Scone Palace
Scone Palace
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
About
Scone Palace - 5 star Historic House visitor attraction. Open 7 days from 10.00am - 5.30pm (please note last entry is 4.00pm). Guides are on hand in the palace as well as multi-lingual information for tours of the palace. Tickets for Palace & Gardens or just the Gardens can be booked via our website or you can pay when you arrive. Come along and visit Moot Hill the 'Crowning Place of Scottish Kings' and the chapel. Have a wander around our 100 acres gardens and grounds, including our Murray Star Maze, Pinetum, Douglas Fir and Kids Adventure Playground . Our Coffee Shop serves hot & cold food daily & kids lunch boxes. We're dog friendly, so bring your family pet, there are dog water bowls near our ticket hut & outside our Food Shop. We have two cafe seating areas and the Old Kitchen welcomes dogs as well! Our Food Shop has a selection of products that we try to source locally and our Gift Shop has something for everyone - even pocket-money gifts. You can expect a warm welcome :-)
Duration: 2-3 hours
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  • glitrberi
    86 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A History Lover's Must-See
    If you are at all interested in Scottish history then Scone should be on your list of places to visit. First of all, the palace is beautiful. Second so are the grounds. Then there are the peacocks. Yes, live peacocks, including the all-white one named Alexander (he's the head peacock in charge).
    Thank you for the fantastic review! We're so happy to hear you enjoyed your visit to the Palace and Gardens, and of course you can't forget the peacocks, Alexander is a favourite with a lot of our visitors and we love him too🦚
    Written 6 November 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 26 October 2023
  • CLE68
    Perth and Kinross, United Kingdom485 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful!
    What a privilege it was to visit this historic palace. Set in the most stunning grounds in the Perthshire countryside, this palace is well worth a visit. The self tour round the palace gives access to lots of beautiful rooms with beautiful artefacts, paintings, furniture and lots more. Room guides are very knowledgeable and helpful. There is a lovely gift shop, food shop and cafe. The peacocks roam freely in the grounds. Highly recommend a visit and a delve into this key place in Scottish history.
    Thank you so much for the fantastic review! We're so happy to hear that you enjoyed your tour around the State Rooms and found our guides helpful 😊
    Written 6 November 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 28 October 2023
  • Gretchen B
    Lake Wylie, South Carolina38 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful palace and amazing staff
    This place was amazing. There is so much history. The palace and the grounds were beautiful. We actually stayed here as an Airbnb (the Balvaird wing) and the palace was closed, but the staff (Stephen and Dale) arranged a private tour. What an amazing staff who really take pride in the place. Highly recommend!
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 29 December 2023
  • Barnaby S
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Day out with the family
    Scone Palace is a wonderful day out, especially as the weather starts to improve. The garden is utterly beautiful and perfect for a walk with the whole family. We had lunch in the Palace cafe and the food was excellent. I had the palace burger which was perfectly cooked and delicious. There was also a great selection of cakes to choose from. A must for a day out!
    Hi there, thank you for for the lovely review, we are delighted to hear that you enjoyed exploring the gardens as well as a tasty lunch in our coffee shop 😊
    Written 3 April 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 1 April 2024
  • Kate S
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great!
    Visited the Palace grounds and cafe several times during winter when it was free to get in. The grounds are beautifully maintained, with an impressive pinetum, and lots of space to ramble in. The cafe has good coffee and excellent baking and the staff were very nice. Just wanted to say I really think it's a great local facility in the winter months. Much appreciated.
    Thank you for taking the time to leave such a lovely review, we really appreciate your feedback and are glad to hear you enjoyed visiting us over the winter, we hope to see you again to enjoy the gardens in their full summer glory! 🌼
    Written 3 April 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 1 April 2024
  • eoireitum
    314 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Stunning
    A beautiful house stuffed with antiques and very knowledgeable staff. Pat was a pleasure to talk to and a mine of information. The cafe is also very good, as was the soup. The grounds are beautiful and are a joy to walk around.
    Thank you for the lovely review, we're glad you enjoyed your visit and learning about the history of the Palace from our guides.
    Written 17 April 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 9 April 2024
  • Neil1812680129
    21 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lovely day. Dictated by bus service
    Had a wonderful day walking round the gardens, mausoleum and exploring the palace. Staff are all so friendly, informative and have so much time for you. So much to see so need a return visit,will need to arrive earlier. Just wish the bus service (3 &58) could service the palace better .
    Hi Neil, thank you for taking the time to leave a review, we really appreciate it and are happy to hear you enjoyed your visit to the Palace and gardens. We look forward to welcoming you back to explore more!
    Written 17 April 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 13 April 2024
  • Blaau
    24 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Don't miss this gem if you're in the area.
    I can only echo previous reviews. The interior of the palace is spectacular, the staff are friendly and happy to chat/provide information and the grounds are a delight to wander round. My only adverse comment is that signage for walks around the grounds could be a lot better. We did not visit the cafe as the queue there was horrendous, instead buying cold drinks from the shop.
    Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, we really appreciate the feedback. We're glad you enjoyed your visit and found our staff helpful.
    Written 1 May 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 28 April 2024
  • Heather H
