Before You Book the Palace of Holyroodhouse: Every Cost, and What's Worth It
By the BeatTheCrowd team · Prices last checked 3 November · 3 min read
The Palace of Holyroodhouse, the King's official residence in Scotland and the home of Mary, Queen of Scots, is £4 cheaper if you book ahead, and your ticket can become a free year's pass. There are adult, young person and child prices, £1 tickets for people on benefits, a combined ticket with the King's Gallery, and closures for royal visits. Most of them sound worth paying for. You don't need the most expensive one to have a great visit. In this guide we walk through what each option costs, what you really get, and how to choose the right one, whether that's a quiet 9:30 am or a busy midday.
At a glance
Adult, advance / on the day
£22 / £26
Young person 18-24
£14 / £17
Child 5-17
£11 / £13
Under 5
Free
Included
Audio guide; free 1-year pass
Winter
Thu-Mon 9:30 am-4:30 pm (last entry 3:15 pm)
Quietest
9:30 to 10 am
🎟️ Book skip-the-line tickets
Check the crowds, find the best time slot, and book through our authorised partner.
The real total: entry price vs what a typical visit costs
Adults pay £22 booked in advance or £26 on the day; young people 18-24 £14/£17; children 5-17 £11/£13; under-5s are free, according to The Better Vacation. The ticket includes a multimedia audio guide and can be converted into a free 1-year pass at the desk. People on Universal Credit and some other benefits can book £1 tickets through the Royal Collection Trust. Holyrood Abbey and the gardens are currently closed.
Visitor
What they buy
Price
Adult, advance
Palace + audio guide
£22
Adult, on the day
Palace + audio guide
£26
Family of 2 adults + 2 children, advance
Palace
£66
Tickets and entry: what each one gets you
Cost
Price (£)
Type
How to cut it
Adult, advance
£22
≈ US$29
Unavoidable
Book online, not on the day.
On-the-day surcharge
£4
≈ US$5
Avoidable
Book ahead.
Young person 18-24, advance
£14
≈ US$19
Unavoidable
Bring ID.
Child 5-17, advance
£11
≈ US$15
Unavoidable
Under-5s free.
Is the King's Gallery combo worth it?
The King's Gallery, next door, shows exhibitions from the Royal Collection, and a combined ticket saves about 5%. Our verdict: worth it if the current exhibition interests you.
What visitors say
Visitors love Mary, Queen of Scots' chambers, the State Apartments and the excellent audio guide. The most common complaints are the closed abbey and gardens and the price, so the advice is to book ahead and convert to a year pass.
Prices last checked: 3 November. Prices vary with the season, peak and off-peak dates and promotions, and we recheck them every month. Visitor-reported costs are marked as estimates, and US$ figures are rough conversions.
The crowd tax: what busy hours really cost you
Our crowd data shows the palace moderate at 9-10 am, then busy from about 10 am to 4-5 pm on the days it's open. On Sundays it stays moderate until 11 am. We have no data for Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when it's closed in winter. Note that in winter last entry is 3:15 pm.
When
Crowds (our data)
What to do
9:30 to 10 am
Moderate
Best time
Sunday to 11 am
Moderate
Good option
About 10 am to 3:15 pm
Busy
Book ahead
Crowds by day and time
From the typical weekly visitor pattern for Palace of Holyroodhouse, based on Google’s popular-times data.
Least busy time
Sunday, 9-11 am
Busiest time
Monday, 10 am-5 pm
Skip-the-line and tours: when they're worth it
The audio guide is included. Our verdict: book directly with the Royal Collection Trust for the lowest price.
Short on time? What you'd regret missing
Mary, Queen of Scots' chambers.
The Great Gallery of Scottish kings.
The Throne Room.
Getting there
Holyroodhouse is at the bottom of the Royal Mile, about 20 minutes' walk from Waverley station.
Rules and closures
From November to March, open Thursday to Monday, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, last entry 3:15 pm; closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and on 25-26 December. It can close at short notice for royal visits.
How we research: every guide is written by the BeatTheCrowd team from official sources and recent traveller reports, cross-checked against each other. Crowd figures come from our own crowd data. Prices last checked 3 November. Prices and rules change, so always confirm on the official site before you book.
When
What to expect
Verdict
Weekdays, 9-11 am
Peak crowds, queues at the entrance and main sights. The opening rush.
Busy
Weekdays, 11 am-3 pm
Peak crowds, queues at the entrance and main sights. Peak sightseeing hours, when most visitors are on site.
Busy
Weekdays, 3-6 pm
Peak crowds, queues at the entrance and main sights. A little calmer than midday, but still busy.
Busy
Saturday and Sunday
Peak crowds, queues at the entrance and main sights. Similar to weekdays.
Busy
📍 Live crowd check
See how busy Palace of Holyroodhouse is right now, plus today’s hourly forecast.
