This is the Queen’s official residence in Edinburgh and she comes to stay once a year and calls in on other special occasions. We thought this palace was fascinating, partly because it’s much more “down to earth” than some of the bigger Royal residences. The place has an impressive history too and you’ll get to visit the oldest towers where Mary Queen of Scots lived along with the newer additions to the palace with some striking but beautiful rooms. If that wasn’t enough, the palace is one the site of a former Monastery and the ruins of the Abbey still remain and are open to visitors in the gardens. Holyrood House is at the bottom of the Royal Mile, next to the new Scottish Parliament building. This is an extract from our free Edinburgh City Guide.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON HOLYROOD HOUSE IN EDINBURGH
Also on the site of Holyrood House is “The Queen’s Gallery”. This former church has been converted into a gallery space for exhibitions and to allow artifacts and some of the most delicate works of art from the Royal Collection to be shown in Scotland for the first time. A joint ticket for the Queen’s Gallery and for Holyrood House is available. We did not visit the gallery. The Abbey ruins mentioned above are a photographer’s dream. We spent quite some time in the ruins taking photos and you can see some of them here.
ADDRESS & OPENING TIMES
The Palace of Holyrood House, Abbey Strand, Edinburgh, EH8 8DX
Tel: +44 (0)131 556 5100
Open daily from 9.30am – 4.30pm in the Winter and from 9.30am – 6pm in the Summer. The palace is closed when the Queen is in residence and on a handful of other days throughout the year. Adult admission is £10.25 but there are concession tickets for over 60s, students and under 17s. A family ticket is also available. Holyrood House is one of the stops on the Hop-on, Hop-off Edinburgh Bus Tour which is a great way to get around.
EDINBURGH HOLYROOD PALACE LINKS
Hotels near Holyrood House - Best prices from Hotels.com
More hotels in Edinburgh – Up to 30% off from Expedia.co.uk
Palace of Holyrood House - Official website
British Monarchy website
Wikipedia
Edinburgh Bus Tour – Stops at Holyrood House
Books on Holyrood House - Amazon.co.uk
