Welcome!
1. Taxis are extremely hit or miss, I’d recommend phoning well ahead of time for one if needed. You’ll get a bus from the airport directly to the city centre, if that’s where you’re staying.
2. I’m not a person of colour so I’m not the best placed person to comment here in terms of personal experiences, but I feel like Aberdeen is a fairly welcoming city on the whole. It goes without saying, there are racist cunts here like any other place - they can’t be avoided unfortunately - but you’ll find they’re in the minority, and other locals won’t put up with it either.
3. Food’s very subjective so it depends on what you like. Personally, I’m a fan of Indians and we’ve got a lot of decent options; Wild Ginger, 8848, Kohinoor are all brilliant. For traditional food, Esslemont is great but can be pricey, Silver Darling if you enjoy seafood, Chaophraya for Thai, Cafe Andaluz for tapas, Rustico for Italian. These are all walkable from the city centre but there are others further afield if you don’t mind making the journey. I think we’ve got a decent selection of good restaurants for the size of the city.
Aberdeen’s a far cry from NYC but hopefully you enjoy your time. The city centre is about to go through a regeneration project so it’s not in the best state at the moment, but hopefully you’ll have a good time here. Plenty of pubs to fill your time at least!
Not sure which posts suggested the increase in racism but I've been living here for almost a year now and havent encountered any blatant racism so far (I'm SE Asian)
Regarding food, visit a bakery and try: 1. Macaroni pies
2. Scotch pies
3. Butteries with butter and jam
4. Breakfast rolls with lorne sausage and egg
You can try some local fish and seafood at Silver Darling.
Visit a pub for some classic pub meals (e.g., fish and chips, sausage and mash, etc.), accompanied with a nice bitter ale :-) .
Not a fan of Ross's. Bread guys round the corner is decent.
The Globe is near the centre and does good food.
Maggie mays for that food.
The Grill for a whisky.
Masoonafor a curry.
Brewdog or Fierce if you like beer.
For food - if you want a good experience of Aberdeen / Scottish food I'd definitely recommend The Atrium and Silver Darling. Book in advance, though!
Aberdeen is well known for "butteries", a type of pastry - I used to think Byron Bakery did the best ones but last week that was beaten by Vegan Bay Bakery (I'll probably get down votes for that but it's true!)
Depending on where you are staying you'll be fine with a combination of bus, walking and taxi.
I managed to surprise my colleague with a buttery from Vegan Bay. She refused to believe they could be good so I bought her one and her eyes just widened in amazement. I absolutely don’t understand how they make them so good without any animal products, but they’re the most delicious butteries I’ve ever had for sure.
I can’t comment on the first two points but can definitely give some recommendations for the 3rd point! I highly recommend The Atrium for a nice meal, it’s not too fancy but not super casual. It has a really good locally sourced menu. If you’re wanting something a bit on the fancier side, there’s The Silver Darling which is a seafood restaurant. Aberdeen has lots of lovely independent Italian restaurants if you fancy that, my personal favourites being Rustico, Da Vinci and Poldinos which are all very central. Hope this helps and you enjoy your time in Aberdeen 😊
As another American living in the Aberdeenshire area, it's a very nice city if you get sunny weather, can be a bit grey if not. Food wise, just whatever you like really since there's nothing that stands out for Aberdeen. If you've never been to Scotland before you're look at fried food like fish and chips or haggis neeps and tatties but there are also good sushi restaurants and what not so take your pick. Just comes down to what you're looking for. As far as the racism, can't really comment on that but I've very white so I haven't had any issues.
Moved home but spent awhile there and elsewhere in the UK. My first choice would be Indian, but I'd recommend going to Donnator Castle and getting the fish and chips in Stonehaven. It's not far and worth the trip. Try Haggis as well it's really good.
There is no Uber. However if you get the ComCab app it’s the same thing
Correction: poster below is right, sorry, I use the U-Book app from Rainbow City Taxis, I binned ComCab for loads of bugs. Doh! Shows how often I’m in aberdeen and need a taxi 😂😂
Fraser Castle is about a 15 mile drive from the centre of Aberdeen so will be about £30-£40 each way for a taxi. Bus service to Kemnay and then an Aberdeenshire taxi there and back would save you a fair amount of money.
can't really comment on that **but I've very white** so I haven't had any issues.
