Aberdeen
Aberdeen is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous Scottish city.
Aberdeen is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeenshire, but is now separate from the council area of Aberdeenshire. Aberdeen City Council is one of Scotland's 32 local authorities. Aberdeen has a population of
198,590 (2020) for the main urban area and
220,690 (2020) for the wider settlement including outlying localities, making it the United Kingdom's 39th most populous built-up area. Aberdeen has a long, sandy coastline and features an oceanic climate, with cool summers and mild, rainy winters.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Aberdeen
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen is a public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland.
1.8 km · university in Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom · Wikipedia - 02Pittodrie Stadium
Pittodrie Stadium, commonly referred to as Pittodrie, from which the surrounding residential area has taken its name, is an all-seater stadium in Aberdeen, Scotland. Used primarily for football, it has been the home ground of the Scottish Professional Football League club Aberdeen F.C. since they were formed in 1903.
1.6 km · football stadium in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK · Wikipedia - 03Robert Gordon University
Robert Gordon University, commonly called RGU, is a public research university in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland.
600 m · university in Aberdeen City, Scotland, UK · Wikipedia - 04St Mary's Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of St Mary of the Assumption, usually known as St Mary's Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. It is the home of the see of the Bishop of Aberdeen, who is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen in the Province of St Andrews & Edinburgh.
500 m · church in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK · Wikipedia - 05St Machar's Cathedral
St Machar's Cathedral is a Church of Scotland church in Aberdeen, Scotland, located to the north of the city centre, in the former burgh of Old Aberdeen. Technically, St Machar's is no longer a cathedral but rather a high kirk, as it has not been the seat of a bishop since 1690.
2.2 km · church in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK · Wikipedia - 06Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen
The Diocese of Aberdeen is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Scotland.
2.4 km · since 1878, diocese of the Catholic Church in the Scotland · Wikipedia - 07St Andrew's Cathedral
St Andrew's Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church situated in the Scottish city of Aberdeen. It is the see of the Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, who is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney.
1 km · church in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK · Wikipedia - 08Aberdeen Art Gallery
Aberdeen Art Gallery is the main visual arts exhibition space in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1884 in a building designed by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie, with a sculpture court added in 1905.
500 m · Local Authority Museum in Scotland, United Kingdom · Wikipedia - 09Aberdeen Castle
Aberdeen Castle was a late Middle Ages fortification, in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was situated on Castle Hill, a site today known as the Castlegate, and the location of the castle is now occupied by blocks of flats.
1.2 km · castle in Aberdeen City, Scotland, UK · Wikipedia - 10Rowett Research Institute
The Rowett Institute is a research centre for studies into food and nutrition, located in Aberdeen, Scotland.
6.3 km · research institute in Aberdeen City, Scotland, UK · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
Granite architecture is the defining feature of the city, though much is showing its age. See Read above for more on city architecture. Highlights are: Union Street has a mile-long stretch: but look up, the street frontage in many places is modern. Town House (city hall) is a confident Victorian example.
- 01Union Terrace Gardens
A small city-centre park and sunken garden on one side of Union Terrace.
- 02Footdee
- 03David Welch Winter Gardens
Polmuir Rd AB11 7HT (inside Duthie Park),.
From Wikivoyage: Aberdeen, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
What's on? For local events listen to Northsound 1 on 96.9, 97.6 & 103 FM, Northsound 2 on 1035 AM, and Original 106 on 106.8 & 106.3 FM. Or read the Press & Journal, which also publishes Evening Express.
- 01The Belmont Cinema
3-screen cinema showing arthouse, foreign and selected mainstream films.
- 02Aberdeen Science Centre
- 03Aberdeen Harbour Cruises
Eurolink Pontoon next to Fish Market, Aberdeen Harbour (enter harbour from Market Street; no parking here, use Union Square),.
- 04Scotstown Moor Local Nature Reserve
Deeside Way is a walking and cycling path from Aberdeen to Ballater along an old railway trackbed.
- 05Aberdeen FC
"The Dons" play soccer in the Premiership, Scotland's top tier.
- 06Cove Rangers FC
"The Toonsers" play in League One, the third tier.
From Wikivoyage: Aberdeen, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
The Aberdeen buttery or rowie is a cross between a pancake and a croissant. They have a flaky yet heavy texture and are very salty. They're served plain or with butter or jam to make a tea-time or mid-afternoon snack. They're seldom found in cafes or restaurants, you buy them in bakeries or supermarkets to eat at home or on the go. Union Square upstairs has the usual chains including Ask, Yo!
From Wikivoyage: Aberdeen, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Aberdeen
- Airports
- Aberdeen (ABZ), 8 km · Edinburgh (EDI), 154 km · Glasgow (GLA), 201 km
- Stations
- Aberdeen Airport, 7.8 km · Aberdeen railway station, 1 km · Portlethen railway station, 9.9 km · Dyce railway station, 7.9 km
- Ingliston, Edinburgh → Aberdeen154 km · quickest by road, 3h · £18–24
- Glasgow → Aberdeen194 km · quickest by road, 3h 29m · £21–28
- Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear → Aberdeen243 km · quickest by road, 6h 8m · £36–49
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Aberdeen
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Aberdeen. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inThese are the names of oil and gas rigs out in the North Sea, served by helicopter from here.
- Get inJet 727 is a big blue Stagecoach bus, running every 10-30 min to the main bus station in Union Square, next to the railway station and ferry terminal.
- Get inis in city centre on Guild Street, one block from Union Street, close to the bus station and ferry terminal.
- Get inThe ferry terminal is off Market Street, next to the Union St car park entrance.
- Get inNorthLink car ferries sail overnight, year-round, to Lerwick in the Shetland Islands.
From Wikivoyage: Aberdeen, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
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If you know how people move in Aberdeen – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Aberdeen
- Aberdeenshirecouncil area of Scotland800 m
- Aberdeen Citycouncil area of Scotland600 m
- Portlethentown in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK10 km
- Dycearea of the city of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK7.7 km
- Cultshuman settlement in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK5.2 km
- Milltimbervillage in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK9.2 km