St Andrews Castle

LoginSave

The castle is mainly in ruins, but the site itself is evocative and has dramatic coastline views. It was founded around 1200 as a fortified home for the bishop of St Andrews. After the execution of Protestant reformers in 1545, other reformers retaliated by murdering Cardinal Beaton and taking over the castle. They spent almost a year holed up, during which time they and their attackers dug a complex of siege tunnels; you can walk (or stoop) along their damp, mossy lengths.

The visitor centre gives a good audiovisual introduction and has a small collection of Pictish stones.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Scone Palace, traditional place of coronation for Scottish kings, Scone, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

    Scone Palace

    25.49 MILES

    'So thanks to all at once and to each one, whom we invite to see us crowned at Scone.' This line from Macbeth indicates the importance of Scone …

  • Bell on the Roal Yacht Britannia.

    Royal Yacht Britannia

    29.07 MILES

    Built on Clydeside, the former Royal Yacht Britannia was the British Royal Family's floating holiday home during their foreign travels from the time of…

  • Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

    Discovery Point

    10.48 MILES

    The three masts of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's famous polar expedition vessel the RRS Discovery provide a historic counterpoint to the modern…

  • View of the new V&A Museum at Discovery Point in Dundee, Tayside, Scotland, United Kingdom.

    V&A Dundee

    10.48 MILES

    The centrepiece of Dundee's revitalised waterfront is this stunning building designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Opened in late 2018, it houses an…

  • Verdant Works

    Verdant Works

    11.12 MILES

    One of the fi­nest industrial museums in Europe, the Verdant Works explores the history of Dundee's jute industry. Housed in a restored jute mill,…

  • Lindores Abbey Distillery

    Lindores Abbey Distillery

    16.75 MILES

    Of the many new distilleries popping up all over Scotland, this one – opened in 2017 – has a unique historical claim. It's a stunning modern building …

  • Close up image on a summers day of Glamis castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. 1772299841 aberdeen, aberdeenshire, attraction, brochure, building, castle, castles of scotland, destination, dream castles, europe, fairytale castle, glamis, glamis castle, glamis castle scotland, grass, historic, historical, holiday, image, kingdom, landmark, landscape, landscapes, lawn, location, medieval, palace, photo, postcard, scotland, scotlands castles, scotlands landscape, scottish, summer, tourism, tower, travel, travel photography, vacation, wanderlust

    Glamis Castle

    20.89 MILES

    Looking every inch the Scottish Baronial castle, with its roofline sprouting a forest of pointed turrets and battlements, Glamis Castle claims to be the…

  • Historic Falkland Palace and village with landscaped gardens on a sunny summer day in Fife, Scotland, UK. 1502567466

    Falkland Palace

    17.15 MILES

    Falkland Palace, a 16th-century country residence of the Stuart monarchs, is prettier and in many ways more impressive and interesting than the Palace of…

View more attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Museum of the University of St Andrews

0.14 MILES

MUSA celebrates the history of Scotland's oldest university, and showcases treasures such as medieval silver maces, rare books and manuscripts, and 16th…

2. St Andrews Cathedral

0.16 MILES

All that's left of one of Britain's most magnificent medieval buildings are ruined fragments of wall and arch, and a single towering gable, but you can…

3. St Andrews Aquarium

0.38 MILES

As well as a seal sanctuary, rays and sharks from Scottish waters, and exotic tropical favourites, St Andrews Aquarium has penguins, alligators and a cute…

4. British Golf Museum

0.47 MILES

This museum provides a comprehensive overview of the history and development of the game and the role of St Andrews in it. The huge collection ranges from…

5. Royal & Ancient Clubhouse

0.48 MILES

Dating from 1854, the clubhouse of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, the governing authority of the game of golf, stands beside the first tee of the Old…

6. St Andrews Museum

0.6 MILES

St Andrews Museum has interesting displays that chart the history of the town from its founding by St Regulus to its growth as an ecclesiastical, academic…

7. Scotland's Secret Bunker

6.08 MILES

This fascinating – and chilling – monument to Cold War paranoia was built in the 1950s to serve as one of Britain’s regional command centres in the event…

8. Cambo Walled Garden

6.62 MILES

Cambo Estate, 2.5 miles north of Crail, is the country seat of the Erskine family. Its walled garden, with an ornamental stream running through the middle…