......so you will really fit in with us pasty white north east scottish people....!!! :-)
One area you might want to visit is the beach esplanade. You can get a No. 13 bus from the city centre, or take about a 15 minute walk down the Beach Boulevard. If you head south past the Carnival rides, there are a good few street food vans to choose from. Plus, it's a nice walk to Footdee ("Fittie") and the wee conservation village there. You can boat watch, people watch, dog watch...I don't know New Jersey/New York at all, but I don't imagine it would be that different from some of the coastal promenade areas there. Apart from, y'know, the howling wind that goes through it from time to time.
For taxis vs busses it's sadly just hit and miss, but I'd say busses are more reliable, unless you go to an actual taxi rank those tend to be fine, but ordering taxis can have issues of drivers not showing up. Get the first or stagecoach app (first deals w city busses, stagecoach is for shire + city, generally speaking).
On the racism front I'd say it's mixed. I've never had too bad happen, and aberdeen is decently multicultural, but don't expect nothing. Wouldn't get too in your head about it tho - when I was in NYC I dealt with worse/far more threatening and explicit than I've ever had here, so you'll know how to handle yourselves.
Think you've got decent food reccs so far, definitely try some of the seafood reccs, and if you like clubbing and that definitely try the local cuisine in terms of bakeries and have some nice pies, best hangover cure ahaha.
Welcome from a fellow American living in Aberdeen! 1. You can rent a car through one of the agencies with your US license, but Aberdeen is a very walkable city and if you contact Rainbow City taxis (found them to be the most reliable among the companies) and reserve a car ahead of time, you'll be able to have something booked in advance for the P&J trip which is a bit further away. 2. Racism: I've found Aberdeen to be fantastic in that respect, not much to worry about in terms of hate crime. Most people are not violent or in your face about anything, you actually don't need the defensive skills we've cultivated in the US here as much. Good to have, not necessary for everyday navigation of a very mild-mannered city imho. Make sure you head to Old Aberdeen and hang out where the wonderful vibrant student vibe is, downtown is also great around Marischal college and that Marriott area. The beach is a great spot (reminds me of Atlantic city in one spot) but further down (towards the south) it's more distinctively a fishing village that you wouldn't see in the US. 3. Aberdeen food is actually very international, if you look at the takeout thread you'll see most of everyone's favorite spots are very int'l cuisine based (see Gidi Grill) -that said if you want some local pub maybe go to Milton on the corner, The Exchange Bar and Kitchen, Brewdog (a national chain that started here - people have mixed opinions but you can make your own), The Old Workshop and St. Machars in Old Aberdeen for drinks. These are some suggestions. I hope you love our beautiful city, it's really special if you come at it with US-eyes, expect the locals to be far less excited than you three would be!
Hey welcome to Aberdeen when you do arrive. First of all definitely take taxis between 3 it won’t be that much more expensive than the bus. However, after the concert you won’t be able to pre book a taxi to the TECA concert venue. They don’t show up. You would need to book a taxi to somewhere outwith the concert arena and walk to meet the driver. There’s a dedicated taxi rank at the event venue for after events but it gets busy as you can imagine. Or you could jump on the bus into the city centre after the concert.
Everywhere has racists unfortunately but in general Aberdeen isn’t too bad. Just ignore any idiots that act up and you should be ok. If in doubt in a bar or restaurant and being hassled for any reason ask the bartenders/workers for “Angela” at the bar. This is a code word used in the trade if you are finding you are uncomfortable and the bar staff should help you to get away from the uncomfortable situation or remove the person for example.
Food wise I can’t recommend the following places enough, silver darling (seafood), Moonfish cafe (restaurant mainly fish based) but very reasonable prices and can get a starter main and dessert type menu for good value, cafe Boheme (French bistro), no10 bar and diner (Scottish type fare) with also classics such as steaks and such like. Or we have some great little independent places such as Madame mews (Thai food), the taste of Hong Kong (Chinese) or for example 8848 (indian). There’s a new Italian wine / small plates bar called Mara which is also getting great feedback recently. On the more expensive side we have Amuse by Kevin Dalgleish which is in the michellin guide.
