Scotland might not be your first thought when planning a beach holiday, but one town on the east coast has a lot to offer holidaymakers. St Andrews is within a 90-minute drive of Edinburgh, and boasts a beautiful two-mile-long beach, immortalised in the iconic opening scene of the 1981 film Chariots of Fire.

St Andrews is also known across the world as “the home of golf”, with the game having been played there since medieval times; it’s also well known for one of the oldest universities in the world – with the Prince and Princess of Wales among its alumni. St Andrews punches well above its weight, and has been named as one of the 20 best coastal towns in the UK by holidaycars.com.

St Andrews is the perfect base to explore Scotland, or to relax in beautiful surroundings. According to Visit Scotland, some of the top things to do in the town are to visit the ruins of St Andrews Cathedral – once the largest church in Scotland. “The cathedral’s museum houses an outstanding collection of medieval sculptures and relics which were found on the site,” it says.

“Make sure to climb St Rule’s Tower, which dates from the 12th century, to see amazing views across St Andrews and Fife.”

Unsurprisingly for somewhere known as the home of golf, St Andrews has a lot to offer golfers too, with 10 courses across the town.

The remains of the 450-year-old St Andrews Castle are also well worth a visit, which used to be “the main residence of the bishops and archbishops of St Andrews in medieval Scotland”, Visit Scotland says. 

When there, you can “learn all about the castle’s rich past and discover the 16th century underground mine and the ‘bottle dungeon’, a prison cut out of solid rock”. 

If you’ve brought your walking boots you can follow in the footsteps of pilgrims who came to St Andrews between the 11th and 16th centuries. Visit Scotland says: “Take a journey through history on the Fife Pilgrim Way, which winds through the ancient Kingdom of Fife. This long-distance walking route ends in St Andrews, which was once the focal point of the church in medieval Scotland.”

According to holidaycars.com: “Sitting on the east coast of Fife, St Andrews is a mix between a historic seaside haven and an eclectic university town. With its range of galleries, independent restaurants, gothic architecture, student hangouts, theatres, and tonnes of historical sights, St Andrews is similar to a mini-Edinburgh.

“The Scottish capital is around a 90-minute drive away, so it’s a wonderful coastal respite for city dwellers. Considering its fairly small size, there’s plenty to do. It’s also considered the home of golf, with several coastal golf courses offering gorgeous teeing-up scenery.”

• By car: St Andrews can be reached from the A915 from the south, or the A91 from the west. It is about a 90-minute drive from Edinburgh, one hour and 40 minutes from Glasgow, or half an hour from Dundee.
• By train: trains run to the nearby town of Leuchars, about six miles north, from Edinburgh and Aberdeen, followed by a short bus ride to St Andrews.
• By bus: regular buses to St Andrews run from Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.
• By air: the nearest airports are Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow International, and Glasgow Prestwick.