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful old home with many original pieces and a beautiful garden
    We were on a tour with a guide and definitely didn't have enough time to go through everything 😕. The gardens were so beautiful this time of year, and the grand old Douglas for trees I could have spent some more time in awe of them!! The home is lovely, with fantastic, friendly, knowledgeable guides, and souch original furniture and decor! The family who owns it still lives there, so no photos were allowed. The peacocks were also fun and talkative. They even sell scones! So you can have a scone at Scone Palace!
    Thank you for taking the time to leave a lovely review. We're so glad you enjoyed your visit to Scone Palace, exploring the Victorian Pinetum and found our team helpful. Hopefully we can welcome you back in the future to see the parts you may have missed 😊
    Written 23 May 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 21 May 2024
  • Stephen R
    Abergele, United Kingdom86 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Scone Palace...Recommended
    Visited Saturday 25/5 Had a wonderful afternoon walking around the Palace and grounds. Plenty to see within the building...Information sheets in every room...Helpful and informative staff. Ground floor coffee room..The grounds are well kept. Parking nearby Recommended
    Thank you for your lovely review, we're so glad you enjoyed your visit to Scone Palace and found our staff helpful when touring the State Rooms.
    Written 4 June 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 30 May 2024
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles2,345 reviews
Excellent
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JennieB58
Southampton, UK90 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021
4 of us booked on my phone during a visit to Scotland, disappointingly there didn't seem to be any concession rates so paid £20 per person and no way did we feel we got our moneys' worth. We only saw about 4 rooms and we're not permitted in the built to order Queen Victoria's bedroom as it was too small. Given there were 36 people on our tour, I can understand how we couldn't all crowd in there, but they could have let a few in at a time or at least opened the doors so you could peek in. The guide wore a mask though out and thats fair enough in these Covid times, but it made it impossible for me to lip read and as a deaf person it meant I missed sizeable chunks of the speeches. Given what I did hear, which was a dry as it could be, I clearly didn't miss much. Surely given the charges the guide could have worn either a visor or a mask with a clear plastic bit over the mouth as many other curators at attractions do. Any questions were met with either a blank look and an "I don't know" or an off hand remark. The food was mediocre and overpriced and precious little choice. There was far too much emphasis on dates and not enough focus on the who and the how, and the stone of destiny. They were preparing for a family wedding the coming weekend which may have explained the rushed feeling of the tour and the lack of rooms but for me it was a waste of money, They could learn a great deal from the tour of the House of Dun in Montrose, which was half the money and 4 times the value. It was also weird to have a hut at the entrance to the car park which meant each car had to stop and present the prepaid confirmation to be given wristbands and maps etc. Surely you could have parked up and had the hut at the entrance to the grounds? no wristband, no tour so it made little sense to have queues of cars and one person dealing with it all. So many improvements could be made and I speak as a retired tour guide, so know what 'good' looks like.
Written 22 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for the feedback. The tour takes in 8 main rooms, with only Queen Victoria's Room being closed to the public for the reasons you mention. It is also accessed via a Corridor which does not give sufficient space for visitors to feel comfortable in. You mention 36 people in your tour which is surprising as our tours are capped at 24 per time slot. The last year has brought many challenges as you will appreciate, not least our Guides having to wear masks whilst conducting the tour. Your suggestion of clear masks is one for us to consider but we are also working on an app with Perth & Kinross Council which will give a better experience for visitors with hearing difficulties. This will be live for 2022 season. The purpose of asking people to stop at the Ticket Hut is to ensure we control entry both to the gardens and the Palace. One person on duty would struggle to keep an eye on all cars that are parked and it does generally only take a couple of minutes to check visitors in if they have pre purchased a ticket. The position of the hut is similar to many other attractions. Next season we will have a different offering and it would be interesting to receive any feedback should you visit us again in 2022.
Written 13 October 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Random Jenny
Gourock, UK252 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2021 • Couples
We were left a little underwhelmed and disappointed at our visit to Scone Palace.
We had booked in advance so we knew the prices were £20 palace and gardens entry and £10 for the gardens alone.
Given the price is at the very high end of historic homes we were naturally expecting a lot but left a little deflated after our visit.
My husband toured the palace with a guide whilst I walked the grounds with our dog.
The tour itself was detailed and the guide friendly and knowledgable but only a little time is spent on the story of the stone of destiny and the history of the crownings the majority of the tour talks of the Earls of Mansfield.
The grounds are extensive at over 100 acres and the trails are well marked out and easy to follow but overall a little bland, there was nothing growing in the kitchen garden even though it is listed as an attraction.
The staff were very friendly particularly in the shop and cafe, dogs are welcome at lunch to dine in a dedicated room, they even sell frozen yoghurt in the shops for dogs.
The cafe food was nice but nothing special and of course it’s tradition to eat a scone at scone but no clotted cream was available and the jam was low end plastic tubs, our toastie was plain white supermarket bread.
All in all a little more attention to detail in the quality and presentation of the food would make all the difference.
We were made to feel welcome and enjoyed aspects of our visit but wouldn’t visit again or take family and friends back
Unfortunately.

