Aberdeen in Scotland is a great location to explore the east coast! We visited on our road trip, and whilst we didn't dive too much into the city itself, the area around Aberdeen has to much to offer. It's close to the Cairngorms, castles, coastal villages, and so much more. Here's our recommendations for around Aberdeen.
Aberdeen is a beautiful coastal city on the east coast of Scotland that leaves so much to explore. We mostly explored the outskirts of Aberdeen, but we wish we had more time to spend here. This guide is for the Aberdeen and East Coast general area - perfect if you plan on road tripping!
One of Scotland's great cities, perfectly placed on the East coast for city and coastal adventures.
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About Aberdeen: Located in North East Scotland, this coastal town is often overlooked to cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh. The beauty of Aberdeen, in our opinion, is it's location on the coast that's close to the stunning Cairngorms, many castles, and the coastal towns en route. It's a port city with many beautiful 19th century stone buildings, and has culture and history to be explored.
How To Get Around: We highly recommend having a car or campervan. We travelled by camper van (we will link our campervan guide below) around Scotland for two weeks and it was one of our favourite adventures yet. But at a minimum, you should rent a car for the activities below!
STAY
These options are for those with a campervan or car road tripping down the coast, and those who prefer to stay in the city centre.
Right down town is this spot in the classic Aberdeen style architecture! Highly rated and in a good location, for a great price. A great spot if you plan on doing tours from the downtown area.
Dated from the 19th century, this is a piece of history in some great architecture itself. Located a quick walk outside of the city centre, this is a great spot for a mix of luxury and the city, but without the hustle and bustle. The bar itself is a sight to see!
Right on the ocean this spot on the shoreline is a great place for a romantic spot. You may see seals, great sunsets and sunrises, birds and wildlife, and maybe even the Northern Lights during the winter.
Stop here the next morning for a traditional Scottish breakfast - a must eat with the haggis and blood pudding... or atleast a must try to get in the Scottish spirit! The full Scottish breakfast will fill you up before you head off on your adventures for the day plus they sell great to go iced drinks.
A bit off the beaten path, but for good coffee and donuts, we'd travel the distance! They have more than just coffee and donuts, with fresh produce also on the menu and baked goods!
The silver darling is located right on the water, making it a stunning spot for dinner. Carefully curated menus, top notch chefs, and a great ambiance make for a great evening in Aberdeen. They focus on seafood dishes, but do have a variety of meat and other options available aswell.
A super popular spot for a classic sunday roast dinner (which is a must try in Scotland). If you're here on a sunday, you must make sunday roast dinners a thing on your to-do list! Everything here is locally sourced.
This is a super cool spot - they even offer specially made gin and whiskey dinners that you can request in advance. They have set menus, lots of cocktails, and a great vibe.
If you're looking for a classic UK breakfast, an afternoon tea, or a late night pub find - this is where it's at.
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DO
Now the fun part! This is where we have the most input on what to do around Aberdeen. Note that many of the suggestions below are for outside of Aberdeen in the general area, so having a car is the best way to see th
This STUNNING beach is just a short walk from the parking lot and is a fabulous place to explore. The views are amazing and its usually pretty quiet so you might even get this place to yourself.
This small village is down a hill (so you may want to walk down instead of driving down especially with a campervan). Its right on the coast and is a great stop to walk around and see how small it is and snap some photos! It was SO quiet when we visited it was a unique experience.
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Forvie National Nature Reserve (Waterside car park)
This national park is a sand dune reserve area with beautiful sand dunes and views on the beach. The walk is a bit far for the views if you do the round trip, but its a great walk to stretch the legs and spend the afternoon.
This castle on the cliffside is SO cool and a great place to explore. If you're interested in visiting the castle make sure to explore it during open hours, but if you just want to explore the grounds and see it from the outside (its still super impressive) you can pull up whenever.
The Scottish home of the Royal family since 1852, the grounds are open to the public on specific times during the year. This impressive castle is massive and has so much within the grounds!
The Queens View is a quick walk with great views that will give you a great insight into what the Scottish countryside is all about. It's called the Queens View as Queen Victoria noted the beauty of the view herself.
Dating back 4,500 years, this is the only stone circle found in the North East of Scotland. There have been a few uses for the stone circle, and is rich in history.
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TOURS
If you don't have your own vehicle, or want to enjoy the day without the stress of driving, consider checking out these tours that are located in and outside of the city. They cover nature, history, architecture, drinking, and much more!
Taste of Aberdeen: landscapes, history, castles, whiskey, and some local insight is what you can expect here! See so much of Aberdeen in this day tour leaving from the city.
Coastal Villages: spend the day exploring the north east coast and it's many villages. Dramatic views, coastal life, sandy coastlines, and so much more. This is the best way to get the east coast feel of Scotland!
Castles & Coo's: If you're into history, highland coo's, whiskey, and your own private guide, this is a great tour for you. It's on the expensive side as it is a tour solely for your group, but that means you can really highlight the items you want to check on your bucket list.
Balmoral & Royal Deeside From Aberdeen: This tour takes you to the Balmoral castle and through many other points (especially those listed above) to see historic sights, royal highlights, quaint towns, and stunning viewpoints. Its a small group tour with many activities packed in!
North East Coastal Trail: This tour is for those that want to explore the east coast in depth and have interests in almost everything - wildlife, marine life, castles, history, viewpoints, cute coastal towns, nature, etc. You may even see puffins and dolphines!
Dunnottar Castle & More: This tour takes you to see many things, but most importantly the Dunnottar castle which is one of the most stunning castles in Scotland (in our opinion). Literally on the coast, this castle is a must see sight.
We seriously loved Scotland and all that it had to offer - including the east coast locations mentioned here. If you want to see more of what Scotland has to offer, see our other Scotland related guides and our travel blog where we put so much more information.
With a full time job, there are twenty five days a year I want to FILL with travelling and have been doing so every year. We love to research, plan, and travel to new destinations around the world as much as possible. We travel at least twice per year and quite a bit for work, and love to share our favourite places along the way with everyone who wants it!
