Arts & Culture
Castles, Houses & Heritage Sites
From royal palaces and stately mansions to historical hotspots, there are lots of both interesting and beautiful sites to explore in Fife.
Fife is truly steeped in history and has some fascinating buildings to prove it, from the final resting place of Robert the Bruce at Dunfermline Abbey, to the favourite holiday destion of Mary Queen of Scots, Falkland Palace. Discover Fife's interesting past by stepping into historical castles, churches and religious buildings across the region.
Trace the history of this ancient Kingdom and see how these places have influenced life in Fife.
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The Merchant House
Law's Close, locally known as 'The Merchants House', is one of the best preserved 16th century town houses in Scotland. This Category A listed building was previously redundant and falling into disrepair before it was restored by Scottish Historic Buildings Trust and reopened in 2005 - n...
Royal Burgh of Culross
Relive the domestic life of the 16th and 17th centuries amid the old buildings and cobbled streets of the fascinating Royal Burgh of Culross.
Ravenscraig Castle
The castle is considered one of the first in Scotland to be built to withstand cannon fire. Begun for James II in 1460, the castle consists of two round towers linked by a cross range. The west tower was the residence of James II’s widow, Queen Mary of Gueldres. The castle is considered one...
St Andrews Castle
Explore a castle caught in the Protestant Reformation struggle for hearts and minds. St Andrews Castle was a bishop’s palace, a fortress and a state prison during its 450-year history.
Dunfermline Palace & Abbey
Dunfermline Abbey, in Scotland's ancient capital, is the resting place of many Kings and Queens including Robert the Bruce, Scotland's greatest 'warrier king'.
Culross Palace
Culross Palace is a late 16th - early 17th century merchant's house, situated in the heart of the village. ...
Seafield Tower
Discover Seafield Tower, Kirkcaldy. Scotland is littered with ruined fortresses, but this sixteenth-century castle on the Fife coastal path tells its own unique story.
Glenrothes & Area Heritage Centre
Find out about the history of Scotland's second oldest New Town, and the villages that surround it.
Falkland Palace & Garden
Why not experience a day in the life of the Stuart monarchs at Falkland Palace, the favourite hunting ground of Mary Queen of Scots.
Wemyss School of Needlework
The Wemyss School of Needlework was founded in 1877 by Dora Wemyss, inspired by the Royal School of Needlework in London, but with a philanthropic emphasis. The Wemyss School sought to teach a skill to local girls from which they would be able to earn a living....
Lochore Castle
This was the fortress home of the Lochore family, established by Robert the Burgundian in c.1128.Lochore Castle was described as one of the strongest castles in Fife in the 16th century. ...
Hospitium of the Grey Friars
The best surviving example of a friary building left in Scotland. At the heart of the medieval town of Inverkething, on the High Street is the category A listed building, the Hospitium of the Grey Friars, the best surviving example of a friary building left in Scotland. The ...
St Bridget's Kirk
St Bridget's Kirk is a former church on the outskirts of Dalgety Bay and can be seen if you're out walking the Fife Coastal Path.
Alexander Selkirk Statue
Lower Largo is famous as the 1676 birthplace of Alexander Selkirk, who provided inspiration for Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. The statue shows Selkirk awaiting rescue in a sculpture by Thomas Stuart Burnett (1885). Alexander Selkirk (1676 – 13 December ...
Hill Of Tarvit Mansion House & Garden
Hill of Tarvit is one of Scotland's finest Edwardian mansionhouses, replete with a splendid collection of antiques, furniture, Chinese porcelain and superb paintings by Sir Henry Raeburn, Allan Ramsay and eminent Dutch artists.
Burntisland Heritage Trust
The aim of Burntisland Heritage Trust is to protect and promote all aspects of Burntisland's heritage.
Inchcolm Abbey
Set sail for a very special island in the Firth of Forth – home to the best-preserved group of monastic buildings in Scotland. Originally a priory founded by David I, the abbey saw conflict as well as calm.
