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Physic Garden Family Tours

For the first time, families will be able to join free short tours of the beautiful Physic Garden at the height of summer.

Physic Garden Family Tours

About Physic Garden Family Tours

Please note that these tours take place in the Physic Garden and do not include entrance to the Palace.

For the first time, families will be able to join free short tours of the beautiful Physic Garden at the height of summer. On these guided, drop-in tours, which are open to visitors to the Palace and the wider public, families can discover more about the history of the Garden and listen to stories of its past plants and the people who used it.

The Physic Garden, just outside the gates of the Palace, was opened in 2020 to recreate the earliest known gardens on the site and can be freely enjoyed year-round by the people of Edinburgh. Founded in the grounds of the Palace in 1670, the original garden provided pharmacists with vital, fresh ingredients and allowed students to learn the medicinal properties of plants. It was the first of its kind in Scotland and was the forerunner of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

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This exhibition at The Palace of Holyroodhouse, brings together a wide range of drawings from this revolutionary artistic period, including 45 drawings never exhibited in Scotland before.

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Taking inspiration from Drawing the Italian Renaissance, join us at The Palace of Holyroodhouse for a fun family yoga session full of movement, music, songs and stories.

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Take inspiration from drawings in our latest exhibition Drawing the Italian Renaissance and join us for a special family drawing workshop.

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Drawing The Italian Renaissance: A Gallery Late

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Step into the world of Renaissance artistry for a special evening event at our exhibition Drawing the Italian Renaissance.

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Drawing the Italian Renaissance: Curator’s Introduction

Selected dates between 5th December 2025 - 29th January 2026

Join exhibition curator Lauren Porter at The King's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse as she discusses works from Drawing the Italian Renaissance!

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Conservator Talk: Conserving the Campi Cartoon

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Victoria Button, Royal Collection Trust’s Head of Paper Conservation, discusses her work in preparing drawings for presentation in Drawing The Italian Renaissance, on display at The King's Gallery.

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Curatorial Talk: The Patrons of the Renaissance

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Join Martin Clayton, Head of Prints and Drawings at Royal Collection Trust, for this lunchtime lecture as he discusses the vital role of patrons in the creation of Italian Renaissance art.

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