St Andrews Cathedral

Visited the ruins of St Andrews Cathedral on a Saturday morning in late October just after it opened. At that point only a few other people were around so could get some nice photos. Spent some time looking around and soaking in the history. When I was leaving it was getting busier and also looked like a couple of tour groups were also looking around. A interesting landmark to view and they do accept donations to keep the site running.

Very nice monument. It has a great history. TbeCathedral is free to get in. We didn't have time though. The looks of it is stunning. It was a bit windy so you need a jacket even in the summer. The view from there is amazing and you can have beautiful landscape photos.

we enjoyed a fantastic tour with Mark who shared his incredible knowledge of St Andrews' history with us, and we even got to enjoy the great view on top of the tower. I would definitely recommend joining one of the tours on site if you're visiting!

Absolutely phenomenal ruins of the once must've been amazing cathedral. The current state is still impressive and an absolute must when in the area. Interesting stories about how the relics of St Andrew where brought there. No tickets required to enter the site. Many beautiful tomb stones scattered across the site.

Wow, what an amazing piece of Scottish history and it's free to enter but you can give them a donation if you fell like it. Walking around the grounds let you see just how big this area and the cathedral is. The 160 stairs up to the top of St Rule's Tower is quite a steep climb and not for people with difficulty walking or are maybe a bit claustrophobic. The views from the tip are quite magnificent and worth the climb.

We did the free guided tour at the cathedral with Kyle. It was fun and interesting, and he made it easy to follow. Totally worth it, and the place is very beautiful and the tour adds something special to the place.

An absolutely incredible place (and free to visit)! I'd highly recommend joining one of the free tours happening twice daily. When I went in early September, they took place at 11am and 3pm. Our guide Kyle was very friendly, patient and knowledgeable, and clearly has a passion for the history of St Andrews. Definitely a highlight of our day trip.

St Andrews Cathedral is a fascinating historical ruin that's well worth a visit. The ruin, although weathered by centuries of history, still retains its imposing character and offers a glimpse into medieval life. Very good location for photographers or history lovers.

Expansive grounds where the cathedral was (now ruins)and graveyard is overlooking the North Sea. There's a small visitor center, yet you can roam around at will. We saw ancient engravings on a tombstone. Some walls are intact; others are long gone. To see the best views; there's a tower with 162 steps. If you just roam the place, it is free. We spent about 40 minutes exploring.

A beautiful grave site. You have ruins, and not too far away, a nice view of the water thanks to the St-Andrews Pier. I didn't pay to climb to the top of tower but I'm sure it's worth it. A great landmark to see if you're ever in St-Andrews.

Walking among the ruins, I was amazed at how large this cathedral actually was. It must have been magnificent in its day. If only stones could tell the story. It's well worth a visit even on a rainy day. The tower is worth a climb to get a great view of St Andrews.

It is such a different look and feel to come from fully restored cathedrals to see this site. The remaining walls and structures suggest an imposing structure and bring such a unique and moving feeling to the grounds. It's hard to describe but suffice it to say that one must see it, feel it, and absorb it. If people go to St. Andrews to only see the golf course they will be missing a sight well worth the drive.

Note: You must go to the top of the tower for the view! This is a gorgeous place. And 900 or so years of history. And its only a short walk from the castle. There is so much to take in that you could literally spend an afternoon just absorbing the scenery, having a picnic, and exploring the underground Pictish carvings, tombs, etc. The tower is fantastic. You get a simply spectacular view of the town, water, cathedral, and castle. You must spend some time looking at the ancient Pict carvings to see evidence of the first people to settle Scotland. Predating the cathedral itself, these are amazing. The tombs are there as well and you get to see ancient engravings on old burial stone. Although it is essentially well kept up ruins, it gives you an idea of the general scale of this site and a real flashback to that era.

These ruins are definitely worth seeing. To think this was a pilgrimage site in the middle ages is very cool. The view from the top of the tower is great. Highly recommend if you don't mind steep, narrow stairs.

Walking through history is always incredible. Not only is it very picturesque, but I've always loved old cemeteries and seeing the lives of the people there.

We visited St Andrews and walked the grounds of St Andrews Cathedral. Built in 1158, as a Roman Catholic cathedral, it fell into ruin and disuse after the 16th Century Scottish Reformation. There is a cemetery on the grounds as well. We were there when it was raining so we did a quick walk-through and left. The grounds are free to peruse but St Rule's tower costs money to climb. On a clear day, this might be worth it but it was cold, windy, and rainy so I passed.

