Immediately opposite Greyfriars Bobby, on the south side of Chambers Street, stands the striking honey-coloured sandstone Museum of Scotland (Mon– Sun 10am–5pm; free; www.nms.ac.uk) which, alongside the equally iconic Royal Museum next door, makes up the National Museum of Scotland. The newer part was custom-built in the 1990s, and its modern lines and imaginatively designed interior offer a fresh – but still respectful – perspective on the nation's story and its most important historic artefacts.

The cylindrical entrance tower, with its echoes of Edinburgh Castle, has a doorway at its base which leads to the soaring central lobby, Hawthornden Court; from here, you can join one of the free guided tours on different themes that depart throughout the day, or pick up an audio headset (also free) which provides detailed information on the displays. The collection tells the nation's history from earliest man to the present day and is laid out in broadly chronological order over seven different levels. The labyrinthine feel of the rooms and stairways is a little disorienting at first – the unexpected views of different parts of the museum above and below are a deliberate effect by the architect to emphasize the interconnectedness of the layers of Scotland's history.