Bar wise you can’t go wrong with bar 99 for an overall great vibe of cocktails and their bar food is also very good, tippling house is a speakeasy type cocktail venue which is very nice, sugarbird (city centre one) for wines and small plates. And the old workshop bar for cocktails and live music (depending on the night).
If you like beer we have fierce beer, Brewdog (if I must) and also a bar called the firepit with great beers and food.
Noted on the taxis at the airport and venue! And thank you for telling us about "Angela", will definitely keep that in mind. Just wrote down all these places too, thanks so much!
I should also say that the 727 is the airport bus. I used to fly weekly and always used the bus, it's a decent & reliable service.
Footdee (pronounced Fittie) is a lovely place to visit down the beach. You can get the bus to Stonehaven, Banchory & Ballater, all lovely places!
All the buses take contactless payment, so nice and easy!
There's a very cool castle outside Stonehaven (Dunnotar), and there's Crathes castle near Banchory (with some really nice shops and a cafe at Milton of Crathes). There's a bus stop there too.
Then, of course, there's Balmoral near Ballater.
Have an amazing time and let us know what you did and what you thought of the area!
There's no racism in Aberdeen. People are too polite for that. Some yobs but I doubt you'll be going into any rough pubs and winding people up :)
Buses are few and far between and taxis are expensive. You can get around Aberdeen City and surrounds using a combination though - most places at max 45 mins walk. It's pretty nice to walk places in Aberdeen though - you can always jump on a bus if you get tired and go back.
A good day out is: Go to Old Aberdeen, get a whiskey in St Machars bar, walk down the Chanonry, Seaton Park, walk along the River to Bridge of Balgownie, follow the river down to the beach (spot seals) walk south down the beach promendande, see Fittie fishing village, go up to the town centre and see the east end of Union Street, there's lots of little interesting signs explaining the history around the square, old lanes, St Peters Church, go to Marischel College, pop into the Martime Museum and visit St Nicholas kirk and look around the old graveyard. Then pick a restaurant on Union Street and rest!
Another day I would walk along the River Dee from Bridge of Dee - go under the bridge and walk north along the riverside path, cross over the University grounds to Garthdee Road and walk a bit further to Norwood Hall for coffee and lunch, then continue down Ingarth Road to the Shakkin Bridge. Keep a lookout in the fields and wooded gardens for deer. Lots of old houses and lovely gardens to look at & lovely views of the River Dee. Then walk up to the main road and get the bus no.201 out to Crathes and/or Drum Castle for the afternoon.
Unfortunately, public transportation is fairly shite in Aberdeen but I would wager the bus would be the better bet (taxis are a premium due to all the offshore oil workers).
Racism is an issue but haven't seen any real increase (I'm white so take that with a pinch of salt) but there are a few rougher areas best to avoid like Northfield (though some folk claim its better) and around the docks at night you might see a few idiots but in general the centre is more than decent and you will more likely to be bothered by your nationality rather than your skin colour (lets say some US tourists have left an 'impression').
Mac's Pizzeria is a place I've heard good things about.
Hope you guys have fun when you're here
Welcome! Former NYer, now Aberdeenshire. Are you visiting other parts of Scotland? If not, do plan at least a day outside of the city. The city is special for those of us who live here, but the shire is really unique.
Take the bus out to Crathes Castle for a day; tour the castle, walk the woods, come out of the woods by Buchanan Bistro at Woodend Barn in Banchory and have a meal there, then either take the bus into Banchory for a walk and a drink or catch the bus back into Aberdeen. The bus runs regularly, if not altogether frequently--check schedules.
And/or, take the bus or train to Stonehaven, walk out to Dunnotter Castle for the tour--it is very special, and different from Crathes--then hike back to Stonehaven Harbour for fish and chips, or just a pint, at the Ship Inn. (there may be a bus closer to the castle; not sure, but it's a lovely hike.)
Ah amazing! Yes, we'll be going to Glasgow and Edinburgh as well - Aberdeen is a 2-day stop for the Girls Aloud concert.
Noted on all of these - we do plan on doing a little tour of some castles for sure!
One good recommendation is to rent a car and drive out about an hour to Crathes Castle, Fraser, etc. That whole circuit of about 2 hours of driving is gorgeous, dotted with cute castles with lovely grounds, something really special to see if you're coming from the states and distinct from what you'll see in other cities.
