Guided Tours

Palace of Holyroodhouse Entry Tickets & Private Guided Tour of Queen Elizabeth II Private Apartments

4.8/5(88)

Nicole B

Family

Verified booking

2 weeks ago

Our guide put so much heart and soul into leading us through the private rooms; it was sensational. And the audio guide for the subsequent 'standard tour' of Holyroodhouse was also the best I have ever experienced. Not too long and not too short, interestingly narrated, and it even had interactive parts. Huge compliments to the creators! Both tours are highly recommended!!! And the service from the staff on-site is impressive! Friendly, helpful, professional, competent, committed...

Charles G

Couple

Verified booking

3 weeks ago

It was an extremely interesting tour and being able to see parts of the private apartments was a special privilege. Our tour guide (Jorge) was very knowledgeable and made the tour informative as well as fun. All of the staff were friendly and helpful and the tour was very well organized.

Vicki G

Solo

Verified booking

3 weeks ago

Seeing Holyroodhouse palace and the Royal residences were really spectacular!! Hearing about the events, seeing royal items and learning how they live there was a wonderful experience. Highly recommend!!

Janet C

Couple

Verified booking

2 weeks ago

It was interesting to hear about each room and to see what kind of decorating was present in the palace. It was not nearly as formal as I expected it to be.

Belinda C

Solo

Verified booking

3 weeks ago

Holyroodhouse is amazing. My tour was a private tour of the Queens rooms at Holyroodhouse. I feel extremely privileged to have seen her private rooms.

Claire C

Solo

Verified booking

Aug 2026

Best £50 I've ever spent. The tour was well paced with an enthusiastic guide. He had lots of information regarding the rooms and personal stories about the royal family. I was able to see Queen Elizabeth's dressing room and sitting room - she had a pink sofa! The corgi's bowls and puppy wee stains on the floor really added to the experience, as if she had just stepped out of the door. It was very emotional to see the late Queen and Prince Phillip's personal belongings in every room. We weren't able to take photographs which I fully understanded. This again added to the experience though as people were listening and taking it all in rather than focussing on photos. A wonderful experience that I would recommend to any royalist.

Celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s centenary with a rare 1-hour tour of her private rooms at Holyroodhouse with a guided apartment visit plus full entry to the Palace.

Available only in 2026, step inside Queen Elizabeth II’s private apartments, opened to the public for the first time ever to mark her 100th birth anniversary.

An expert guide reveals the 70-year history of these rooms, sharing stories of how the Queen and Prince Philip lived and worked while in residence.

Tour the Royal Breakfast Room, the Sitting Room with its iconic red dispatch boxes, and a Dressing Room featuring three of Her Majesty's historic outfits.

Your ticket includes a self-guided tour of the main Palace with a multimedia guide, allowing you to explore the Throne Room and Mary, Queen of Scots’ historic chambers at your pace.

Entry to Palace of Holyroodhouse

1-hour guided tour of Queen Elizabeth II's private apartments

English-speaking guide

Multimedia guide in English, Brazilian Portuguese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Spanish

These tickets can't be cancelled or rescheduled.

88 reviews
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What our guests say
Nicole B
Family
Verified booking
2 weeks ago
Our guide put so much heart and soul into leading us through the private rooms; it was sensational. And the audio guide for the subsequent 'standard tour' of Holyroodhouse was also the best I have ever experienced. Not too long and not too short, interestingly narrated, and it even had interactive parts. Huge compliments to the creators! Both tours are highly recommended!!! And the service from the staff on-site is impressive! Friendly, helpful, professional, competent, committed...
Charles G
Couple
Verified booking
3 weeks ago
It was an extremely interesting tour and being able to see parts of the private apartments was a special privilege. Our tour guide (Jorge) was very knowledgeable and made the tour informative as well as fun. All of the staff were friendly and helpful and the tour was very well organized.
Vicki G
Solo
Verified booking
3 weeks ago
Seeing Holyroodhouse palace and the Royal residences were really spectacular!! Hearing about the events, seeing royal items and learning how they live there was a wonderful experience. Highly recommend!!
Janet C
Couple
Verified booking
2 weeks ago
It was interesting to hear about each room and to see what kind of decorating was present in the palace. It was not nearly as formal as I expected it to be.
Belinda C
Solo
Verified booking
3 weeks ago
Holyroodhouse is amazing. My tour was a private tour of the Queens rooms at Holyroodhouse. I feel extremely privileged to have seen her private rooms.

Palace of Holyroodhouse

Upon arrival, you will be met by an expert English-speaking guide who will lead you through the private living quarters used by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip for over 70 years. The experience is designed to be deeply personal, blending the grandeur of a royal residence with the lived-in history of a family home. After your guided session, you are free to explore the wider Palace grounds at your own pace with a complimentary multimedia guide.

Features

The inner sanctum of royalty: Step into the Sitting Room, the very space where the late Queen reviewed her famous Government red dispatch boxes. You will also visit the Royal Breakfast Room, the setting for private morning meals between the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

A glimpse into the royal wardrobe: In the Dressing Room, you’ll find a curated display of three iconic ensembles. Each outfit was hand-selected for its significance to the Queen’s history and her enduring relationship with the city of Edinburgh.

900 years of Scottish history: Your ticket includes standard admission to the Palace, where you can walk through the Throne Room and visit the legendary historic chambers of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Lasting royal connections: Whether you are admiring the Great Gallery or strolling through the Physic Garden, the Palace offers a comprehensive look at the evolution of the British Monarchy from the medieval era to the modern day.

What's not allowed

Bags larger than 45cm × 20cm × 30cm are not allowed in this experience.

Due to venue restrictions, pets cannot tag along for this experience.

Photography is strictly not allowed inside the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Smoking, including e-cigarettes, is not permitted in the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

In consideration of other visitors, mobile phones must be switched off inside the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Accessibility

The tour at 1pm on Jul 25 and Aug 15 will include a British Sign Language interpreter.

This experience is wheelchair and pram/stroller accessible, except in some parts of Mary, Queen of Scots' rooms.

Your guide dogs are welcome at the venue.

Additional information

These tours run daily from May 21, 2026, to Sept 10, 2026, except on Jun 10, Jun 26, Jun 27, Jun 28, Jun 29, Jun 30, Jul 1, Jul 2, Jul 3, and Jul 4.

Tours start at various times throughout the day.

Queen Elizabeth II's Private Apartment Tours will be available only in 2026.

After your guided tour of Queen Elizabeth II’s Private Apartments, which lasts around 1 hour, your guide will escort you to the start of your self-guided visit to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which includes a multimedia guide.

There is limited availability, with a maximum number of 25 places on each tour of Queen Elizabeth II’s Private Apartments.

As the Palace of Holyroodhouse is a working royal palace, security and opening arrangements may be subject to change at short notice.

You may be subject to security checks. Some items may have to be checked in and reclaimed at the end of your visit.

For safety and security reasons, a one-way route operates inside the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Last admission time is 4:30pm, and the closing time is 6pm.

Under 5s must be booked with a paid ticket

Your voucher will be emailed to you shortly.

Display the voucher on your mobile phone with a valid photo ID at the starting point.

Please check your final voucher for the starting point details & specific instructions.