Written 15 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for the feedback. Our Kitchen Garden is understocked at the moment as we were unable to do much planting during lockdown whilst a number of our team were on furlough. We have now started focusing on this area and I am sure we will see some results in due course. The Stone is an important of the tour, as is the history of the Palace and the role of the Earls of Mansfield, and we need to balance what is presented to Visitors with the time available for the tour. We generally don't offer clotted cream in the Coffee Shop, but we do offer fresh whipped cream, and have just reinstated our home made jam as we now have staff available to produce this. Hopefully should you return at some time in the future, you will be able to taste our delicious raspberry and strawberry jam.
Written 21 May 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Tracy D
Reading, UK22 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
A very interesting guided tour by a very amusing and knowledgeable guide. Lots of little anecdotes and she managed amazingly when having to deal with one visitor who persisted on taking photos when it was not allowed. Lots of sanitizer available and regularly cleaned toilets so it felt COVID safe. Beautiful pinetum so many different types of trees. The highlight of the tour was the site of the Kings of Scotland's coronations and the place of the Stone of Scone .... more wonderful details from our guide. Thank you for a lovely visit.
Written 9 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for the feedback and I am delighted that you enjoyed your visit.
Written 10 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Matt Smith
Barnsley, UK49 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
A couple of days ago we took the opportunity to visit Scone Palace and were impressed by this place. Now as a family, we love the experience of visiting new castles and this is a must see for those who are into their Scottish history as this place is known for being the place that crowned many Scottish kings for over 1500 years (including many iconic kings such as James I and Macbeth (more renowned for the Shakespeare play)).

