Must-see attractions in Holyrood & Arthur’s Seat

  • Scottish Parliament Building

    Holyrood & Arthur’s Seat

    The Scottish Parliament Building, on the site of a former brewery and designed by Catalan architect Enric Miralles (1955–2000), was opened by the Queen in…

  • Palace of Holyroodhouse

    Holyrood & Arthur’s Seat

    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…

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    Arthur's Seat

    Holyrood & Arthur’s Seat

    The rocky peak of Arthur’s Seat (251m), carved by ice sheets from the deeply eroded stump of a long-extinct volcano, is a distinctive feature of Edinburgh…

  • Looking down across Dr Neil's Garden and Duddingston Loch

    Dr Neil's Garden

    Holyrood & Arthur’s Seat

    Edinburgh’s quintessential secret garden, in the shadow of a 12th-century kirk, is one of the most peaceful green spaces in Scotland. Cultivated in the…

  • Duddingston Kirk

    Holyrood & Arthur’s Seat

    Poised on a promontory overlooking Duddingston Loch, this church is one of the oldest buildings in Edinburgh, with some interesting medieval relics at the…

  • Holyrood Abbey

    Holyrood & Arthur’s Seat

    David I founded this abbey 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…

  • Our Dynamic Earth

    Holyrood & Arthur’s Seat

    Housed in a modernistic white marquee, Our Dynamic Earth is an interactive, multimedia journey of discovery through Earth's history from the Big Bang to…

  • Holyrood Park

    Holyrood & Arthur’s Seat

    In Holyrood Park Edinburgh is blessed with a little bit of wilderness in the heart of the city. The former hunting ground of Scottish monarchs, the park…

  • Scottish Poetry Library

    Holyrood & Arthur’s Seat

    A fantastic literary resource housed in award-winning modern architecture off Canongate, the poetry library hosts regular exhibitions and is a source of…

  • Queen’s Gallery

    Holyrood & Arthur’s Seat

    This stunning modern gallery, which occupies the shell of a former church and school, is a showcase for exhibitions of art from the Royal Collections. The…

  • Burns Monument

    Holyrood & Arthur’s Seat

    The neoclassical Burns Monument (1830), a Greek-style memorial to Scotland's national poet Robert Burns, stands on the southern flank of Calton Hill. It…

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