Combos

Combo (Save 5%): Palace of Holyroodhouse + Edinburgh Zoo Tickets

Name: Combo (Save 5%): Palace of Holyroodhouse + Edinburgh Zoo Tickets
Start: 2026-03-19T13:00:00
End: 2026-03-19T16:00:00
Location: Edinburgh

Palace of Holyroodhouse exterior with stone towers and courtyard in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Royal Dining Room at the Palace of Holyroodhouse with ornate table settings and portraits.

Chilean flamingos in habitat at Edinburgh Zoo.

Visitors observing primate skeletons at an exhibit in Edinburgh Zoo.

Explore at your pace

Choose your entry time, stay as long as you like

Free cancellation

Free cancellation up to 48 hours before the start of your experience

Audio guide

Enhance your experience with multilingual audio guide

4.5/5

(5,382)

Dorothy

Mar 2026

Verified booking

This was a beautiful, Beautiful palace... so fun to visit an active Royal House. I loved the self-guided, audio tours. They were very informative and allowed each one of us to go at one's own pace. Thank You! I would have lived more details about the Abbey, perhaps a printed handout. I struggle with walking....the grounds were long, lengthy and not intuitive how to exit without walking its whole distance. To add interest... naming plants, reasons they were chosen .... ? All was well maintained and beautiful... just long for my old tired and sore feet.

Jackie

Mar 2026

Verified booking

Although it was a bit blustery, we enjoyed our first visit to Holyrood Palace and Abbey. The audio tour guide was easy to use and quite informative. One of the indoor highlights of the tour was the room with the purported blood stain marking Rizzio's place of death near Mary Queen of Scots bedchamber. Ah, intrigue! The grounds next the Palace and the Abbey ruins were a delight to walk through with the presence of early spring flowers. Overall, the Holyrood Palace self-guided tour was an informative and pleasing way to spend part of our day visiting Edinburgh.

Luis

Jan 2026

Verified booking

At first, I was surprised that the email didn't contain a QR code or barcode ticket like other apps, but when I arrived at the entrance, I went to the ticket counter and showed them my reservation number and company name, and they gave me the tickets. As a suggestion, it would be nice if they enabled virtual tickets so you don't have to queue to get your ticket, but other than that, it's great. I recommend it.

Jonathan

Feb 2026

Verified booking

The audio guide for children was great - specifically (and in contrast to similar audio guides elsewhere, in world) the audio guide was EASY to follow (pictures / order of rooms on guide made this intuitive for children) and each audio clip was SUCCINCT - ie detailed enough to teach them something / enhance their experience, yet short enough to maintain their attention.

Richard

Jan 2026

Verified booking

Fabulous and well curated experience. Audio guide was very good and staff super helpful. I would highly recommend this attraction. You can race through it in around about an hour which i had intended to do but as it was so good I ended up staying there well over two hours and if it had been a little warmer would have spend more time visiting the grounds.

Grace

Jan 2026

Verified booking

My partner and I were only in Edinburgh for a short few days and the zoo was the first thing that we did in googling tickets to the zoo had it was so simple and we had tickets exactly for the time we wanted on our phones within minutes, they were cheaper than if you were to buy them in person and we spent all day at the zoo and had a ball

Book this combo ticket to seamlessly access the historic Palace of Holyroodhouse (The King's official Scottish residence) and the Edinburgh Zoo.

Maximise your Edinburgh visit by combining 500 years of Scottish royal history with an educational day out at the UK's only Royal Zoological Society of Scotland zoo.

Save money compared to buying separate entry tickets, and save time by securing access to two major sites (history and wildlife) with one simple booking.

Explore the Palace's tumultuous past, including the historic chambers of Mary, Queen of Scots, a site of murder and intrigue, enhanced by your multilingual audioguide.

At the Zoo, meet over 2,500 animals, including unique residents like Asiatic lions, sloth bears and pygmy hippos, supporting the Zoo's vital conservation work.

Palace of Holyroodhouse

Entry to the Palace of Holyroodhouse

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

Edinburgh Zoo

Entry tickets to Edinburgh Zoo

Palace of Holyroodhouse + Edinburgh Zoo

Guided tour

Transfers

Food and drinks

You can cancel these tickets up to 48 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.

