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Palace of Holyroodhouse

Palace of Holyroodhouse Garden

Included with Palace of Holyroodhouse tickets

Timings

RECOMMENDED DURATION

3 hours

holyrood palace garden

Quick overview

  • Access: Included in all Palace of Holyroodhouse tickets
  • When you'll see it: Final stop on the Palace route
  • Visit duration: 20–30 mins self-guided/30–45 mins with garden tour
  • Best time: Late morning or early afternoon on a clear day
  • Restrictions: No smoking. Photography allowed outdoors for non-commercial use.
Aerial view of Holyrood Palace surrounded by gardens in Edinburgh Old Town.

How to access the Palace of Holyroodhouse Garden?

The Holyrood Palace Garden is included with all Palace of Holyroodhouse tickets, so no separate ticket is required. It sits at the very end of the palace tour, accessed immediately after exploring the Historic Apartments and Holyrood Abbey ruins. Book a standard timed-entry ticket in advance to secure your entry slot and avoid long lines at the ticket office during peak hours.

How to best experience the Palace of Holyroodhouse Garden

Best time to visit

Target late morning or early afternoon when sunlight hits Salisbury Crags. Midday offers peak natural light for open lawn photography, while avoiding early tour groups. Aim for dry weather slots to enjoy the open grounds comfortably.

How long to spend

Self-guided visitors need 20–30 minutes for a relaxed stroll. Guided garden tours add 15 minutes of detailed backstory covering royal history. Budget extra time if you want to explore the reimagined Physic Garden without rushing.

Where it fits in your itinerary

The grounds form the final leg of the palace tour immediately after the Abbey ruins. Because you reach the garden after standing in the indoor state apartments, use this outdoor space to sit, stretch, and decompress.

Crowd patterns

Visitor density swells when indoor palace audio tours spill outdoors between 11:30am and 2:30pm. Off-peak visits near opening or late afternoon provide quiet paths and unobstructed views of Arthur’s Seat backdrop.

What to prioritise if time is short

Head straight to the 17th-century Charles I sundial and the recreated Physic Garden containing historic medicinal flora. Prioritise these two landmarks to capture the site's deepest botanical and royal heritage within ten minutes.

Common mistakes to avoid

Many visitors exit directly to the shop without stepping into the outer perimeter paths where the best views sit. Walk toward the northern edge for ideal framing of Holyrood Park before heading out.

Best tickets to experience the Palace of Holyroodhouse Garden

Ticket typeWhy choose it

Standard advance ticket

Secure your ideal timed-entry slot, avoid gate queues, and arrive with full energy for the end-of-route garden walk.

Palace guided tour

Gain expert historical insight through the State Apartments before stepping into the restored Physic Garden and grounds.

Early access slot

Beat midday crowds at the interior exhibits to enjoy tranquil, uncrowded garden paths and clear outdoor photo conditions.

Why it's worth seeing

The ten acres of landscaped grounds framing Holyrood Palace are the only royal gardens in Scotland where 500 years of monarchical history remain embedded in the living lawn. While most visitors treat them as an exit route after touring the State Apartments, they actually predated the palace, originating as medieval monastic gardens where monks grew medicinal herbs before James IV turned them into grounds for jousting tournaments and royal menageries.

1633 Polyhedral Sundial

Find this intricate sandstone structure standing on a stepped pedestal in the north garden. Carved for Charles I's Scottish coronation, its facet-headed top features 20 distinct dials where shadow markers range from geometric cutouts to the carved nose of a grotesque face.

Queen Mary's Bath House

Look toward the northwest boundary wall for a standalone two-storey stone turret. Despite local folklore claiming Mary, Queen of Scots bathed in sweet milk here, it was built as a 16th-century garden pavilion and summerhouse.

The Physic Garden

Located near the palace entrance, this re-created plot commemorates the original 1670 herb garden founded here by royal physicians. It served as Scotland’s very first botanical collection before evolving into the modern Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Flowers and plants you may spot in the Holyrood Palace Garden

Fennel plants with green flower clusters in a garden setting.

Fennel

Historically grown in physic gardens, fennel was once believed to improve eyesight and treat snake bites, while adding fragrance to garden borders.