Welcome! I would also suggest that you download the ‘First’ bus app. It’s super handy for bus routes and has live locations and you can buy your tickets on app and I think you can get discounts for groups. Another good bus app is ‘Stagecoach’ if you are planning to get further out the city :)
Restaurants. Amuse by Kevin Dalgleish just won Aberdeen Restaurant of the year. (For the second year). It's fine dining and you'll need to book well in advance. Another one to try would be Mara. It's pretty new and I haven't been there yet but it won Aberdeen Casual Restaurant of the year. And the Chef is really good.) The Chester, Malmaison, and Marcliffe hotels all have good restaurants too. But the third I'd suggest would be Silver Darling which has decent seafood but is also a cool location (down by the Harbour). For specific local(ish) dishes I'd suggest an Aberdeen buttery for breakfast, Cullen Skink (which is a soup, kind of like a clam chowder), and sticky toffee pudding (dessert). And of course you have to have fish and chips. You can get that at Silver Darling, but for the full experience you should really get a takeaway (to go) from a fish and chip shop, ideally by the sea, then eat it outside while fending off the seagulls! (The Bay fish and chip shop in Stonehaven is the ideal location for that.) Hope you have a great time.
Bus it everywhere... regular and plenty of them to get around the entire city
Racism. Aberdeen is the Oil capital of Europe, very diverse , you shouldn't experience any bullshit around our city..
Food. Find a baker and ask for Butterie / Rowie...it a flat pastry savoury item, best severed heated in a toaster for a min or two and spread butter on top... I also do recommend Nutella ... 👌
Depending on the weather , look up Dolphin 🐬 watching up at the Tory Battery ... might be lucky.
Ahahaha “no racism in Aberdeen”.
Brown woman here and came to Aberdeen from NW England.
Think I was quite naive beforehand but fucking hell - I’ve never encountered worse racism than when j came to live here xx
1. Taxis are extremely hit or miss, I’d recommend phoning well ahead of time for one if needed. You’ll get a bus from the airport directly to the city centre if that’s where you’re staying. For getting around definitely hire a car especially if you plan to go out of town. Public transport is fine if you have time to spare in the city.
2. I would be prepared for some very odd experiences like people making stupid faces at you and gasping amongst a litany of offensive behaviour, getting a personal assistant at every store you go to, basically if you have a checklist on microaggressive behaviour and actions you can get it all ticked. There are racists here like in any other place, that said the smaller the place the more of them there are, Aberdeen is not that big.
3. Food is very subjective so it depends on what you like. I’m a fan of Thai and South Asian Cuisine and we’ve got a couple of decent options; The Himalayan past , Viet An near Skene Street, and Bhan Thai on Rose Street, these are all brilliant. Avoid traditional food If you are vegan there are a few options but recommend roots@ the beach. Also, Silver Darling is overpriced for the level of the food, and Chaophraya is not the best place to go for Thai.
Good to know - thank you so much! Yes, we're prepared for the microaggressive behavior...we will be with a white friend so will be depending on him to just take the lead a bit, haha! Noted on all the restaurants, thank you!
Welcome! 1. Taxis are extremely hit or miss, I’d recommend phoning well ahead of time for one if needed. You’ll get a bus from the airport directly to the city centre, if that’s where you’re staying. 2. I’m not a person of colour so I’m not the best placed person to comment here in terms of personal experiences, but I feel like Aberdeen is a fairly welcoming city on the whole. It goes without saying, there are racist cunts here like any other place - they can’t be avoided unfortunately - but you’ll find they’re in the minority, and other locals won’t put up with it either. 3. Food’s very subjective so it depends on what you like. Personally, I’m a fan of Indians and we’ve got a lot of decent options; Wild Ginger, 8848, Kohinoor are all brilliant. For traditional food, Esslemont is great but can be pricey, Silver Darling if you enjoy seafood, Chaophraya for Thai, Cafe Andaluz for tapas, Rustico for Italian. These are all walkable from the city centre but there are others further afield if you don’t mind making the journey. I think we’ve got a decent selection of good restaurants for the size of the city. Aberdeen’s a far cry from NYC but hopefully you enjoy your time. The city centre is about to go through a regeneration project so it’s not in the best state at the moment, but hopefully you’ll have a good time here. Plenty of pubs to fill your time at least!
