Scone Palace

Scone was the crowning place of Scottish kings for centuries. Almost every King of Scots, from Kenneth MacAlpin in the 9th century to Charles II in 1651, was crowned on Moot Hill here. The Stone of Destiny, on which monarchs sat during coronation, was kept at Scone until 1296, when Edward I of England seized it and took it to Westminster Abbey, where it remained for 700 years.

Very much so. Scone sits on the site where the Stone of Destiny was kept for centuries, until Edward I of England removed it in 1296. A replica now stands on Moot Hill in the grounds, while the real Stone was returned to Scotland in 1996 and is displayed in Edinburgh Castle.

It's open to visitors from April to October, with tickets covering the house, state rooms, gardens, grounds, Moot Hill, and the adventure playground and maze. As the private home of the Earl of Mansfield, it has a lived-in feel quite different from purely institutional heritage sites.

Scone Palace is about 45 miles north of Edinburgh, roughly 55 minutes by car on the M90. It sits just north of Perth and combines easily with the city, Highland Perthshire or Pitlochry on a day tour from Edinburgh or Glasgow.