Guest, Sign inJoin
Dunfermline Palace & Abbey (ruins)
Attractions in Dunfermline

Places to visit in Dunfermline, led by Dunfermline Palace & Abbey (ruins)

Dunfermline and its surroundings hold 5 museums, 4 castles and an art gallery. We list 4 places to visit inside Dunfermline’s locality and 9 within 5 km of its edge. The list includes one place cared for by Historic Environment Scotland. Drive 20 km to reach Edinburgh Castle.

Photo: Dunfermline Palace & Abbey (ruins), Chiswick Chap (CC BY-SA 3.0)
In Dunfermline
4
inside the locality
Within 5 km
9
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
6
in or near town
Castles & historic places
5
in or near town
Cared for
1
National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland and others
Best known

Top of the list in Dunfermline

Along with Dunfermline Palace & Abbey (ruins), see 2 museums, an art gallery and a castle.

Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandDunfermline Palace & Abbey (ruins)in townMuseumMuseumAndrew Carnegie Birthplace Museumin townArt galleryArt galleryDunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleriesin townMuseumAbbot House, Dunfermlinein townCastleRosyth Castle2.4 km outside town, to the southAquariumDeep Sea World3.9 km outside town, to the south

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Around Dunfermline, mapped

The outermost point is Tuilyies Standing Stones, at 8 km.

12345678910111213

The dashed line is Dunfermline’s locality; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · NRS locality 2022

By kind

What sort of places

Museums or galleries number 6, castles or historic places 5.

Museums & galleries 5 museums · 1 art gallery3 in town · 3 nearby
Castles & historic places 4 castles · 1 historic site1 in town · 4 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 1 aquarium0 in town · 1 nearby
Other attractions 1 attraction0 in town · 1 nearby

Green: inside Dunfermline. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

1 place is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland (Dunfermline Palace & Abbey (ruins)).

Every place

Every place to visit

It starts in town with 4 places and goes on to 9 within 5 km of its edge.

The 4 inside Dunfermline 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.

166 listed buildings and 7 scheduled monuments are on Dunfermline’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Dunfermline →

Big names nearby

Trips out

Of the 12 day trips, Edinburgh Castle (20 km) is the best known.

Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandEdinburgh Castle20 km southeastBig drawArt galleryNational Gallery20 km southeast · 661K visitors a year (2021)Historic housePalace of Holyroodhouse21 km southeastPalaceLinlithgow Palace15 km southwestMuseumNational Museum of Scotland20 km southeastCastle · Historic Environment ScotlandBlackness Castle8.8 km southwestCastleCastle · Historic Environment ScotlandStirling Castle33 km westCathedralSt Giles' Cathedral20 km southeastArt galleryScottish National Portrait Gallery20 km southeast · 313K visitors a year (2015)Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandLoch Leven Castle15 km northArt galleryScottish National Gallery of Modern Art18 km southeast · 458K visitors a year (2015)MuseumHMY Britannia19 km southeast

Places well known beyond Dunfermline (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.

Questions before you go to Dunfermline

What are the main attractions in Dunfermline?

The best known inside Dunfermline’s locality are Dunfermline Palace & Abbey (ruins), Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum, Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries and Abbot House, Dunfermline. In all, 4 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 9 more within 5 km.

Does Dunfermline have a museum?

6 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Dunfermline: Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum, Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries, Abbot House, Dunfermline and Inverkeithing Museum.

Is there a National Trust for Scotland or Historic Environment Scotland property near Dunfermline?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Dunfermline, 1 place is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland (Dunfermline Palace & Abbey (ruins)).

What are the best-known days out near Dunfermline?

Within 40 km: Edinburgh Castle (20 km), National Gallery (20 km), Palace of Holyroodhouse (21 km), Linlithgow Palace (15 km).

Where are Dunfermline’s historic buildings listed?

Dunfermline has 166 listed buildings, 10 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 Dunfermline 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 (19)

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.