Seeing Rothesay? Begin at Rothesay Castle
Of the 7 places to visit in and around Rothesay, 4 are castles or historic places. The locality itself has 3 places on our list; 4 others are within 5 km of its edge. Close to the centre, within 1 km, are 2 of them. Travel 33 km and you reach Dumbarton Castle.
Must-know places in Rothesay
The list goes on from Rothesay Castle to 2 castles, a museum and an attraction.
CastleRothesay Castlein town
MuseumBute Museumin townAttractionAttractionArdencraig Gardensin town
Historic houseMount Stuart House4 km outside town, to the southeast
CastleKames Castle2.9 km outside town, to the northwest
CastleWester Kames Castle3.4 km outside town, to the northwestEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Map of the places
Head to the southeast for most of the 4 on the list.
The dashed line is Rothesay’s locality; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · NRS locality 2022
Grouped by kind
4 castles or historic places and 2 other attractions top the count.
Green: inside Rothesay. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
The list in full
3 in town lead, with 4 more within 5 km of its edge after them.
The 3 inside Rothesay come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
151 listed buildings and 3 scheduled monuments are on Rothesay’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Rothesay →
Day trips
Leading the 12 is Dumbarton Castle, 33 km away; they include 8 castles and 2 cathedrals.
Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandDumbarton Castle33 km east
CathedralCathedral of The Isles12 km southeastCastleCastleSkipness Castle19 km southwest
CastleKelburn Castle15 km southeastCastleCastleLochranza Castle21 km southwestFortFortDunadd Fort38 km northwestGardenGarden · National Trust for ScotlandHill House29 km northeast
Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandNewark Castle26 km northeast
CastleArdgowan Castle14 km northeast
CathedralSt Mirin's Cathedral40 km eastCastleCastleTarbert Castle23 km west
CastleSkelmorlie Castle11 km eastPlaces well known beyond Rothesay (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust for Scotland or Historic Environment Scotland property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Know before you go to Rothesay
What are the main attractions in Rothesay?
The best known inside Rothesay’s locality are Rothesay Castle, Bute Museum and Ardencraig Gardens. In all, 3 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 4 more within 5 km.
Does Rothesay have a museum?
1 museum or gallery is in or within 5 km of Rothesay: Bute Museum.
Is there a National Trust for Scotland or Historic Environment Scotland property near Rothesay?
None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Dumbarton Castle (Historic Environment Scotland), 33 km east.
What are the best-known days out near Rothesay?
Within 40 km: Dumbarton Castle (33 km), Cathedral of The Isles (12 km), Skipness Castle (19 km), Kelburn Castle (15 km).
Where are Rothesay’s historic buildings listed?
Rothesay has 151 listed buildings, 7 of them Category A. They are on its History page, from Historic Environment Scotland’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Rothesay when it is inside the NRS 2022 locality boundary, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the NRS 2022 locality (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (12)
- Rothesay Castle: Otter, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bute Museum: DougRM, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mount Stuart House: Colin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kames Castle: Richard Dear, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Wester Kames Castle: Reading Tom from Reading, UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dumbarton Castle: Otter, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cathedral of The Isles: John McLeish, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kelburn Castle: wfmillar, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Newark Castle: Dave souza, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Ardgowan Castle: Thomas Nugent, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Mirin's Cathedral: JohnArmagh, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Skelmorlie Castle: McGibbon & Ross, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.