St Andrews, GB

A glass cube perched above the bay serving Scottish seafood with sea views on three sides. It leans fine-dining with tasting menus and a strong wine list, and the room itself is the draw at sunset. This is the spot for a special dinner rather than a quick bite.

A restaurant-with-rooms doing ambitious, seasonal Scottish cooking that leans heavily on local seafood and produce. It's the town's most decorated kitchen, built around set and tasting menus rather than casual dining. Go for a considered, slower dinner.

A long-running family-run Italian tucked down a lane off the centre, doing homemade pasta and Neapolitan-style pizza. It gets busy and loud in the best way, and the carbonara and parmigiana are what regulars come back for. A reliable mid-priced dinner that suits groups.

A family-run Indian on College Street that locals rate as the best curry in town. It covers the familiar canon well, with the lamb bhuna and the naan singling it out, and it handles both sit-down dinners and takeaway. Good value for a student town.

A busy all-day brunch cafe on North Street known partly for its 'Where Kate met Wills' sign and partly for pancakes with maple syrup and big breakfasts. It's casual, student-priced and reliably packed in the mornings. Come for a relaxed weekend brunch.

A small, cozy coffee bar on North Street that the coffee-serious crowd treats as the town's best cup. Expect rotating roasts, a proper cortado and warm pastries in a snug, book-friendly room. It's a coffee stop, not a meal.

A South Street gelateria running since 1908 with more than fifty rotating flavours behind the counter. It's the town's default ice-cream stop and a genuine institution, equally popular with students and families. Go for the gelato, stay for the people-watching.

A tiny lobster-and-crab hut on Crail's harbour selling whatever was landed that day to eat at picnic benches by the water. There's no kitchen and no menu beyond fresh shellfish, which is the entire point. A short drive from town for the best harbour-side seafood in the area.

An award-winning fish-and-chip shop on Anstruther's harbour that draws queues from across Fife. It does fresh haddock, a proper batter and harbourside benches, and it has the trophies to back the hype. Worth the short coastal drive if you want the definitive Fife chippie.

A buzzy all-day brasserie and grill in a converted South Street bank, named for photography pioneer John Adamson. It covers brunch, steaks, small plates and cocktails under one roof, and the room itself is handsome. A flexible mid-range choice when the group wants different things.

A farm shop, butchery and cafe just outside town doing genuine farm-to-table cooking from its own and local produce. Breakfasts, baked goods and steak burgers are the core, with a seasonal outdoor Steak Barn in summer. Good for a relaxed daytime meal with a shop to browse after.

A green corridor that threads through town along the Kinness Burn, away from the streets and traffic. It's a flat, shaded walk past gardens, a duck pond and old mill sites, popular with locals and dog walkers. The best easy in-town escape on a grey day.

The most dramatic local stretch of the Fife Coastal Path, running south from town past Kingsbarns to Crail harbour. It mixes shore, low cliffs and farmland with a lot of small ups and downs rather than any big climbs. A full-day coastal walk for those who want a proper outing.

The gentler, flatter arm of the Fife Coastal Path, heading out past West Sands and around the Eden Estuary toward Guardbridge. It's good for birdlife on the estuary mudflats and far quieter than the Crail direction. A solid half-day walk without the cliffs.

A vast pine forest backing onto a four-mile dune beach and nature reserve at the northern edge of the local area. Paths run in a flexible grid so you can make the walk as short or long as you like, and seals haul out on the sands. The wildest of the nearby walks.

The sport's main museum, sitting opposite the R&A clubhouse beside the Old Course. Interactive displays trace golf's history from feathery balls to the modern game, and the rooftop has a view over the links. A solid indoor stop and the obvious rainy-day pick for anyone curious about the game.

A compact clifftop aquarium on The Scores with seals, meerkats and reef tanks. It's squarely a family attraction, small enough to do in an hour or two and handy when the weather turns. The default kids-and-rainy-day option in town.

A modern 220-seat theatre off South Street programming drama, music, comedy and film. The room is intimate enough that there's no bad seat, and it doubles as the town's main evening cultural venue. The go-to for a night out that isn't a pub.

A single malt distillery in a converted 18th-century farm steading a short drive from town. Tours walk you through the whole whisky-making process and end with a tasting, and there's a cafe if you're along for the ride rather than the dram. The area's standout adult day-trip experience.

A wildly undulating 18-hole putting green beside the Old Course, run by the Ladies' Putting Club and open to anyone for a small fee. It's the most fun, least intimidating way to play golf at St Andrews, and it works for families and total non-golfers. A cheap, joyful hour by the links.

A walled Victorian garden and estate near Kingsbarns with woodland walks running down to the sea. It holds a national snowdrop collection that carpets the grounds in late winter, and the cafe does hearty vegetarian lunches. A calm, garden-focused half-day for families and plant lovers alike.

A 47-acre country park just outside town that doubles as a family activity hub. Alongside gardens and a lake, there's a miniature railway, boating, crazy golf and big play areas, most of it cheap and seasonal. The clear pick for keeping kids busy for an afternoon.

The ruined shell of what was once Scotland's largest cathedral, set in a graveyard above the sea at the east end of town. The grounds are free to wander, and the attached St Rule's Tower offers the best high view over the rooftops and coast. The anchor historic site of St Andrews.

A clifftop castle ruin on The Scores that served as the bishops' palace and fortress. Its standout features are the grim bottle dungeon and the medieval mine and counter-mine tunnels you can still crawl through from a 16th-century siege. Compact but unusually atmospheric.

The original home of golf, an open links laid along the edge of town and West Sands. You don't have to play, or even like golf, to walk it: on non-play days the fairways are open to the public on foot, including the small Swilcan Bridge on the 18th that every golfer pauses at. The single most famous patch of ground in St Andrews.

A two-mile sweep of sand running alongside the Old Course, best known as the beach from the opening of Chariots of Fire. It's wide, windswept and ideal for a long flat walk with the town and dunes as a backdrop. The town's main beach and an easy escape from the streets.

The grass-and-stone heart of the university, ringed by Gothic buildings and the 15th-century college chapel. It's the gathering point for the Sunday Pier Walk, when students in red gowns process down to the harbour. The best single spot to feel the town-and-gown character of St Andrews.

A small, much-painted fishing harbour in the prettiest of the near East Neuk villages. Steep wynds drop down to a stone-walled basin with creel boats and a seasonal lobster hut. A short drive from town for the classic Fife harbour-village scene.

The long stone pier off the harbour below the Cathedral, and the stage for the university's Sunday Pier Walk tradition. Even off-tradition it's a fine short walk out over the water with the Cathedral ruins behind you. Quiet, free and central.