Aberdeen

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Aberdeen (Scottish Gaelic: Obar Dheathain) is Scotland's third largest city, with a population of about 212,000. Aberdeen is the county town of Aberdeenshire, and the chief seaport in the north-east of Scotland.

Aberdeen is commonly referred to variously as "the Granite City", on account of the main building stone used in older buildings in the city, and the "Flower of Scotland", Aberdeen long having been famous for outstanding parks, gardens and floral displays.

These days, Aberdeen also boasts the title of Oil Capital of Europe thanks to the supply of crude oil in the North Sea, and stands on a bay of the North Sea, between the mouths of the rivers Don and Dee.

Understand

Aberdeen is a relatively small city. It has a harbour and pleasant beach. It has a distinct identity from other Scottish cities, especially the two largest in the Central Belt. It has some of the oldest university buildings in Europe (King's College was founded in 1495). It's nickname of The Granite City is well deserved as nearly all the buildings in the centre are made of the grey, occasionally sparkling stuff.

Talk

The local dialect is Doric, very different from Lowland Scots or Gaelic. At first hearing it (and the distinctive accent) is utterly impenetrable, even to other Scots. It has its origins in the farming communities nearby and is not as spoken as widely as it used to be.

Get in

By plane

Aberdeen International Airport is situated 7 miles from the city centre in Dyce. The airport offers a wide range of domestic and international flights. The following airlines operate out of Aberdeen:

For domestic flights

  • BMI, [1]. Flights to London Heathrow, Manchester, Norwich and Stornoway.
  • British Airways, [2]. Flights to Birmingham, Bristol, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester and Southampton.
  • City Star Airlines, [3]. Flights to Blackpool.
  • Easyjet, [4]. Flights to London Luton.
  • FlyBe], [5]. Flights to Belfast International, Birmingham, Exeter and Southampton
  • Loganair, [6]. Operating under a franchise agreement with British Airways, with flights to the Scottish islands, and Derry in Northern Ireland. Flights can be booked through British Airways.

For international flights

Buses run from the airport to the city centre throughout the day. The nearest railway station is Dyce, and connects to stations in Aberdeen and Inverness. Taxis are available outside the terminal and will cost around £20 to Aberdeen City Centre.

By train

Aberdeen Station is located right in the middle of town, next to the Harbour and Bus Station, slightly down from Union Street, the main thoroughfare. Services come from the South via Perth and the North to Elgin, Inverness and similar places.

By boat

Ferries arrive at Aberdeen harbour from Lerwick, Kirkwall and other places.

By car

Aberdeen lies halfway along the long A90 arterial road that hugs the eastern, North Sea coast of Scotland between Dundee and Peterhead.

From Aberdeen, the A96 runs roughly north-west over the Gordon Highlands to Elgin and Inverness.

Get around

Pedestrian Maps

There are quite a few of these located around the city centre, mainly in points of interest. They are very useful for navigating the rather random layout of the city centre and also give details of where to go to catch a particular bus.

By Train

Aberdeen does not have a particularly good rail service to the local outlying areas, but it does exist (there's talk of a Crossrail but that's years off). The station is located on Guild Street next to the bus station (just south of Union Street). The local services run to:

Dyce - On the north west of the city along the Inverness line. This is an option for travelling to the airport, but you have to catch a taxi (these are generally easily available but a bit pricey). Believe it or not, but the cheap day return (£2.60) is slightly cheaper than catching the bus (£2.70 for a day pass). This is certainly a preferable way to travel in rush hour too as the journey time is 10 minutes as opposed to the hour+ it takes on the bus. There are plenty of trains, though the frequency is quite scattered. The station is located just off the main street.

Inverurie - The next stop up the line from Dyce. Trains are less frequent than to Dyce, but the service has benefitted recently from the addition of some extra journeys. The station is located a short walk from the town centre.

Portlethen - The first stop south on the Dundee/Glasgow/Edinburgh line. There are extremely few services stopping here outwith rush hour. The station is located on the east of the town on the road to the old village. A walk from here to the main shopping area will take you around 10-15 minutes, there are buses that run every 20 minutes just outside the station if you need to use them.

Stonehaven - The next stop down from Portlethen. Trains are fairly frequent (at least once an hour). Buses to Stonehaven centre depart from the hotel across from the station, or alternatively you can walk (anywhere between 10-20 minutes depending on your speed).

By Bus

Aberdeen has a fairly decent bus network, though it is expensive to use (there are no multi-operator tickets either). The city is served by 2 operators First [15] and Stagecoach [16]. On the whole, buses are modern and fairly comfortable with a few dinosaurs still doing the rounds (mainly on the number 6). If you are connecting buses, it should be noted that you'll probably have to change in the city centre as that's where the majority of services run through/terminate.

