If you walk the length of the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle in the west, you’ll arrive at the foot of the equally-impressive Holyrood Palace, built between 1671 and 1678 for the coronation of Charles II.
Today it’s still the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II, where she spends a week at the start of each summer. Take a tour of the palace to explore the 17th-century former King’s apartments and Great Gallery, filled with 110 portraits of Scottish monarchs from 330 BC onwards, and don’t leave without taking a turn around the majestic palace gardens and grounds.