Camera Obscura Reviews

This is great place to visit, lots of things for you to touch and interactive with. The images on the floor that you walk over to kick the football and make the fireworks come over the castle is great fun.

The glass maze is fun even though it is a little scary, the tunnel is fun but takes a couple of minutes to get used to it.

Dan who gave the talk at the beginning of the Camera Obscura was great fun and got everyone involved. Interesting facts about the camera obscura too.

One of the best attractions in Edinburgh. Looking at the whole city from above is an incredible experience. The enormous amount of optical illusions spread out all over the building make up for a very entertaining day. And I'm absolutely in love with the view from the top floor

Great fun. Use a bus tour ticket if you have one for 10% discount. Be careful of the vortex tunnel!

Camera Obscura is definitely one of the top attractions to visit as a tourist in Edinburgh, totally worth it. We first visited during night, but were given free access the day after too so we could see the 6th floor (which is during the day).

Also spent 15 minutes trying to find the hidden tiger fml

Went to the toddler event in jan 2017. It was ok. My toddlers had a nice enough time but at just over thirty quid for me and my husband to join her we won't be rushing back. Worth a visit, but not frequent visits I reckon. Spinning tunnel thing you walk through is mega crazy. Fab views of the castle from the top. We didn't stay to see the video show but I'm sure wants also fine. Will probably return in 3 years to see if anything new

Brilliant fun a must see when in Edinburgh. A great mix of science, history and great views of the town.

It is an interesting place for both kids as well as adults. Many amusing optical illusions in each floor.

The roof top offers marvelous view of the city, with the castle standing magnificently in a distance.

With a hand stamp on admission, we can actually leave this place and come back within a day.

Well worth the money for multiple floors of fun and lots of laughter

Our second visit here but the first with our daughter. We arrived on a beautifully sunny winter morning and made our way straight to the top floor to see the camera obscura show. The bright day really made the most of the show with our wee one having great fun lifting and splatting people at the castle, the guide, Dougal, kept everyone interested with an informative and funny tour round Edinburgh. After that we took in the excellent views of the city then started going down through each floor. Plenty of interesting things for the wee one to try and she really enjoyed that you get to interact with exhibits. We made use of the fact you can come and go throughout the day and popped back in the afternoon to see some of the exhibits we missed first time round.

Fun and amusing. Lots of stairs though but accessible for us.

Fascinating and loads of fun to explore. Some of the stuff is a wee bit mind blowing. At 40 I genuinely loved it and my 4yr old had a blast as well. Spent about 2 hours and rushed a bit on last two floors.

Excellent value for money. Ticket allows you to go in and out all day with a ink stamp on your hand. Interesting, fun and educational. Suitable for all ages. Small demonstration lasting 10 mins in the dome at the top ( spying on people on the street, and giving you a tour of Edinburgh from a birds eye view) rounds the experience nicely! If you pay on line there is an entrance round the corner to the main one to use and you will be fast tracked. Queues can get rather long.

Fun for the family your kids will love the crazy goings on

Very cool place to visit! Experience really interesting illusions and visual effects.

A really fun day out!! Would definitely recommend for families because it would be much more fun sharing with others, but we had a great time as a couple. The views from the top and the camera obscura show were incredible and really entertaining.

Really interesting place to go. Kids loved it . The vortex tunnel was great fun leaving me feeling a bit sick after! 56 quid for family of four quite expensive as you're probably only in there 2 hours max but kids will definitely enjoy.

Worth a look, the history of the place is very interesting and it's in a great location but I think it's a bit expensive for what it is. 2 hours max is what you're going to get out of the place.

Great and ridicolously funny place. Doesn't matter if you think that looks a little bit expensive, if there is one place to pay for in Edinburgh is this one! You will have a very good time for sure!

Amazing loved it excellent optic work just incredible

We were a group between 25 and 69 and we all enjoyed it. It's a eally fun place. Have a meal before you go in as you wouldn't want to rush through things. Look at the art on the walls when climbing up / going down the stairs.

If you are looking for inspiration, magic or illusions this place is a perfect place to go. There are around 5 floors or various illusions including mirror room, observation tower, 3D (Google Cardboard like) images etc.

Brilliant place for site seeing. You can easily spend more than 2 hours and leave completely entertained in the end.

Really nice day out with lots of cool stuff to do as well as nice historical side to it. Really nice staff.

Wonderful way to just enjoy yourself for a few hours.

One of the best place in edinburgh for sure. Though it looks a small building but you will definitely gonna stuck there for a while. So many things around to explore and see you just cant miss it. Must visit place for everyone.

Good day out. Cool illusions and a great camera obscura show. Would go early as it can get very busy.

Good fun for kids and adults too but a bit too pricey ;-)

Fantastic visit with lots of interesting things to see.

Great day out!

While I initially wrote this off as a bit of a tourist trap (it is RIGHT next to the castle) - It's actually a pretty fun day out for a family.

The Obscura itself, the mirror maze & the rotating light tunnel are obvious stand outs but even the spectacular views from the roof are worth taking in.

Not the cheapest day out you could plan but certainly worth going at least once and you will be able to spend a good few hours there without getting bored.

The only issue is lack of disabled access to the whole thing but, being a listed building, that's not really their fault.

Fun for everyone. Dynamic Earth is better in Edinburgh. Do both.

Been twice and both times loved it! Once you pay you get a stamp giving you unlimited admission for the day which is great! Love the variety of stuff between the floors too and rarely felt to crowded. Great for kids but also amazing for adults to go and have a play!

This place is amazing, so much fun and educational for kids and adults. Would definitely go back and spend more time my daughter loved it.