This was a beautiful and free activity located a block or two from the main drag of Saint Andrews. Here you can explore the remains of the old cathedral and monastery (which was incredibly massive!) as well as explore the graveyard that surrounds the structure. It's crazy to think about how solid this building must have been and what people were able to build with such limited resources. The remaining columns alone made my jaw drop. The cathedral is set facing the ocean with a beautiful paved path along the backside of the property. Note that for a fee you can experience the museum and there is also a souvenir shop on site. The space was so serene and beautiful, I could have easily laid down for a nap to soak it all in. A must-see while in Saint Andrews.

What must have been an awe-inspiring medieval cathedral is now mostly a pile of rubble, with some walls and towers left which are but pale shadows of the building's former glory. Sadly, humans are just as adept at tearing down impressive constructions as they are at building them. :( The bad news: It still costs UKP 4.50 for you to see what's left. The good news: You can easily avoid paying those UKP 4.50, because the cathedral grounds are open, *gaping*, on all sides. There's a ticket office, but it's located in a remote corner of the ruins, so you can just walk in, around & out without anyone actually noticing that you haven't paid. And if that sounds awful, then, be my guest! I don't think the meagre rest of the building justifies the expenditure. And that's that. And the same goes for St. Andrews Castle (which you can't enter for free). You can get a good impression of the ruins from my pictures. Yes, there are some intriguing gates and walls left. Yes, they convey the former grandeur of the construction. No, they're not terribly thrilling - given that there are SO many cathedrals in England (York, Worcester, Ely, Gloucester, and the ones in London) that are BOTH awesome AND intact.

My second or third time here and it's one of the main things to see in St Andrews. It's hard to ignore the remnants which you can see at a distance and is a good landmark. I recall enjoying this more than the castle for some reason. Can imagine the scale of this place in its former days and the year old I was with found it interesting and didn't mind the walk inside.

The steps up to the tower were quite interesting - warning - if you are claustrophobic, you probably want to steer clear of the climb. As Derrick D. wrote, it is a "confined spiral staircase". Once you get to the top, the view is very nice, but in June, it was still too cold to stay up there for too long.

We visited St Andrews last week and we were stunned by the Cathedral it is a stunning place to visit. Anyone interested in religion, history, genealogy etc would just love this place and even if you are not you will love it anyway.

Walking the grounds is free of charge... however they charge 4.75 to go up the tower as well as view all the stones they have on display in the museum. Not quite worth it I'd say, unless you have an explorer pass You do get a beautiful view of the area of the top, however it is a medieval tower so the trek up is very VERY tiring. High steps in a confined spiral staircase.

A very interesting ruin of what must have been a magnificient cathedral back in the day. Well worth a visit is St Rule's tower, from which, given clear weather, you have a stunning view of the town and the coastline. The visitor centre is also of interest to people wanting to explore the history of the place in depth. Admission to the general ruins for a walk around the walls and graveyards is free. Students wearing their red undergraduate gowns gain free admission to the visitor centre as well - you may spot one or two of them about! Make sure to also have a look at St Andrews castle, which is located only about 200m away (you may be able to buy a joint admission pass to both attractions.)

The landscape of st andrews is dominated by the cathedral on the far end of the town. The beautiful ruins are stunning by day and are lit up by night, making a romantic setting or a historic walk. The grounds are walled and large cemetry are fascinating. There are large grassy areas which are filled with tourists and students all year round, athough especially in the summer when revision in the sun is a priority. There are tours of the cathedral grounds and St. Rule's tower, from where you can see the whole of the town and out to sea. Absolutely beautiful.

The beautiful ruins of St Andrews Cathedral dominate the town. The Cathedral is open to the public and for a small fee you can go on a guided tour and climb the tower for a great view over the city. A must see on a trip to St Andrews.

You can see the ruined cathedral as you approach St. Andrews, its hauntingly ragged silhouette dominating the skyline. A beautiful cathedral, steeped in history with its own museum. Lovely to sit in the grounds on a summer's day and relax, or if you have a head for heights, climb up St Rules tower for a stunning view of St. Andrews from the top. Hold onto your hats though, it's windy up there!

Stroll around the frounds of this beautiful Cathedral ruin and imagine how spectacular it must have been in the 1400s. There really is no need to purchase a ticket as the grounds are free and there are plaques to read. The stairs to the tower are tight and not a necessity. On Sunday you may see the St. Andrew's students taking their famed pier walk after church just down from the ruins.