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The Palace of Holyroodhouse's long stone facade and turreted tower stand before an open forecourt.
Edinburgh

Palace of Holyroodhouse

The King's official residence in Scotland, at the end of the Royal Mile, with the State Apartments, Mary Queen of Scots' Chambers and the ruins of Holyrood Abbey.

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Welcome

The Palace of Holyroodhouse stands at the end of the Royal Mile, the King's official residence in Scotland and open to visitors through the year.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

Behind its wrought-iron gates and forecourt, the entrance front is framed by two towers: the older built for James V in the 1500s, and its twin added in the 1670s to a design by Sir William Bruce.

Your ticket takes you through the State Apartments, with their plasterwork ceilings, and into Mary Queen of Scots' Chambers in the oldest part of the palace. It also takes in the ruins of Holyrood Abbey, founded in 1128. A multimedia guide is included and lasts about an hour, and the Café at the Palace, in the Mews Courtyard, can be visited without a ticket.

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The Daily for 4 November, from Scotland with love. A pink sandstone castle bristling with conical turrets and a Union Jack flag rises above a gravel forecourt, autumn-tinged ivy climbing one wing beside cannon displayed on the lawn.
Before you go

Book in advance for the best value.

The palace is a working royal palace, so opening arrangements can change at short notice.

Where
At the end of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.
Open
Thursday to Monday, 9.30am to 6pm until 31 October (last admission 4.30pm), then 9.30am to 4.30pm (last admission 3.15pm) from 1 November to 31 December. It is open daily in summer, and also on Tuesday 22 and Tuesday 29 December. Closed 23 to 26 December.
Price
Adult £22 in advance or £26 on the day; young person (18 to 24) £14 or £17; child (5 to 17) £11 or £13; disabled person £11 or £13. Under 5s and an access companion are free, and £1 tickets are available for those on Universal Credit and other named benefits. Converting your ticket to a 1-Year Pass gives unlimited re-admission for a year. Prices read 21 October 2026.
Booking
Online through Royal Collection Trust, in advance for the best value.
Dogs
Guide, hearing and assistance animals only inside. Dogs are welcome in the outdoor areas of the Café at the Palace.
Getting there
The palace stands at the end of the Royal Mile. Luggage storage can be found nearby at Waverley Station.
Parking
Accessible parking spaces are on Horse Wynd, just outside the palace, first come first served. Free coach parking is next to the palace, reached through Abbeyhill.
Access
The palace is largely accessible, with some restrictions in Mary Queen of Scots' rooms. Toilets and baby-care facilities are in the Mews Courtyard, and accessible toilets in the Café at the Palace. Pushchairs can be taken inside except at busy times, and an access companion goes free.
Bags and photographs
There is no cloakroom, and bags larger than 45cm by 20cm by 30cm cannot be taken in. Photography is not permitted inside the State Apartments, and is encouraged in the outside areas.
Food
The Café at the Palace in the Mews Courtyard is open daily from 9.30am, serving seasonal home-made dishes. Eating and drinking are not permitted inside the palace, except bottled water.
Also here
The King's Gallery shows changing exhibitions of art from the Royal Collection; The Edwardians: Age of Elegance runs until 6 December 2026.

Opening hours

Monday
9.30am–4.30pm
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
9.30am–4.30pm
Friday
9.30am–4.30pm
Saturday
9.30am–4.30pm
Sunday
9.30am–4.30pm

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Did you know

The Palace of Holyroodhouse's long stone facade and turreted tower stand before an open forecourt.
Did you know

Holy rood, holy cross.

According to legend, David I founded the abbey in 1128 after seeing a stag with a glowing cross between its antlers while out hunting. Holy Rood, the name of the abbey and then of the palace, means Holy Cross.

Ornate iron gates lead up a cobbled street to the Palace of Holyroodhouse's turreted entrance.
Did you know

Built for a Tudor bride.

James IV turned the abbey's royal chambers into a palace at the time of his marriage in 1503 to Margaret Tudor, sister of Henry VIII of England. Work began on the palace gardens too.

Palace of Holyroodhouse's turreted corner tower rises above an empty forecourt.
Did you know

Rizzio, in Mary's rooms.

