Palace of Holyroodhouse

The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland, sitting at the foot of the Royal Mile beneath the crags of Arthur's Seat. The palace has been a royal residence since the 16th century and is most closely associated with Mary Queen of Scots, who lived here from 1561 to 1567 and whose apartments are preserved on the second floor. The rooms associated with Mary include the bedchamber and the adjacent supper room where her secretary David Rizzio was murdered by her husband Lord Darnley and his associates in 1566 - the brass plate in the floor of the supper room marks the spot. The Great Gallery contains portraits of 111 Scottish monarchs, painted by Jacob de Wet between 1684 and 1686, running at a rate of one per week (the quality suffers noticeably in the later portraits). The State Apartments on the ground floor are used for royal functions when the King is in residence (typically one week in late June/early July: the palace is closed to visitors during this period). GBP 18.50 adult, audio guide included. The Holyrood Abbey ruins adjacent to the palace are included in the ticket: the nave of the 12th-century Augustinian abbey survived until 1768 when the roof collapsed in a storm, and the roofless ruin with its carved Norman arches is now one of the most atmospheric spaces in Edinburgh.