Borage plant with vibrant blue star-shaped flowers.
Lavender field with blooming purple flowers in Provence, France.
Foxglove flowers in a garden setting with lush greenery.
Wild meadow grass with blooming clover flowers.

Historical & cultural significance

Originally cultivated by medieval monks for sustenance and healing, the Palace of Holyroodhouse garden expanded across 10 acres to serve royal tournaments, hunting grounds, and formal royal retreats. In 1670, a portion was dedicated as Scotland’s first physic garden to study medicinal flora, directly establishing the origins of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Today, the grounds host the Sovereign's official ceremonies, including the annual Royal Garden Party for thousands of guests.

👉 Explore the full history of the Palace of Holyroodhouse

The evolution of Holyrood Palace Garden through the centuries

Medieval royal gardens

The earliest Holyrood Gardens were cared for by the monks of Holyrood Abbey and used for tournaments, hunting, hawking, archery, and royal recreation. During the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, the grounds included enclosed gardens, a Privy Garden, tennis courts, bowling areas, and spaces for hunting wild boars imported from France.

Scotland’s first physic garden

In 1670, a small physic garden was established within the Holyrood Palace Garden by Sir Robert Sibbald and Dr Andrew Balfour to teach medicinal botany. The garden later evolved into the origins of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, with gardener James Sutherland becoming its first Regius Keeper.

A sanctuary for debtors

From the 1500s onward, Holyrood Abbey offered sanctuary to people unable to repay debts. Known as ‘Abbey lairds’, thousands lived within the boundaries surrounding Holyrood Gardens, including aristocrats escaping imprisonment by creditors elsewhere in Scotland.

Victorian transformation of the grounds

When Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stayed at the palace, the gardens were heavily redesigned. New carriage approaches, fresh planting areas, and landscaped lawns reshaped the neglected surroundings into more formal royal grounds used for ceremonial gatherings.

The modern gardens today

A major restoration completed in 2020 introduced new public areas representing different phases of the palace’s 900-year history. Today, Holyrood Gardens include a recreated physic garden, flowering meadow, educational planting spaces, and greenhouses supplying flowers for royal occasions throughout the year.

Notable figures

Mary, Queen of Scots

Practised archery, hunting, and bowls in the privy gardens during her turbulent 16th-century reign in Scotland.

Know more

Charles I

Commissioned the elaborate 1633 sundial in the grounds to celebrate his Scottish coronation at Holyrood Abbey.

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James IV of Scotland

Established the first royal palace and turned the grounds into a setting for tournaments, hawking, and archery.

Know more

Know before you go

  • Open daily from 9:30am to 6pm (April to October) and 9:30am to 4:30pm (November to March)
  • Last admission is 1 hour and 15 minutes before closing
  • The garden follows standard Palace of Holyroodhouse opening hours throughout the year
  • Closed on December 25 and 26, as well as during official royal visits and ceremonies

​See timings

  • Located at the eastern end of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, EH8 8DX
  • Nearest train station: Edinburgh Waverley, approximately a 15-minute walk away
  • Main entry point: accessed exclusively via the primary Palace of Holyroodhouse entrance and visitor route
  • Garden access sits at the final point of the indoor palace visitor path; direct standalone entry is not permitted

​Get directions

  • Wheelchair access: The majority of the garden paths are gravel or paved, accessible to manual and powered wheelchairs
  • Accessible facilities: Step-free routes and accessible toilets available near the Palace entrance and café area
  • Companion tickets: Complimentary admission available for registered carers accompanying visitors with disabilities
  • Audio tours: Descriptive audio devices and screen-based media available for visually or hearing-impaired visitors
  • Non-commercial photography is permitted in the outdoor garden grounds; flash and tripods are not allowed
  • Smoking, including e-cigarettes and vaping, is strictly prohibited everywhere on the grounds
  • Luggage policy: Large bags, suitcases, and large backpacks over 45cm x 30cm x 45cm are not permitted
  • Animals: Only registered assistance dogs are allowed inside the palace and gardens

Frequently asked questions about the Palace of Holyroodhouse Garden

Yes. Access to the garden is included with every standard Palace of Holyroodhouse ticket. No separate ticket exists.

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