Palace of Holyroodhouse and Holyrood Abbey ruins

The Palace of Holyroodhouse stands at the foot of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland, beside the ruins of Holyrood Abbey, which David I founded in 1128. The abbey guesthouse developed into a royal lodging, and James IV and James V expanded it into a palace in the early 16th century. The surviving north-west tower of James V is the setting for the best-known episode in its history: in March 1566 Mary, Queen of Scots, was in her supper room there when her secretary David Rizzio was dragged out and murdered by a party of nobles. Visitors can see Mary's Historic Apartments on the first and second floors of the tower, with their small rooms and a plaque marking the spot of the murder. Most of the present palace, a quadrangle of ranges with a classical facade, was rebuilt for Charles II in the 1670s to designs by Sir William Bruce and built by Robert Mylne, reflecting Restoration-era grandeur. The State Apartments include the Great Gallery, hung with portraits of Scottish kings painted for Charles II, and richly plastered ceilings and tapestries. The palace remains an official residence of the monarch, so the State Apartments close at times for royal events and ceremonies. Alongside the palace, the roofless ruins of the abbey church preserve Gothic arches and carved stonework; the nave dates largely from the 12th and 13th centuries, and parts were damaged in the 16th-century English attacks and by a roof collapse in 1768. The palace gardens and the Queen's Gallery, which hosts exhibitions from the Royal Collection, sit within the same complex. The buildings are maintained by the Royal Collection Trust and are in good condition, with interpretation provided by a multimedia guide included in the ticket price. Holyrood Park and Arthur's Seat rise immediately behind.