Palace of Holyroodhouse

Lonely Planet review

Founded as a monastery in 1128, the Palace of Holyroodhouse is The Queen's official residence in Scotland. Highlights include the royal apartments, with intricately carved plaster ceilings, floor-to-ceiling tapestries and mythological paintings.

The abbey, founded by David I in 1128, was probably named after a fragment of the cross (rood is an old word for cross) said to have belonged to his mother St Margaret. Most of the surviving ruins date from the 12th and 13th centuries, although a doorway in the far southeastern corner survives from the original Norman church.

James IV extended the abbey guesthouse in 1501; the oldest surviving section of the building, the northwestern tower, was built in 1529 as a royal apartment. Mary Queen of Scots spent six eventful years living in the tower. During this time she married Lord Darnley (in the abbey) and Bothwell (in what is now the Picture Gallery), and this is where she debated with John Knox and witnessed the murder of her secretary Rizzio. This older part of the palace is by far the most interesting, with the dim lighting adding to its sense of skullduggery. There's a certain fascination in following in Mary's footsteps and seeing the room where Rizzio was cut down.

The complex sometimes closes for State functions or when the Queen is in residence, usually in mid-May and mid-June to early July (check the website for upcoming closures).