Arbroath Abbey

The abbey grounds and visitor centre, including the exhibition, shop and toilets, are open.
Due to access restrictions in place as a precautionary measure while we undertake high level masonry inspections, the internal spaces of the abbey remain closed.​​​​​​. Find out more about our conservation work

Arbroath Abbey is famously associated with the Declaration of Arbroath of 1320, which asserted Scotland's independence from England.

Parts of the abbey church and domestic buildings remain, notably the gatehouse range and the abbot's house.

Visitors can enjoy the herb garden along the south wall of the abbey church. The visitor centre provides a walk through audio-visual with a sound loop system. There is also a staff operated platform to enable disabled access to the upper viewing area.

Gravel paths and grassed areas allow access to most of the ground level of the abbey (except the sacristy), and interpretation boards in the nave. There are displays on abbey life in the ground floor of the Abbot's House, and on the declaration of Arbroath in the ground floor of the Gatehouse. Due to the turnpike stair, there is no disabled access to the upper floors of the Abbot's House, Gatehouse range or South transept.

Introduced in 2014 – A display tells the story of the day the Stone of Destiny came to the abbey in 1951.  Interpretation panels also explore potential links between the Declaration of Arbroath and the American Declaration of Independence.

Save with an Explorer Pass

An Explorer Pass, valid for 14 consecutive days, is a great way to explore our iconic sites.

We advise checking ahead if the forecast is poor or if you are making a long journey. From Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm short-term closures are listed on our closures page. At the weekends and on bank holidays this page will not be updated, and any unexpected closures will be posted only on X (formerly Twitter) using #HSclosure. If you have an urgent enquiry related to a site closure and your booking over the weekend please get in touch with ticketing@hes.scot