Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World

Beautiful place to see insects and much more up close. If you have kids they’ll love it.

Been to the Butterfly & insect world a few times and love it! The highlight was the handling of the creatures and Kev, a member of staff is so helpful and goes out of his way to make sure you have a lovely visit, he is a fountain of knowledge and makes the experience fun and interesting for both adults and kids! We love Kev!!!

Was not impressed with this attraction at all. Firstly, for two of us it was £15 which is fine if the money is being put to good use, but a little steep for going into a dated butterfly house. However, there were plenty of butterflies, plants and fruit for them to eat and lots of space for them to fly around in which was fine. There are also a number of insects to the back of the butterfly house, including many tarantulas, cockroaches and even scorpions.
Unfortunately, we didn’t realise this place also had a number of reptiles including chameleons, iguanas and snakes. The vivariums for the reptiles were absolutely tiny. There were huge snakes which effectively took up their entire enclosure and the chameleon was kept in the smallest glass box I have ever seen with a few twigs shoved in. What was most upsetting were the various tortoise displays. One tortoise was on its own in a very small enclosure and seemed to be walking around continuously in the same small circle. Another large tortoise had had an extra layer of chicken wire put round the inside of his cage which he kept getting stuck in. The staff had tried to make a running water feature out of small flower planters in his enclosure but it was so poorly balanced and too small that there is no way the tortoise would have felt any benefit to it being there other than taking up his already limited space !
We spent about 15 mins in there in the end. We were completely disappointed in the way some of the animals were kept and that the funds were clearly not going towards new and improved enclosures. Rubbish, would not go back and am ashamed that I paid to go to an exhibit that exploits animals so obviously !

I chose completely the wrong day to do this. This would be a great day out for a wet and cold traditional Scottish Summer day. I of course planned our trip on a scorcher and had to contend with a very grumpy g missing out on valuable vitamin D.
Smudge loved walking into the rainforest and seeing all the butterflies doing their thing. She was fascinated by the cocoons and getting to see butterflies mid hatching was pretty impressive. Especially when some of them are the size of a side plate.
As well as the butterflies, there were koi, terrapins, a red footed tortoise and little grouse all roaming/​swimming around. You get up nice and close to everything and if you manage to stay still might get a butterfly accessory. Although, not if you are a very excitable child hopping up and down squealing «land on me, land on me» — funny that!
The highlight of our visit was the reptile house with snakes from little to thank goodness that glass looks thick large, lizards, chameleons, iguanas and wall of spiders. There were also promises of a leaf ant colony which massively appealed to the geek in me and I was really disappointed to find all the rope ways and viewing points empty. Disappointed until I mentioned to one of the staff who explained that the ants had got bored and moved their colony, queen and all, and showed me where they were now displaying feats of amazing leaf lugging strength. Not using any of the areas they were supposed to be and appealing massively to my inner rebel by living where they wanted to live.
We stuck around for one of the handling sessions thinking that there might be a chance of smudge getting to hold something. Instead we were treated to a brilliant half hour talk all about some of the reptile house inhabitants and getting to hold a giant millipede, a dwarf royal python and a chilean rose tarantula. The lady giving the talk was obviously really passionate out her creepy crawlies and she was brilliant with smudge encouraging her to leave her comfort zone and let the millipede legs tickle her fingers.
I really want to give Edinburgh Butterfly and insect world more than 3 stars. We had a great time there and the staff were absolutely amazing. But the place looked really tired. I’m guessing green mossy mould grows pretty quick in the jungle like conditions but even taking this into account the place was manky. The honey bee walk area was in dire need of repair with broken screens, missing corrugated plastic from the roof and enough cobwebs to make you wonder how secure that wall of spiders actually was.

Easily the best big day in for the money. Come here on the worst rainy day and find a warm tropical wonderland full of exotic butterflies, snakes, lizards, interesting insects and helpful, informative staff. We had our daughter’s 5^th birthday party here and it was a total hit with kids ranging from 15 months to 13 years old. Even the adults had fun handling animals and letting butterflies land on them. Really one of the best parties I’ve been to, let alone thrown. Two thumbs up.

