Linlithgow Palace is a ruined royal residence in West Lothian, 15 miles west of Edinburgh, and the birthplace of James V in 1512 and of Mary Queen of Scots in 1542. Rebuilt by the Stewart kings from the 1420s and burned out in 1746, it is now cared for by Historic Environment Scotland, which charges £10 for an adult ticket booked online and is open daily, with last entry 45 minutes before closing. The palace is a short walk from Linlithgow station, and its corridors stood in for Wentworth Prison in Outlander.

History of Linlithgow Palace

From Royal Manor to Edward I’s Peel, 1301

A royal manor stood on the site of Linlithgow Palace from the 12th century, and in 1301 to 1302 the occupying forces of Edward I of England enclosed it with a timber palisade and outer ditch to create a fortification known as the Peel, according to Wikipedia. Historic Environment Scotland says Edward I spent the winter of 1301 here during his Scottish campaigns. Wikipedia adds that in September 1313 a local man named William Bynnie, or Bunnock, retook the Peel for Robert the Bruce by hiding with his seven sons under a load of hay and stopping the gate from closing, and that Bruce then had the Peel dismantled so the English could not use it again.

James I and the Pleasure Palace After the Fire of 1424

In 1424 a fire destroyed much of Linlithgow, including the royal residence, and James I began a comprehensive rebuilding the following year, according to Historic Environment Scotland. The new palace stood between Edinburgh and Stirling and became a popular pleasure palace and rest stop for royal journeys, and the Great Hall was built for James I. James III continued the work, adding the south range around 1469, and Wikipedia records that the royal apartments were decorated by Matthew the Painter in 1433.

Margaret Tudor and James IV’s Court, 1503

James IV continued the rebuilding and, on 31 May 1503, gave the palace to his bride Margaret Tudor, who made it her favourite home in Scotland, according to Wikipedia. Royal accounts record the poet Blind Harry visiting the court at Linlithgow at least five times and Perkin Warbeck as a Christmas guest in 1495. The son of James IV and Margaret Tudor, the future James V, was born in the palace in April 1512.

James V and the King’s Fountain

James V moved the main entrance to its present position on the south side of the palace and built a new gatehouse away from the palace to the south, according to Historic Environment Scotland, which dates the three-tiered courtyard fountain to 1538. Wikipedia says the stonework of the south façade was renewed in the 1530s under the keeper James Hamilton of Finnart. When James V’s queen, Mary of Guise, visited in December 1539, the court watched an early version of David Lyndsay’s play A Satire of the Three Estates in the Great Hall at Epiphany.

Mary Queen of Scots: Born at Linlithgow, December 1542

Mary Queen of Scots was born at Linlithgow Palace in December 1542, like her father before her, but spent only a short time there before being moved to the greater safety of Stirling Castle, according to Historic Environment Scotland. The English ambassador Ralph Sadler saw the infant queen in March 1543 and judged her a goodly child likely to live, according to Wikipedia. After lengthy negotiations between armed factions at Linlithgow, her mother Mary of Guise took her to Stirling Castle on 26 July 1543. As an adult Mary often returned, including in December 1565, when she was pregnant and was carried to the palace in a horse-litter. Our guide to Craigmillar Castle covers another of her Lothian refuges.

James VI, Anne of Denmark and the Parliament of 1585

Because of plague in Edinburgh, James VI held a parliament in the Great Hall in December 1585, the first gathering of the whole nobility in the palace since his grandfather James V, according to Wikipedia. James later gave the palace to his bride Anne of Denmark as a morning gift, and their daughter Princess Elizabeth, later Queen of Bohemia, lived there in the care of the Countess of Linlithgow.

The Union of the Crowns and the Collapse of 1607

The palace declined after James VI left for England in 1603. The north range, described as ruinous in 1599, collapsed at 4am on 6 September 1607, and the Earl of Linlithgow wrote to the king that the north quarter had fallen to the ground, roof and all, within the walls. King James had the range rebuilt between 1618 and 1622, but the only reigning monarch to stay afterwards was Charles I, who spent a night in 1633; before his visit, Wikipedia says, the burgh council forbade the wearing of plaids and blue bonnets, which it deemed indecent.

Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Wine Fountain and the Fire of 1746

Bonnie Prince Charlie visited Linlithgow on his march south in September 1745 but did not stay overnight, and the fountain is said to have flowed with wine in his honour. On the night of 31 January to 1 February 1746 the army of the Duke of Cumberland, pursuing the Jacobites north, stayed at the palace and left it in flames. Wikipedia says the fire was accidental, caused by lamps left on straw bedding, while other accounts say it may have been deliberate; either way, the palace has been a roofless ruin ever since.

