Things to do in Scotland, United Kingdom: The Best Sacred & Religious Sites

Welcome to Greyfriars Kirk, a church, historic building and event venue in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town. We are a welcoming, inclusive community, and respond to local needs in a variety of ways. The Kirk is a major venue for the arts and classical music, a tourist destination and through the Grassmarket Community Project, a supporter of Edinburgh's most vulnerable citizens. Our Kirkyard boasts, among many others, the graves of Joseph Black, James Hutton, Mary Erskine and most famous of all, Greyfriars Bobby. In addition, it also house the grave of a certain Tom Riddle - J K Rowling's inspiration for the character of Lord Voldemort. Opening hours shown are for the summer months (April to October).

The abbey is now open and we are delighted to welcome you back. Find out more about our reopening plans at restarthistory.scot. The Abbey Church at Iona Abbey will be inaccessible to visitors from 7 January to 17 March 2019. Iona Abbey is one of Scotland's most historic and sacred sites. Located on the Isle of Iona, just off the Isle of Mull, it was founded by St Columba and his Irish followers in AD 563. As a celebrated focus for Christian pilgrimage, Iona retains its spiritual atmosphere and remains an enduring symbol of worship. The abbey church was restored at the beginning of the 20th century, whilst work on restoring the living accommodation began in 1938, following the foundation of the Iona Community. Today, the Iona Community continues the tradition of worship first established by St Columba 1,450 years ago.

St Andrews Cathedral is now open and we are delighted to welcome you back. Booking in advance is essential. Find out more and book at restarthistory.scot. The cathedral grounds will be open Sun to Tues. The remains of St Andrews Cathedral, which was Scotland’s largest cathedral and most magnificent church, show how impressive it used to be. The museum houses an outstanding collection of early and later medieval sculptures and other relics found on the site, including the magnificent St Andrews Sarcophagus of Pictish date. The precinct walls are particularly well preserved. St Rule's Tower, in the precinct, is part of the first church of the Augustinian canons at St Andrews built in the early 12th century. There are splendid views from the top.