Doors Open Scotland offers free entry to dozens of historic buildings and museums through September

If you are visiting Scotland in September 2025 or live in Scotland, then worth having a look at Doors Open Days - which is an annual initiative to open up buildings, some museums and even a few castles for free from the 12th-21st of September. Many of the invites are to look inside buildings that are not normally open to the public and it is all free!

Doors Open is Scotland-wide and has a broad selection of activities, some of which have to be pre-booked.

Effectively Doors Open Days is Scotland's largest free festival and there are also guided walks and tours of many interesting locations. There is also some music and story-telling events, all for free. Also on offer are some arts & crafts courses and workshops. All in all, the 2025 Doors Open Scotland has something for everyone. You can search by area, key word and an interactive map on the event's calendar website.

Some highlights include the Collective City Observatory on Calton Hill in Edinburgh, where you will even be able to have a look through the Cooke telescope. The Royal Observatory is also offering tours and you can even handle a meteorite! Inch House, on the outskirts of Edinburgh is also throwing open it's doors and many of the oldest rooms in the 16th / 17th Century Scottish Tower House, which is situated in beautiful gardens. Another highlight in Edinburgh (among many) is Panmure House, which was the last residence of Adam Smith, the economist and philosopher and leading light of The Scottish Enlightenment - of which the house was a prominent location where Adam Smith and his contemporaries debated the issues of the day.

Another home of one of Edinburgh's renown intellectuals, James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) is open to visitors to the town house where he was born in India Street. Built around 1820, the house is a fine example of the New Town town house and contains memorabilia and artefacts relating to the life of the theoretical physicist whose Unified Theory of Electricity, Magnetism and Light led to much of the technology that surrounds us today.

The exterior of Panmure House in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the celebrated philosopher and economist Adam Smith lived during The Scottish Enlightenment - Photo: Panmurehouse Creative Commons 4.0

The Stills Centre for Photography in Cockburn Street is showing a new photo exhibition called 'In Consideration of Our Times' by the Glasgow based photographer Matthew Arthur Williams. Several interesting gardens, such as The Dean Gardens - one of the biggest private gardens in Edinburgh and Starbank Park. Many other interesting buildings are open, like the Northern Light House Board HQ in George Street, several Edinburgh University buildings like Old College, the Royal Lyceum Theatre also has an insight into the back stage and various activities (as does The Queen's Hall theatre). A lot of interesting churches are also open during the Doors Open festival. The Freemason's Hall of the Grand Lodge of Scotland is also open. And there is even a tour of the Queensferry Crossing, showing the inner gubbins of the new bridge.

Naturally, Glasgow also has a lot to offer during the festival (as do most parts of Scotland, so wherever you are in Scotland in September, it is a good idea to check the Doors Open festival website). In fact, there is a lot more on offer in Glasgow than Edinburgh.

Some of the highlights of the festival in Glasgow (there are too many to list here!) are: The Burrell Collection - which is a two day event, one a talk on the work of the museum and the second is a tour by the museum manager of the new building which now houses this amazing collection; Holmwood House - which is located on the Southside of Glasgow and is regarded as the finest example of architect Alexander 'Greek' Thomson's houses with the heavy influence of classical Greek architecture; the Kelvingrove Bandstand in Kelvingrove Park is also hosting events throughout the festival (check the web site for details); Mackintosh Queen's Cross - the only church designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh has two open days on 20-21 September; Mackintosh devotees can also get a free tour of the famous Mackintosh Willow Tearoom and not just the ground floor saloons, but the Salon de Luxe and Billiard Room - which are often not open to the public. A variety of workshop events are also on offer; Crookston Castle is also hosting a picnic and also offers workshops and a tour of the castle.

Holmwood House, regarded as being the best example of the classical Grecian architecture of Alexander 'Greek' Thomson in the Southside of Glasgow - Photo: Edwardx/Creative Commons 3.0

Indeed so numerous are the Open Doors events in Glasgow, it is possible to spend the entire festival there! During the festival, Glasgow has many interesting expertly-guided walking tours, such as the Glasgow Black History Walking Tour - which reveals Glasgow's historical links with slavery and the abolition movement plus how trade in commodities like tobacco helped shape the city's development. Another tour - the Kelvingrove Park Walking Tour - with a similar theme, though with more emphasis on Glasgow's importance to the British Empire (it was known as 'the second city of Empire' back in the day) in terms of it's links to trade, manufacturing, slavery and colonialism is from Kelvingrove Park. Two other interesting walking tours are available in Sauchiehall Street.

The Sauchiehall Saunter Walking Tour is led by an award-winning local guide - Kevin Scott - and goes from Bath Street to the Mitchell Library and back down Sauchiehall Street while Kevin explains the stories behind some of the street's more notable buildings and how the famous Glaswegian thoroughfare evolved and influenced the city's identity. A similar walking tour is provided by the Sauchiehall Street Project Team - the Sauchiehall Street Culture and Heritage Walking Tour will also provide a historical insight into Glasgow's most famous street.

Dozens of interesting museums are also involved in the free festival. One notable example is The Glasgow Police Museum - which explains the history of the first police force in the United Kingdom with artefacts, uniforms and stories. Two interesting offers of the festival provide a glimpse into the rich history of the River Clyde. The Tall Ship Glenlee is open doors all day on the 20th September and offers free tours, shows and an open bar, plus many activities for kids. This ship-museum was built on the Clyde in 1896 and is a steel-hulled, square-rig sailing ship, fully restored to it's original condition. The Riverside Museum is offering the Riverside to Fairfield Heritage Historical Walking Tour (18th-21st September) - revealing along the way the maritime history of the Clyde from the Viking era to the present.

The Tall Ship Glenlee at the Riverside Museum on the River Clyde in Glasgow - Photo: BJ Mullun/Creative Commons 3.0

Lots of places of worship are doors open too. Churches, mosques and synagogues are offering a range of activities and tours. The historic Glasgow Cathedral is offering a tour explaining it's role in Glasgow's rich history. The Glasgow Cathedral Festival also coincides with the Doors Open Festival on offer is a variety of music, art, educational talks and film, including The Resol Quartet and screenings of Metropolis. The Neo-Gothic splendour of St Andrew's Cathedral and it's Cloister Garden are also open to visitors with guided tours showing the artefacts and art incorporated into what is the most prominent Catholic cathedral in Scotland. Glasgow Central Mosque is offering a tour of inside and out, plus activities like Arabic calligraphy and insights into the Muslim faith. The Sikh Central Gurdwara Singh Sabha is offering guided tours and as is Sikh custom, a full vegetarian meal - a Langar - will be available for free. Garnethill Synagogue and the Scottish Jewish Archives Center is open for viewing and has a variety of events and a walking tour all pertaining to 300 years of Jewish history in Scotland, including how World War II affected the Glasgow Jewish community. The synagogue is a fascinating example of High Victorian architecture.

As some events of the 2025 Doors Open Festival are yet to be finalised, do check back in September as Munro & Glen will be updating the listings highlighted on this page and adding some new ones outside of Edinburgh and Glasgow from this wonderful free festival!