Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Don't Miss
Palace of Holyroodhouse
This palace is the royal family's official residence in Scotland, but is more famous as the 16th-century home of the
ill-fated Mary, Queen of Scots. The palace is closed to the public when the royal family is visiting and during state
functions (usually in mid-May, and mid-June to early July; check the website for exact dates).
The self-guided audio tour leads you through a series of impressive royal apartments, ending in the
Great
Gallery
. The 89 portraits of Scottish kings were commissioned by Charles II and supposedly record his unbroken
lineage from Scota, the Egyptian pharaoh's daughter who discovered the infant Moses in a reed basket on the banks
of the Nile.
But the highlight of the tour is
Mary, Queen of Scots' Bedchamber
, home to the unfortunate Mary from 1561
to 1567, and connected by a secret stairway to her husband's bedchamber. It was here that her jealous first husband,
Lord Darnley, restrained the pregnant queen while his henchmen murdered her secretary - and favourite - Rizzio. A
plaque in the neighbouring room marks the spot where he bled to death. The exit from the palace leads into the ruins
of Holyrood Abbey. In summer you can join a guided tour of the ruins (included with your admission fee); the rest
of the year you can explore them on your own. King David I founded the abbey here in the shadow of Salisbury
Crags in 1128. It was probably named after a fragment of the True Cross (rood is an old Scots word for cross), said
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