The one place to visit in Bathgate is Bennie Museum
Visitors to Bathgate can choose from 4 museums, 2 zoos and 2 historic sites. Mapped inside Bathgate’s locality is one place to visit, and within 5 km of its edge another 8. In heritage care, one place on the list is looked after by Historic Environment Scotland. Drive 9.2 km to reach Linlithgow Palace.
What Bathgate is known for
Following Bennie Museum are 2 museums, a heritage railway and a zoo.
Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Finding your way
Out at 6.5 km is Dardanelles, the farthest.
The dashed line is Bathgate’s locality; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · NRS locality 2022
The types of place
Museums or galleries number 4, zoos, theme parks or other days out 3.
Green: inside Bathgate. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
1 place is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland (Cairnpapple Hill).
Each place in turn
It starts in town with one place and goes on to 8 within 5 km of its edge.
Almond Valley Light Railway
Narrow gauge heritage railway in West Lothian, Scotland, UK.
Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry
Museum in West Lothian, Scotland, UK.
Whitburn Community Museum
Museum in Whitburn, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Almond Valley Heritage Centre
Museum and visitor attraction in Livingston Village, West Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom.
The one inside Bathgate comes first, then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
11 listed buildings and 2 scheduled monuments are on Bathgate’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Bathgate →
Worth the drive
Most famous of the 12 is Linlithgow Palace, 9.2 km from the centre.
PalaceLinlithgow Palace9.2 km north
Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandEdinburgh Castle28 km east
FortAntonine Wall28 km west
Big drawArt galleryNational Gallery28 km east · 661K visitors a year (2021)
Historic housePalace of Holyroodhouse30 km eastCastleCastle · Historic Environment ScotlandStirling Castle32 km northwest
MuseumNational Museum of Scotland28 km east
Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandDunfermline Palace & Abbey (ruins)22 km northeast
Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandBlackness Castle14 km northeast
CathedralSt Giles' Cathedral28 km east
Art galleryScottish National Portrait Gallery28 km east · 313K visitors a year (2015)
Art galleryScottish National Gallery of Modern Art26 km east · 458K visitors a year (2015)Places well known beyond Bathgate (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.
Planning a visit to Bathgate
What are the main attractions in Bathgate?
The place to visit inside Bathgate’s locality is Bennie Museum. In all, 1 place to visit is mapped inside the town, and 8 more within 5 km.
Does Bathgate have a museum?
4 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Bathgate: Bennie Museum, Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry, Whitburn Community Museum and Almond Valley Heritage Centre.
Is there a National Trust for Scotland or Historic Environment Scotland property near Bathgate?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Bathgate, 1 place is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland (Cairnpapple Hill).
What are the best-known days out near Bathgate?
Within 40 km: Linlithgow Palace (9.2 km), Edinburgh Castle (28 km), Antonine Wall (28 km), National Gallery (28 km).
Where are Bathgate’s historic buildings listed?
Bathgate has 11 listed buildings, 1 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 Bathgate 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 (11)
- Linlithgow Palace: Alex Sanz, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Edinburgh Castle: Stephencdickson, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Antonine Wall: Chris Wimbush, CC BY-SA 2.0, 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
- National Museum of Scotland: Maccoinnich~commonswiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dunfermline Palace & Abbey (ruins): Chiswick Chap, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Blackness Castle: Dr John Wells, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Giles' Cathedral: 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Scottish National Portrait Gallery: Original uploader was Maccoinnich at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art: Grousebeater2, CC BY-SA 4.0, 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.