Absolutly fantastic.. didn.t know what to expect but it was so much fun

Took reluctant tweens and teens but they both really enjoyed it, takes a couple of hours so quite pricy but you can leave and go back the same day to make the most of your money and there is bound to be something you missed!!

Lots of fun optical illusions. Great for kids and adults

Worth every penny! Had a great time! 5 floors of fun and interesting attractions

Great day out, every floor is interesting, staff are nice. Only downside is the price so I recommend using Tesco vouchers.

It was a really good day out, lots of fun and interesting exhibits and the staff were all really friendly

Imagine being a victorian who'd never seen CGI, photoshop or even TV!

You'd have your mind blown away by this place to the point of having some kind of mental awakening, destined to trip balls for the rest of your life.

Fortunately for you you have probably already watched the matrix! so you'll be just fine in the VORTEX TUNNEL!!!!!!!

Just go, you'll love it!

Loved it!! The chap in the presentation (young, slim, dark hair) was particularly funny...

Very nice, especially for kids.. Couple hours easily

Amazing experience. A must in Edinburgh. Tour includes a show about the ancient Victorian camera which is at the top of the building. On the others floors you can experience many different illusions games.
Very inspiring

We had a great time here. It was dark so obscura was closed but got the offer of a discount or returning the next day. We spent hours here and our visit is often talked about by our children.

A great, unusual, hands on, brilliant day out. Not really suitable for really young children. We'll priced spent a good three hours wandering around. Highly recommended if you are staying or visiting Edinburgh.

The illusions here are simply mind boggling! Great place to enjoy a few hours!

Really cool place. Would give 5 stars if it wasn't for the high price.

Great place to spend with family and kids. Very intriguing place. Facilitate learning for young kids with fun and they wouldn't have enough of it. Must visit for family and young visitors.

Can be a bit busy, and (the lack of) sunlight does influence the experience. Really nice otherwise.

Wonderful place for families lots of interactive exhibits. Definitely worth a visit! Had lots of fun looking around and the camera obscura is fascinating.

Expensive but great fun for kids and adults alike. 5 Floors of optical illusions etc. Enjoyed the visit much more than i expected. You can pay and visit and come back again the same day without having to pay again.

Camera Obsurca was a blast! Great for all ages. I won't spoil it too much but the best parts are the Vortex tunnel, mirror maze, the camera obscura show and the room that makes you bigger and smaller.(picture below)

They have a student discount as well as others bit either way you can spend about 1hr 30min here at least especially if you stick around for the show, which is included in your ticket.

The show is old fashioned as is the camera obsurca itself. If you get done before your showtime, ask of the have room to squeeze you in during a time before your allotted time. They had room for my friend and I so we didnt have to wait 10min for the previous show to get done.

Expensive but very good, could stay in there for hours, lots of fun things to do for kids

Fun for all the family! Pick a good day to get the best of the obscura camera!

The best experience! You have to visit when is still sunlight so you can have the full experience from camera obscura! You have a lot of illusions that will help you passing a really good time full of laughs!

There were many interesting and fun things to see and do. The view from the top was great. It was a tad expensive but, I am glad we decided to go for it.

Camera Obscura was amazing! 6 floors full of optical illusions and a brilliant 15 minute show that's included in the price of your ticket.

The show is really interesting and funny. The illusions on each floor are all optical illusions but there's so many different interactive things to do you won't get bored.

The mirror maze and the vortex tunnel were the most fun!

A fun place to spend a couple of hours, staff were friendly and helpful. Some real mind boggling stuff to see. Also free child entry if you travel via scotrails special offers.

Definitely a place to check out, great for people of all ages.

Excellent day out with family, take care on the vortex tunnel

Super friendly staff, with great illusions and a nice panorama of the city up top

Not just for kids. I had a great time here. Worth doing for a bit of fun.

Nice place to visit with kids, optical illusions and interactive themes keep them excited

Fascinating museum, definitely allow several hours to explore!

This was sometimes boring, but the views from the top were just sensational, and some of the artefacts were funny and interesting. The staff were really funny and the last show is brilliant, you can't miss it. If you've never been to Edinburgh it should definitely be on the list of the first things to do so you can see the whole city!

The view on the rooftop was stunning, although some of the illusions were a bit of a letdown and the tickets are defo on the pricey side.

Great, loved spying on couples through that window, it was very intresting, just the price seemed Venezuela-esque

Thoroughly enjoyed my visit, lots of interactive displays. Loved the victorian technology, really didn't like the presentation. Drop the humour please, it does not work, keep it factual

I think they should update their exposition... but if you has never gone, is a must

Kids had a fantastic time. Lots to do and explorer. And a big surprise when you get to the top.

It's not bad here. There are 6 floors of exhibits that are mostly interactive. Most are ok, some are good and a few are really good.

I think younger children will get most enjoyment from here but it's worth a couple of hours of most people's time.

Really fun experience. Be ready for some steep stairs though.

Great day out with the kids. Very long wait for the ticket counter.

If you want to have a different experience with lights this is the right place.

Lots of fun. Plenty of opportunity to take photos. Had a great time!

Absolutely brilliant experience. The exhibitions were highly interactive with a wide variety of things to do to suit everyone. Particular mention to the demonstrators at the Camera Obscura who were very knowledgeable and friendly. Well worth the price.

Obviously aimed for children. For fun though. Could have done with some more explanation behind some of the exhibits.

Surprised at just how much there was to do here, not just the camera obscura itself but lots of optical illusions, holograms and even a maze of mirrors. It's spread out over six floors but the stairs are quite narrow - no lift as far as we could tell so something worth keeping in mind.