with microscopes. It's the sort of place that you could go time and time again and always find something new. I'll definitely be back.

Very interesting. Kids (4 and 6) loved it and so did we!

A must when visiting the city centre of Edinburgh! A great day out for all ages as well as a very fun gift shop too.

Really enjoyed this. Some trippy stuff, especially the vortex tunnel.

Great place to spend a couple of hours, especially if you have kids!

Very convenient for families. Enjoyable interactions.

Always a queue to get in and always busy but its great, even for us big kids. Try the vortex tunnel- if you're brave! Loved the mirror maze too. It's especially good for hands on learning for kids. Would definitely recommend a visit.

Great attraction and show to go with it, plus lots of fun illusions

Brilliant, a must visit.
They are looking at you outside so go in and see what the fuss is about.
From basic curved mirrors, holograms, a wobbly pathway, obscure pictures and much more a world of bizarre and obscure fun for all the family

Great fun to go to but make sure you try to go when it s not busy as you can try out each bit and have tons of fun there! There are also stunning views of Edinburgh!

Really quirky and strange but very entertaining fantastic for children staff are great ready to help mums with prams or young children came out to the large que with umbrella's for every one lots of info on hand even got a gift shop there and toilet facilities

Great experience needs optical illusions awesome across he board. It takes half a day to do properly. Be prepared the camera experience ain't HD. In 1860 it would have been cool though.

Highly recommended! The teenage grandsons were impressed, crazy fun, and the views of Edinburgh make great pictures. Very busy on a Friday afternoon in late July. Worth the wait and the queue moves fast.

Took my two daughters aged 7 and 6 to Camera Obscura & World of Illusions last Thursday, what a wonderfully pleasant experience, would definitely recommend, the look on my 6 year old's face when she seen her sisters severed head was priceless, theyparticulary loved the Vortex and the Mirror Maze <3

If you get the chance go! a great introduction to the world of Magic and Illusion x

A little expensive but very interesting. A handful of genuine wow moments for kids... and big kids like myself.

Was cool, nice experience, too bad we did not see the camera obscura though

Absolutely tremendous wee place. Set in an old building at the top of the royal mile next to the castle. There are six floors of optical fun and a tour of Edinburgh, using the actual camera obscura on the top floor. The tour itself is ok if you like that kind of thing, but our guide made it a pleasurable experience. The optical illusions are tremendous and had me smiling and laughing, while some left me in amazement. The vortex tunnel is a must...seven times I went through it lol. A well stocked gift shop completes the experience. All in all a great way to spend a day. Would definitely recommend.

Something for everyone. Lots of old quirky illusions, plus modern ones. The mirror maze was the favourite. Great place for a couple of hours on a rainy day?

Absolutely fabulous and a must for all tourists. Adults and children had a great time. Thank you Camera Obscura

This is one of the most fun places I've been. Very clever and funny 'scientific" experiences you can havd

GOOD nad Nice place.Something really intresting might you never seen before. I was tired of going to zoo and safari with me kids ,but this place is amazing,not only your kids gonna enjoy parents gonna enjoy as well....dont miss it friends.

Should go during daytime for the "Camera Show" only. You can easily spend one to two hours there, specially with kids. Great stuff.

Amazing ,lots to look at ,interactive ,lots of fun
Worth a visit

Awesome, made for a thoroughly enjoyable day out. Highly recommend!

Worth every penny. Plenty of great pictures and experiences.

Good illusions and trick paintings. Not worth the entry fee though. Good for a one time visit.

My husband and I went to this museum while in Edinburgh. It was a good experience! It was very interactive. I don t think that I d recommend it to my friends nor would I go there ever again because it was a bit boring.

Loved it. Went with my special needs daughter and she really enjoyed. Highly recommended

Awesome illusions and easy to spend half a day there.

Wonderful for the children!

+ sweet personnel
++ Many different, funny and tricky scientific pieces.
+ Very informative. Great for tourists to learn about the Scottish history!
+ Good for almost all ages (3-99 years)!
- Only minus was the price but because of the many things to see, do and learn it was absolutely worth it!

Very fun with a lot of different activities to do.

You could easily burn 2 or more hours in here!

Even though the entrance fee is quite high, it is worth it to visit this place because of the informative and funny Camera Obscura show and the experience of vortex tunnel and mirror maze.

Super cool vistor attraction you should absolutely visit. You start your tour at the top of the building. Where a super enthousiastic tourguide will give you a "tour" trough Edinburgh with the camera obscura. It was wonderful just as the rest of the museum.

Camera is good but not impressive. Test of the illusions are childish. Overall not worth the ticket price!

Brilliant fun for both the 20 yearold and her aunty

We were visiting Edinburgh castle and had tours planned at various times throughout the day around the area. We decided to jump in to Camera Obscura for a bit and it was so worth it because besides being 5 floors of showcases and activities, your ticket is good ALL DAY with IN / OUT PRIVILEGES! We saw what we could before our first tour, came back when it was over, saw more, another tour, saw the rest.

We spent a delightful couple of hours here with four adults and three children ages 7, 5 and 3. I'd say it was well worth the money, educational and entertaining. We especially enjoyed the maze of mirrors and the actual camera obscura. Our presenter in the obscura, Dan, was highly entertaining. Highly recommend this activity.

Avoided on previous trips as wasn't sure what it was. But unexpected highlight of our trip. Really interesting and very interactive. The real time panoramic view was fantastic.

Kids would have stayed all day. Educational without being obvious. Loved the mirror maze. Hilarious.

Not just for kids, had a great time visiting. You will receive a set time to visit the camera obscura on the top floor when you buy your ticket.

