We’ve now been open for 4 weeks – doesn’t time fly!
It’s been fantastic to welcome you all back, to see people enjoying our spaces and exhibits and having fun and memorable experiences with friends and family.
The first few days were challenging. Our team were learning new ways of working and getting back into a routine after months at home. We had to put in lots of new protocols to keep everyone safe. This included a new one-way system around the building, social distancing, limitations on numbers, timed entry, online booking, wearing face coverings and even more cleaning! But all this work did mean we achieved our Good To Go accreditation, something to help reassure you we are going above and beyond to keep everyone health and safe.
We also spent lots of time (and still are!) listening and talking to visitors, hearing how they were finding visiting for the first time post-COVID-19 and what we could do to make their visit even better.
The good news is that all feedback has been amazing! We’ve been blown away by your support and encouragement and are delighted that we can still offer all our visitors a 5-star experience and the most fun visit in Edinburgh.
It’s been busy. With limiting our capacity to only 30% of what it was previously, tickets are limited. We’re welcoming 16 visitors every 15 minutes, so booking online in advance is highly recommended. We’re sold out a few days in advance due to the local school holidays, so make sure to plan your visit so you don’t miss out. Tickets are available on our website until 14 October, we’ll be releasing more availability for later in the year soon. And all our tickets are currently discounted by 10%, to reflect the differences in your visit, which unfortunately at this time means no demonstration of the Camera Obscura. We’re working on how to make the Camera Obscura show safe with social distancing and a new ventilation system, which we hope to have in place soon.
Here are some of the lovely thing’s visitors have been saying about their recent visits:
"Even though things have changed because of COVID-19, I felt safe and most people were socially distancing. Hand wash everywhere if you need it. Staff wiped things after you used it. The experience was great. We had a fantastic day and would definitely recommend it. It was great fun my 13yr and 20 enjoyed it. My daughter has a hidden disability and wore a sunflower lanyard which means she is exempt from wearing a face mask. Not once did anyone ask her why she didn’t wear one. I txt them a week before to ask if they were aware of the lanyard and assured me that all their staff knew about it and not to worry. So it was a relaxing fun day. Thank you guys for making it worth the visit. Definitely be back again." Sharon M, Glasgow, on TripAdvisor
"The tunnel which you see on the main picture is amazing! Me and my partner spent about 2 and a half hours here which was definitely well spent! There are hand sanitisers throughout the building so you can regularly sanitise your hands. The exhibits that they have are amazing and we haven’t been to anywhere else like this! Definitely worth visiting!" sophielingard, on TripAdvisor
"We had a brilliantly childish time in here! You can't beat a good giggle and a mind bend! We were really impressed at how well they made everything work to be safe and enjoyable during this covid nightmare. It had brilliant distancing, easy track and tracing, a good route for a one way system and sanitian points at each entrance and exit area. We really enjoyed it!" Alison Jayne, Walney, on TripAdvisor
"The camera obscurer prevailed! Even with some adaptations to displays and the removal of the camera display at the top for social distancing, our experience was still interactive and comprehensive. The external cameras, that you can control yourself, were a great substitute for the camera show at the top. Great to see the vortex tunnel is still there and lots of hand gel opportunities all around each floor - face masks (quite rightly) essential. One way system in operation but still covering every square inch of this attraction. Booking essential and we weren’t disappointed - booking ratios allowed a great experience with little waiting around and valuable opportunity to maintain social distancing." Weese, Aberdeen, on TripAdvisor
If you’ve visited we’d love to hear your feedback. You can leave us a review on TripAdvsior or email us at info@camera-obscura.co.uk
If you haven’t visited yet, you can read our full Coronavirus (COVID-19) update here. You can also check availability and book your tickets here.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
