
City in Fife, Scotland
Photo: Paul McIlroy, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Dunfermline (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Phàrlain) is a city in Fife, 3 miles north of the Firth of Forth in central Scotland. The city was a royal residence, ecclesiastical centre and effective capital of Scotland from the 11th century, and many monarchs are buried at its abbey. It's also the birthplace of tycoon philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. In 2022 the population was 55,000.
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The Abbey dates back to the 11th century and is Romanesque, but ruined in the Reformation. Several parts such as the impressive nave were incorporated into the 19th-century parish church. Notable burials here are St Margaret of Scotland, Robert the Bruce, and five other kings and their queens. Attached to the Abbey are the few remains of the Palace: King Charles I was born here in 1600, but by the end of that century both the palace and the Stuart royal dynasty were broken.
is accessed through a small building on Chalmers St car park near Tesco. Steep steps lead down to what was probably a monastic hermitage or shrine - Margaret herself had no need to pray here, having royal chapels aplenty.
is an art gallery, events venue and cafe in an Art Deco former fire station, on Carnegie Drive next to Tesco. Live music events on Fri & Sat.
Carnegie funded the building of this public library in his home town, opened in 1883, and he went on to fund over 2800 more. A modern extension, opened in 2017, houses a museum and galleries.
This humble weavers' cottage was the birthplace of the steel tycoon and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919); the grand museum hall adjoining was built by his widow in 1928. The cottage shows how it would have been at the time of Carnegie's birth, with the hall having a detailed exhibition on his life. He was 12 when the family emigrated to Pennsylvania, where he was soon noticed for his brightness and hard-working. He became prosperous through the railway industry, then enormously wealthy through iron and steel. He resolved to donate most of this to causes such as education, and by the time of his death had donated over $350 million, equivalent to $80 billion in today's money.
Collection of over 100 buses.
This is the original Carnegie Hall, a 540-seat theatre named for the local-boy-made-good. The shows are mostly light fare.
Carnegie purchased this park and gave it to the people of the town; the grand gates were added in 1908. A stream runs through a bosky glen and there are various walkways, an Art Deco pavilion, gardens and hothouses, and the stumps of King Malcolm Canmore's tower dating to 1000 AD.
Florida-style adventure golf with two 18 hole courses, Treasure Island and Pirates Cove. Floodlit at night.
Central cafe.
Tasty Italian, Tuesday nights is tapas.
Good Indian food, mostly tandoori.
This Gastropub does food worth coming the extra distance. The bar has a garden.
Pub with rooms near the bus station, weekends are noisy with drouthy folk.
Georgian mansion half a mile east of centre, good reviews for comfort and service.
Pleasant mid-range Best Western with gardens, dog-friendly.
Good budget chain hotel, dogs welcome.
Chain budget hotel, comfort and service consistently better than its price range. Lots of eating places, retail and amusements on the Leisure Park.
Reliable budget chain next to motorway, good value for what you pay.
Upscale 72-room country house hotel in its own grounds, part of Best Western. With restaurant and spa, often does weddings and similar events.
Plush country hotel with golf course.
By train
Trains from Edinburgh Waverley run every 30 min via Haymarket (for airport), Dalmeny (for South Queensferry), North Queensferry, Inverkeithing and Rosyth, taking 35-40 min to the two Dunfermline…
By road
Dunfermline is two miles west of M90 motorway. From the south, follow M90 over Queensferry Crossing (no toll) and at junction 2 take the spur A823(M).
By bus
Dunfermline bus station is on Queen Anne St in town centre. Services are:
Buses between town and Halbeath P&R are Bus 19, which runs south to Rosyth and north to Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly and Ballingry; Bus 33 running east to Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly, Cardenen and Kirkcaldy; and Bus 83 southeast…
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