Really interesting & fun for the kids, indoors too so nice to escape the Scottish weather.
We went for lunch in dobbies and because your butterfly world ticket lasts all day, it was great to nip back and forth. Friendly staff, beautiful butterflies & snakes! Scorpions too which my husband didn’t like but they were in a tank :-)

It sounds like it would be kind of tame, doesn’t it? Well, the butterflies are gentle and lovely and the little birds that run around the edges of the greenhouse are adorable. It would be decent with just that. If you want to see the really cool stuff, come at feeding time for the reptiles in the back. It’s rather spectacular. Nothing like watching a giant boa eating a huge rat to get the kids excited and asking questions. The staff are all very knowledgeable and they love to answer questions. Glow-​in-​the-​dark scorpions, giant spiders and millipedes, hissing cockroaches, iguanas and many other creatures are on display. They seem happy and well looked after. The hands-​on sessions are especially rewarding. The web-​site is minimal so call for time for feedings/​hands-​on sessions. If you are visiting from the States, bring cash because they don’t accept chip-​less credit cards and there is no ATM nearby.

Butterfly and insect world is beside Dobbies just outside of Dalkieth off the sheriff hall roundabout. There are many buses that pass here from the city centre 3,29. Butterfly and insect world also has parking for cars and buses.
The attraction itself is basically a massive green house which is so humid it is actually like being in the rain Forrest. They have masses of different species of butterflies — they are so gorgeous, some of them may even land on you!
There are also small turtles– terrapins I think?
Through the back is the insect part which has spiders, snakes, bees and ants. The ants are fascinating to watch as they carry leafs along a rope which is above your head. I always get all itchy thinking one has dropped on me!
The gift shop is lovely and has some beautiful gift ideas– the shop is worth a visit even if you don’ want to go into the actual insect world itself.

I’d only recommend visiting here if you just need something to entertain you for an hour or so. It is fun, but at most, an hours entertainment for about a fiver. The millipedes are amazing though!

This a great place to take children to let them see insects up close and personal. The butterflies are stunning, and are essentially situated in a hothouse of plants, the Tropical Garden. Towards the back, there is an area where they have spiders, scorpions, snakes, etc (including bees in the summer) and they have regular handling sessions. Frightened the daylights out of my when the wee one asked to hold a huge hairy spider, but he loved every minute of it! Knownly locally as the Butterfly Farm, it’s located right next to Dobbies Garden World, so it’s ideal to keep the kids occupied while your other half browses the garden centre.

Not easy to reach this place without a car. My advice to the carless, hitch a lift with someone who has one! We visited just before xmas last year and very much enjoyed the experience. It is a hothouse filled with many glorious looking butterflies that will delight you and your kids. be careful if it’s a cold day and you have a kids prone to nosebleeds though, entering the hothouse is sure to set them off! At the farm you’ll see fascinating things like where the cocoons hatch and you’ll watch butterflies at feeding stations. At the back of the farm you’ll see snakes and creepy crawlies like tarantula’s, my kids were very impressed.

I love this place. The kids love this place. It’s reasonably priced and a good couple of hours entertainment.
The entrance is through a gift shop and a set of plastic curtains that seem a bit dingy; however once through the door you’re transported to the tropicsadvice would be to forgo the winter woolies!
If you look closely you’ll spot the quail running about the shrubbery as you wander around the plants with a large range of butterflies fluttering above your head.
There are plenty of spots where fruit has been left for the butterflies to feed ensuring some opportunities for close up views.
At the back of the tropics there is an area set aside for education where kids can handle the insects and view the ants overhead as they take leaves to their nest.
When you’re done there’s a nice area outside for picnics and playing or there’s a good café in the garden centre.

I’ve been here a number of times as both a child and an adult with child and from both perspectives it’s a good way to kill an hour or two, unless you don’t like creepy crawlies. Essentially it’s just a large heated green house with water features, plants and wildlife thrown into the mix.
It’s fascinating as you get to see the butterflies in their cocoons, feeding and doing all manner of flutterby butterfly things some will even land on you! Out the back of the green house is a reptile/​insect house type area where their are arachnid display, an ant colony and an array of other creepy crawlies to either fascinate or horrify you depending on your point of view.
It’s great fun with children coming out of toddler-​hood but for those still bound by their inability to walk it may be a little warm at times.

