---
node: spot_edinburgh_palace_of_holyroodhouse
type: spot
slug: palace_of_holyroodhouse
destination: dest_edinburgh
title: "Holyrood Palace"
lead: "Holyrood Palace is the monarch's official residence in Scotland, at the foot of the Royal Mile, built around the ruined abbey it grew out of. Mary Queen of Scots' apartments are the reason most people come."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: spot_edinburgh_palace_of_holyroodhouse.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Holyrood_Palace_and_Abbey_20211021.jpg"
image_author: "Daniel Kraft"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 3.0"
---

## Overview

The abbey was founded in 1128 and the palace attached itself to the guest range over the following centuries; the roofless nave beside the state apartments is what survives of it. In Mary's rooms, a plaque marks where her secretary Rizzio was stabbed 56 times in front of her by a party led by her husband, which is the sort of detail the building does not soften. The Great Gallery holds 96 portraits of Scottish kings painted to order in two years by one artist, most of them invented.

## Highlights

The abbey ruin and the garden are included and less crowded than the apartments. Combine with the Scottish Parliament opposite, which is free and architecturally the opposite argument. Closed to visitors when the court is in residence, usually late June.