Attractions in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

50 places from our Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire guide, from Aberdeen city to Stonehaven and Dunnottar. Each links to its area guide and, where we have one, its official site.

Saved on this device only.

Attractions

Attractions in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

50 places

Aberdeen Maritime Museum, Aberdeen cityMuseum
Museum

Aberdeen Maritime Museum

Maritime museum on the historic Shiprow, near the city harbour.

Indoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Balmoral Castle, Royal DeesideCastle
Castle

Balmoral Castle

Royal Family's Highland home since 1852; grounds, gardens and booked tours open on set days.

  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideOfficial siteDirections
Braemar Castle, Royal DeesideCastle
Castle

Braemar Castle

Castle by Braemar leased to the community and run by volunteers and staff; open April to October.

  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideOfficial siteDirections
Bridge of Feugh, Royal DeesideOther sight
Bridge

Bridge of Feugh

Bridge carrying a minor road over the Water of Feugh, just south of Banchory.

Outdoor
  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Brig o' Balgownie, Aberdeen cityOther sight
Bridge

Brig o' Balgownie

Old bridge over the River Don, north of Seaton Park.

Outdoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Castle Fraser, Royal DeesideCastle
Castle

Castle Fraser

Z-plan castle north of the Dee, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.

  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption, Aberdeen cityCathedral or church
Cathedral

Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption

Roman Catholic cathedral on Huntly Street, known as St Mary's Cathedral.

Indoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideOfficial siteDirections
Craigievar Castle, Royal DeesideCastle
Castle

Craigievar Castle

Tower house in the hills north of Aboyne, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.

  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Crathes Castle, Royal DeesideCastle
Castle

Crathes Castle

Sixteenth-century castle east of Banchory, with a designed landscape and gardens, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.

  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Cruickshank Botanic Garden, Aberdeen cityGarden
Garden

Cruickshank Botanic Garden

Botanic garden of the University of Aberdeen in Old Aberdeen.

Outdoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
David Welch Winter Gardens, Aberdeen cityGarden
Garden

David Welch Winter Gardens

Indoor gardens and glasshouses inside Duthie Park.

Outdoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Drum Castle, Royal DeesideCastle
Castle

Drum Castle

Castle between Peterculter and Banchory, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.

  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Dunnicaer, Stonehaven and DunnottarOther sight
Sea stack

Dunnicaer

Sea stack between Stonehaven and Dunnottar Castle, the site of a Pictish fort.

  • Stonehaven and Dunnottar, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven and DunnottarCastle
Castle

Dunnottar Castle

Ruined fortress of the Earls Marischal on a rock surrounded on three sides by the North Sea, 1.6 miles south of Stonehaven.

  • Stonehaven and Dunnottar, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideOfficial siteDirections
Duthie Park, Aberdeen cityPark or nature
Park

Duthie Park

Public park in Ferryhill beside the River Dee.

Outdoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Footdee, Aberdeen cityOther sight
Historic village

Footdee

Former fishing village at the harbour mouth, with cottages laid out in squares by John Smith in 1808-9; locally called Fittie.

  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Girdleness Lighthouse, Aberdeen cityOther sight
Lighthouse

Girdleness Lighthouse

Lighthouse on the Girdle Ness headland, south of the harbour entrance.

  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Glen Tanar, Royal DeesidePark or nature
Nature reserve

Glen Tanar

Glen of the Water of Tanar south of Aboyne, and a national nature reserve.

Outdoor
  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Johnston Gardens, Aberdeen cityGarden
Garden

Johnston Gardens

Small public garden in Aberdeen.

Outdoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
King's College Chapel, Aberdeen cityCathedral or church
Chapel

King's College Chapel

Indoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Linn of Dee, Royal DeesidePark or nature
Waterfall

Linn of Dee

Waterfall on the River Dee west of Braemar, crossed by a minor road bridge.

  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Loch Muick, Royal DeesidePark or nature
Loch

Loch Muick

Loch in Glen Muick, south of Ballater; the River Muick joins the Dee near the village.

  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Lochnagar, Royal DeesidePark or nature
Mountain

Lochnagar

Mountain in the Grampians south of the Dee, between Ballater and Braemar.

  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Mar Lodge Estate, Royal DeesideOther sight
Estate

Mar Lodge Estate

Highland estate west of Braemar cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.

  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Marischal College, Aberdeen cityOther sight
Historic building

Marischal College

Granite Gothic Revival college building founded in 1593, now the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council.

  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Mercat Cross, Aberdeen cityOther sight
Monument

Mercat Cross

Market cross built in 1686 by the Aberdeen architect John Montgomery, in the Castlegate.

Outdoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Muir of Dinnet, Royal DeesidePark or nature
Nature reserve

Muir of Dinnet

National nature reserve beside the A97 at Dinnet, between Aboyne and Ballater.

Outdoor
  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Old Royal Station, Royal DeesideOther sight
Historic building

Old Royal Station

Former Deeside Railway terminus in Ballater, closed in 1966 and rebuilt after a 2015 fire.

  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Royal Lochnagar Distillery, Royal DeesideOther sight
Distillery

Royal Lochnagar Distillery

Whisky distillery near Balmoral, on the south side of the Dee.

