Related Links

Recess Dates

Exhibitions

Calendar of Events

Panoramic photo tour

For information about our location and getting to the Parliament building, please visit our How to Find Us pages.

Access to the building is free and you can:

explore at your leisure an exhibition about the Scottish Parliament pick up information about the Parliament visit the public galleries of the Chamber or Committee rooms to see Parliament in action on business days. On non-business days, the Chamber and Committee Room public galleries are open for visitors to see these remarkable spaces and staff are available to answer questions watch proceedings on our Information Channel screens in the Main Hall visit the shop and café.

We have a range of services to help you with your visit. These include a crèche (booking in advance is advised), baby changing / feeding facilities and wheelchair / pushchair loans.

Holyrood has been designed with disability access issues fully in mind and we have a number of services to enable you to visit. Guide dogs and other assistance dogs are welcome.

Our opening times are:

Business Days (normally Tuesday-Thursday)

All year 09.00 to 18.30 (last entry 18.00)

Non-business days (normally Mondays and Fridays and every weekday when Parliament is in recess)

• April to September 10.00 to 17.30 (last entry 17.00).
• October to March 10.00 to 16.00 (last entry 15.30)

All year 11.00 to 17.30 (last entry 17.00)

Closed Sundays

Christmas closure

The building will be closed to the public on the following dates:

Tuesday 23rd Dec; Wednesday 24th Dec; Thursday 25th Dec; Friday 26th Dec, Sunday 28th Dec, Wednesday 31st Dec; Thursday 1st Jan; Friday 2nd Jan; Saturday 3rd Jan; Sunday 4th Jan

Please note that we are a working Parliament. All visit arrangements are subject to the demands of Parliamentary business, and to security arrangements which may change at short notice. Tour routes and access to parts of the Parliament building may be altered or withdrawn at short notice. In the event of closure or tour cancellations, we will try to offer alternative dates for your visit.

If you wish to visit, please think about what you would like to see and do as the building is very popular and can get very busy:

• If it is important for you to see the Parliament at work, you will want to visit on a business day when you can go to the galleries to see a Committee meeting or a meeting of the full Parliament in progress. Tickets are free. We recommend that you book your ticket in advance since they can be very popular.
• If you want to see the building and learn more about the Parliament in general, you might prefer a visit on a non-business day when you can explore at your leisure or enjoy a guided tour with a professional tour guide.

You can check current sitting weeks/recess dates on this website in the Parliamentary Business section.