Information about St Andrews

St Andrews is situated in East Fife in Scotland, UK.

Accommodation

There are four accommodation options: the 'buddy' system, hostel, guesthouses and hotels.

It is important to note that distances in St Andrews are very small. This means that wherever your accommodation is, the summer school venue is within reasonable walking distance.

Since St Andrews is a popular tourist destination, we advise you to make your accommodation bookings as early as possible. This is a piece of advice to be taken seriously in order to avoid disappointment. Also, it is unlikely that you will be able to get accommodation on the day you arrive.

'Buddy' System

We are currently setting up a 'buddy' system, allocating volunteers in St Andrews who have a spare bed or couch for a symbolic amount of money, in order to keep costs down.

If you are interested, write an email as soon as possible to our local team.

Hostel

There is only one hostel in St Andrews that operates all year around, namely the St Andrews Tourist Hostel which is centrally located and an approx. 5 minute walk away from the summer school venue.

Guest houses

On its website, the St Andrews Hotel and Guest House Association provides a list of hotels and guest houses in St Andrews, including pricing, availability, location and contact information. The following list of guest houses and hotels is not authoritative, but may provide a starting point:

Hotels

Some places offer booking via an online system, but this is not necessarily the case and we would suggest to call the guest house or hostel directly.

Please be advised that the website by the St Andrews Hotel and Guest House Association also includes places that are not in St Andrews. So please always check the address.

We also suggest to have a look at the Lonely Planet page about St Andrews.

In case all of the above does not help and you need assistance in finding an accommodation, you can contact our local team. Please remember that we are not a tour operator and that we cannot perform miracles :-P

Travel

The nearest airports are Edinburgh and Dundee. For international flights, Edinburgh will be the easier option, but you can sometimes get good offers to Dundee from London City, Birmingham, and Belfast.

From Edinburgh

There are three options, keep in mind that this is a relatively rural area and buses and trains DO NOT run all night. Check the timetables before you arrive at Traveline Scotland.

By Bus

You either get on the 747 bus to Inverkeithing and get off at Ferry Toll (ask the driver for a ticket through to St Andrews and if you are a student, show them your student ID to get a discount on that route).

Once you are at Ferry Toll, wait for the X59 which will take you to St Andrews (sometimes you have to change at Glenrothes, but the driver will tell you if you have to do that). This bus droops you right in the centre of St Andrews.

By Train

If you want to take the train (which is not much faster), take the 100 Airlink service to the city centre. Stay on the bus until Waverley Station and then walk to the trains.

Take the next train that stops at Leuchars (most of these trains will be going to Dundee or to Aberdeen). Once you are at Leuchars rail station, take the 99 bus to St Andrews or take a taxi.

By Taxi

You can also order a taxi that will pick you up from the airport. We will add more information about this closer to the course.

From Dundee

There are two options of getting to St Andrews.

By Bus

There is a bus stop outside the terminal. Get on the first bus to the city centre, and at the main bus station in Dundee transfer to the 99 bus to St Andrews.

By Taxi

You can also order a taxi that will pick you up from the airport. We will add more information about this closer to the course.

Getting around in St Andrews

St Andrews is a small town. You will be able to walk everywhere in town. A number of local buses operate in St Andrews. Please refer to Stagecoach in Fife for timetables and bus numbers.

Summer School Venue

The summer school will take place in the School of Psychology. The School of Psychology is located within St Mary's quad, which mainly consists of 16th century buildings. A virtual tour of St Mary's quad can be taken here.

Wireless Internet will be provided.

Further information

The University of St Andrews provides a lot of useful information on its Getting to St Andrews page. A map of St Andrews can be found here.

Useful links

Traveline Scotland for travel information
National Rail UK for train times and timetables
Stagecoach in Fife for bus information in and around St Andrews