St Andrews Castle

I stopped by this historic site while passing through St Andrew's. It was on the visit Scotland package I had purchased so I figured why not. I'm glad I made some time for this place, as it does have quite the storied past. Although it is only a part of what it once was, the visitor center has a lot of great displays and history of the castle. I really enjoyed the mine and counter-mine warfare descriptions, but unfortunately the mine area was under repair. As an engineer, I was really interested in this site. Oh well. Such is the price to maintain history. Thanks for the quick visit.

A must for visiting St Andrews. I love how it is perched on the sea, and i particularly like the museum because it's very interesting and the staff there are lovely. The gift shop is really nice too, they have some very nice things in there. I have a Historic Scotland membership, so I come every time I go to St Andrews. Twinning it with the cathedral is a brilliant idea too. The ruins are very interesting and it's fascinating picturing what it was once like. Excellent!!

St Andrews Castle sits right on the edge of the sea, and there’s something striking about how its ruins rise against the waves. Even though much of it has crumbled, the place still feels powerful, like the stones are holding onto all the stories they’ve seen. This was once the home of bishops and a centre of power in medieval Scotland, so every wall feels like it has witnessed secrets, struggles, and celebrations. Walking through the site, you don’t just see history — you feel it. The bottle dungeon is small, dark, and unsettling, a space that makes you imagine the fear of those who were once locked inside. The underground mine and counter-mine are even more remarkable; crawling through those tunnels gives you a sense of how desperate and determined people were during times of siege. Then you step outside, and the view across the North Sea takes your breath away. The contrast between the beauty of the landscape and the harshness of the castle’s past is part of what makes it so memorable. St Andrews Castle isn’t just another ruin. It’s a place where the drama of history meets the raw beauty of nature, and it leaves a lasting impression.

Nice little castle to wander round. The exhibition at the start was good, the staff were friendly and really helpful. It only got a 4 stars because in typical Historic Scotland fashion the best areas are closed for renovation but they don't reflect this in their prices. Toilets on site and plenty of benches. The views out onto the water are really nice.

Very interesting and dark history behind this castle. Very picturesque location on the cliffs of St Andrew’s. You can see the castle easily from outside the fence, but exploring the inside is worthwhile.

A nice place to visit with a rich history. The crowd can be overwhelming. Strongly suggest to join a tour group or engage a guide. If not, it will be just rocks that you will be seeing

You walk in through their gift shop. Say that you’re looking to go into castle. You have an audio guide option if you want too. There is some history inside before you make your way outside and onto castle grounds. There is currently 2 areas off limits but this does not impede on the visit. Amazing place to visit. Also view from the castle is absolutely amazing.

Fantastic place to visit. If your friends or family don't want to visit the ruins from inside, they can wait just a few minutes away on the beach that offers great views. The audio guide is very good, easily can spend 40-60 mins here, or more if you plan your picnic too.

The Heritage Pass will get you in here. Very interesting castle. There's a mine and a dungeon. A little creepy and dark. It's all pretty accessible. Go up the tower and walk around. There's a great view of the cathedral ruins from one of the towers. I thought it was worth it using the Heritage Pass. I don't know that I'd pay extra to get in.

Note: This is not closed! Not sure why it says this. Went a few weeks back. When you pay to go in, you walk through s brief little history lesson as well so you have some idea of what you're looking at. A gorgeous castle site on the coast. It's amazing soil erosion hasnt wiped this out in the hundreds of years. The edges of the castle still stand but most of the walls are collapsed from the battle destruction and wear and tear. There is still plenty to see and take in. They labeled what all the parts of the castle once were. You can even see the creepy dungeon prison. One of the cooler things is the tunnel. I couldn't do it because of general claustrophobia. But during a battle the enemy was tunneling under the castle. They started a counter tunnel to block them and they successfully did. So, you can walk through the original tunnel. Talk about being in the heart of history!

It's beautiful and historic. A very majestic place to visit and extremely picturesque. Everything you want out of an old Scottish castle.

We literally stumbled across this castle when out exploring St Andrews. As members of Historic Scotland we don't need to pay for admission but didn't have our cards with us. The lovely Michelle kindly phoned the admin office to check our names and let us in with out having our cards. I'm giving the castle ruins a 5 star rating for the simply awesome mines you can explore under the castle! They are not for those who don't like confined spaces, can't squeeze through tights gaps or if you aren't wearing trainers or decent shoes, but we loved them. They fitted a hand rail and a ladder to access the lower parts but be prepared to do a bit of scrambling! The history of the mines is quite fascinating to read about and then to be able to explore them was brilliant. I think they should advertise this fact better as we nearly missed the mines. The castle itself is mostly a ruin but Historic Scotland have added lots of info boards / plaques to highlight what the remains used to be part of. There are lots of benches around the site and large central grass area that would be good for kids to run about and have a picnic on a nice day. We really enjoyed our visit, I'm sure the mild, sunny weather helped. I'd definitely go back for another visit the next time I'm in St Andrews.

Didn't actually go in as it's a ruined castle and didn't want to pay the admission but can see it in its entirety from a distance and impressive against the water. It's a short walk to the cathedral which has more places to explore. A must-see if going to St Andrews (second to the Links & Old Course). There's also 3 parallel streets (North St, Market St & South St) that make up the town center which with lots of shops, restaurants and bars. We tried an Indian / Thai on North Street but were shortly disappointed. Another thing to note is you have to pay for public toilets (30p) which was annoying so we skipped it and went for an early lunch! The Visit Scotland place recommended walking along from the street where the castle is off to the golf course but there actually isn't that much to see.. I'd say the walk is worthwhile from the cathedral to the castle then going off on to market Street towards the golf course and then along the beach. Wonderful place to visit especially if you get good weather!

Stopped here since we were in St. Andrews. A nice little gift shop leads you into a maze of information which, then pops out onto the castle grounds. The castle, isn't much more than ruins at this point however, it does have several rooms to walk through. Also, it features amazing views of St. Andrews Bay.

This is a pretty but ultimately unspectacular castle ruin, with a capital "R" in "ruin." Certainly not worth paying for to get into. From the side (see my photo) you will get a pretty good impression of what to expect. And when you're walking along the front and side of the castle, that's pretty much everything you need to see. Spend more time at St. Andrew's Cathedral, which is much more impressive, and free (if you're not a total dork). The beach view from the castle is the same as from other parts of the promenade anyway. Scotland has so many spectacular and important castles to offer which will be worth your while and money. This isn't one of them.

Great place to visit at anytime of the year. Kids will love it. Bottle Dungen is a must to see

The castle was undergoing construction when we visited. It was a neat castle, but not a lot to see because a lot has crumbled down. Has a kid friendly museum inside, but no tours available. Use your Scotland Heritage pass to get in.

The Castle in St Andrews is one of this town's highlights. Students can enter for free wearing their red gowns, so it is often a delight to see such an iconic image amongst this old eclesiastical home. The Castle itself, a ruin, gives fantastic views out across to Dundee, and also has several levels great for exploring. One of the most exciting aspects is the countermine, which allows all visitors to go down it - great fun, especially with kids!

Once a huge castle, St. Andrews is mostly ruined but still a beautiful sight. Perched on the edge of a cliff leading down to castle sands, there is a stunning view of the sea, harbour and West Sands from within its grounds. A fantastic place to visit.

The entrance ticket was a bit expensive for what you get but the castle ruins are very beautiful. There is an small museum that takes you through the history prior to entering the ruins. The most interesting part are the tunnels dug by the attackers and defenders of the castle- creepy with water dripping from the ceiling- just what every ancient castle should have!