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Palace of Holyroodhouse and Holyrood Abbey: Tickets, Time and What to See
Tickets, opening days, how long to allow and what to prioritise at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh.
The King’s official residence in Scotland, and the quieter, more intimate counterpart to the Castle at the other end of the Royal Mile.
Where Edinburgh Castle is a fortress built for defence, the Palace of Holyroodhouse is a working royal residence — still used for state occasions, still closed to visitors during official royal business, and still holding the rooms where Mary, Queen of Scots lived through some of the most dramatic years of her reign. It sits at the Holyrood end of the Royal Mile, opposite the Scottish Parliament, with Arthur’s Seat rising directly behind it.
If you’re combining the Palace with TouringBee’s Royal Mile audio walk, visiting the Palace first is the natural order: the audio route then carries you from Holyrood toward Edinburgh Castle, rather than doubling back once you’ve already walked the Mile.
Quick Answer
- Standard admission: about £22 booked in advance, more on the day.
- Opening days change through the year: daily through September 14, then Thursday–Monday from September 17, with shorter hours from November — check the current schedule for your dates.
- Time to allow: about an hour for the core visit with the included multimedia guide; 1.5–2 hours with Holyrood Abbey and the gardens, both included with admission on Palace opening days, weather permitting.
- The King’s Gallery next door runs its own separate calendar — it can be closed even when the Palace is open, and needs its own ticket.
- Royal Week (typically late June into early July) brings a separate closure, and the Palace is also closed December 25–26 — check current dates before booking around either.
Should you pay to visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse?
If royal history, Mary, Queen of Scots specifically, or seeing a still-functioning royal residence from the inside interests you, the Palace makes a strong case for being your main paid attraction at the Holyrood end of the Royal Mile. If your main draw to this end of the Royal Mile is Arthur’s Seat and the surrounding park, the Palace is a worthwhile add-on rather than an essential one — the view of it from outside, at the foot of the hill, costs nothing.
Tickets, opening days, closures, and how long to allow
Standard admission runs about £22 booked in advance, more if bought on the day, and includes a complimentary multimedia guide, Holyrood Abbey’s ruins, and the Palace gardens, both included on days the Palace is open, weather permitting. Opening days shift through the year: daily through September 14, then Thursday through Monday from September 17 through the end of October, with shorter hours from November and a closure on December 25–26. As a working royal palace, opening arrangements can also change at short notice for official use — Royal Week, usually late June into early July, is the most predictable of these closures, but it isn’t the only one. The included multimedia guide takes about an hour through the State Apartments; a fuller visit with the abbey and gardens runs 1.5 to 2 hours. If you buy directly from the Royal Collection Trust, your ticket may be convertible into a 1-Year Pass before you leave, useful if you genuinely expect to return. If you’d rather book ahead in one click, a Palace of Holyroodhouse entry ticket is available on GetYourGuide.
GetYourGuide
Doing the Palace, the Castle and more? One ticket covers them
The Royal Edinburgh Ticket bundles the hop-on hop-off bus, Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Yacht Britannia and the Palace of Holyroodhouse — handy if you plan several paid sights in one trip.
See the Royal Edinburgh Ticket →What to prioritize inside
State Apartments
The State Apartments are still used for state occasions today, with plasterwork ceilings, tapestries, and the Great Gallery, hung with portraits of 95 real and legendary kings and one queen of Scotland — the single largest room in the palace and used for ceremonial occasions including investitures. The State Apartments are the clearest place to see how a still-active royal residence differs from a preserved historic house, even if royal history isn’t your main reason for visiting.
Mary, Queen of Scots’ chambers
For visitors interested in Mary, Queen of Scots, this is the Palace’s most concentrated historic stop: her chambers are where she lived between 1561 and 1567, including the outer chamber where her secretary David Rizzio was murdered in 1566. It comes with an important practical limitation — the chambers are reached only via a narrow, steep spiral staircase of around 25 steps from the State Apartments, with no easier route — worth knowing in advance if stairs are a concern.