From Ruin to Heritage Site

The palace passed into the care of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests in 1832 and to the Office of Works in 1874, with major consolidation work in the 1930s and 1940s, according to Wikipedia, which also records 103,312 visitors in 2019. A heritage listings site notes that it has been a Category A listed building since 1971, and it is now managed by Historic Environment Scotland. For more than 40 years, tours for children have been led by Junior Guides, pupils at Linlithgow Primary School, and in December 2012 Chanel staged its Paris-Edimbourg Métiers d’Art show in the palace.

Linlithgow Palace on Screen: Outlander and Outlaw King

In Outlander, Historic Environment Scotland says, the palace’s shadowy corridors stood in for Wentworth Prison, where Jamie is held in the first series. A location guide says the main entrance passage, ground-floor corridors and a spiral staircase appear in the episodes Wentworth Prison and To Ransom a Man’s Soul. Only part of Wentworth was filmed here: other guides credit Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland with the prison’s exterior, while Historic Environment Scotland says nearby Blackness Castle became Fort William. The palace also appeared in the 2018 film Outlaw King, according to a guide from a local tour company.

Why Linlithgow Palace Matters

Linlithgow Palace matters because it was one of the principal residences of the Stewart kings in the 15th and 16th centuries and the birthplace of two Scottish monarchs, and because it survives as a ruin you can explore on foot: Historic Environment Scotland says much of it is open, including the Great Hall and the climb to Queen Margaret’s Bower for views over the loch. It is also the first Scottish palace in our Royal Palaces collection, alongside guides to Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace.

Visiting Linlithgow Palace: Practical Information

Opening hours: According to Historic Environment Scotland, the palace is open daily from 9.30am to 5pm from 1 April to 30 September and from 10am to 4pm from 1 October to 31 March, with last entry 45 minutes before closing. It is closed on 25 and 26 December and 1 and 2 January. While conservation works continue, the North Range, the King’s Bed Chamber and the Court Kitchen are not accessible to visitors.

Ticket prices: Booked online (best value) and in person: adult (16 to 64) £10 and £11; concession (65 and over) £8 and £9; child (7 to 15) £5 and £5.50. Online family tickets cost £20 for one adult and two children, £29 for two adults and two children and £34 for two adults and three children. Historic Scotland members enter free, as do Explorer Pass holders, and up to two carers accompanying a visitor with a disability enter free per transaction. Young Scot and National Entitlement Card holders aged 7 to 25 pay £1, and members of English Heritage, Cadw and the Manx national heritage body receive free or discounted entry. Book online with the code GOOD25 for 25% off standard admission if you arrive car-free by train, bus or bike, and show your ticket or bike on arrival. The price includes an audio guide that works on your own device. Book through the Historic Scotland ticket site.

Getting there: The palace is on Kirkgate, off the High Street in the centre of Linlithgow, EH49 7AL, at National Grid reference NS 996 774, coordinates 55.9785, -3.6009. There are regular trains to Linlithgow from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling, all taking less than half an hour, and it is a short walk from the station. The X38 bus runs between Edinburgh and Falkirk and stops at the Cross, a short walk from the palace. National Cycle Route 754 runs through Linlithgow, and there are racks for up to four bicycles at the palace. The phone number is 01506 842 896.

Parking: There is limited car parking on site. The entry gate is 2.65 metres high, so the car park is unsuitable for large vehicles, campervans and buses, and access is restricted to vehicles up to 2.6 metres high and 2.55 metres wide. The car park is cobbled and has two accessible bays next to the entrance, the furthest 5 metres from it. Visit West Lothian describes the on-site parking as free, but Historic Environment Scotland does not state a charge.

Accessibility: Entry to the palace and visitor centre is over a small 5 cm stone threshold, and the entranceway is level but uneven. The courtyard and fountain are on the level, with a flagstone and cobble surface. The first floor, which includes the Great Hall and Chapel Royal, is reached by a spiral staircase of about 25 steps with uneven treads, and upper levels by further spiral staircases. Queen Margaret’s Bower, a small turret, is reached by steep stone steps. There are also many small level changes between rooms.