Indoor
  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
RSPB Fowlsheugh, Stonehaven and DunnottarPark or nature
Nature reserve

RSPB Fowlsheugh

Cliff-top RSPB reserve south of Stonehaven with over 115,000 breeding seabirds, seen from May to early August.

Outdoor
  • Stonehaven and Dunnottar, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideOfficial siteDirections
Scolty Hill, Royal DeesidePark or nature
Hill

Scolty Hill

Hill south-west of Banchory; the Scolty Hill Race is run at the Banchory show each July.

Outdoor
  • Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Seaton Park, Aberdeen cityPark or nature
Park

Seaton Park

Public park in Old Aberdeen, beside St Machar's Cathedral.

Outdoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
St. Andrews Cathedral, Aberdeen cityCathedral or church
Cathedral

St. Andrews Cathedral

Cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church on King Street.

Indoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Stonehaven Harbour, Stonehaven and DunnottarOther sight
Harbor

Stonehaven Harbour

Two-basin harbour improved by Robert Stevenson in the 1820s, once a centre of the herring trade.

Outdoor
  • Stonehaven and Dunnottar, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Stonehaven Open Air Pool, Stonehaven and DunnottarOther sight
Swimming pool

Stonehaven Open Air Pool

Olympic-size heated open-air pool of filtered seawater, opened in 1934; open in summer and for a winter cold-water season.

Indoor
  • Stonehaven and Dunnottar, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideOfficial siteDirections
Stonehaven Tolbooth Museum, Stonehaven and DunnottarMuseum
Museum

Stonehaven Tolbooth Museum

Late 16th-century courthouse and prison on the harbour, the oldest building in Stonehaven, now a local museum.

Indoor
  • Stonehaven and Dunnottar, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideOfficial siteDirections
Stonehaven War Memorial, Stonehaven and DunnottarOther sight
Memorial

Stonehaven War Memorial

First World War memorial on Black Hill above the bay, unveiled in 1923.

Outdoor
  • Stonehaven and Dunnottar, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
The Gordon Highlanders Museum, Aberdeen cityMuseum
Museum

The Gordon Highlanders Museum

Museum of the Gordon Highlanders regiment, which began as the 92nd Regiment of Foot in 1794.

Indoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideOfficial siteDirections
The Kirk of St. Nicholas, Aberdeen cityCathedral or church
Church

The Kirk of St. Nicholas

Historic church in the city centre, just off Union Street.

Indoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideOfficial siteDirections
Tolbooth Museum, Aberdeen cityMuseum
Museum

Tolbooth Museum

Seventeenth-century former jail on Castle Street, now a museum.

Indoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Torry Battery, Aberdeen cityOther sight
Ruins

Torry Battery

Artillery battery on the south side of the harbour entrance, overlooking the harbour since 1860.

Outdoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Union Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen cityPark or nature
Park

Union Terrace Gardens

Public park and gardens on Union Terrace, between Union Street and Rosemount Viaduct.

Outdoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections
Victoria Park, Aberdeen cityPark or nature
Park

Victoria Park

Small public park in Aberdeen.

Outdoor
  • Aberdeen city, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
In our guideDirections

By area

Things to do by area in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

Each link opens the area guide with the full descriptions, photos and directions.

More about Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire: the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire guide, free things to do and UK museums and galleries.

Other destinations

How the flags work

What we show, and what we leave out

Every flag below comes from a source you can open. Where we hold no report, the list says "not stated" or shows nothing: it does not guess. Check the venue before you travel, because prices, hours and booking rules change.

  • Type. Our own grouping of each place's kind in our destination guides (for example museum, castle or garden). It is a filter, not a rating.
  • Entry (free or paid). Shown only where the venue's own website says so in plain words, read on Oct 25, 2026. 0 places here are marked free and 0 paid; the other 50 are not stated. "Free" means general admission: special exhibitions, events and facilities can still be charged. The words we relied on are on the sources page.
  • Booking. We have not yet read a venue page that advises booking for these places, so there is no booking filter. Check each official site.
  • Step-free. Reported status only, from OpenStreetMap contributors or the venue's own access page: 0 places have a step-free or partly step-free report. The step-free filter hides places with no report; that does not mean they are not accessible. Contact the venue.
  • Indoor or outdoor. Our rules for the kind of place (15 indoor, 0 partly covered, 18 outdoor; the rest are not classed). It says nothing about opening hours or shelter on the day.
  • Family-friendly. Places marked family-friendly in our guides (0 so far).
  • Nearest to me. Straight-line distance from the position your device reports when you choose it. The position stays in your browser.
  • Saved on this device. Places you have saved with the heart. They are kept in this browser only, and appear in My trip.

Sources

  1. Our destination guides: the places, descriptions and positions come from their "Things to do" pages, which link each venue's official site.
  2. Venue websites, read on Oct 25, 2026 for free-entry, admission-price and booking wording. Each flag and the words behind it: flag sources.
  3. OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab), for reported step-free tags.
  4. Our free things guide, which lists places whose own websites say entry is free.