St Andrews Castle , Scotland

St Andrew's Castle is a picturesque ruin located in the coastal Royal Burgh of St Andrews in Fife. The castle sits on a rocky promontory overlooking a small beach called Castle Sands. There has been a castle standing at the site since the times of Bishop Roger (1189-1202), son of the Earl of Leicester. It housed the burgh’s wealthy and powerful bishops while St Andrews served as the ecclesiastical centre of Scotland during the years before the Protestant Reformation.

The castle has had a colourful history including the burning of George Wishart, the Protestant preacher, the murder of Cardinal Beaton, and the great siege of 1546–7, when Rev John Knox was one of the garrison.

Several notable figures spent time in the castle over the years. James I of Scotland (1406-1437) received part of his education from Bishop Henry Wardlaw, the founder of St Andrews University in 1410. A later resident, Bishop James Kennedy, was a trusted advisor of James II of Scotland (1437-1460). In 1445 the castle was the birthplace of James III of Scotland.

During these years, the castle also served as a notorious prison. The castle's “bottle dungeon” is a damp and airless pit cut out of solid rock below the north-west tower. It housed local miscreants, as well as several more prominent individuals such as David Stuart, Duke of Rothesay in 1402, Duke Murdoch in 1425, and Archbishop Patrick Graham, who was judged to be insane and imprisoned in his own castle in 1478.

Opening Times

1 April - 30 September
Daily: 9.30 am to 5.30 pm

1 October - 31 March
Daily: 9.30 am to 4.30 pm

Visit website for more information

Ticket Prices

St Andrews Castle
Adult £5.50,
Child £3.30,
Concession £4.40

St Andrews Castle and Cathedral
Adult £7.60,
Child £4.60,
Concession £6.10

Visit website for more information

Disabled Facilities

Wheelchair access is available through the visitor centre - which includes a display with multi-sensory aspects for visitors with visual impairments - and round the ground floor of the castle. There is no access to the bottle dungeon, mines or upper floors of the castle for visitors using wheelchairs or with limited mobility.

The castle grounds are mainly grass and suitable for wheelchairs. A cement path from the visitor centre to the castle allows visitors using wheelchairs to get to the castle easily.

Guide Dogs are permitted

Visit website for more information

More Information

Visit website for more information