Lower Largo Viaduct
The viaduct remains a striking piece of architecture, dominating the view from Lower Largo harbour. Built entirely in stone, it accommodated a single track railway and comprises four 60-foot arches, the deck of the river span being 60 feet above water level. Squared rubble was used for most...
Lady's Tower
Lady's Tower was built in 1770 for Lady Janet Anstruther. “As we understand it Jenny used the Tower as a viewpoint where she could sit to watch the world go by and recover from bathing/immersion. She changed in the man-made cave on the beach below the Tower.” &ndash...
Dunfermline City Chambers
Dunfermline City Chambers is a building historically designed to be the centre of local government in Dunfermline, Fife.
Culross Abbey
The magnificent and ancient sanctuary has been a religious site for more than 1500 years and is one of the oldest Christian Sits in Scotland, dating back to the 6th Century, when St Servanus (St Serf) established a Community of Monks here....
Newark Castle
Newark Castle is a ruin located just west of St Monans, which you'll see if you're walking the stretch of Fife Coastal Path between Elie and St Monans. The building stands in a dramatic clifftop location, overlooking the North Sea. ...
Isle of May National Nature Reserve
The Isle of May National Nature Reserve (NNR) lies on the east coast of Scotland, in the entrance of the Firth of Forth. For its small size it has a tremendous variety of wildlife and is renowned for its rich bird life, seals and reefs.
Dunimarle Castle Gardens
Dunimarle Castle is situated north of the B9037 to the west of Culross, and south of the A985 Dunfermline- Kincardine road.
West Port Gate
One of the few surviving city gates in Scotland. Step through the best preserved city gate in Scotland, leading to the heart of a medieval town. The West Port of St Andrews was built in 1587 as a monumental entrance to the city’s South Street. It was less a defensive structure than...
Blackfriars, St Andrews
A vaulted side apse survives of this church of Dominican friars, which was built around 1516
Jimmy Shand Statue
Auchtermuchty's most famous son was Sir Jimmy Shand, the highly respected accordion player and band leader. He traveled throughout Scotland and beyond, delighting crowds with his traditional Scottish dance music. ...
St Fillan's Cave
A visit to Pittenweem isn’t complete without a trip to St Fillan’s Cave,on Cove Wynd.
Macduff's Castle
Situated on the Fife Coastal Path, Macduff's Castle is a ruined castle near East Wemyss associated with the Macduff Earls of Fife, the most powerful family in Fife in the middle ages. The present ruins are the remains of the home of the Wemyss family, who lived there from the...
Forth Boat Tours
Boat Trips of the Firth of Forth, Inchcolm Island and the Forth Bridges from South Queensferry. Blackness Castle, as featured in Outlander.
Jim Clark Statue
Jim Clark, OBE, lived from 4 March 1936 to 7 April 1968. He was a highly successful Formula One racing driver who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965.
North Queensferry Harbour Light Tower
The world’s smallest working Light Tower with a unique view to the Forth Bridge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Kellie Castle & Garden
Kellie Castle dates from as early as the 14th century and is one of Fife's hidden gems. The stunning grounds and garden could easily be a day out in themselves.
Aberdour Castle And Garden
This splendid ruin was once the luxurious Renaissance home and pleasure gardens of Regent Morton, at the time Scotland’s most powerful man. It's among the oldest standing masonry castles in Scotland and was used in the filming of Outlander.
Robert Stevenson
Robert Stevenson's lighthouse on the Isle of May is an ornate gothic tower on a castellated stone building.
Scotstarvit Tower
Renowned as the home of Sir John Scot, author of 'Scot of Scotstarvit’s Staggering State of the Scots Statesmen'. A handsome and well-built tower, probably built in the 15th century, and re-modelled between 1550 and 1579. Renowned as the home of Sir John Scot, author of 'Scot of...
