Holyrood Palace, sitting at the end of the Royal Mile against the spectacular backdrop of Arthur’s Seat, has witnessed Scotland's turbulent past. Within its walls kings planned wars, royals danced deep into the night, murders occurred. In contrast today, the Palace is the setting for State ceremonies, garden parties and official entertaining.

The State Apartments have magnificent plasterwork ceilings and collections of tapestries. The longest and largest room in the Palace is the Great Gallery - decorated with 89 of the original 110 Jacob de Wet portraits of the real and legendary kings of Scotland, from Fergus I to Charles II.

The room has served many purposes. Here the election of Scotland's representative peers took place after the Union of Parliaments in 1707. George V made the room into the State Dining Room, and today it hosts receptions, State occasions and Investitures.

The Palace is best known as the home of Mary Queen of Scots (1542-67). She married the heir to the French throne, the Dauphin of France, at 15 and became a widow at 19. Returning to Scotland she took up her duties as the Queen of Scots after a crowning ceremony at the Palace.

A group led by her second husband Lord Darnley believing she was having an affair with Rizzio, her private secretary, stabbed him to death in her private rooms. Lord Darnley in turn suffered a gruesome death following which Mary acquired yet another husband. Her subjects could take no more. Mary escaping captivity fled to England to the protection of her cousin Queen Elizabeth I. Suspected of treason Mary suffered in turn a gruesome death - at the hands of an axe man.

In 1501 James IV built his Palace beside Holyrood Abbey. Later kings added extensions until a building resulted with classical facades built round a central quadrangle. Although external appearance of the apartments to the east matches those towards the west the construction is different. The earlier west side has thick walls for defence while the later east is of a residential construction.

Mary's son became James I of England and Scotland (1603-25) following the union of the crowns and moved to England leaving the Palace empty. During the Civil War Oliver Cromwell's troops billeted at the Palace caused extensive fire damage.

Following restoring of the monarchy in 1660, Charles II (1660-85) added to the Palace. These additions included the new Royal apartment to the east, the Abbey Church made into the Chapel Royal and accommodation on the second floor for the Court during the sovereign's visit, and for officers of state at other times.

After the Union of Parliaments in the early eighteenth century the Palace become a sanctuary for poor and distressed 'noblemen'. In 1745 royalty returned when the Young Pretender, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, or Bonnie Prince Charlie, held court there during his attempt to reclaim the throne for his father. The Duke of Cumberland whose troops suppressed the Jacobean Rebellion of 1745 followed.

George IV's visit to Scotland on 15 August 1822 provided the impetus for further improvements and the preserving of the apartments of Mary, Queen of Scots as in her time - these are open to visitors.

It was Queen Victoria who reintroduced the custom of staying at Holyrood making the Palace once again Scotland's premier royal residence. In the 20th century, King George V and Queen Mary modernised the Palace by installed bathrooms, electricity and lifts to make it a proper family home. They also began the tradition of hosting Garden Parties at the Palace.

My wife and I have been invited twice and attended the once. It is not at all elitist for otherwise we wouldn’t have been there. It is a colourful occasion with the beverage of choice being iced tea.

Holyroodhouse is still an official residence of the reigning British queen. It was the preferred palace of Scottish monarchs in Edinburgh because it is much more comfortable than Ediburgh Castle, which is better fortified and higher up on an imposing granite hill. In contrast, surrounded by green, Holyroodhouse is located just a stone's throw from the beautiful Arthur's Seat that one can climb, if so inclined. It is across the street from the very modern building that houses the Scottish parliament. It is beside the Abbey that was founded in homage to God in 1128 by a king who had a vision of a stag with a cross between his antlers.

I wanted to visit Holyroodhouse because I have always been fascinated by Tudor history, and Mary, Queen of Scots certainly factors into Queen Elizabeth I's story. It was in Holyroodhouse that Mary set up residence after returning to her country from France. It was also here that this ill-fated queen saw her private secretary—an Italian musician—murdered under the gaze of her cousin and second husband who wished to have more power as king. From that point, Mary made many political mistakes that resulted in her fleeing to England for help. What she got from Elizabeth I was imprisonment and (eventually) execution.

So what was my visit like?
I had a very nice time walking through the rooms at Holyroodhouse with a tour wand that explained everything I was seeing in the royal apartments. I could understand why royals find this palace more intimate than some other, bigger palace homes in Britain. Yet Holyroodhouse is still quite grand. In addition to walking through Mary, Queen of Scots' private chambers, I found it interesting to see a portrait of the first king who wore tartan again upon a visit to Scotland after a ban on this traditional clothing had been in place for many decades because of the unsuccessful Jacobite rising and the crushing of Highlander power by the English. Though it was overcast and wet, I also liked wandering in the pretty garden by the abbey ruins. The whole thing made for a pleasant couple of hours. (You could go faster—an hour—if you don't linger.)

Cost?
My ticket was £9.50. Seniors are £8.50. Kids under 17 are £5.50. Under fives are free.

Hours
November-March, 9:30am-4:30pm.
April-October, 9:30am-6pm.

Other things to see
You can get a "combo" ticket that allows you entry into The Queen's Gallery at Holyroodhouse. Exhibits change here but are all part of the Royal Collection.

Holyrood Palace, sometimes called Holyroodhouse, is the Queen’s official residence when in Edinburgh. On one trip to Edinburgh, we could not go to visit Holyrood because one of the members of the royal family was in residence at "the wee house" as one server at a restaurant explained. A visitor may want to check that Holyrood is open before visiting. Admission includes an audio tour. We opted not to use the audio tour since our knowledge of Scottish history is fairly good, but those who haven't read up on Scottish history, especially Mary Queen of Scots, might find the audio tour informative.The Palace is located at the east end of the Royal Mile and is very accessible from the city centre.The Palace was founded in the late 15th century, but is most historically famous for its connection to Mary Queen of Scots. She was crowned at Holyrood and her Italian secretary was stabbed within its walls. Even when there are no royals in residence, not everywhere is open to visitors, but Mary Queen of Scots’ apartments are. Also open to the public are large rooms with massive fireplaces and tapestries which look very authentic. I thought it gives a feeling of what life might have been like many centuries ago. I certainly decided that people were small back then. Mary Queen of Scots' bed is unbelievably tiny and unless you are short, like me, you need to duck to get through the doors. Holyrood Abbey, which is adjacent to the Palace, can also be visited as part of the admission. It is now a ruin but was once the site of many royal events. The Palace is by Holyrood Park, the largest park in Edinburgh where the extinct volcano, Arthur’s Seat, is located.The Queen's Gallery is also located in Holyrood Park. It displays some of the Queen's art collection. Located in an old church and school house, the interior has a very modern feel with some high tech equipment and is well set up for visitors. A computer can be used to see the Queen's art collection which is not on display. She certainly owns a lot of good art.Admission to the Gallery is in addition to the Palace. A ticket for a family of four for both is £31.50.

We walked by the outside of this Royal residence, but didn't feel that it was worth the 9-pound admission fee. After visiting so many historic places, this one wasn't at the top of our list. I bought a nice postcard in the shop, instead.

The tour of the palace is a self-guided audio tour. During the winter, the tour is solely of the interior of the palace. During the summer, the tour includes the grounds and gardens. When I visited, the Mary Queen of Scots rooms were unavailable due to remodelling. Still, I particularly enjoyed learning about the fascinating and tumultuous tenure of Mary Queen of Scots. The tour was very thorough and informative, albeit quite lengthy. You do have the opportunity to skip around the audio tour if you prefer. As I was there in December, I enjoyed the Christmas decorations adorning several rooms in the palace.