Apart from statistically being Scotland's sunniest city St Andrews is also home to it's oldest university and first golf course.

This makes holiday-makers, students and golfers part of the landscape here and ensure a pleasant buzz about town – as well as ensuring there's a good selection of cafes, bistros and restaurants in the town.

But even without this, the town, with its cobbled alleys, crooked houses and medieval churches is very likeable.

There are two sandy beaches as well: the West Sands to the north of the town may be familiar as part of the opening sequence to the 1981 film Chariots of Fire.

Cathedral & Castle

The presence of a couple of impressive historic sights help too, particularly the ruined 12th-century St Andrews Cathedral (daily, free entry) from the era from when the city was an ecclesiastical capital. A wealth of sculpture still survives here, even though many stones where pillaged to build the town during the reformation.