First's services are entirely within the city boundary, although they do serve the suburbs of Dyce, Cults & Culter and Kingswells. The network is based on a colour coded system with all the main lines having a colour while the "less important" lines are left grey on the map. This makes it fairly easy to find your way around. Services begin around 5am and end close to midnight with night services run at weekends.

Fares are based on a fare-stage system and cost from 70p for a short journey to £1.60 for a longer one. Day passes are available for £3 (£2.70 after 9am). Show a valid student ID for a discount on the day pass (£2).

First also run the Park & Ride from Kingswells (just off A944) and Bridge of Don (off A90). Parking is free, and the service costs £1.80 (per person) for a return journey to anywhere along the route. Day passes are available for purchase if you are planning to change buses.

Stagecoach run the services to outwith the city boundary. Locations closer to Aberdeen generally have more frequent services (for example, a 15 minute frequency to the suburb of Westhill) than those further out. In addition to this, they run 1 service wholly within the city boundary (the 59). For single fares, Stagecoach are generally a cheaper option within the city than First, but they lack the frequency and network of First. Fares are based on destination, however there is a day pass called the Explorer which, for £11, allows you unlimited use of the entire Stagecoach network in the area (as far out as Montrose or Peterhead for example).

By Taxi

Taxis are widely available from a number of ranks dotted around the city centre. The main ranks are located on Back Wynd, Market Street and the railway station. There are more located further up Union Street, they're easy enough to spot. Taxis can be difficult to come by at night due to a shortage of them (ranks are patrolled by marshals at night) and can actually be difficult to flag down on the street as many drivers do not give any indication if they're available for hire. Fares aren't too expensive in comparison with other areas of the UK, though they're still expensive enough.

By Bicycle

Due to the many narrow roads and inadequate lane provisions, than can be rather treacherous at times. Cycle lanes are appearing as are cycle "boxes" at traffic lights so the situation is getting better for those who cycle. It's getting easier to park a cycle too, the council are beginning to provide loops for chaining bikes to within the city centre streets and within the municipal multi-storey car parks.

See

Landmarks

  • the University of Aberdeen [17]

Museums, Galleries and Other Tourist Attractions

  • Aberdeen Art Gallery [18]
  • the Gordon Highlanders Museum [19], St Lukes Viewfield Road, tel 01224 311200, mailto:museum@gordonhighlanders.com, open 1st Tu in April to last Su in October, Tu-Sa 10.30am-4.30pm, Su 1.30pm-4.30pm (last admission 4pm), closed Mo; November - March open by appointment only; admission adults £2.50, seniors £1.50, children £1.00, closed season £3.50 - at the Gordon Highlanders Museum you can re-live the compelling and dramatic story of one of the British Army's most famous regiments, through the lives of its outstanding personalities and of the kilted soldiers of the North East of Scotland who filled its ranks.
  • also the Duthie Park Winter Gardens with one on the Europe's largest Cacti collections, the 5-star Maritime Museum and close proximity to many National Trust for Scotland Castles within a short driving distance (many with bus transport) just out of the city.
  • Provost Skene's House [20]

Guestrow (between Broad St. and Flourmill Lane) tel 01224 641086 open year round, Monday to Saturday (10am-5pm), Sunday (1pm-4pm) Admission is free. This historic house from the 16th century is filled with examples of household life throughout the centuries in Aberdeen. There is an archaeological exhibit as well.

  • Maritime Museum [21]

Shiprow, Aberdeen tel 01224 337700 Open year round, Monday to Saturday (10am-5pm), Sunday (12noon-3pm) Museum presents the history of Aberdeen's dependence on the ocean. Fishing, transport, and the oil industry are presented on the multi-floor center.

Do

The nearest Aberdeen has to a Bohemian Quarter is centred around Belmont Street, halfway down Union St. It has a couple of nice cafe / bars and an arthouse cinema.

Buy

Aberdeen has a number of covered central shopping centers including the Bon-Accord Center (general high street shops), St. Nicolas Center (general high street shops), The Academy (boutique shops) and the Trinity Center (general high street shops).

The city has all the department stores and high street shops you would expect in any modern British urban area, clustered around the centers above and along the mile-long Union Street.

Eat

Drink

Like any Scottish city Aberdeen has its fair share of bars and nightclubs ahere are hundreds of licenced premises in the city to choose from that cater for every taste. From underground club Moshulu to the more dance orientated Liquid, with a number of others between these very different spectrums.

Due to the large student population there are always student deals around to find if you want them, that often extend to everyone and not just those with student cards.

There are a number of uppermarket bars for the more discerning such as the bar Soul in the converted Langstane Kirk and the Albyne Bar and Club which is for over 30's.

Sleep

Get out