Robert Burns Birthplace Museum

The Basics

Visitors can see the humble cottage where Robert Burns was born and spent the first years of his life, explore a museum housing more than 5,000 Burns artifacts including handwritten manuscripts, and follow in the footsteps of Burns’ protagonist Tam o’ Shanter to the atmospheric Alloway Auld Kirk and over the Brig o’ Doon. You can also pay your respects at the Burns Monument, a 70-foot-high (21-meter-high) Grecian-style temple that was erected less than 20 years after his death.

Admission tickets to the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum include entrance to all sites, and you can skip lines by purchasing online in advance. Visits to the Burns sites are often included on day tours along the Ayrshire coast that leave from Glasgow. Multi-day tours from Glasgow to the Isle of Arran also typically stop by on the way to or from the island.

Things to Know Before You Go

• Robert Burns Birthplace Museum is a must-visit for anyone with an interest in Scottish heritage.

• The sites are accessible to visitors with disabilities, and wheelchairs are available for those who need them.

• There is a children’s play area where facilities feature elements from Burns’ poems and the Scots language.

• The museum shop has a wide selection of gifts, books, and Scottish foods.

How to Get There

The museum is around a 1-hour drive south of Glasgow. If you are traveling by public transport, take a train from Glasgow to Ayr, then a local bus to Alloway village (routes 60, 361, or X77); the total journey time is an hour and a half.

When to Get There

The museum site is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Robert Burns Birthplace Cottage is open from 11am to 5pm (last admission 4:30pm). The museum is open until 2pm on December 24 and 31 and closed on December 25 and 26 and January 1 and 2. There are special events throughout the year, the best of which is the annual Burns Supper, an evening of food, drink, poetry, and dancing held on January 25, the poet’s birthday.

Bard’s Bakery and Cafe

Located in the museum building, the Bard’s Bakery and Cafe is a great spot to refuel after exploring the sites. The café specializes in home cooking and traditional Scottish dishes such as haggis, neeps, and tatties (haggis, turnip, and potato) and is also known for its signature haggis-and-cheese scones.