If you have a few days free while you’re in Edinburgh, you can spend it visiting the villages and attractions in Fife.
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If you are travelling around the United Kingdom, the best way is by car. Not only do you get to see more but you will find more hidden gems that the average traveller doesn’t see.
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Culross
The medieval village & Royal Burgh of Culross (pronounced Coo-riss) is in the Kingdom of Fife and is one of those charming villages that you fall in love with at first sight. Located on the northern banks of the Firth of Forth, it is the place that everyone wanders through on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
A free car park is a big bonus in such a popular village. There is a kid’s playground and picnic area on the esplanade.
Culross Palace
Culross Palace is on the main street, just across from the Esplanade. It isn’t actually a palace, but the name was born out of a typo, as it should have been a place.
Dating from the 17 and 18th Centuries, Culross Palace is part of the National Trust of Scotland. When you visit, you can see great examples of painted ceilings. You also explore the gardens behind the buildings and have refreshments in Bessie’s Café.
Check out their events page to see what tours, events like Christmas Markets or closures are on when you are there.
Hours
Palace and Gardens
- 9 Mar–28 Mar, daily, 10.00–16.00 (last entry 15.00)
- 29 Mar–30 Sep, daily, 10.00–17.00 (last entry 16.00)
- 1 Oct–31 Oct, daily, 10.00–16.00 (last entry 15.00)
Shop
9 Mar–28 Mar, daily, 10.00–16.00Current period29 Mar–30 Sep, daily, 10.00–16.451 Oct–31 Oct, daily, 10.00–15.45
Bessie’s Cafe
- 28 Mar–31 Oct, Thu–Tue, 10.00–16.00
Please note Bessie’s Café is closed on Wednesdays. | Last orders at 15.30
Prices
Palace & Garden – You can book at the Townhouse Gift Shop on the day.
- Adult £13
- Family £35
- One Adult Family £22.50
- Concession £10
- National Trust members Free
Admiral Thomas Cochrane
Just outside the Palace is the bust of Admiral Thomas Cochrane. He wasn’t born in Culross but grew up in Abbey House and is the inspiration for the fictional navy hero, Horatio Hornblower.
Admiral Cochrane became the 10th Earl of Dundonald upon his father’s death in 1831. A great inventor and MP, the Earl of Dundonald is now buried in Westminster Abbey.
The Townhouse
When you follow the cobblestone roads, it will lead you to the Town House. A gift shop pays attention to the TV series Outlander, which has used Culross for filming. You can also see a painted ceiling in the gift shop.
On the other side of the gift shop is my favourite shop in Culross. Graham Harris Graham Fine Art Photography showcases his fine art photography of Scotland. His photography is for sale in different formats showing Scotland at its finest.
Hours
Open 7 days from 11 am to 5 pm.
Prices
Entry is completely free.
Mercat Cross
Turning left after the shops, the road will lead you up the hill. Here, you’ll find the Mercat Cross, Culross Abbey, and the Parish Church.
Found throughout Scotland, Mercat Cross is Scottish for Market Cross. It denotes where permission was given, by a monarch, a bishop or a baron, to hold a market and dates from at least the 17th Century.
Fans of the TV series Outlander may recognise this part of Culross as it was the town of Cranesmuir in the series. You might recognise The Cross from the scenes.
Culross Abbey
Once you’re near the top of the road, you have the ruins of Culross Abbey to explore.
Built on top of a 6th-century Pictish church, Culross Abbey was founded in 1217. By 1633, the Reformation and the natural dying out of monks led to the ruins that you now find.
There isn’t much to see, although you can climb the metal stairs to the next level. The east end still survives today as the Culross Parish Church.
Check out their website to see if it’s open as it’s undergoing restoration.
Culross Parish Church
Culross Parish Church dates back to the early 1630s, and services are still held inside today. The doors should be open for you to visit. Inside, you can read about the history of the Abbey on information boards.
You can also see the memorial Tomb House of Sir George Bruce, Laird of Carnock, his wife, and eight children.
The legend connected to the Abbey says that a man is sitting in the tunnels beneath the Abbey waiting for someone to find him upon which that person will receive treasure. One story is that a blind piper went in with his dog. Playing his pipes, he travelled at least three-quarters of a mile searching, but although the dog returned to the surface, the blind piper was never seen or heard from again.
Dunfermline
If you have a few days to spend seeing attractions in Fife, you could easily spend one of them here in Dunfermline.