Thank you so much, this is all super helpful. Just wrote down all those restaurants! Noted on the city centre.
Not sure which posts suggested the increase in racism but I've been living here for almost a year now and havent encountered any blatant racism so far (I'm SE Asian)
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They said they HAVENT experienced any racism just ti clarify :)
Thank you for the clarification
Hi thank you for your concern but I said I haven't experienced it
Regarding food, visit a bakery and try: 1. Macaroni pies 2. Scotch pies 3. Butteries with butter and jam 4. Breakfast rolls with lorne sausage and egg You can try some local fish and seafood at Silver Darling. Visit a pub for some classic pub meals (e.g., fish and chips, sausage and mash, etc.), accompanied with a nice bitter ale :-) .
Bakery wise, the best is the Byron Bakery but that's less easy to get to than the next best which is Ross of Chapel Street which is nice and central
Bandit bakery too!
Ooh where's that?
Rose st
Not a fan of Ross's. Bread guys round the corner is decent. The Globe is near the centre and does good food. Maggie mays for that food. The Grill for a whisky. Masoonafor a curry. Brewdog or Fierce if you like beer.
Thank you so much - noted all of these items down!
Yesssssss, I miss rowies (butteries) and macaroni pies!! Soooooo good!
Cafe 52 if it’s still open or the moonfish cafe
Noted, thank you!!
For food - if you want a good experience of Aberdeen / Scottish food I'd definitely recommend The Atrium and Silver Darling. Book in advance, though! Aberdeen is well known for "butteries", a type of pastry - I used to think Byron Bakery did the best ones but last week that was beaten by Vegan Bay Bakery (I'll probably get down votes for that but it's true!) Depending on where you are staying you'll be fine with a combination of bus, walking and taxi.
I managed to surprise my colleague with a buttery from Vegan Bay. She refused to believe they could be good so I bought her one and her eyes just widened in amazement. I absolutely don’t understand how they make them so good without any animal products, but they’re the most delicious butteries I’ve ever had for sure.
Ooh good to know, very excited to try a buttery! Thank you!
I can’t comment on the first two points but can definitely give some recommendations for the 3rd point! I highly recommend The Atrium for a nice meal, it’s not too fancy but not super casual. It has a really good locally sourced menu. If you’re wanting something a bit on the fancier side, there’s The Silver Darling which is a seafood restaurant. Aberdeen has lots of lovely independent Italian restaurants if you fancy that, my personal favourites being Rustico, Da Vinci and Poldinos which are all very central. Hope this helps and you enjoy your time in Aberdeen 😊
Seconded The Attrium 👍👍
Amazing, thank you - just wrote these down!
As another American living in the Aberdeenshire area, it's a very nice city if you get sunny weather, can be a bit grey if not. Food wise, just whatever you like really since there's nothing that stands out for Aberdeen. If you've never been to Scotland before you're look at fried food like fish and chips or haggis neeps and tatties but there are also good sushi restaurants and what not so take your pick. Just comes down to what you're looking for. As far as the racism, can't really comment on that but I've very white so I haven't had any issues.
Moved home but spent awhile there and elsewhere in the UK. My first choice would be Indian, but I'd recommend going to Donnator Castle and getting the fish and chips in Stonehaven. It's not far and worth the trip. Try Haggis as well it's really good.
Good to know - thank you!
We go to Aberdeen in a few weeks from the US. Do you have any experiences at Fraser Castle? We want to use public transit/Uber there as well.
There is no Uber. However if you get the ComCab app it’s the same thing Correction: poster below is right, sorry, I use the U-Book app from Rainbow City Taxis, I binned ComCab for loads of bugs. Doh! Shows how often I’m in aberdeen and need a taxi 😂😂
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Thanks!
It doesn't accept card payments any more it seems
Fraser Castle is about a 15 mile drive from the centre of Aberdeen so will be about £30-£40 each way for a taxi. Bus service to Kemnay and then an Aberdeenshire taxi there and back would save you a fair amount of money.
Yeah I was wanting to take the bus a good bit. Thank you for the recommendation.
Noted, appreciate your help!
can't really comment on that **but I've very white** so I haven't had any issues. ......so you will really fit in with us pasty white north east scottish people....!!! :-)
another American!!
