THE National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh – the most popular museum in the UK outside London – has been named as one of the winners in a top travel awards scheme.

The museum, which is nearing the end of a 15-year, £80 million transformation, is joined by the Gleneagles Hotel among the section winners of National Geographic Traveller’s Reader Awards, a list that also includes the Taj Mahal in India and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

The National Museum of Scotland was named as the winner in the New National Treasure (UK Attraction) category.

It welcomed more than two million visitors through its doors last year, hitting the milestone for the first time in its 150-year history.

The revamp of the museum is nearing completing, with the remaining two galleries to be unveiled in 2019.

The five-star Gleneagles Hotel in Perth and Kinross won the Domestic Bliss (UK Hotel) category.

A VisitScotland spokesman said: “To be recognised by such a prestigious travel publication as National Geographic Traveller is a fantastic achievement. Both winners represent the top-class experiences visitors can expect to find in Scotland.”

The results are published in the January/February 2018 issue of the magazine.