The ultimate city guide to Aberdeen, Scotland
The Dee and the Don: Rivers of Aberdeen
The Dee and the Don are the names of the rivers that flow through Aberdeen in the Scottish Lowlands. They sound like a tongue twister, a refrain, or the sound of a bell.
Aberdeen: Scotland’s Third-Largest City
Aberdeen is the third-largest city in Scotland by size and population. Its name means “on the estuary of the Deen” and it is in the eastern part of the country. Since rich fields were found in the North Sea, Aberdeen has become the oil capital of the UK. The standard of living for the people who live there has gone up a lot, and shops, bars, restaurants, and museums have opened up as signs of growing prosperity. Culture also plays a big part. King’s College, which was founded in 1495, is one of the oldest universities in Europe and is in Aberdeen.
The Granite City: Aberdeen’s Historic Center
Aberdeen is known as the “Granite City” because its historic center was built with gray granite from quarries next to the city. The city is surrounded by a beautiful landscape, with a network of river valleys and the peaks of the Grampians rising up into the Scottish sky. At the same time, the sandy bays and cliffs that look out over the North Sea are sometimes broken up by a small port that is perched on the waves.
Exploring Aberdeen: History, Castles, and Nature
Tourists can learn about the history of a city in many different ways. For example, the Malt Whiskey Trail connects the most famous distilleries and shows how traditional whiskey is made. Other paths connect castles and the coast, like the Victorian Heritage Trail, which lets you visit Balmoral, the Queen’s summer home.
Even people who like sports and being outside won’t be bored. You can fish for trout and salmon in the two rivers that meet at Aberdeen, the Dee and the Don, whose mouths are separated by a long, thin beach. You can also ride, walk through the hills, or play a game of golf.
Parks and Gardens: Aberdeen’s Natural Beauty
Aberdeen has always been known for its big parks, gardens, and open spaces. So much so that it has won the “Best City” award ten times for taking care of its flowers and flower beds. Duthie Park, which opened in 1899 on the north bank of the River Dee and has large lawns, rose-covered hills, and places for kids to play and have fun, is one of the city parks. On the other hand, Hazlehead Park is on the edge of the city. It is big and mostly made up of forests, so people who like to walk in the woods and have picnics go there.
But the Johnston Garden, a small park in the western part of the city with a huge variety of flowers and plants that earned it the title of Britain’s best garden in 2002, is the real star of Aberdeen and the winner of competitions. Other parks that are worth going to are Seaton Park, Union Terrace Gardens, Victoria Park, and Westburn Park.
Gateway to the Isles: Aberdeen’s Port and Wildlife
From the city’s port, ferries leave for the Shetland Islands and the Orkney Islands. This is the only way for cars and goods to get to these places. Dolphins and whales are often easy to see from the port.
Castles and Museums in Aberdeen
Castles in the Grampians
But Aberdeen is an interesting place to visit because of the many castles in the Grampians, especially the one from the 1400s called Dunnottar, which is a few kilometers south of the city center and is now empty.
Museums and Art Galleries
There are also a lot of museums and art galleries in the city, with temporary or permanent exhibits and different events at different times of the year.
Aberdeen Art Gallery
The Aberdeen Art Gallery has a large collection of impressionist, Victorian, and Scottish works from the 20th century, as well as a display of silverware and glassware. The gallery also has pieces of art from the late 20th century that were given by Alexander Macdonald, who was the first person to give money to help the museum succeed.
Aberdeen Maritime Museum
The Aberdeen Maritime Museum shows how the city’s history has changed over time based on how it has interacted with the sea, from the time when the first ships were built to the present day.
Provost Ross House
The Provost Ross House, which was built in 1593 and is the second oldest house in the city, has some original medieval items in it.
Marischal Museum
The Marischal Museum is where the University of Aberdeen’s main collection is kept. It has more than 80,000 tools and archaeological finds from Scotland and the Mediterranean basin.
Aberdeen’s Architecture and Landmarks
Granite City
As was already said, Aberdeen’s architecture is interesting because of how much granite was used during the Victorian era. This is how the city got its nickname, “Granite City.” But romantic people like to call it Silver City, which means “city of silver,” because of the way the sun lights up the quartz when it touches the buildings.
Notable Buildings
The County Bank, Music Hall, and Trinity Hall, as well as the headquarters of the Northern Assurance Company and the National Bank of Scotland, are some of the most interesting buildings on Union Street. In 1906, King Edward VII ordered the building of Marischal College on Broad Street. It is the second-largest granite building in the world, after the Escorial in Madrid. St. Machar’s Cathedral is in the middle of Old Aberdeen. It was built by Machar in 580 AD, after he helped St. Dove of Iona on her journey. The sound of the big bells in the south tower is well-known and hard to miss.
Events and Climate
Annual Events and Festivals
Aberdeen has a lot of annual events and festivals, such as the Aberdeen International Youth Festival, which is the world’s largest event for young artists, the Aberdeen Jazz Festival, Rootin Aboot, a folk music event, Triptych, and the University of Aberdeen World Literature Festival.
Climate
The mountains that surround Aberdeen keep the rain away from the city, which means it has a much drier climate than the west coast. October and November, on the other hand, tend to be the wettest months. Summer has nice weather and sunny days, so tourists and anyone else who wants a break can lie in the sun on one of the nearby beaches. In the summer, the average high is 16 °C and the average low is 9 °C. In the winter, the average high is around 6 °C and the average low is 0 °C.
Transportation
Aberdeen Airport
The airport is in Dyce, which is close to the city. It is the main way to get to the Grampian Highlands and Royal Deeside. It also has many domestic and international flights, including ones to France, Holland, Spain, Belgium, Austria, and Ireland.
