In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Arbroath
Give Arbroath one full day: abbey, harbour and a smokie lunch. Sleep in Dundee unless you want the cliffs at dawn.
Arbroath is a red-sandstone fishing port on the Angus coast, 16 miles from Dundee, known for its ruined abbey, the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath and smoked haddock. The town itself is a half-day to a day; the cliff walk to Auchmithie and the beaches are what make an overnight worth it. Trains from Dundee take about 20 minutes, so most travellers visit as a day trip.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short days, closures), and match days if you want a quiet harbour
- Stay
- 1 night
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 £50–80 excl. bed · Mid £80–130 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
- 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 |
| Arbroath smokie (single fish) | £4–7 |
| Fish and chips | £10–15 |
| Pint of beer in a pub | £4.50–6 |
| Abbey or St Vigeans museum entry, adult | £5.50–7.50 |
| Taxi across town | £5–8 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | £10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- EDI · Edinburgh
- Best range of flights; train to Arbroath via Dundee, about 2 h
- ABZ · Aberdeen
- Closer by rail but fewer flights
- DND · Dundee
- Closest airport, very limited flights; about 30 min by road or rail
Typical fares
- Train Dundee → Arbroath
- about £8–10 off-peak return, 20 min (check)
- Bus X7 Dundee → Arbroath
- about £5 single, 30 min (check)
- Taxi station → harbour
- £5–8 (check)
Get around
The town is walkable: station to abbey about 10 minutes, abbey to harbour about 10 minutes. Bus 30 loops the town hourly. Taxis from the station rank. A car or bike helps for the cliffs, St Vigeans and Lunan Bay.
See and do
Known for
- Arbroath Abbey and the Declaration of Arbroath
- Arbroath smokies (smoked haddock)
- Signal Tower Museum and Bell Rock lighthouse
- Cliff walk to Auchmithie and Gayfield Park
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Dundee | Train from Arbroath, about 20 min | About 40 min |
| Montrose | Train north, about 15 min | About 35 min |
| Forfar | Bus or car via the A932, about 30–40 min | About 1 h |
| Lunan Bay | Car or taxi, about 15 min north | About 30 min |
Sleep
- Harbour and Shore
- Seafront B&Bs and seafood restaurants; walk to the abbey and station.
- High Street and town centre
- Small hotels, pubs and the bus stance; best if you arrive by train.
- West Links and Dundee Road
- Beach, golf and holiday-park cabins; a car helps.
- Inverkeilor and Lunan Bay
- Country hotel and beach 5–6 miles north; only with a car.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Please | Pleasepleez |
| Thank you | Thank youthank yoo |
| A smokie, please | A smokie, please |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Where is the station? | Where is the station? |
| Is it far? | Is it far? |
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 abbey's abbot's house and some masonry are closed as unsafe; ticket prices are reduced — check before you pay.
- The cliff path to Auchmithie is cut off at high tide: check tide times and never walk below the cliffs on a rising tide.
- Sea swimming is cold year-round; there are no lifeguards.
- Many restaurants close one or two days a week and kitchens stop early; book or eat before 8pm.
- St Vigeans museum opens only a few days a week in summer — check first.
Arbroath is a small, low-crime town and safe to walk by day and evening. The real risks are the sea and the cliffs: cold water, no lifeguards, and a cliff path that floods at high tide.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Arbroath yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Arbroath Abbey and the Declaration of Arbroath
- Arbroath smokies (smoked haddock)
- Signal Tower Museum and Bell Rock lighthouse
- Cliff walk to Auchmithie and Gayfield Park
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 — Angus: www.visitscotland.com/places-to-go/angus
- Historic Environment Scotland — Arbroath Abbey: www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/arbroath-abbey/
- Angus Alive — Signal Tower Museum: angusalive.scot/museums-galleries/visit-a-museum-gallery/arbroath-signal-tower-museum/
- National Rail — journey planner: www.nationalrail.co.uk/
- Wikivoyage: Arbroath, revision 5141911 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5141911
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Arbroath
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Arbroath; US and most other consulates are in Edinburgh, embassies in London.
English is spoken everywhere; no phrasebook needed.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/arbroath). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.