Dunfermline Abbey and Palace
Dunfermline Abbey is full of so much Scottish history. One of the volunteers may give you a detailed description of the history of Robert the Bruce and the Abbey.
Margaret founded the Priory here in 1070 on the site where she was married to Malcolm the III. She was an Anglo-Saxon Princess but was born in Hungary after her family were exiled.
She was a pious, charitable Queen who established a ferry across the Firth of Forth for pilgrims, and this is where the names of North and South Queensferry have derived from.
Her shrine was at the back of the Abbey, and in 1250, she was canonised because of the miracles that were said to have been performed by her to the people who prayed at her shrine.
Margaret’s story was inspirational for me, and hopefully, she will never be forgotten even though her relics have been lost and dispersed after the Scottish Reformation.
Charles the First was the last monarch born in Dunfermline Palace in 1600, and Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots, was buried in this Abbey.
The original tomb photographed below was destroyed during the Scottish Reformation. During the clearance before the building of the Abbey, you see today, parts of the marble tomb were discovered, so people have been able to recreate it today.
His bones were recovered, verified and now lie under the pulpit.
Hours
From Sunday 30th April, the summer opening hours will follow the same pattern as Historic Environment Scotland. Please always check either their page or our Facebook page on your day of travel.
- Sunday 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
- Monday – Saturday 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
- The Abbey Church is open for Morning Worship every Sunday at 10.30 am.
The last entry for visitors visiting is 4 pm.
Please note that the church may be closed at short notice due to funerals, weddings and other events. Please check back here or on our Facebook Page
Pittencrieff Park
Pittencrieff Park is right across the road from Dunfermline Abbey. After buying the land in 1902, Andrew Carnegie gifted it back to the townspeople he loved. Peacocks roam the grounds that you can also walk through, looking for Andrew Carnegie’s statue, the Glen and the Peace Park, which has the Peace Pole, erected before the Dalai Lama’s visit in 2004.
Another great free thing to do is Pittencrieff House Museum. You have exhibitions where you can learn what the land was like 350 million years and what lived here through the ages.
Rose Gardens, Glasshouses and St. Margaret’s Cave cover all ages. St. Margaret’s Cave may be a bit eerie with the haunting sound effect of monks singing.
The Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum
I’ll admit that I knew the name Andrew Carnegie, but I didn’t know anything about his life or where he was born, and this is where the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum is invaluable.
From humble beginnings in Dunfermline, he read books and took chances to become one of the richest men in the world.
He built 2,509 public and university libraries between 1883 and 1929, with the first being constructed in Dunfermline, giving back to the town he was born in.
The Museum includes the cottage where he was born, furnished as it was nearly 200 hundred years ago as the weaver’s cottage, complete with a loom downstairs, as that was his father’s trade.
This is another free museum and well worth the visit. You can learn so much about Andrew’s life through the collections giving you an insight into the family man and philanthropist he was.
Hours
Every Day, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, (last entry 3:20 pm)
Prices
Free
Falkland
The little village of Falkland has two things that tourists love, a Palace and being used on the TV series Outlander. You could spend an afternoon or one of your days in this village in Fife.
Falkland was used as a stand-in for Inverness in the TV series Outlander. It was at this fountain that the ghostly figure of Jamie looked up at where Claire was staying.
Falkland Palace
There are gardens to explore as well as the Falkland Palace, and you could easily spend a couple of hours here or more.
Falkland Palace became a Royal home during the times of James IV and James V in the early 16th Century through renovations to the existing Castle. It was initially a hunting lodge in the 12th Century before expanding in the 13th Century.
The oldest tennis court in the United Kingdom is located at Falkland Palace, which was completed in 1541. Mary, Queen of Scots, used to play, causing a scandal at the time for wearing men’s breeches.
During the Cromwell years, the Palace took a battering following a fire and then left in ruins. It wasn’t until 1887 that restoration began under John, the 3rd Marquis of Bute, and it is thanks to him that we have the Palace as it is today.
Hours
Palace
- Jan 1–28 Feb, closed
- Mar 1–31 Oct, daily, 11.00–17.00
- Nov 1–28 Feb 2023, closed
Garden
Last entry to the garden at 4.30 pm
- Jan 1–28 Feb, closed
- Mar 1–31 Oct, daily, 11.00–17.00
- Nov 1–31 Dec, closed
Shop
- Jan 1–28 Feb, closed
- Mar 1–31 Oct, daily, 11.00–17.00
- Nov 1–31 Dec, closed
Prices
Palace & Garden
- Adult £17.00
- Family £40.00
- One Adult Family £30
- Concession £14
- Child £9.50
- Young Scot £1.00
Garden
- Adult £6.50
- Concession £5.00
Falkland Palace is also part of the National Trust. Members are free.
Aberdour
Aberdour Castle
Aberdour Castle is another place to visit if you’re a fan of Outlander. It was used as the place where Claire tended to Jamie, aiding his recovery from the hands of “Black Jack” Randall.
Part of the Castle is in ruins, but some parts have stood the test of time, and one is in the room with the painted ceiling, which dates to the 17th Century.
This Castle dates back to the 12th or 13th centuries and has been extended on over the centuries.
Walled and terraced gardens, as well as a doocot, or pigeon house, surround three sides of the Castle.
There is limited parking here, but it does have a cafe and outdoor seating on a nice day. You can easily fit it into one of your days of touring around Fife.
Hours
29 Mar to 30 Sept:
Daily, 10 am to 4.30 pm (last entry 4 pm).
1 Oct to 28 Mar:
Daily except Thur & Fri, 10 am to 4 pm (last entry 3.15 pm).
Closed for lunch from 12.30 pm to 1.30 pm.
Closed 25 December to 5 January
Prices
| Adult (16-64yrs) | £7.50 |
| Concession (65yrs+ and unemployed) | £6.00 |
| Child (7-15yrs) | £4.50 |
| Family (1 adult, 2 children) | £15.00 |
| Family (2 adults, 2 children) | £21.50 |
| Family (2 adults, 3 children) | £25.50 |
- Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
- Concession price: this applies if you can show proof that you’re aged 65+ or unemployed. Please note this does not apply to students.
- Admission prices are subject to change.
- Historic Scotland members get free entry to our sites. You must show your valid membership on arrival.
- English Heritage, Manx and Cadw members get half-price entry in your first year and free entry for renewal and life members.
- Carers who accompany visitors with disabilities receive free entry. Please make an online booking to guarantee entry. Tickets are limited to two carers per transaction.
- Have a Young Scot card? Pay just £1 to visit the site. You must show your valid Young Scot card on arrival (children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult).
St. Andrews
The main street of St. Andrews has pay and display parking. There are shops, cafés and the Holy Trinity Church, which is so colourful with flowers in the garden and hanging pots everywhere.
St. Andrews Cathedral
The St. Andrews Cathedral was founded to supply more accommodation than the smaller church that stood here afforded. New work began in 1158 and continued for the next Century.
Wandering around the grounds of the largest Cathedral in Scotland, you’ll be amazed at the size. It’s hard to imagine how big it was from the ruins that are left today.
It’s free to walk the grounds and explore the old cemetery, but if you want to climb up St. Rule’s Tower, for the views over St. Andrews and Fife or visit the Museum, you’ll have to pay admission.
Hours
29 Mar to 30 Sep: daily 9.30 am to 5.30 pm (last entry 4.45 pm)
1 Oct to 28 Mar: daily 10 am to 4 pm (last entry 3.30 pm)
Prices
| Adult (16-64yrs) | £3.75 |
| Concession (65yrs+ and unemployed) | £3.00 |
| Child (7-15yrs) | £2.25 |
| Family (1 adult, 2 children) | £9.75 |
| Family (2 adults, 2 children) | £13.50 |
| Family (2 adults, 3 children) | £16.50 |
- Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
- Concession price: this applies if you can show proof that you’re aged 65+ or unemployed. Please note this does not apply to students.
- Admission prices are subject to change.
- Historic Scotland members get free entry to our sites, but please make an online booking to guarantee entry. You must show your valid membership on arrival.
- English Heritage, Manx and Cadw members get half-price entry in your first year and free entry for renewal and life members. Please make an online booking to guarantee entry.
- Carers who accompany visitors with disabilities receive free entry. Please make an online booking to guarantee entry. Tickets are limited to two carers per transaction.
- Have a Young Scot card? Pay just £1 to visit the cathedral. Please make an online booking to guarantee entry. You must show your valid Young Scot card on arrival (children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult).
St. Andrews Preservation Trust Museum
The St. Andrews Preservation Trust Museum is another excellent free Scottish Museum. The Museum is in a beautiful 17th Century home featuring exhibits from the past in Fife.
Out the back are award-winning gardens and outhouses with more information on how people lived a hundred or more years ago.
Upstairs holds another exhibition that changes regularly.
Hours
The museum is now closed for major redevelopment and will reopen in 2025. You can still view some of the museum’s narratives and collections through our Pop-Up exhibition. Click here for more information.
St. Andrews Castle
St. Andrews Castle is less than a 10-minute walk from the Cathedral along the shoreline.
Walking through the ruins, you can imagine how the Bishops of the Cathedral would have lived before the traumatic circumstances of the Reformation.
You first go through the ticket office and exhibition on the history of the castle site, which dates back to the 12th Century. The exhibition ends with John Knox giving one of his rousing speeches leading up to the Protestant Reformation.
The Castle has been destroyed many times over the centuries, especially during the Scottish Wars for Independence as it changed hands between Scottish and English. Each time it was rebuilt afterwards, even after the Protestant Reformation. It slowly fell into ruin upon the death of its last benefactor Archbishop John Hamilton.
From the Castle viewing platforms, you can look up and down the coastline of Fife for miles.
Hours
There is currently no access to the siege mine and counter mine.
29 March to 30 September: daily, 9.30 am to 5.30 pm (last entry 4.45 pm).
1 October to 28 March: daily 10 am to 4 pm (last entry 3.30 pm).
Closed 25 and 26 December
1 and 2 January
Click here for any Current unexpected and short term closures.
Prices
| Adult (16-64yrs) | £8.00 |
| Concession (65yrs+ and unemployed) | £6.00 |
| Child (7-15yrs) | £6.00 |
| Family (1 adult, 2 children) | £20.00 |
| Family (2 adults, 2 children) | £29.00 |
| Family (2 adults, 3 children) | £34.00 |
- Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
- Concession price: this applies if you can show proof that you’re aged 65+ or unemployed. Please note this does not apply to students.
- Admission prices are subject to change.
- Historic Scotland members get free entry to our sites, but please make an online booking to guarantee entry. You must show your valid membership on arrival.
- English Heritage, Manx and Cadw members get half-price entry in your first year and free entry for renewal and life members. Please make an online booking to guarantee entry.
- Carers who accompany visitors with disabilities receive free entry. Please make an online booking to guarantee entry. Tickets are limited to two carers per transaction.
- Have a Young Scot card? Pay just £1 to visit the castle. Please make an online booking to guarantee entry. You must show your valid Young Scot card on arrival (children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult).
More Attractions to See in St Andrews
Other attractions in St. Andrews are very diverse. Love Golf? Then have a hit at the oldest golf courses in the world, or you could take a walk/run along the beach where Chariots of Fire was filmed next to the course. The St. Andrews Museum, the Museum of the University of St. Andrews, and the St. Andrews Aquarium are worth a visit.
From St. Andrews, you could go up to Dundee to visit the attractions there as it’s only 30 minutes further up the road. If you’d like to see what there is to do in Dundee, read my blog 3+ Things to do in Dundee, Scotland.
Fife is easily accessible from Edinburgh by car, and you won’t be disappointed if you spend a few days here with so many attractions in Fife.
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Great post! Funny, I grew up in Carnegie Hill in New York, and had no idea that Andrew Carnegie was from Scotland, wow. Thanks for sharing!
I didn’t know he was from Scotland either, Heather. He was a very inspirational man.
Great read, especially how you can accidentally get a palace from a spelling mistake! Gotta love history! Feeling drawn to Scotland more and more … would love to visit Fife 🙂
Thanks, Gabby. Scotland is a wonderful place to be and I’ll be sad to leave in a couple of weeks.
What a beautiful town! Definitely adding it to my places to see in Scotland.
I’m glad that you enjoyed it, Lia. I hope that you get to spend quite a bit of time exploring Scotland.
I miss Scotland and loved reading your post! I hope to get back up there soon.
Thanks, Larch. I hope that you do get back up here. I’m already planning a return visit, and I haven’t even left yet.
Oh, I so wanted to go to Culross on my first trip to Scotland. Unfortunately, a problem with our rental car pick up cost us several hours and we had to skip it on that day. Next time!
Oh, thank is such a shame, Kristina. Next time definitely as I enjoyed it so much that I went twice.
So many places you covered… it is amazing!!! We can’t wait to visit Scotland once back in Europe!!! 😁
Thanks, Sabina. I can’t wait to read your posts on Scotland. Your New Zealand posts are so informative and entertaining, and I’m sure Scotland will be just the same.
I really want to go to Scotland and seeing all your pictures makes me want to go even more. I just love all the old cathedrals and castles.
Thanks, Nancy, I hope you can visit soon.