Fantastic venue, warm welcome for both humans and four legged friends. The staff were incredibly attentive towards my dog and the tour at the top was insightful and enjoyable. Could not recommend this tourist attraction any more. Excellent. 5 stars all the way.

Possibly the greatest place on earth. Just watch out for the spinny cylinder gets me every time

You are sure to get wonderful views of the city and a spectacular visual treat in their various rooms.

Really great. Slightly over expensive, but I think that's a common complaint for almost anything in Edinburgh (unless you're on holiday). Slightly strange queueing system, had to wait out in the cold for a long time. Brilliant exhibitions and displays. The tunnel made me feel really sick, which is definitely a good thing. We'll be back when it's a bit less busy!

Brilliant. Only down side was the weather but that's out of their control.

Must place to visit if you have kids.. very near to the castle .. various illusions and camera at the top ...worth spending 2 to 3 hours

Loved the experience. It will definitely take 2 to 3 hours so plan accordingly. 6th floor views are amazing. The lens show at top floor is awesome.

Fantastic place, well worth a visit. Great to see people of all ages enjoying themselves. The staff were really friendly and helpful.

Amazing exhibition full of great photo ops for the instagrammer of your party
Great fun for kids and adults too

It was pricy for what it was and fairly crowded. But if you're an illusion fanatic then it's a must see.

Amazing place! Save a couple of hours to spend here. The view from the rooftop is amazing!

Had a brilliant and fun filled time, really recommend a visit.

Great for kids and great views of Edinburgh from the roof top but too expensive

So much fun! Multiple floors with fun for everyone!

Fantastic optical illusions a great places for kids & grown ups alike

Every time I visit Edinburgh, I insist on going here. I have taken several friends and been with family. I must have visited this place about 7 or 8 times and never get bored. There are so many things to look at, exhibits to fiddle with and the view from top is spectacular even on a grey, Scottish afternoon. Brilliant fun for children and adults alike. It does require climbing a few flights of narrow, quite steep stairs, so do bear that in mind when going.

Creative and enjoyable activities and is a great place for family outings.

Went with my 7 and 11 year old and it was good fun for parents and kids alike. We spent there around 2hours which gave us plenty of time to do the attraction without rush. Can definitely recommend as good family fun.

Great place. Very fun, interesting and interactive. Highly recommend.

It was a really great experience. My 1.5 year old had so much fun running around and touching things, and so did we. There was a lot to see. The rooftop was amazing! Lots of wonderful picture opportunities. We could see for miles across the city. There was a lot of stairs inside, so not super accessible for persons with mobility issues. We were there for over 2 hours and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Probably could have stayed longer, but we needed to meet up with our group.

Really good experience for our family of 4. Staff were great, given COVID restrictions, and definitely had the balance right between letting us move around freely, and giving customers advice, when required. Also, staff were great with our kids of 7 and 10, interacting with them and making some of the installations more exciting. In particular, the vortex and glass maze was an excellent way to finish off. The roof top views over the city was also an unexpected bonus. Lots to see and good value for money

A bit pricey I thought at first, but turned out to be worth it as there is so much to see and really brings your inner child within you... a must visit

Very fun and interesting and we'll worth the entrance price. Great for adults and kids.

Must visit place. Need easily 2 to 3 hours to finish. Choose a sunny day for camera obscura show.

Expensive, we went to every floor and seen everything that was there and left within 30mins

This place is really entertaining! Good value for money. You can easily spend the whole day there.
At first seemed a place for kids but it is entertaining for everyone .
Most of the attractions are interactive and really fun for all ages, including adults.
The camera obscura is really nice!
The best part is the optical illusion bridge.
I will probably visit again in the future worths every penny

On a clear day this was very good. The other floors and exhibits are also good fun!

A must see attraction if going to Edinburgh!
Had lots of fun!

We hesitated about whether we wanted to spend some of the little time we had in Edinburgh on such an attraction, but in the end we're very happy we decided in favor. The kids (ages 5-10) just loved it, but so did the adults! The camera obscura itself is just a 10-min show on the 6th floor, from where you have a great view of Edinburgh (with powerful binoculars set up to get a better look around). The show was interesting (basically a peep show of Edinburgh life through a series of mirrors and lenses displaying a live view on a white round table in a dark room), but what we liked most was all the various illusion exhibits on the several floors below. Definitely worth a visit!

Fun for both kiss and adults. Spent a full day here exploring and would quite happily go back again

Fun place with some great stuff for children. Some cool optical illusions and great view of the city.

That said it feels a bit overpriced and inside it was very crowded and dissorganised. Everyone has to go up and down 5 floors through the same tiny stairwell and it can get a bit claustrophobic.

All in all it was fun but I dont think we would go again.

Loved this place! Great for all ages. A visit is a must! The camera obscura itself is the oldest tourist attraction in Edinburgh.

6 floors of super fun and interesting things for people of all ages! Needs a good 90-120 minutes to make the most of every floor.

My experience is positive, interesting and some funny stuff to do as adults or with kids. Slightly over priced but still worth doing.

Awesome experience! Must see when you get to Edinburgh. Worth to take more time there than they say and just fully enjoy all things. We spent there 2,5 hrs and had lots of fun.

Loved camera obscura! Lota of fun. Would recommend this place . Close to everything and once you paid you can come and go through the day.

I was told that this place can get uncomfortably crowded during certain daytime hours, and given the space and layout, I can understand the sentiment. We chose to come after dinner in the evening, and found the conditions just right. My son loved all the exhibits and was really impressed with the spinning tunnel. Give yourself 1.5-2 hours to explore the whole thing.