Falkland Palace Gardens heads the list around Glenrothes
Glenrothes’ list takes in 5 gardens, 2 castles and 2 museums. There is no place to visit inside Glenrothes’ locality; there are 11 within 5 km of its edge. Among them, 6 are cared for by the National Trust for Scotland. For a longer trip, Edinburgh Castle lies 27 km away.
Leading the list near Glenrothes
The rest of the best known are 4 gardens and a castle.
Castle · National Trust for ScotlandFalkland Palace Gardens4 km outside town, to the north
CastleBalgonie Castle1.9 km outside town, to the eastGardenGarden · National Trust for ScotlandKeepers Lawn3.9 km outside town, to the northGardenGarden · National Trust for ScotlandNorth Range Physic Garden3.9 km outside town, to the northGardenGarden · National Trust for ScotlandPercy Cane Garden4 km outside town, to the northGardenGarden · National Trust for ScotlandOak Lawn4 km outside town, to the northEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Where things are
Most of the 11 out of town lie to the north.
The dashed line is Glenrothes’ locality; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · NRS locality 2022
How the list breaks down
Gardens or estates number 5, castles or historic places 2.
Green: inside Glenrothes. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
6 places are cared for by the National Trust for Scotland (Falkland Palace Gardens, Keepers Lawn, North Range Physic Garden and Percy Cane Garden, and 2 more).
Place by place
Everything here is within 5 km of its edge, 11 places in all.
Close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
38 listed buildings and 2 scheduled monuments are on Glenrothes’ History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Glenrothes →
Further afield: the best known within 40 km
Top of the 12 day trips: Edinburgh Castle, at 27 km.
Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandEdinburgh Castle27 km south
Big drawArt galleryNational Gallery27 km south · 661K visitors a year (2021)
Historic housePalace of Holyroodhouse27 km south
Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandLoch Leven Castle13 km west
MuseumNational Museum of Scotland28 km south
CathedralSt Giles' Cathedral27 km south
Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandDunfermline Palace & Abbey (ruins)23 km southwest
Art galleryScottish National Portrait Gallery27 km south · 313K visitors a year (2015)
MuseumHMY Britannia24 km south
Abbey or prioryHolyrood Abbey27 km south
Art galleryScottish National Gallery of Modern Art27 km south · 458K visitors a year (2015)
PalaceLinlithgow Palace36 km southwestPlaces well known beyond Glenrothes (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.
Visiting Glenrothes: questions
What is there to see near Glenrothes?
No attraction is mapped inside Glenrothes itself. Within 5 km of it are Falkland Palace Gardens, Balgonie Castle, Keepers Lawn and North Range Physic Garden.
Does Glenrothes have a museum?
2 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Glenrothes: Wemyss Cave Museum & Visitor Centre and Auld Wemyss Ways Heritage Centre.
Is there a National Trust for Scotland or Historic Environment Scotland property near Glenrothes?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Glenrothes, 6 places are cared for by the National Trust for Scotland (Falkland Palace Gardens, Keepers Lawn, North Range Physic Garden and Percy Cane Garden).
What are the best-known days out near Glenrothes?
Within 40 km: Edinburgh Castle (27 km), National Gallery (27 km), Palace of Holyroodhouse (27 km), Loch Leven Castle (13 km).
Where are Glenrothes’ historic buildings listed?
Glenrothes has 38 listed buildings, 4 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 Glenrothes 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 (14)
- Falkland Palace Gardens: Sam Styles, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Balgonie Castle: Supergolden, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Edinburgh Castle: Stephencdickson, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Gallery: 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Palace of Holyroodhouse: 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Loch Leven Castle: Otter, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Museum of Scotland: Maccoinnich~commonswiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Giles' Cathedral: 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dunfermline Palace & Abbey (ruins): Chiswick Chap, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Scottish National Portrait Gallery: Original uploader was Maccoinnich at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- HMY Britannia: Akiramenai, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Holyrood Abbey: Enric, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art: Grousebeater2, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Linlithgow Palace: Alex Sanz, CC BY 2.0, 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.