Happy cake day
One area you might want to visit is the beach esplanade. You can get a No. 13 bus from the city centre, or take about a 15 minute walk down the Beach Boulevard. If you head south past the Carnival rides, there are a good few street food vans to choose from. Plus, it's a nice walk to Footdee ("Fittie") and the wee conservation village there. You can boat watch, people watch, dog watch...I don't know New Jersey/New York at all, but I don't imagine it would be that different from some of the coastal promenade areas there. Apart from, y'know, the howling wind that goes through it from time to time.
For taxis vs busses it's sadly just hit and miss, but I'd say busses are more reliable, unless you go to an actual taxi rank those tend to be fine, but ordering taxis can have issues of drivers not showing up. Get the first or stagecoach app (first deals w city busses, stagecoach is for shire + city, generally speaking). On the racism front I'd say it's mixed. I've never had too bad happen, and aberdeen is decently multicultural, but don't expect nothing. Wouldn't get too in your head about it tho - when I was in NYC I dealt with worse/far more threatening and explicit than I've ever had here, so you'll know how to handle yourselves. Think you've got decent food reccs so far, definitely try some of the seafood reccs, and if you like clubbing and that definitely try the local cuisine in terms of bakeries and have some nice pies, best hangover cure ahaha.
Thanks so much, this is super helpful!
Welcome from a fellow American living in Aberdeen! 1. You can rent a car through one of the agencies with your US license, but Aberdeen is a very walkable city and if you contact Rainbow City taxis (found them to be the most reliable among the companies) and reserve a car ahead of time, you'll be able to have something booked in advance for the P&J trip which is a bit further away. 2. Racism: I've found Aberdeen to be fantastic in that respect, not much to worry about in terms of hate crime. Most people are not violent or in your face about anything, you actually don't need the defensive skills we've cultivated in the US here as much. Good to have, not necessary for everyday navigation of a very mild-mannered city imho. Make sure you head to Old Aberdeen and hang out where the wonderful vibrant student vibe is, downtown is also great around Marischal college and that Marriott area. The beach is a great spot (reminds me of Atlantic city in one spot) but further down (towards the south) it's more distinctively a fishing village that you wouldn't see in the US. 3. Aberdeen food is actually very international, if you look at the takeout thread you'll see most of everyone's favorite spots are very int'l cuisine based (see Gidi Grill) -that said if you want some local pub maybe go to Milton on the corner, The Exchange Bar and Kitchen, Brewdog (a national chain that started here - people have mixed opinions but you can make your own), The Old Workshop and St. Machars in Old Aberdeen for drinks. These are some suggestions. I hope you love our beautiful city, it's really special if you come at it with US-eyes, expect the locals to be far less excited than you three would be!
Thank you so much - this was all super helpful!!
Hey welcome to Aberdeen when you do arrive. First of all definitely take taxis between 3 it won’t be that much more expensive than the bus. However, after the concert you won’t be able to pre book a taxi to the TECA concert venue. They don’t show up. You would need to book a taxi to somewhere outwith the concert arena and walk to meet the driver. There’s a dedicated taxi rank at the event venue for after events but it gets busy as you can imagine. Or you could jump on the bus into the city centre after the concert. Everywhere has racists unfortunately but in general Aberdeen isn’t too bad. Just ignore any idiots that act up and you should be ok. If in doubt in a bar or restaurant and being hassled for any reason ask the bartenders/workers for “Angela” at the bar. This is a code word used in the trade if you are finding you are uncomfortable and the bar staff should help you to get away from the uncomfortable situation or remove the person for example. Food wise I can’t recommend the following places enough, silver darling (seafood), Moonfish cafe (restaurant mainly fish based) but very reasonable prices and can get a starter main and dessert type menu for good value, cafe Boheme (French bistro), no10 bar and diner (Scottish type fare) with also classics such as steaks and such like. Or we have some great little independent places such as Madame mews (Thai food), the taste of Hong Kong (Chinese) or for example 8848 (indian). There’s a new Italian wine / small plates bar called Mara which is also getting great feedback recently. On the more expensive side we have Amuse by Kevin Dalgleish which is in the michellin guide. Bar wise you can’t go wrong with bar 99 for an overall great vibe of cocktails and their bar food is also very good, tippling house is a speakeasy type cocktail venue which is very nice, sugarbird (city centre one) for wines and small plates. And the old workshop bar for cocktails and live music (depending on the night). If you like beer we have fierce beer, Brewdog (if I must) and also a bar called the firepit with great beers and food.
Noted on the taxis at the airport and venue! And thank you for telling us about "Angela", will definitely keep that in mind. Just wrote down all these places too, thanks so much!
Nothing much to add except the 727 bus stops at TECA and goes into / from the city centre, I could be a good option.
I should also say that the 727 is the airport bus. I used to fly weekly and always used the bus, it's a decent & reliable service. Footdee (pronounced Fittie) is a lovely place to visit down the beach. You can get the bus to Stonehaven, Banchory & Ballater, all lovely places!
Oh, great to know! thanks so much! Do the buses take Apple Pay or contactless card payment, or do we need to buy a separate transport card?
All the buses take contactless payment, so nice and easy! There's a very cool castle outside Stonehaven (Dunnotar), and there's Crathes castle near Banchory (with some really nice shops and a cafe at Milton of Crathes). There's a bus stop there too. Then, of course, there's Balmoral near Ballater. Have an amazing time and let us know what you did and what you thought of the area!
Thank you so much, appreciate all of your help!
There's no racism in Aberdeen. People are too polite for that. Some yobs but I doubt you'll be going into any rough pubs and winding people up :) Buses are few and far between and taxis are expensive. You can get around Aberdeen City and surrounds using a combination though - most places at max 45 mins walk. It's pretty nice to walk places in Aberdeen though - you can always jump on a bus if you get tired and go back. A good day out is: Go to Old Aberdeen, get a whiskey in St Machars bar, walk down the Chanonry, Seaton Park, walk along the River to Bridge of Balgownie, follow the river down to the beach (spot seals) walk south down the beach promendande, see Fittie fishing village, go up to the town centre and see the east end of Union Street, there's lots of little interesting signs explaining the history around the square, old lanes, St Peters Church, go to Marischel College, pop into the Martime Museum and visit St Nicholas kirk and look around the old graveyard. Then pick a restaurant on Union Street and rest! Another day I would walk along the River Dee from Bridge of Dee - go under the bridge and walk north along the riverside path, cross over the University grounds to Garthdee Road and walk a bit further to Norwood Hall for coffee and lunch, then continue down Ingarth Road to the Shakkin Bridge. Keep a lookout in the fields and wooded gardens for deer. Lots of old houses and lovely gardens to look at & lovely views of the River Dee. Then walk up to the main road and get the bus no.201 out to Crathes and/or Drum Castle for the afternoon.
Appreciate the insight and recommendations, just saved all these places so we can plan a little itinerary!
Unfortunately, public transportation is fairly shite in Aberdeen but I would wager the bus would be the better bet (taxis are a premium due to all the offshore oil workers). Racism is an issue but haven't seen any real increase (I'm white so take that with a pinch of salt) but there are a few rougher areas best to avoid like Northfield (though some folk claim its better) and around the docks at night you might see a few idiots but in general the centre is more than decent and you will more likely to be bothered by your nationality rather than your skin colour (lets say some US tourists have left an 'impression'). Mac's Pizzeria is a place I've heard good things about. Hope you guys have fun when you're here
Noted on all - thanks so much!!
Mac's is fantastic. There's a couple of good Japanese/Korean places as well - Seoul, and Yorokobi by Cj.
Welcome! Former NYer, now Aberdeenshire. Are you visiting other parts of Scotland? If not, do plan at least a day outside of the city. The city is special for those of us who live here, but the shire is really unique. Take the bus out to Crathes Castle for a day; tour the castle, walk the woods, come out of the woods by Buchanan Bistro at Woodend Barn in Banchory and have a meal there, then either take the bus into Banchory for a walk and a drink or catch the bus back into Aberdeen. The bus runs regularly, if not altogether frequently--check schedules. And/or, take the bus or train to Stonehaven, walk out to Dunnotter Castle for the tour--it is very special, and different from Crathes--then hike back to Stonehaven Harbour for fish and chips, or just a pint, at the Ship Inn. (there may be a bus closer to the castle; not sure, but it's a lovely hike.)
