In this guide
💡 The Short Version: St Andrews has no station. Take the train from Edinburgh Waverley to Leuchars (53 minutes at the fastest) and a short bus from the stop at the station entrance, or a direct bus of about 1 hour 30 minutes. St Andrews Castle is £10 online; the cathedral grounds are free, but from October to March the cathedral is shut Tuesday to Thursday. Fife rail works run from 10 to 27 October 2026, with no trains between Markinch and Dundee from 20 to 23 October. Or book a tour: Timberbush’s St Andrews and Fife villages dayad is from £57 for 9 hours, and Rabbie’s small groupad from £60 with entrance fees included. A tour replaces the bus connection and adds the East Neuk fishing villages (GetYourGuide).
Getting there on your own
Check fares and times in the ScotRail app or on scotrail.co.uk, which charge no booking fee. Peak fares were abolished on 1 September 2025, so Anytime tickets cost the old off-peak price and are valid at any time, and all ScotRail fares are frozen until 31 March 2027.
| Option | Journey | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Train to Leuchars, then a bus | 53 minutes at the fastest, 1 hour 9 minutes on average, then a short bus | Buses to St Andrews pick up at the stop at the station entrance, next to the car park |
| Direct bus | About 1 hour 30 minutes | Buses to St Andrews run from Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow (VisitScotland); Traveline Scotland on 0141 465 1878 gives times |
| Tour | 8½ to 9 hours | From £57, with the East Neuk villages and Falkland |
Rail works in Fife, 10 to 27 October 2026. Network Rail is working between Edinburgh and Fife (ScotRail). From 10 to 19 October no trains run between Inverkeithing and Markinch via Kirkcaldy, and Edinburgh to Dundee trains go hourly via Dunfermline. From 20 to 23 October no trains run between Markinch and Dundee, and replacement buses run hourly from Kirkcaldy to Dundee. Check the journey planner for the date you travel.
Tours from Edinburgh
Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult.
Timberbush: St Andrews and the fishing villages
From £57 · 9 hours · 1,392 reviews · Castle Terrace
From Edinburgh: St Andrews and Fishing Villages of Fife Tourad crosses the Forth Bridge, stops at Anstruther (home of the Scottish Fisheries Museum), passes Pittenweem, Crail and St Monans, and gives about three hours in St Andrews. It returns over the Lomond Hills with a photo stop at Falkland, which doubled as 1960s Inverness in the Outlander series, and ends at South Queensferry. Entry to St Andrews Castle is an optional extra.
Rabbie’s: St Andrews and Fife’s fishing villages
From £60 · 8½ hours · 1,355 reviews · Edinburgh Bus Station
From Edinburgh: St Andrews & Fife’s Fishing Villagesad is a small group that meets at Gates J and K in Edinburgh Bus Station. It stops at the Forth Bridges viewpoint and Anstruther, spends lunchtime in St Andrews and visits Falkland, and the listing includes lunch, refreshments and entrance fees. Not suitable for under-5s.
St Andrews, Dunnottar and Falkland
From £65 · 11 hours · 292 reviews
Edinburgh: St Andrews, Dunnottar Castle & Falkland Tourad goes to Dunnottar Castle on the coast, then St Andrews, with a stop at Dundee for the RRS Discovery. Attraction tickets are not included.
Golf Origins and Old Course History Tour
From £20 · 75 minutes · 431 reviews · St Andrews Tours
St Andrews: Golf Origins and Old Course History Tourad is a walk with a guide along the Old Course: the 18th green, the 1st tee, the fairways and the Swilcan Bridge. It starts at Hotel du Vin on The Scores and needs fluent English.
The Old Course, with the Swilcan Bridge and the R&A clubhouse. Photo: Optograph, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
What to see
St Andrews Castle
£10 online, £11 in person · concession £8 or £9 · child £5 or £5.50 · Historic Scotland
A ruined castle on the coast. The mine, countermine and Bishop’s Apartments are closed, so the visit is the ruins and the grounds. It is open daily 9.30am to 5.30pm from April to September and 10am to 4pm from October to March, with last entry 45 minutes before closing, and it is closed on 25 and 26 December and 1 and 2 January. The Historic Scotland Explorer Pass covers it. Book at historicenvironment.scot.
St Andrews Castle on the shore. Photo: Tom Parnell, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
St Andrews Cathedral
Grounds free · closed Tuesday to Thursday from October to March
The cathedral ruins are open daily 9.30am to 5.30pm from April to September. From October to March they are open 10am to 4pm on Monday and Friday to Sunday, and closed Tuesday to Thursday. Conservation work has closed the museum and shop, and sections of the graveyard are fenced off because the gravestones are unstable. Free guided tours climb St Rule’s Tower at the end: email standrewscathedral.vo@hes.scot for times (Historic Scotland).
The ruins of St Andrews Cathedral and its graveyard. Photo: Scott Cormie, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Order for a day
- Take a morning train to Leuchars, then the bus into the town.
- Do the cathedral and the castle first, on foot, as they are a short walk apart on the coast. Skip the cathedral on a winter Tuesday to Thursday.
- Walk to the Old Course, where the £20 history walk starts at Hotel du Vin, and the university for the middle of the day.
- Return by bus and train; check the last departure back to Waverley before you settle on a late lunch.
Before you go
- Fares: the ScotRail app sells tickets with no booking fee, and Kids for a Quid lets up to four children travel for £1 each with a paying adult.
- Explorer Pass: £48 in summer and £38 in winter, and it covers the castle but not the free cathedral.
Day trips from Edinburgh compares every trip, and Stirling Castle is the other trip that works by train. Edinburgh public transport covers the way to Waverley and the bus station. What to book before you go to Edinburgh lists the city sights, and where to stay in Edinburgh compares the areas.
Common questions
How do you get from Edinburgh to St Andrews?
Take the train from Edinburgh Waverley to Leuchars, which takes 53 minutes at the fastest, then a short bus to St Andrews from the stop at the station entrance. Buses also run direct from Edinburgh in about 1 hour 30 minutes, according to VisitScotland. St Andrews has no station.
Are there trains to Leuchars in October 2026?
With changes. Network Rail is working in Fife from 10 to 27 October 2026. Trains between Edinburgh and Dundee run hourly via Dunfermline from 10 to 19 October, and from 20 to 23 October there are no trains between Markinch and Dundee, with replacement buses from Kirkcaldy to Dundee. Check ScotRail's page for your date.
How much is St Andrews Castle?
£10 online for an adult and £11 in person; £8 or £9 concession and £5 or £5.50 for a child. The mine, countermine and Bishop's Apartments are closed. The Historic Scotland Explorer Pass covers it.
Is St Andrews Cathedral free?
The grounds are free. From October to March the cathedral is closed Tuesday to Thursday and open 10am to 4pm on the other days. Its museum and shop are closed, and sections of the graveyard are fenced off because gravestones are unstable.
Is a St Andrews tour from Edinburgh worth it?
It saves the bus connection and adds the East Neuk fishing villages. Timberbush's tour is from £57 for 9 hours with about three hours in St Andrews, and Rabbie's small-group tour is from £60 for 8½ hours with entrance fees included. By train you choose your own hours.
