St Andrews Tours
By Richard Falconer
and his group of highly experienced local guides
Book your 2025 tour
Over 80,000 explorers have been on Richard’s St Andrews tours!
Award-winning St Andrews tours, 7 days a week: St Andrews Old Course tour, town & golf tour, history tour, walking tour.
All tours subject to availability.
- Up to 3 walking tours a day, March to November.
- Tour duration 1.15 hrs to 1.45 hrs depending on the tour.
Details of all tours below
Book early for Summer 2025 as over half the tours sell out
If the days or slots are greyed out, the tours are either sold out or not available.
Tours not suitable for under 2s, walking difficulties, and excellent English is required
Recommended by Rick Steves
All tours pre-booking only, no walk-ups
St Andrews Old Course History Tours
Bucket list walking tours with Richard Falconer; author, town/golf historian and 1980s Pro A1 Old Course Caddie.
St Andrews Old Course History Tour for the golfer – inc Golf origins
75 to 90 mins
Timeline of golf and Old Course foundation and progression. Find out about adjoining Old Course landmarks, early golfing pioneers, memorable moments and much more.
The tour finishes with a photo shoot on the Swilkan Bridge. (excludes tournament days)
Monday to Sunday – potential tour times
March
10 am, 12 noon, 2 pm*
April to September
10 am, 12 noon, 2 pm, 4 pm*
October to November
10 am, 12 noon, 2 pm*
Sundays through the year
Walk the Old Course 1st & 18th fairway
– excludes championship / tournament days
Meeting point
Outside Hotel du Vin, 40 The Scores St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. KY16 9AS
Tours end point
The tour finishes at the Swilkan Bridge by the 17th Green and Old Course Hotel
Adults £18 (16+)
Child £14 (age 5-15)
Not suitable for under 2s
St Andrews Town, Golf and Old Course History
Golf and St Andrews are inseparable, so on this tour you will hear about the historical foundations of both amid iconic settings.
St Andrews: Town, Golf and Old Course History Tour
105 mins approx – Not suitable for walking difficulties (walking slowly)
For the golfer and non-golfer and a highlight of many Scottish vacations
This tour isn’t all about golf, but there is a lot of golf on this tour!
Entwining the history of the town with the inseparable development of golf,
there is something for everyone on this tour.
Section 1: Town/golf history entwined – approx 45 minutes
You will see and hear about Scotland’s oldest university, the former Palace and Cathedral, along with elements of golf development, honorary degrees for golfing greats, Nike’s genius and a little about William and Kate.
Section 2: Golf history – approx 1 hour
Within the Cathedral grounds you will visit iconic graves of golfing pioneers: Old and Young Tom Morris, Allan Robertson and Jamie Anderson.
It is then a scenic stroll to the Old Course, where you will hear about the birth of the Open. There, you will hear about the incidental development of the game we know and love. Finally, you will finish with a photo shoot on the Swilkan Bridge (excludes tournament days).
Monday to Sunday – potential tour times
March
2pm*
April to September
2pm, 4pm*
October
2pm*
November
Friday to Monday 2pm*
Sundays throughout the year
Walk the Old Course 1st & 18th fairway
– excludes championship / tournament days
Meeting point
Outside Hotel du Vin, 40 The Scores St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. KY16 9AS
Tour end point
The tour finishes at the Swilkan Bridge by the 17th green and Old Course Hotel
Adults £20 (16+)
Child £16 (age 5-15)
Not suitable for under 2s
St Andrews Walking Tour
This is the most comprehensive tour of St Andrews. Covering the town centre, the three colleges of the university, plus the Cathedral, Palace and the Old Course.
St Andrews Comprehensive Walking Tour
105 mins
This is the most comprehensive St Andrews walking tour. It includes all the town’s main sights/history and heritage, plus golf/Old Course history and photos on the Swilkan Bridge.
