Combos

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

Name: Combo (Save 5%): Palace of Holyroodhouse + Edinburgh Zoo Tickets
Start: 2025-11-02T12:00:00
End: 2025-11-02T16:00:00
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

(4,976)

Estelle

Sep 2025

Verified booking

5/5

We had a wonderful day at Edinburgh Zoo for my grandson’s very first visit to the city. At just two years old, it was all so new and exciting for him — from watching the penguins to exploring the different animals, everything captured his attention. The zoo is well laid out, with lots to see and plenty of space for little ones to run around safely. For me, it was special to see Edinburgh through his eyes, and the zoo made a perfect introduction. Staff were friendly, the enclosures looked well cared for, and there was a real sense of fun and learning throughout. It’s a place I’d happily recommend to families — especially those with young children. We’ll definitely be back as he grows older to experience even more of what the zoo has to offer.

Agnieszka

Oct 2025

Verified booking

5/5

Definitely a must when you're visiting Edinburgh. The palace of Holyroodhouse was an amazing experience full of beautiful views inside and outside of the castle and an interesting history aspect. The organization here was perfect and the audio guide was just on point, a lot of fascinating information packed in a reasonable amount of time. The whole experience was truly absorbing and the castle was such an incredible place. The service was very friendly. My expectation were high but the quality of the tour and the beauty the castle really suprised me in a great way. Great organization shows the amount of amazing work, effort and talented team of people behind it. Incredible experience, highly recommend!

Erica

Sep 2025

Verified booking

5/5

I thought that the audio and video tour of the Palace of Holyrood House was particularly well organised.. The tour guided you in a logical progression through the various rooms of the palce and there were visual prompts to help you locate and identify key features as well as video clips and photos to give background information. I found booking the experience quite straightforward, apart from the instruction that said tickets must be printed out. This was a bit worrying to a tourist with no access to a printer and proved quite unnessessary, as almost everyone in the entrance queue had tickets on their phone and there was no problem.

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.

4.5
4,976 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.
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Guests from United States, Spain, France and over 10 countries have loved this experience
What our guests say
Agnieszka
Oct 2025
Verified booking
5/5
Definitely a must when you're visiting Edinburgh. The palace of Holyroodhouse was an amazing experience full of beautiful views inside and outside of the castle and an interesting history aspect. The organization here was perfect and the audio guide was just on point, a lot of fascinating information packed in a reasonable amount of time. The whole experience was truly absorbing and the castle was such an incredible place. The service was very friendly. My expectation were high but the quality of the tour and the beauty the castle really suprised me in a great way. Great organization shows the amount of amazing work, effort and talented team of people behind it. Incredible experience, highly recommend!
Rick
Oct 2025
Verified booking
5/5
Crowds were not huge and well managed. The audio tour was very good and simple which works well....but the system would be better if it had links to specific pieces of art and furniture. I do know to ask the wardens but they were often busy and dealing with security issues like picture taking. The grounds were well maintained and a joy to walk through but would love to see small signs on some plants or trees that I was unfamiliar with. Shop staff were great and very knowledgeable. One of the best royal castles to visit.
Rachelle
Oct 2025
Verified booking
5/5
Touring Holyrood Palace was wonderful! From the time we got in line to get our tickets, until we exited, we had a wonderful time. The lines went fast, the audio tour was very easy to understand and very informative. I learned a lot about it's history! This was my first time in Scotland, and Holyrood was at the top of our list of places to visit. It was even better than I imagined. I would highly recommend this place! I would love to come back with more friends and family to show them the rich history here!
Hannah
Oct 2025
Verified booking
5/5
Everything about the palace was wonderful! Appreciated the free listening experience provided to understand the history as well as present day at the palace. Absolutely stunning building! Gift shops had unique and fun items - so many beautiful pieces. Also visited the cafe which had some of the best food on our trip. We had a sandwich, a scone, tea and loved it all. Pricing was reasonable for everything - entrance tickets, gift shops and cafe! Recommend this to everyone!!
Ramit
Oct 2025
Verified booking
5/5
Visiting the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh was an incredible experience that really brought Scottish history to life. Situated at the end of the Royal Mile, the palace is not only beautiful from the outside but also steeped in stories of royalty, politics, and intrigue. It’s still an official residence of the King when he’s in Scotland, but it’s also very accessible to visitors, which makes it unique compared to other royal sites.

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	09:30am - 06:00pm	last entry 04:30pm
Tuesday	Closed
Wednesday	Closed
Thursday	09:30am - 06:00pm	last entry 04:30pm
Friday	09:30am - 06:00pm	last entry 04:30pm
Saturday	09:30am - 06:00pm	last entry 04:30pm
Sunday	09:30am - 06:00pm	last entry 04:30pm

Edinburgh Zoo

Monday	10:00am - 05:00pm
Tuesday	10:00am - 05:00pm
Wednesday	10:00am - 05:00pm
Thursday	10:00am - 05:00pm
Friday	10:00am - 05:00pm
Saturday	10:00am - 05:00pm
Sunday	10:00am - 05:00pm

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.