St Andrews and Falkland Palace Shore Excursion
About this activity
Highlights
- Explore historic St Andrews
- Visit the University of St Andrews
- Tour the ancient St Andrews Cathedral
- Discover the Royal and Ancient Golf Club
- Experience the charming town of Falkland
Full description
Included / Excluded
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Meals
- Personal expenses
Itinerary
Anstruther, pronounced locally as Ainster, is the largest and liveliest of the fishing villages. You’ll have time to explore the scenic harbour and take a wander through the narrow, cobbled streets. It may be that you just prefer to sit, have a coffee and watch the world go by.
At St Andrew’s you’ll have just under three hours of free time to explore one of Scotland’s most beautiful medieval towns. Renowned worldwide as “the home of golf”. People played golf here as far back as the 15th century. The Old Course is the best-known golf course in the world. At the 18th hole you’ll find another famous landmark, Swilcan Bridge. Originally built over 700 years ago to allow shepherds to take their flock across Swilcan Burn. Visit the Royal and Ancient Golf Museum. This 5 star visitor attraction has many fascinating objects dating back 400 years. Step outside and you are within touching distance of the 1st tee of the old course at St Andrews. The University of St Andrews is the oldest in Scotland and was the meeting place of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge. You can visit the ruins of the castle of the Archbishops of St Andrews, dating in part from the 13th century.
In the charming village of Falkland lies Falkland Palace. This was the country residence of the Stuart Kings and Queens. Its most famous resident was Mary Queen of Scots. The palace is one of the finest examples of Renaissance Architecture in Scotland. Marvel at its grand entrance and take in the stunning Chapel Royal. Wander its extensive grounds where you’ll find the royal tennis court. Completed in 1541 by James V, this real tennis court is one of the oldest in Britain. Explore the palace gardens, orchard and wildflower meadow and enjoy the colours and scents of its Physic Garden. The village of Falkland stood in for Inverness in the Outlander tv series. You can enjoy a refreshment at the Covenanters Hotel – or Mrs Baird’s Guesthouse where Claire and Frank enjoy their second honeymoon. The Squares Bruce Fountain is the haunting spot where Frank see’s Jamie’s ghost watching Claire at the window.
Meeting point
Start Location
Unknown location
Important information
Know before you book
- Confirm the departure time and location with the tour operator prior to the excursion.
- Inform the tour operator of any dietary restrictions or preferences in advance.
- Ensure you have valid identification and any necessary travel documents for the excursion.
Know before you go
- Wear comfortable walking shoes for exploring historic sites.
- Bring a camera to capture the picturesque landscapes and architecture.
- Check the weather forecast and dress accordingly for outdoor activities.
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Accessibility
- Service Animals Allowed
Good to know
- We cannot accommodate children under the age of 5.
Traveler reviews
St. Andrews golf tour.
We had an excellent tour and guide. Ron was early and collected us right away. We had booked another walking tour at St. Andrews and needed to be there at 12:30pm. Ron was very accommodating. He got us there with time to spare. He dropped us off right at the golf course. He also picked us up at the golf course maximizing our time. The only comment I have is that we could have spent more time at St. Andrews and less time at Falkland......maybe an additional 30 minutes at St. Andrews and only 30 minutes at Falkland. Ron's history knowledge was impressive and had a running dialogue on our entire excursion. He even recommended some scotch whiskey to try. Thanks Ron for a great time. You're the best.
Great Tour, plenty of Time off Ship. Recommended!
Awesome! We took this tour with a little concern for the distance we had to travel & managing with our cruise ship’s (Sky Princess) tendering ops at S Queensferry. It was no problem for us at all. In fact, we got our tender tickets early (as Discover Scotland had suggested in a separate message)- we were in one of first tenders and even had breakfast near the pier pickup area before leaving- and stopped for a pint after end of tour before tendering back to ship. Ron was a wonderful host, meeting us promptly (in kilt!), starting us with water & small snack bags, whose informative stories, pointing out sites and polite guidance staying on schedule were easy to understand and entertaining. This was a small group tour in a very nice small (16 seat) bus, not full, so Ron could navigate small roads easily while the ship’s huge tour bus(es) lumbered back & forth. This gave us a nice rest stop at a beautiful small town (Anstruther) & public restroom in both directions, more time at St Andrews & less worry about somebody in the group being late or holding up the tour. After a brief drive around the village to familiarize pickup spot & all, we were dropped right next to the 18th green/1st tee- wow. Even tho we didn’t have time to golf, we had 3 solid hours to walk along the course(s), stand on Swilken Bridge, walk across the 18th fairway, have lunch, & briefly tour the town. For a golfer, it was incredible to be there. Instead of a sit down lunch, we could have even done the 9 or 18 hole putting course- near the 1st green- which looks well designed & enjoyable. The clubhouse at Tom Morris grill/Jubilee course 1st tee is impressive, with a beautiful pro shop & merchandise. Hats off, shirts tucked & no jeans or short-shorts in Clubhouse. Dress warm since it was lovely weather on the drive there, but thick fog covering St Andrews. Pickup to start back was prompt- which is needed since traffic gets heavier in afternoon- Ron is very capable with routing choices and bus lanes to minimize the time spent driving. We had a nice stop part way back in Faulkner- another beautiful small village with enough time to take a walk through the castle’s gardens. After a wonderful day, we arrived back to the pier at 5:30pm- 90 minutes before the last tender departure for the ship. Our tour was very well planned, organized, priced and carried out- highly recommended!! The tour operator/office was especially prompt and helpful with a few questions I’d messaged beforehand. Only suggestion might be to make Faulkner a shorter stop to add another 30’ to St Andrews- but guessing that might not gain that much since there are a lot of other tours & commute traffic clogging things up around St Andrews at 3pm & on the drive back- who mostly seemed one step behind us, making things easier for our group. 3 hours roaming St Andrews worked great for us. Cheers!
Best tour guide- Kyle
This was a lovely experience because it was a smaller bus with only 10 passengers and our tour guide gave exceptional personalised service throughout the entire trip. He was exceptional and made this trip special..
Bad Service
Our ship did not tender us to shore in time. I was in constant contact by messaging, email, & phone calls with the tour operator and the tour guide about the situation. They said they would wait for us. As soon as we got ashore, the motor coach left without us. I called the tour operator again and they said they couldn’t wait any longer. The tour guide would not answer her phone. Now they will not issue a refund. I would not book anything with Discover Scotland Tours if I were you.
Johnny did a great job...
Johnny did a great job with the tour!! He helped us see everything we wanted to see. Lots of local history.