The butterfly farm is a lovely place to go with the lovely plants and all the beautiful butterflys flying around. You go into a heated room also while you walk through them all, then in the end room there are animals which you handle. It is a bit on the outside of town and hard to get to if you dont drive though.

A nice day out for children and those interested in animals. You can see the butterflies and fish in the main exhibit area which is a lovely place just to stroll around. There are also several benches where you can sit and take in the scenery. Remember to wear light clothing as the butterfly enclosure can be very hot and stuffy.
At the back of the centre you will find a reptile house with various snakes and lizards. I hate snakes so avoid this area like the plague but it is well worth a visit if you have boys as they tend to like this area more than the butterflies! There is also opportunities to handle some of the animals but its best to contact the centre in advance to find out what times of day etc that this happens.
The final area of Butterfly World is the aviary. This consists of netted walkways where you can view various animals in their natural environment without disrupting them.
Overall this is a nice place to take smaller children and is generally more suited to girls than boys. It is also located beside a really good garden centre which has a café andb there is lots of parking onsite for both centres.

A friend took me here a while ago, and I found it truly magical.
When you walk in the first thing that hits you is the humidity and heat. This is because many of the butterflies cannot survive in cooler climes.
I was amazed by the variety of sizes, let alone colours of butterflies. It’s almost like being transported into another world. sometimes my friend would point out a butterfly and because of it being so cleverly camouflaged, it would take a little while to spot it, as it rested on a flower.
Laughter is always easy here, as you realise you have a beautiful winged creature on your shoulder, your skirt, your head, or that several have taken a fancy to your friend!
There are other beasties which are much less attractive in here too, types of ants, beatles and some I couldn’t bear to look at.
Unfortunately, the heat is likely to drive you out just a bit sooner than you’d like
Well worth a visit, and there is a café and souvenirs on sale.
There is another Butterfly World at Sherborne, Dorset, which I visited years ago.

A great way to spend an afternoon is this miniature tropical jungle on the south side of Edinburgh.
Watch the butterflies feed, and they land on you too. There are also turtles fish and quail.
The educational aspect is fun, with an ant farm, stick insects, and a tarantula which they will allow to walk on your handls if you like!
Be prepared for the heat inside, though. It has to be kept hot and humid for the wildlife.

Here you will find tropical jungle in the middle of Edinburgh. You can see loads of butterfies flying about you, then comes the scary bit as you enter the insect area where you can see the spiders, ants, wasps, snakes, etc.
You can handle some of the more exotic species and it is a real buzz for all ages, even managed to get talked into buying two pet snakes.
Slightly high price but well worth a look and you could spend hours there.

A good fun time to be had by all. A lovely building and once you enter through the doors its like a whole new world.
Free Flying butterflies in a large indoor rainforest. Iguanas roam free in jungle flora and a humming bird darts in and out of the flowers. The ‘Bugs and Beasties’ exhibition includes poisonous arrow frogs, jumping stick grasshoppers, over 30 tarantulas and the amazing leaf-​cutter ants.
You can also join in with ‘Meet the Beasties’ handling sessions and unique Scottish Honey Bee display. Kids just love the amazing and wonderful selection of unusual animals.
Its well placed out and you can walk around with out missing anything and the kids are free to touch and explore. Everything is labled and staff are all around and happy to ask any questions you may have.
Very good entry price and fun for all the family.

This is a awesome tourist attraction just outside Edinburgh. Personally, I have a phobia insects (went with the family) so the Butterfly/​Insect World outing proved personally to be very challenging. However, I was nonetheless impressed with the layout of the attraction and feel that those who are less scared of insects than I am will love it.
There is a green house with a whole host of insects from the expected to the exotic. There is lots of information clearly displayed throughout the green house about the insects, how important they are in our ecosystems and how they are being threatened by man kind. There is a nocturnal room as well which is good fun if not amazing that some creatures have adapted to live and hunt in such darkness!
There was also a bee house where you can get an idea of how many insects can live in a small place! The exhibit is excellent fun and is great in raising awareness about how we as a human species impact upon other living things. The location is also great as you can get a coffee, snack or meal over at Dobbies Garden Centre which is in the same complex.