Aberdeen tourist information

Famous as the 'Granite City' due to its imposing stone architecture, Aberdeen is not the cold, harsh place this title suggests, but a vibrant and cosmopolitan University city made prosperous by the North Sea oil industry.

With a wealth of attractions, shops, restaurants and bars, there is plenty to keep you occupied in the city if the famous 'harr' (sea fog) keeps you from the sandy beach.

Rich in history, the area has seen human settlement since 6,000BC. The name Aberdeen is likely to mean 'mouth of two rivers' from it's position between the local rivers Dee and Don. By 1264 it had a castle, which saw one of Aberdeen's many battles in the early fourteenth century when it was taken by Robert the Bruce. The city's motto later became 'Bon Accord', which by tradition was the password on the night the castle was taken.

Aberdeen's past is a matter of pride in the city, and there are a number of historic houses and museums, most notably Provost Skene's House dating from 1545 and the Maritime Museum which includes exhibits on the modern oil industry as well and the city's shipping and fishing history.

Union Street is Aberdeen's main shopping street, a wide and impressive thoroughfare built in the Nineteenth Century. Shopping Centres such as St Nicholas & Bon Accord and The Mall Aberdeen house flagship Department Stores, bars and clubs for every taste. Nightlife is the city is extremely vibrant and varied, top-names often perform at the city's Music Hall in Union Street and His Majesty's Theatre. The more alternative music venue The Lemon Tree comes highly recommended.

Aberdeen is also justifiably proud of it's beautiful parks and gardens. Famously banned at one time from the 'Britain in Bloom' competition for winning too many times, beautiful parks such as Johnston Gardens and Duthie park, with it's large glasshouses, justify the city's horticultural reputation.

Further afield, the city is also the gateway to beautiful and historic Aberdeenshire with it's historic castles (including Royal Balmoral), distilleries and breathtaking scenery.