St. Andrews Hotels - Smooth Hound Hotel Directory

St. Andrews is located in Fife on the eastern coast of Scotland. It is home to the oldest university in Scotland, which was founded in 1413. Many of the most popular sights to see are actually related to the university. St Andrews castle is also a popular tourist attraction. Throughout history the castle has served as a fortress, prison and home to the Bishops of St. Andrews. Beyond seeing the sights, other popular activities in the area include playing golf and strolling along the beautiful beaches. The Isle of May, a small outlying island, is also popular among visitors to the local area.

St Andrews is the "home of golf" and is located on the coast of Fife on the eastern side of Scotland. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club was founded here in 1754 and rules over the game of golf across almost all the world. The town is a regular venue for The Open Championship, one of the four major men's golfing championships.

Several of the golf courses at St Andrews are consistently ranked as amongst the best in the world and there are seven links golf courses to choose from in the town, although you will probably need to book your tee time well in advance at the most popular courses.

St Andrews Cathedral was founded in 1158 but it fell into disuse and nowadays there are just the ruins for you to look around. These include St Rule's tower, which was part of the church which pre-dated the cathedral. The climb to the top of the tower is by a spiral stone staircase and is well worth it on a clear day as it provides magnificent views of the cathedral ruins, the town, harbour, ocean and the splendid countryside.

Another attraction in the town is St Andrews Castle which overlooks Castle Sands beach. There has been a castle on the site since the twelfth century and although the current site is a ruin, you can still get a very good idea of its original splendour. In its day, the castle was home to King James I and was the birthplace of King James III. The castle has a visitor centre with a variety of displays about the building. It is also home to a number of the original carvings from the castle.