Now like many places during the Covid-19 crisis booking to gain access into the grounds is essential and also for many other experiences such as the maze that is available for families and the castle tour itself. However, on the whole this is a really lovely place. A lot of places where you can socially distance including the gardens which are lovely and the tour, whilst personally not my favourite, was very informative and we had an amazing and funny guide leading the tour.

As such whilst it isn't our favourite it is a really good one and one I definitely should recommend for those who have never visited this castle. It is very easy to get to and a great day out for those wanting to visit Perth.
Written 18 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for the great feedback and I am delighted you enjoyed your visit, and felt safe as well. Hopefully we will see you back again some time soon.
Written 19 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

MossmanJoe
Inverurie, UK169 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Couples
A rainy day in Perth... lunch at Scone castle ticked lots of boxes. We booked online and that was fine. The castle itself was closed but we could walk in the gardens for free which was as pleasant as it can be in the drizzle. Anyway, the restaurant (not the coffee shop nearby), was decorated with loads of copper pots and an old wood stove. Really tasteful. The meal was a choice of 2 soups, 3 mains and 2 deserts. These were a big serving and just lovely. Bottomless coffee was included as well. We’ll be back when the castle is open. This was a really nice experience
Written 3 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Glad you enjoyed your visit and we look forward to welcoming you back again soon!
Written 5 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

rabnud
Glasgow, UK41 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
We spent a wonderful afternoon in the grounds of this fabulous estate.. peacocks and red squirrels !!!
Open air cafe and plenty of room to wander ... highly recommend for anyone looking for a relaxing informative and peaceful day really worth a visit but take your time...
Written 9 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for coming to visit us!
Written 23 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Tony T
Ramsbottom, UK104 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021
20 quid for a guided we thought was a bit steep... how wrong we were! We love visiting stately homes and castles and Scone Palace is up there with the best we have visited. Covid meant that only guided tours were the option and we are so glad we took the plunge. Jason a young guy that was our guide has so much information to impart, his enthusiasm and good humour kept our group of ten engaged throughout the hour long tour. Do not hesitate in booking a tour... and a huge highlight for our group was the amazing painting of Belle and her 'sister'
Written 9 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Delighted that you enjoyed your visit!
Written 13 October 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Howard P
Perth, UK1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
Earlier today Wednesday 8th June 2022 my wife & I drove from nearby Auchterarder to Scone Palace with a view to visiting for the first time their dog friendly cafe as we will in October become owners of two Maltese Dogs.
Having not visited before with this view we hoped that as relative locals this visit to said cafe may become a regular visit once owner of the dogs.
However as it turned out to do the above we had to first purchase tickets to the grounds at £10 each. A very expensive coffee.
I appreciate that some form of control would be needed with regards to persons wandering around the grounds.
But I'm sorry to say we will not be returning which is a shame because as locals we would of been willing to provide our custom out of season if the cafe was open.
Written 8 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your note. We have a special membership scheme called Friends of Scone and it was designed specifically for local residents so that you can return as many times as you like throughout a 12 month rolling period. It is advertised on our website and at the ticket hut. As we are a tourist attraction and historic house with over 100 acres to explore and upkeep/staffing of the palace and gardens, we do have to charge an entry fee as do all historic houses. We do hope that you enjoyed your coffee and that you were able to see how dog friendly we are. Did you take the chance to walk around the grounds and see all the great places you can walk your dogs? The Maze, Pinetum, Kitchen Gardens, and all the pathways around the grounds. We hope that you have wonderful adventures with your new doggies when they arrive.
Written 9 June 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

SMF29
Blairgowrie, UK50 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020 • Friends
Tours of Scone Palace are only available with a guide (prebooked) and currently cost £20 pp. They last approx. one hour and cover only a small part of the palace. The guide was extremely knowledgeable, but a little formal and regimental!! The palace is beautiful and worth a visit, but I’m not sure you’d want to take the kids unless they are immaculately behaved- too pricey! (Maybe that’s why it’s expensive?!) You can visit the gardens only for a reduced price (around a tenner pp) and they are lovely. Dogs allowed on a lead.
Written 9 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for coming to visit. The Gardens only access is currently £5 and a winter season ticket costs £12.50 for unlimited visits during opening hours.
Written 13 December 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

BrianJohnstone
Essex, UK7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2019
Using lockdown to write some reviews of past places visited and Scone was a real favourite of ours.

We visited back in October ‘19 and were on a five day tour with our own guide who suggested as it was a beautiful day and we are fond of gardens and history, that we should visit Scone whilst passing South from Inverness.

Our guide John used to be a guide at Scone Palace and spoke highly of the house and gardens and said it was a must see and we are so glad he suggested it. Even better we had our own guide to take us around each room and explore the gardens with us and his knowledge was fantastic. I have to say the other guides employed by the palace were very friendly and had a good laugh and a joke with us and John.

It was excellent to have everything pointed out to us as I’m sure we’d have missed so much had we not had our own guide in the gardens for example or on the Boot Hill but the staff we spoke with were all very friendly.

Great paintings by David Wilkie, Ramsay and Martin amongst hundreds more and a really great collection. Nice clean toilets, stunning gardens and sunshine; what’s not to like?
Written 19 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What a lovely review! thanks for coming to see us.
Written 25 July 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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SCONE PALACE (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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