Overview

I went to the Surrealist/Dada exhibition here and I love the fact that the building is an installation in itself with the caption 'Everything is going to be alright' illuminated above the entrance. I also loved the grounds featuring earth, water pieces along with impressive sculptures by Gormley and Henry Moore and others. The exhibition itself was a bit heavier on Surrealism than the Dadaism but I still loved it; my favourite was Magritte's 'The Legend of the Centuries'. It also has a great cafe looking out on lovely gardens with both indoor and outdoor seating. As the cafe is so popular, space was a bit tight for my wheelchair but people were lovely and moved seats to accommodate me. Staff were lovely both in the cafe and throughout the gallery, answering art questions for me, operating lifts and giving me a great tip about using the large print information board as the small info print at the paintings is too small for me to read and I can't get close enough in my wheelchair, so thank you for that great tip!

Transport & Parking

There are several disabled parking spaces available onsite next to the entrance but it would be quite a long walk from Princes Street but there is a bus route. The gallery also has a bus which runs between Edinburgh galleries but I don't know if it is accessible.

Access

The venue is accessed via a beautiful winding ramp but the huge front doors are very heavy, however, staff were immediately at hand to offer assistance both on the way in and on the way out so it wasn't an issue for me. Staff were fantastic and operated the smaller lifts for me and generally oriented me about how to get the best out of my visit. They were all very approachable, knowledgeable, friendly and welcoming. Paintings were hung at a great height for me

Toilets

Toilets were very clean and spacious with grab bars and red cords. There is also a Changing Places toilet available with hoist and bench at the back of the building.

Staff

As I said above, they were brilliant, welcoming, knowledgeable, friendly and very helpful and helped to make my visit special.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

This is a fantastic example of an old building beautifully adapted without spoiling the architecture and shows what is possible when people use innovation and imagination. I'll definitely be back!

Photos