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Historic building
Marischal College
Granite Gothic Revival college building founded in 1593, now the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council.
A mini guide to
Aberdeen city
Granite streets, museums, the harbour, the beach and Old Aberdeen
Photos
1 / 10Welcome to the area
Granite streets, museums, the harbour, the beach and Old Aberdeen
Central Aberdeen runs along Union Street, with Marischal College, the Art Gallery and Provost Skene's House just to the north and the Maritime Museum on the Shiprow above the harbour. Much of it is built of grey local granite, which gave the city its nickname. The railway station, bus station and Union Square shopping centre sit between the street and the harbour.
East of the harbour, the cottages of Footdee stand at the harbour mouth, and a long beach runs north towards the River Don. Old Aberdeen, about two kilometres north of the centre, is a separate quarter of cobbled streets around King's College and St Machar's Cathedral, with Seaton Park and the Brig o' Balgownie beyond.
Highlights
Start here
If you only have a few hours, these are good places to begin.
Gallery
Aberdeen Art Gallery
The city art gallery on Schoolhill, run by Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums.
Museum
Aberdeen Maritime Museum
Maritime museum on the historic Shiprow, near the city harbour.
Museum
Provost Skene's House
Townhouse built in 1545, now a museum.
Museum
Tolbooth Museum
Seventeenth-century former jail on Castle Street, now a museum.
Monument
Mercat Cross
Market cross built in 1686 by the Aberdeen architect John Montgomery, in the Castlegate.
Find your way
On the map
The map shows Aberdeen city and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insider tips
Before you go
1
Start at the Castlegate
The Mercat Cross, the Tolbooth Museum, Marischal College and Provost Skene's House are all within a few minutes of each other at the east end of Union Street.
2
Walk to Footdee
Follow the harbour east to the Footdee cottages and the harbour mouth, then turn north along the beach esplanade.
3
Take a bus to Old Aberdeen
King's College, St Machar's Cathedral and the Cruickshank Botanic Garden are north of the centre. Plan the bus with Traveline Scotland or First Aberdeen.
4
Check museum days
City museums and galleries do not all open every day. Check Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums before you go.
Tips from the Britlens editors
Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
More areas to explore
Photo credits
- Aberdeen city (area photo): Carl Farnell, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Marischal College: me, Public domain, source
- Aberdeen Art Gallery: Tom Parnell from Scottish Borders, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Aberdeen Maritime Museum: Bill Harrison, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Provost Skene's House: Ryan Mitchell, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tolbooth Museum: Ragazzi99, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mercat Cross: AberdeenBill, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- The Kirk of St. Nicholas: Ikiwaner, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- St. Andrews Cathedral: Stephen Craven, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption: Lucas Kendall, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- His Majesty's Theatre: Lucas Kendall, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Union Terrace Gardens: Lucas Kendall, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Aberdeen Science Centre: Bill Harrison, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- The Gordon Highlanders Museum: AlasdairW, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Footdee: Ettore Timi, CC BY 2.5, source
- Aberdeen Beach and Queens Links: Iain Lees, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Torry Battery: Dianarebenciuc, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Royal Deeside: Daniel Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Stonehaven and Dunnottar: Onderwijsgek, CC BY-SA 2.5 nl, source
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
Keep exploring Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire