Camera Obscura & World of Illusions — Attraction in City of Edinburgh

I visited with my 11 yo on a day trip to Edinburgh. I wasn't planning to visit as I thought it was quite pricey, but a sales assistant in a little shop on Cockburn street recommended it to us and said it was worth a visit. It cost about £40 in total for myself and my daughter. Im not sure if they do family tickets or special offers, but I don't think we could have justified the cost taking the whole family (2 adults and 3 children/teens). As it was just me and my youngest visiting that day, I decided to give it a go. The staff were very friendly and helpful and gave us a warm welcome. We were able to store our bags for free and made our way upstairs to start the experice. It's an old tall narrow buliding and the experience is set over a number of floors (4-5 I believe). There are various themes across the floors including optical illusions, interactive areas and lots of opertinuties for photos. You can move freely throughout and go back and forth and revisit your favourite areas. There is a roof terrace at the top with telescopes and binoculars and there's is fantastic views in all directions. My daughter enjoyed having access to the 'spy cameras' and being able to watch people in the street passing by. She loved the spinning tunnel, I did not not enjoy that one so much and truly felt like I was tipping over, but still could resist a few attempts to get through. There was a very good gift shop at the end, with some pocket money priced gifts. One touch I really liked was that they had free sanitary products in the ladies. Something I feel is lacking lately in public/guest toilets, so this made a nice change.

We had a really good time and spent about 90 mins at the attraction. We might have spent longer if we had a bit more time, but had to start making our way to the train station.

It would be 5 stars if the price was a little more affordable. If it had been the whole family visiting it would have cost just over £100 and it's not...

I recently visited the Camera Obscura Museum with my family, drawn in by its reputation as a family-friendly attraction. Unfortunately, our experience was far from welcoming.

We attended one of the scheduled shows, expecting to enjoy the interactive experience as advertised. However, partway through, the staff member leading the show abruptly and very rudely asked us to leave. There was no polite explanation or attempt to communicate respectfully—he simply told us to leave, opened the door in front of everyone, and then slammed it shut behind us. It was humiliating and completely unnecessary.

Let me be clear: my children were not disruptive beyond what you might expect from any young family. My son is only 3 years old, and my daughter has a disability. My child was not being excessively loud, and certainly not disrespectful. The staff member didn’t ask us to step out for a moment, didn’t offer understanding—he simply made a snap judgment and treated us like we were a problem to remove.

For a museum that promotes itself as family-friendly, this behavior was completely out of line. Not every child who makes a sound is “badly behaved.” Some are neurodivergent, autistic, or have other needs that may not be obvious. Staff should be trained to understand this and to treat families with empathy and professionalism, not public shaming.

I left feeling deeply hurt and unwelcome. We deserve better than this—all families do. I will be following up with an official complaint, and I strongly urge the museum to review its staff training and policies around inclusivity and respectful communication.

Until then, I cannot recommend this place to other families, especially those with young children or...

Without doubt it's one of the best attractions in Edinburgh, and for anyone visiting the Scottish capital it should be on a must visit list.My recent visit was booked over the phone on the same day, though previously I had booked my visit online, and would recommend getting it done prior arrival to avoid any disappointment.

On arrival you'd get a timeslot for Camera Obscura, which is located on the top floor. It's a 10-15 mins long presentation of the 18th century equivalent of CCTV. Priority is given to people booked for a particular timeslot, so would recommend to be on time for this presentation. Staff is very welcoming and accommodating. While I was visiting with my family the presentation was led by Julian. He appeared to be very knowledgeable and made people laugh making it memorable experience.

At the entrance you would probably get hand stamped, so could reenter Camera Obscura and World of Illusions at any time during the opening times on the same day. On a day when I visited it was open until 10 pm.

There are 6 levels in total, though ground level is an entrance and shop, while toilets are on the first level, so the whole exhibition is from the second level up. There is parking space for buggies on the ground floor, since staircases are not suitable to carry them up and down. This attraction is not accessible for wheelchairs.

The exhibition between the second and fifth floor is very well laid, and has not really changed for many years. It's all about an optical illusion, and it's brilliant. I would recommend allowing yourself approximately 2 up to 3 hours per visit. Must visit for anyone coming...