

Top Attractions in Scotland: Here are the 11 Scottish attractions that had the most visitors in 2022 - from the National Museum to the Burrell Collection
The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) has revealed that its members have enjoyed a post-pandemic footfall boost – with numbers increasing by 128 per cent in Scotland compared to 2021.
The figures were released as the country marks Scottish Tourism Month, and sees Scotland take 11 of the 100 most popular UK-wide attractions.
Bernard Donoghue, Director of ALVA, said: “These figures show that visitors flocked back to their favourite places in 2022 to breathe, heal, repair and to enjoy special moments with special people in special places. The year ended strongly with attractions reporting a very busy Christmas, strong visitor numbers and strong retail sales. People clearly wanted to create special memories with their loved ones after two difficult years and a challenging economic climate.
“We are still experiencing the tourism equivalent of ‘long Covid’ with many attractions still not back up to 2019 visitor levels due, mainly, to the absence of international visitors, notably from China and the Far East, but I am confident that they will return this year and we will see a continuing healthy recovery.”
Here are all 11 of Scotland’s top attractions.

1. National Museum of Scotland
Situated on Edinburgh's Chambers Street, the National Museum of Scotland is the 11th most popular attraction in the UK - and the top free attraction. It rose nine places on the list, with a 199 per cent increase in visitors, leading to a total footfall of 1,973,751. Photo: National World

2. Edinburgh Castle
The most popular paid for attraction in Scotland is Edinburgh Castle. In 2021 it was only 41st in the UK list but 1,346,168 visitors in 2002 saw it rise to 16th place - an increase of 218 per cent. Photo: Canva/Getty Images

3. Scottish National Gallery
In third place - and 17th in the UK - is Edinburgh's National Gallery on the Capital's Mound. A total of 1,277,230 people visited in 2022 - up a huge 322 per cent on 2021. Photo: National World

4. Riverside Museum
Glasgow's most popular attraction, with 1,173,242 visitors in 2022, is the Riverside Museum. The attraction on the banks of the River Clyde contains a collection of travel-related exhibits and saw visitor numbers rise by 276 per cent. Photo: National World