Mary Queen of Scots' private secretary, David Rizzio, was murdered in her private apartments by a group led by her husband, Lord Darnley, who was jealous of his influence. The rooms are in the oldest surviving part of the palace, James V's tower, which visitors can walk through today.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse's long stone facade and turreted tower stand before an open forecourt.
Did you know

A second tower, for balance.

Between 1671 and 1679 the palace was almost completely rebuilt for Charles II. Sir William Bruce balanced James V's 16th-century tower with a matching one at the other end, giving the entrance front its symmetry.

A wrought-iron gate at the Palace of Holyroodhouse carries its ticket and opening-times sign, the palace visible beyond.
Did you know

Sanctuary for debtors.

From the 1500s Holyrood Abbey offered sanctuary to people who could not pay their debts, who became known as Abbey lairds. The sanctuary covered Holyrood Park and the buildings on Abbey Strand, and the right has never been repealed.

Palace of Holyroodhouse's turreted corner tower rises above an empty forecourt.
Did you know

Where the Botanics began.

A small physic garden was planted at the palace in 1670, the first of its kind in Scotland. Its plants later moved on, and in 1820 the garden was established at Inverleith, where the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh stands today.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Edinburgh

Still an official royal residence, and previously frequented by everyone from Mary Queen of Scots to Queen Elizabeth II – even Bonnie Prince Charlie reportedly used the Great Gallery for opulent evening balls – the lavish Palace of Holyroodhouse makes for an absorbing place to visit. The grand medieval Holyrood Abbey stands adjacent to the palace.

Read more
Ornate iron gates lead up a cobbled street to the Palace of Holyroodhouse's turreted entrance.
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Where it is

At the end of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, with Holyrood Abbey beside it.

Close byThe places nearest the palace, at Holyrood.
  1. Scottish Parliament BuildingScottish Parliament BuildingThe home of the Scottish Parliament at the foot of the Royal Mile, a campus of boat-shaped roofs by Enric Miralles that won the Stirling Prize in 2005.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Antique plates and framed portraits line the walls of a lace-tabled tea roomClarinda's TearoomA tearoom on the Canongate since 1976, named for Robert Burns's Clarinda, with homemade scones, lace tablecloths and china cups.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Roofless nave of Holyrood Abbey, gothic tracery window framing bare stone ruinsHolyrood AbbeyThe roofless nave of the abbey King David founded in 1128, beside the Palace of Holyroodhouse, with one of the finest Gothic fronts in Scotland.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Physic GardenPhysic GardenA public garden behind the Abbey Strand at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, telling 900 years of the palace's gardens, from monks' herbs to Scotland's first physic garden.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Dynamic EarthDynamic EarthEdinburgh's science centre and planetarium, under a white tented roof at the foot of Salisbury Crags, telling the story of the planet.Under a mile 2 min by road
  6. Arthur’s SeatArthur’s SeatThe 251-metre summit of an old volcano in Holyrood Park, a real hill walk in the middle of Edinburgh.3 miles 10 min by road
Directions
Twin outdoor staircases lead to a whitewashed courtyard house with crow-stepped gablesAttractionsWhite Horse CloseA step away
The front of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, a long stone building with a pointed-roof tower at each end, seen across the forecourt.AttractionsHolyrood Palace0.2 miles
Wrought-iron gates lead to the turreted towers of Holyroodhouse PalaceAttractionsHolyrood Palace0.2 miles
Pink and pale blue hydrangea blooms among dense green leavesAttractionsDunbar's Close Gardens0.2 miles
Cobbled courtyard with trimmed box hedges beneath overhanging trees near stone buildingsAttractionsDunbar's Close Garden0.2 miles
Sandstone mansion with tall chimneys and turret, fronted by a lawnAttractionsLauriston Castle0.2 miles
The counter at Santu on the Canongate, green tiles below and an espresso machine behind, with canelés and croissants on wooden boards.CafeSantu0.2 miles
A table laid for two by candlelight in Montrose, with wooden chairs and a fire burning in the old stone fireplace behind.RestaurantsMontrose0.3 miles
Painted figure of a newsboy shouting above The People's Story signAttractionsThe People’s Story0.3 miles

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