Potential tour times: Monday to Saturday
March 2pm*
October/November 2pm*
Meeting point
Outside The Bothy restaurant, (formerly Doll’s House Restaurant) in Church Square behind Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. KY16 9NN
Tour end point
Swilkan Bridge – Old Course
Adults £15 (16+)
Child £13 (age 5-15)
Not suitable for under 2s
St Andrews History Tours
Explore St Andrews historic quarters as Richard showcases 2000 years of remarkable history. Please note, there is no mention of golf on this tour unless requested.
St Andrews History Tour
90 mins**
Richard brings the town’s history together through research spanning 6 decades. Learn about the unusual, the surprising and the intriguing, alongside forgotten historical details.
Tours incorporate all the major sights of interest including the university, harbour, Cathedral and Palace (Castle). Tours do not include the Old Course or golf.
Potential tour times: Monday to Saturday
March 2pm*
October/November 2pm*
Meeting point
Outside The Bothy restaurant, (formerly Doll’s House Restaurant) in Church Square behind Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. KY16 9NN
Tour end point
Beside the Central Bar, Market Street
Adults £15 (16+)
Child £13 (age 5-15)
Not suitable for under 2s
** Many often book both the Old Course tour and the history tour.
* Click here to check the booking calendar for availability
Booking for one person?
The first booking of each tour time is a minimum of two persons, the system then opens for single bookings.
Email your preferred tour and time and we will connect if others book that tour.
For enquiries and small or large group private/bespoke tours, inc large group/coach rates.
email: richard@standrewstours.com
Important info before you book
- Tours do not wait – be on time or contact beforehand about running late
- Participants must have a fluent command of the English language
- Tours not suitable for those with walking difficulties (walking slowly)
- Under 5s free, but not suitable for under 2s
- No luggage dropoff
- Only guide dogs allowed
Booking Calendar
Check availability and book here
Which St Andrews walking tour would you like?
Please note: If the date/time is greyed out, the tour is either sold out or unavailable, so do not contact looking for space unless as an addition to your existing group.
New book release coming soon
History of St Andrews
By your host, guide &
bestselling local author
Richard Falconer
NONFICTION
Covering some 500 pages and fully illustrated
This volume will be available in hardback, softcover and Kindle.
If you would like to be notified when Richard’s book becomes available, click here to email your note of interest.
Free St Andrews Tours
Discover St Andrews. An excellent way to orientate yourself to St Andrews as you discover all the main sites.
FREE St Andrews Sightseeing Tour
90 mins
An all-round St Andrews tour starting with the Old Course and finishing in the centre of town (excludes Swilkan Bridge). Very limited availability.
No available tours at this time.
Meeting point
Outside Hotel du Vin, 40 The Scores, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, KY16 9AS
St Andrews Tours reserves the right to cancel due to extreme weather/insufficient numbers.
St Andrews Ghost Tours
Set amid the backdrop of St Andrews extraordinary spiritual history, these nonfiction educational tours explore a wealth of localised testimony as points of reference to explain global phenomena.
St Andrews Ghost Tours
Exclusive | educational | nonfiction
90 mins
Private tours only
These tours are aimed at educating those who have experienced.
Richard is also a global authority on the paranormal
and the local authority for the same.
Following research spanning 6 decades,
St Andrews has nearly 400 ghosts & 208 haunted locations.
These are published in Richard’s books along with over 2000 paranormal experiences.
With no gimmicks and no stories,
this is one of the top Ghost tours in the world for a reason.
Very limited and exclusive availability.
Your guide is Richard Falconer: Author, guide, town/golf historian, a former Old Course caddie, concert promoter, and FSA. Richard is also a book publisher and graphic designer.
As an author, Richard has six published books amounting to 2,330 published pages. His long awaited ‘History of St Andrews’ comes out 2025. This will be followed by a hagiography of Saint Andrew.
Nonfiction books by Richard Falconer
Further details of Richard’s books can be found here.
If you are buying one book, Richard recommends ‘Ghosts’.
Available on Amazon as softcover/Kindle and through all good bookshops
including Topping Booksellers in St Andrews.
