Aberdeen

Bordered by fine sandy beaches (delightful if you're a polar bear), Scotland's third city, Aberdeen, is often called the "Granite City" because its buildings are constructed largely of pink or gray granite, hewn from the Rubislaw quarries. The harbor is one of the country's largest fishing ports, filled with kipper and deep-sea trawlers, and Aberdeen lies on the banks of the salmon- and trout-filled Don and Dee rivers. Spanning the Don is the Brig o' Balgownie, a steep Gothic arch begun in 1285.
Although it hardly compares with Glasgow and Edinburgh, Aberdeen is the center of a vibrant university; it boasts a few marvelous museums and galleries; and it's known for great nightlife and shopping, the best in the northeast. Old Aberdeen is the seat of one of Scotland's major cathedrals, St. Machars. It's also a good base for exploring the greatest castles of Grampian and the towns and villages along the splendid salmon river, Deeside.

Aberdeen Attractions

In old Aberdeen is the University of Aberdeen, a fusion of two colleges. Reached along University Road, King's College (tel. 01224/272-137; bus: 6 or 20) is Great Britain's oldest school of medicine. The college is known for its chapel (ca. 1500) with pre-Reformation carved woodwork, the finest of its kind in Scotland; it's open daily 9am to 4:30pm, charging no admission. On Broad Street is Marischal College (tel. 01224/273-131), founded in 1593 by Earl Marischal -- it's the world's second-biggest granite structure (El Escorial, outside Madrid, is much larger). The main structure is no longer in use, but on-site is the Marischal Museum displaying exhibits and photos of the university and the Scottish culture of the northeast in general; admission is free, and the museum is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm and Sunday from 2 to 5pm. In 1860, the colleges joined together to form the nucleus of the University of Aberdeen.
Also at the University of Aberdeen, the Cruickshank Botanic Garden, St. Machar Drive (tel. 01224/272-704; bus: 6 or 20), displays alpines, shrubs, and many herbaceous plants, along with rock and water gardens. It's open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm; in summer, it's also open Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5pm. Admission is free.
The Cathedral of St. Machar, Chanonry (tel. 01224/485-988 in the morning or 01224/317-424 in the afternoon; bus: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 26), was founded in 1131, but the present structure dates from the 15th century. Its splendid heraldic ceiling contains three rows of shields. Be sure to note the magnificent modern stained-glass windows by Douglas Strachan and the pre-Reformation woodwork. The cathedral is open daily 9am to 5pm.
At Alpine Bikes, 66-70 Holburn St. (tel. 01224/211-455), you can rent a bike so that you can go exploring on two wheels. Rates are £15 ($29) daily or £27 ($51) for weekends, with weekly rates at £60 ($114). It's open Sunday from 11am to 5pm, Monday to Wednesday and Friday from 9am to 6pm, and Thursday from 9am to 8pm.
Scotland's Castle Trail
Scotland's Castle Trail takes visitors on a tour of fairy-tale castles, imposing stately homes, magnificent ruins, and splendid public gardens. The only signposted route of its kind in Scotland, it guides motorists around rural Aberdeenshire. An accompanying leaflet highlights 11 of the finest properties, from the ruins of the 13th-century Kildrummy Castle and the elegant five-towered Fyvie Castle to two grand examples of the work of the 18th-century architect William Adam -- Duff House and Haddo House.

Aberdeen Shopping

The main shopping districts center on specialty shops on Chapel and Thistle streets and on the well-known chains on George and Union streets. Of interest to collectors, Colin Wood, 25 Rose St. (tel. 01224/643-019), stocks furniture, wall clocks, and grandfather clocks from the 17th to the early 20th centuries. Its specialty, however, is maps from the Elizabethan through the Victorian eras. The shop also sells 17th- to early-20th-century prints of northern Scotland. You may also want to browse through the eclectic mix of bric-a-brac antiques at Elizabeth Watts Studio, 69 Thistle St. (tel. 01224/647-232), where items include glass, brass, antique jewelry, china, silver, and a few small furniture pieces. The shop is actually best known for its china and glass restoration studio. For one-stop gift shopping, drop in at Nova, 20 Chapel St. (tel. 01224/643-607), which stocks china, silver jewelry, rugs, clothing, toys, cards, and gift paper.