St Andrews Castle

The castle used to belong to the Archbishops of St Andrews. In its glory days, the castle was home to bishops and archbishops. It was the most important place for the medieval church of Scotland. It is ruins now, but some of the remaining pieces date back to the 13th century.

A visit to the site will allow you to explore the fascinating 450-year history of the castle. This includes murders, assassinations, dungeons, and sieges. The dark history of this castle will give you some insight into the struggle of the protestant reformation as they fought to win over the Scottish people.

Because of the location of the castle, it is occasionally closed due to bad weather. If you are concerned, you can check the status of the castle before you visit.

Things to Do

You can go down into the castle mine and countermine. These are relics of medieval siege warfare, and you may not find another example like this one.

The bottle dungeon is yours to explore. In medieval times it was one of the more notorious dungeons in the whole of Britain.

Explore the visitor’s centre to learn more about the dark history of the dungeon and the way wars were waged from this castle. The displays are multisensorial making them great for all, including the visually impaired.

Complete a fun, fact-finding mission. You can pick up a quiz to complete from the visitors’ centre. Find the answers as you explore the castle grounds.

Planning Your Visit

From April to September the castle is open daily. The first entry is at 9.30 am. Last entry is at 5 pm with the castle closing at 5.30 pm. From October to March the opening hours are 10 am to 4 pm with last entry at 3.30 pm.

Adult tickets cost £9, tickets for children are £5.40. Under 5s go free. If you are planning to visit the cathedral as well then you should look into the joint ticket as it will save you money to visit both attractions.

The nature of the site does mean that certain parts are not wheelchair accessible. The visitor centre, however, is.