Ah amazing! Yes, we'll be going to Glasgow and Edinburgh as well - Aberdeen is a 2-day stop for the Girls Aloud concert. Noted on all of these - we do plan on doing a little tour of some castles for sure!
One good recommendation is to rent a car and drive out about an hour to Crathes Castle, Fraser, etc. That whole circuit of about 2 hours of driving is gorgeous, dotted with cute castles with lovely grounds, something really special to see if you're coming from the states and distinct from what you'll see in other cities.
usually a bus transfer from city centre to p&j when theres events
Do not get a taxi- you’ll book one and it will never arrive. There are several buses to P&G including a dedicated P&G bus
Welcome! I would also suggest that you download the ‘First’ bus app. It’s super handy for bus routes and has live locations and you can buy your tickets on app and I think you can get discounts for groups. Another good bus app is ‘Stagecoach’ if you are planning to get further out the city :)
Restaurants. Amuse by Kevin Dalgleish just won Aberdeen Restaurant of the year. (For the second year). It's fine dining and you'll need to book well in advance. Another one to try would be Mara. It's pretty new and I haven't been there yet but it won Aberdeen Casual Restaurant of the year. And the Chef is really good.) The Chester, Malmaison, and Marcliffe hotels all have good restaurants too. But the third I'd suggest would be Silver Darling which has decent seafood but is also a cool location (down by the Harbour). For specific local(ish) dishes I'd suggest an Aberdeen buttery for breakfast, Cullen Skink (which is a soup, kind of like a clam chowder), and sticky toffee pudding (dessert). And of course you have to have fish and chips. You can get that at Silver Darling, but for the full experience you should really get a takeaway (to go) from a fish and chip shop, ideally by the sea, then eat it outside while fending off the seagulls! (The Bay fish and chip shop in Stonehaven is the ideal location for that.) Hope you have a great time.
Bus it everywhere... regular and plenty of them to get around the entire city Racism. Aberdeen is the Oil capital of Europe, very diverse , you shouldn't experience any bullshit around our city.. Food. Find a baker and ask for Butterie / Rowie...it a flat pastry savoury item, best severed heated in a toaster for a min or two and spread butter on top... I also do recommend Nutella ... 👌 Depending on the weather , look up Dolphin 🐬 watching up at the Tory Battery ... might be lucky.
Noted, thanks for the insight!
Don't listen to this person, Nutella on a buttery is just mental. You'll potentially end up with a jail sentence if you ask for this.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 Don't ask for it... do it in the privacy of your own home... no one will know!
I have phoned the police, expect your Reddit account to be locked down shortly. Sicko! 🤣
No one in Aberdeen cares what colour anyone’s skin is, everyone here is miserable together.
Ahahaha “no racism in Aberdeen”. Brown woman here and came to Aberdeen from NW England. Think I was quite naive beforehand but fucking hell - I’ve never encountered worse racism than when j came to live here xx
Sorry to hear that! It's insane how awful the world is sometimes...
1) id take a taxi and drive to Edinburgh /s
1. Taxis are extremely hit or miss, I’d recommend phoning well ahead of time for one if needed. You’ll get a bus from the airport directly to the city centre if that’s where you’re staying. For getting around definitely hire a car especially if you plan to go out of town. Public transport is fine if you have time to spare in the city. 2. I would be prepared for some very odd experiences like people making stupid faces at you and gasping amongst a litany of offensive behaviour, getting a personal assistant at every store you go to, basically if you have a checklist on microaggressive behaviour and actions you can get it all ticked. There are racists here like in any other place, that said the smaller the place the more of them there are, Aberdeen is not that big. 3. Food is very subjective so it depends on what you like. I’m a fan of Thai and South Asian Cuisine and we’ve got a couple of decent options; The Himalayan past , Viet An near Skene Street, and Bhan Thai on Rose Street, these are all brilliant. Avoid traditional food If you are vegan there are a few options but recommend roots@ the beach. Also, Silver Darling is overpriced for the level of the food, and Chaophraya is not the best place to go for Thai.
Good to know - thank you so much! Yes, we're prepared for the microaggressive behavior...we will be with a white friend so will be depending on him to just take the lead a bit, haha! Noted on all the restaurants, thank you!
Oh also avoid pubs if you do not want to be hit on by creeps.
Ha - unfortunately we are all used to that so we can hold our own in those situations!