Holyrood Abbey
The roofless ruins of Holyrood Abbey, founded in 1128, sit just beside the Palace and are included with standard admission — surviving nave walls and arches, a Royal Vault, and an outdoor setting where the ground underfoot is gravel rather than paving. Worth a slower look rather than a quick glance on the way to the exit.
Gardens and The King’s Gallery
The Palace gardens are included with standard admission on days the Palace itself is open, weather permitting — a short, pleasant walk rather than a separate attraction to plan around. The King’s Gallery, next door, runs on its own calendar and requires a separate ticket. If you want to visit both, check the current exhibition and ticket options — combined admission may be offered for your dates.
Accessibility and visiting with kids
Most of the Palace, including the State Apartments and gardens, is wheelchair accessible, with a lift available and manual wheelchairs and rollators available free on a first-come, first-served basis. Mary, Queen of Scots’ chambers are the exception — reachable only by the narrow spiral staircase — though the included multimedia guide covers her story in film and audio for visitors who can’t make the climb. Families have dedicated options too: a free multimedia tour aimed at children roughly 7 to 11 runs alongside the standard guide, and there’s a dedicated Family Room on site.
Combining the Palace with Arthur’s Seat and the Royal Mile
If you’re doing all three in one day, and the weather and your Palace entry time allow it, the neatest order is Arthur’s Seat first while your legs are fresh for the climb, then the Palace, then TouringBee’s audio walk carrying you from Holyrood up toward the Castle — an order that avoids doubling back across the Mile once you’ve already walked it. Keep in mind this makes for an active, fairly full day rather than a light itinerary: a hill walk, up to two hours inside the Palace, and a 1.5-hour walk all add up. If you’re only combining the Palace with the hill and skipping the audio guide, starting with whichever one suits the weather that morning is the more flexible call.
Common Mistakes
A few planning habits cause avoidable frustration at Holyroodhouse specifically:
- Expecting to take photos inside the State Apartments. Photography isn’t permitted in the interior rooms.
- Planning to return to a room you liked. The visitor route runs one-way through the Palace, so there’s no doubling back once you’ve moved on.
- Bringing a large bag. There’s no cloakroom, and bags larger than 45 × 20 × 30 cm aren’t permitted inside — a handbag or small backpack is fine, but leave anything larger at your accommodation (luggage storage is available at Waverley Station if needed).
FAQ
How much does it cost to visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse? About £22 booked in advance, with a higher same-day price. The King’s Gallery is a separate attraction with its own ticketing.
Is the multimedia guide included with admission? Yes — it’s complimentary with standard admission and takes about an hour through the State Apartments.
Is the Palace of Holyroodhouse always open? No — opening days narrow from mid-September, and the Palace also closes separately during Royal Week (typically late June into early July) and on December 25–26. Check current dates before booking.
Is the Palace wheelchair accessible? Most of it, including the State Apartments and gardens, with a lift and borrowable wheelchairs on site. Mary, Queen of Scots’ chambers are reached only by a narrow spiral staircase and aren’t step-free.
Continue exploring Edinburgh
For the Royal Mile itself, see Royal Mile Edinburgh: What to See, Where to Eat and What to Skip, and the Royal Mile audio guide article. For a full day plan, see One Day in Edinburgh. For seasonal timing, see Best Time to Visit Edinburgh. For the Castle at the other end of the Mile, see Edinburgh Castle: Tickets, How Long and What to See. A dedicated guide to Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Park, right behind the Palace, is on its way.
Planning more paid sights? On GetYourGuide: Edinburgh Castle guided history tour with tickets · Royal Yacht Britannia ticket
The Palace of Holyroodhouse rewards visitors who come for its very specific story — Mary, Queen of Scots, and a residence that’s still, genuinely, in use — rather than expecting a second version of the Castle at the other end of the street.
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