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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Aberdeen
Obar Dheathain
Give Aberdeen 2 nights as a base for Aberdeenshire castles and coast, not as a city break on its own: the granite centre is a half-day.
Aberdeen is Scotland's third city, a granite harbour town on the north-east coast, 2 h 30 min by train from Edinburgh and Glasgow. The centre is compact and walkable; the real draw is what surrounds it — castles, whisky, golf, Royal Deeside and a two-mile beach. Two nights covers the city and one day out; three or more makes it a proper base.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Local name
- Obar Dheathain
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short, grey days; midwinter light roughly 8:30am–3:30pm)Nov–Feb (short, grey days; midwinter light roughly 8:30 AMam–3:30 AMpm)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–75 excl. bed · Mid £75–130 excl. bed · High £130+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police and Fire/Ambulance 999 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | £3–4.50 |
| Pub main course | £12–18 |
| Pint of beer | £4.50–6 |
| City bus single fare | £1.70 |
| Taxi, first mile | about £3.40, then about £2 per mile |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | £6–12 |
| Castle or museum entry | £5–18 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ABZ · Aberdeen International Airport (Dyce)
- 7 miles (11 km) northwest of the centre; Jet 727 bus to Union Square every 10–30 min, about 30 min, £3.70 single / £6.50 return7 miles (6.8 mi) northwest of the centre; Jet 727 bus to Union Square every 10–30 min, about 30 min, £3.70 single / £6.50 return
Typical fares
- ABZ airport → Union Square, Jet 727
- £3.70 single, £6.50 return, about 30 min
- Taxi airport → city centre
- about £25
- Train Aberdeen → Edinburgh
- about 2 h 30 min, hourly; fare varies by booking time
Get around
The centre is compact and best on foot, though Union Street alone is a mile long. First Aberdeen buses cover the city (cash, contactless or mTicket); Stagecoach serves the wider county. Taxis are metered and registered — Uber does not operate here. Cycling is workable outside the centre; there is no bike-share scheme.
See and do
Known for
- Granite architecture and Union Street
- Aberdeen Beach and Footdee
- North Sea oil industry
- Gateway to Aberdeenshire castles and Royal Deeside
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Stonehaven and Dunnottar Castle | Train from Aberdeen to Stonehaven, about 20 min, then a coastal walk to the castle | About 1 h 15 min |
| Banchory and Royal Deeside | Stagecoach bus or the Deeside Way cycle and walking route | About 45 min by bus |
| Ballater and Balmoral | Bus or car via the A93 up the Dee valley | About 1 h 30 min |
| Peterhead | Stagecoach bus north along the coast | About 1 h 15 min |
| Fraserburgh | Bus north via the A90 and A952 | About 1 h 45 min |
| Methlick | Bus or car north-west of the city | About 1 h |
Sleep
- City centre / Union Street
- Walk to the station, bus station, ferry terminal and main sights; best for a short stay without a car.
- Union Square and the harbour
- Transport hub on the doorstep: rail, bus, NorthLink ferries and the retail complex. Practical for one-night stops.
- Old Aberdeen
- University quarter by the River Don, quieter and greener; 20–25 min by bus from the centre.
- Beach and Footdee
- Esplanade hotels and sea air; 20–30 min walk from Union Street, good for the beach and the funfair end.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank youstandard English; Doric is spoken locally |
| Excuse me | Excuse me |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the toilet? |
| Cheers | Cheerscommon local thanks |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- The city centre is a Low Emission Zone: a £60 penalty applies to non-compliant vehicles, so check your car before driving in.
- Midwinter daylight is short (roughly 8:30am–3:30pm) and haar or dreich weather can close in for days — pack waterproofs.
- Taxis are hard to find at pub closing time; queue at a rank or phone ahead and expect a wait.
- The North Sea is cold year-round: surfing and swimming need a wetsuit.
- Some former direct airport buses to Stonehaven, Montrose and Peterhead have been axed — check current routes.
Aberdeen is a low-crime city by UK standards; the practical risks are weather, dark winter afternoons and late-night taxi queues. Stick to lit streets around Union Street and the Castlegate after closing time.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Aberdeen yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Granite architecture and Union Street
- Aberdeen Beach and Footdee
- North Sea oil industry
- Gateway to Aberdeenshire castles and Royal Deeside
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- VisitScotland — Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire: www.visitscotland.com/places-to-go/aberdeen-city-shire
- Aberdeen City Council: www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/
- Aberdeen International Airport: www.aberdeenairport.com/
- Stagecoach — buses to Aberdeen Airport: www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/north-scotland/getting-to-aberdeen-airport-by-bus
- NorthLink Ferries: www.northlinkferries.co.uk/
- Caledonian Sleeper: www.sleeper.scot/
- Low Emission Zones Scotland: www.lowemissionzones.scot/
- Wikivoyage: Aberdeen, revision 5327594 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5327594
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
AberdeenObar Dheathain
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Aberdeen; the US consulate-general is in Edinburgh and most others are in London (check).
Doric, the local Scots dialect, is strong in the countryside and can defeat machine translation.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/aberdeen). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.