Facilities and dogs: There is a visitor centre, a shop (with a single step), baby changing and a picnic area. A temporary toilet is available on site, and the nearest adapted toilet is at The Vennel, off the High Street, about 350 metres from the main entrance. Visitors’ dogs are allowed on a lead, but not in roofed areas; assistance dogs are permitted throughout.

The loch walk: The peel around the palace is a large grassed park, and a circular path of compacted gravel, 2.3 miles long, runs around the loch, with benches and picnic tables on the peel. One Tripadvisor reviewer took 45 to 60 minutes to walk it slowly with a dog.

How long to allow: Historic Environment Scotland publishes no suggested visit length; one Tripadvisor answer says about an hour.

What reviewers say: Visitors to Linlithgow Palace on Tripadvisor, which lists around 1,490 reviews, praise the views from the towers, the Great Hall, the courtyard fountain and the loch setting. Several warn that the spiral stairs are steep and need some stamina, a few found the admission price high for a short visit, and some 2026 reviewers were disappointed that parts of the palace are closed.

Jousting and events: Historic Environment Scotland scheduled a Spectacular Jousting weekend at the palace on 27 and 28 June 2026, from 11.30am to 4.30pm with two jousts each day, at 12.45pm and 2.30pm, each lasting about 45 minutes. Tickets for that event were £18 for adults, £14 for concessions and £11 for children aged 7 to 15, with under-7s free, and members entered free. Visitors were encouraged to park and stride from Bonnytoun Farm, with limited accessible parking at The Vennel car park. Check Historic Environment Scotland’s What’s On page for future dates.

Photography: We found no published photography restrictions on the official pages.

Managing body: Linlithgow Palace is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

Nearby: Historic Environment Scotland lists Kinneil House (3 miles), Blackness Castle, Torphichen Preceptory and Cairnpapple Hill (each 4 miles; Cairnpapple Hill is closed in autumn and winter) and Culross Abbey (6 miles) as nearby sites. Next to the palace stands St Michael’s Parish Church, which Wikipedia says is open to visitors in summer. For the Edinburgh end of the journey, see our guide to Edinburgh Waverley Station.

Prices last checked: September 2026. Opening hours last checked: September 2026. Prices, hours, parking and access checked against historicenvironment.scot; the family ticket prices come from its ticket site.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to visit Linlithgow Palace?

Adult tickets are £10 when booked online and £11 in person, concessions (65 and over) are £8 and £9, and children aged 7 to 15 are £5 and £5.50, according to Historic Environment Scotland. Historic Scotland members and Explorer Pass holders enter free, and you can save 25% online by arriving car-free with the code GOOD25.

What are the opening times of Linlithgow Palace?

From 1 April to 30 September the palace is open daily from 9.30am to 5pm, and from 1 October to 31 March daily from 10am to 4pm, with last entry 45 minutes before closing. It is closed on 25 and 26 December and 1 and 2 January.

Is there parking at Linlithgow Palace?

Yes, there is limited parking on site, in a cobbled car park with two accessible bays. The entry gate is 2.65 metres high, so large vehicles, campervans and buses cannot park there, and access is restricted to vehicles up to 2.6 metres high and 2.55 metres wide.

Was Linlithgow Palace in Outlander?

Yes. Historic Environment Scotland says the palace’s shadowy corridors stood in for Wentworth Prison, where Jamie is held in the first series. Only part of Wentworth was filmed there, and other locations supplied other parts of it.

Is there jousting at Linlithgow Palace?

Historic Environment Scotland has held a Spectacular Jousting weekend at the palace, most recently scheduled for 27 and 28 June 2026, with two jousts each day at 12.45pm and 2.30pm. It is a separate ticketed event, so check Historic Environment Scotland’s What’s On page for future dates.

Was Mary Queen of Scots born at Linlithgow Palace?

Yes. Mary was born at Linlithgow Palace in December 1542 and became queen within days, when her father James V died. She was taken to Stirling Castle in July 1543.

Why is Linlithgow Palace a ruin?

It was burned out on the night of 31 January to 1 February 1746, after the Duke of Cumberland’s army stayed there. Wikipedia says the fire was accidental, caused by lamps left on straw bedding, although other accounts say it may have been deliberate.

Nearby Chronicle Trails Guides

Mary Queen of Scots’ story continues at Stirling Castle and Craigmillar Castle. For more Royal Palaces, visit the Scotland hub. We chronicle the history, then we walk you through it: here, that means a queen born in a palace that is now open to the sky, and a short walk from the station to find it.