5,382 reviews
How do we collect reviews?
These ratings include verified reviews from both Headout guests and our trusted partners who operate this experience locally. All reviews come from real travelers who've taken this experience.
3.9K
1K
85
51
281
Guests from United States, Spain, Italy and over 61 countries have loved this experience
What our guests say
Dorothy
Mar 2026
Verified booking
This was a beautiful, Beautiful palace... so fun to visit an active Royal House. I loved the self-guided, audio tours. They were very informative and allowed each one of us to go at one's own pace. Thank You! I would have lived more details about the Abbey, perhaps a printed handout. I struggle with walking....the grounds were long, lengthy and not intuitive how to exit without walking its whole distance. To add interest... naming plants, reasons they were chosen .... ? All was well maintained and beautiful... just long for my old tired and sore feet.
Jackie
Mar 2026
Verified booking
Although it was a bit blustery, we enjoyed our first visit to Holyrood Palace and Abbey. The audio tour guide was easy to use and quite informative. One of the indoor highlights of the tour was the room with the purported blood stain marking Rizzio's place of death near Mary Queen of Scots bedchamber. Ah, intrigue! The grounds next the Palace and the Abbey ruins were a delight to walk through with the presence of early spring flowers. Overall, the Holyrood Palace self-guided tour was an informative and pleasing way to spend part of our day visiting Edinburgh.
Martin
Mar 2026
Verified booking
Zoo was absolutely fantastic. I will definitely return also using Headout was so simple and the cheapest option for tickets. Great showing of animals and facilities first class (toilets spread right around the zoo and as I was visting with a 4 year old and 2 year it was a great relief) Simply can't fault the place.
Elaine
Mar 2026
Verified booking
Although it was cold and wet it was still worth a visit and lovely to see the animals. We particularly enjoyed the penguins and also the red panda. They are all lovely though! Good to have the opportunity to see animals we probably wouldn't get to see in the wild.
Susan
Mar 2026
Verified booking
Overall we enjoyed the zoo. Was a bit disappointed about not many animals were out, that could of been the weather though. There was also a lot of construction going on in parts of the zoo. Would I go back no!

Get ready for the ultimate Edinburgh experience, blending royal history with wildlife! This combo ticket grants you entry to two of the city’s top attractions: the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Scottish residence of The King, and the world-renowned Edinburgh Zoo, home to thousands of animals.

Getting started

You have the flexibility to visit the Palace and the Zoo on separate days or combine them into an action-packed itinerary. We recommend starting early if visiting both on the same day. The Palace is located at the foot of the Royal Mile, and the Zoo is situated west of the city centre. Be sure to collect your multilingual audio guide at the Palace to fully appreciate the royal history!

What to expect

Palace of Holyroodhouse

Step into the tumultuous world of Scottish royalty! The Palace of Holyroodhouse is a working royal palace used by King Charles III for State ceremonies, but it is most famous as the 16th-century home of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Features:

Mary, Queen of Scots' chambers: Explore the authentic, historic chambers in the oldest part of the Palace, including the Bedchamber and Supper Room, which were the site of murder and dramatic intrigue during her reign.

State Apartments & Royal Collection: Walk through magnificent rooms used by the Royal Family and admire tapestries, fine furniture, and artworks drawn from the Royal Collection.

Multilingual audioguide: Your entry includes a complimentary multilingual audioguide to provide comprehensive historical context and facts as you tour the site.

Holyrood Abbey & Gardens: Wander through the atmospheric 12th-century Abbey ruins and stroll through the historic palace gardens.

Edinburgh Zoo

Prepare for a wild adventure across 82 acres of parkland! Edinburgh Zoo is home to over 2,500 rare and endangered animals and is run by a wildlife conservation charity. Spend the day exploring diverse habitats, seeing incredible species unique to the UK, and learning about global conservation efforts.

Features:

Iconic animals: Meet some of the Zoo’s most popular residents, including koalas, giraffes, sun bears, and Scotland's only sloths.

Penguins Rock & Parade: Visit one of the largest outdoor penguin pools, Penguins Rock, and try to catch the famous daily Penguin Parade where the King and Gentoo penguins waddle around the park!

Budongo Trail & Living Links: Get up close to chimpanzees in one of Europe’s most innovative man-made wildlife habitats and watch primates interact at the Living Links research centre.

Keeper talks: Enhance your visit by attending daily ranger talks and feeding sessions, where expert keepers share fun facts and insights into the animals' lives and conservation status.

Palace of Holyroodhouse

Monday	9:30am - 4:30pm	last entry 3:15pm
Tuesday	Closed
Wednesday	Closed
Thursday	9:30am - 4:30pm	last entry 3:15pm
Friday	9:30am - 4:30pm	last entry 3:15pm
Saturday	9:30am - 4:30pm	last entry 3:15pm
Sunday	9:30am - 4:30pm	last entry 3:15pm

Edinburgh Zoo

Monday	10:00am - 5:00pm
Tuesday	10:00am - 5:00pm
Wednesday	10:00am - 5:00pm
Thursday	10:00am - 5:00pm
Friday	10:00am - 5:00pm
Saturday	10:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday	10:00am - 5:00pm

What’s not allowed

Palace of Holyroodhouse

Photography is strictly not allowed inside the State Apartments.

Large bags, rucksacks and suitcases (30L or over) are not allowed inside for security reasons.

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

Edinburgh Zoo

Safety is a priority, so guests under the age of 15 must be accompanied by a guardian.

Sharp metallic tools or objects, alcohol, drones, radios, scooters, bikes, rollerblades or skates and glass items are not allowed on this experience.

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

Smoking is not allowed, including e-cigarettes.

Accessibility

Palace of Holyroodhouse

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.

Edinburgh Zoo

This experience is wheelchair and pram/stroller accessible.

Your guide dogs are welcome at the venue.

Additional information

Palace of Holyroodhouse

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

The palace is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse is open to the public on December 23. It is, however, closed on Christmas.

Edinburgh Zoo

Re-entry after entering isn’t permitted without park authority approval.

The park may close in extreme weather; tickets will be valid for a later visit.

Visitors wearing costumes might be asked to remove them for safety.

Facilities: parking.

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.