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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)
- 11 km (7 miles) northwest of the centre; Jet 727 bus to Union Square every 10–30 min, about 30 min, £3.70 single / £6.50 return7 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 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
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
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 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.